For the unfamiliar, a nappy cake is a non-edible arrangement, made up of rolled disposable nappies often incorporating ribbon and small trinkets. Suprisingly, despite the nappy cake's popularity in US films and TV shows, the object was in fact a UK invention. In 1988, Jennifer Steadman rolled her son's nappies into a cake shape by accident and later decided to make a "cake" for her nephew a few months after. The first cakes were very simple in design, but over the years she developed various methods of making them more and more extravagant.
This month, we celebrated the arrival of AnOther fashion director Katie Shillingford and her husband Alex Dromgoole's first born, Mila Gray. Having designed Katie's wedding dress in 2011, long-standing friend and collaborator Gareth Pugh chose to design a spectacular nappy cake for the proud parents.
Photographed exclusively for anothermag.com by Olena Slyesarenko, the nappy cake is based on the designer's spring/summer 2013 collection. Combining looks 1 and 32, the striking design features a miniature version of the mantilla headdress, a breath-taking silhouette, red chiffon and delicate Swarovski crystals on the bodice.
See Katie Shilingford's wedding pictures here.
Text by Laura Bradley
