James Clifford Hjelm Honored by DEBI with the Lifetime Achievement Award

StarDust Celebrations is thrilled to congratulate the legendary James Clifford Hjelm on being given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the DEBI (Distinctive Excellence in the Bridal Industry) Awards last week. An icon in the industry, James Clifford (also known as Jim Hjelm) was awarded this honor for his numerous excellent years of designing stunning bridal gowns. We could not be more excited for James to be awarded this honor and to be a partner with him in this industry.

Recruited early in his career by the prestigious Priscilla of Boston, James earned a reputation for gorgeously chic gowns made with the utmost quality and detailing. He spent nearly two decades at Priscilla, during which he designed for celebrities and political powerhouses – including two presidents’ daughters. Jim left Boston for New York in 1980 to serve as head designer at Galina Bouquet, where he worked to further establish his own style and really make his mark on the industry. His design philosophy is to strike the perfect balance between classic styling and modern fashion flare. And he is incredibly gifted at finding this ideal harmony! His efforts paid off in 1987 when he was invited to join a major bridal house and head up his own namesake line.

James again took major strides forward when in 2004, he joined Mon Cheri Bridals to launch his James Clifford Collection. The exclusive, upscale collection is a culmination of James’ legendary vision, extraordinary talent and unmistakable style.

In addition to his incredible design prowess, James is an absolutely lovely person. He personally attends many trunk shows for his gowns throughout the country, and we have been honored to host him at StarDust several times. He is warm and genuine, spending quality time not only with our brides but with our staff, as well. For such a creatively gifted designer, he is also very humble. We could not be happier that James was awarded this well-deserved honor.

Here are some of the breath-taking styles of the James Clifford Collection we carry at our specialty salon catering to voluptuous brides, A Curvy Bride:

And here are some gorgeous styles we carry at our flagship StarDust Bridal Salon:

We also just have to share with you that several other 2014 DEBI Awards went to several of our wonderful designer partners. In fact, of the eight categories (two of which StarDust Celebrations does not carry), five of the winners are designers we offer!

Bridal Gowns: Allure Bridals (LuLu’s Bridal)

Bridesmaids Gowns: Bill Levkoff (LuLu’s Bridal)

Headpieces: Bel Aire Bridal (StarDust Bridal Salon)

Flower Girl: Joan Calabrese for Mon Cheri (StarDust Bridal Salon)

Special Occasion: Montage by Mon Cheri (StarDust Bridal Salon) 

Congratulations to all of these talented, well-deserving bridal apparel professionals! Thank you for being such amazing partners in this incredible industry!