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The Jewish Chronicle

My designs for the stars? I dream them

There is no equivalent to Pnina Tornai in the UK fashion world.

October 1, 2009 12:06
Pnina Tornai in one of her creations

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

3 min read

There is no equivalent to Pnina Tornai in the UK fashion world; no-one transcends Planet Fashion in quite the same, immensely glamorous — and sometimes vulgar — way that Israel’s number one bridal designer does in her home country.

Vivienne Westwood comes close, being a designer of frocks with “personality”, but Tornai (pictured above), who has recently acquired a dedicated UK shop, is in another league.

A former actress who looks like a fashion model, she hosts an Israeli TV show; was the biggest ratings draw in Israel’s recent Celebrity Big Brother; was a judge in the Israeli version of Project Runway; was the face on the cover of the August edition of At, Israel’s biggest-selling women’s magazine; and has featured in Say Yes to the Dress in the USA, where she is one of the country’s top three bridal designers (up there with Monique L’Huillier and Reem Acra). And as one of the highest-profile bridal designers in the US, it was one of her wedding gowns which was worn by Lisa Kudrow in PS I Love You, while the wedding dress in Confessions of a Shopaholic was also a Pnina Tornai.

Conquering the USA, however, took real determination. Already a success in Israel — where she has a salon in Old Jaffa — she arrived in Manhattan on September 11, 2001 to present her collection to the owner and chief buyer at Kleinfeld’s, America’s leading bridal store.