Celebrity favourite Nadine Merabi now available at Little Black Dress

Designer Nadine Merabi Nadine Merabi is a Manchester-based fashion designer who specialises in wow-worthy evening gowns fit for the red carpet, and we're thrilled to announce that her gorgeous designs are now available at Little Black Dress! Focusing on flattering fits, the very best fabrics and eye-catching embellishment, it's no wonder Nadine's creations are loved by the likes of Michelle Keegan, Natasha Hamilton and Katie Piper. To mark the arrival of the new collection, we caught up with the celebs' go-to designer to talk dresses, divas and Friday night drinks… Tell us about your dresses My designs are all about the perfect fit. I'm a bit OCD about fit actually! Before the sparkle and the texture, it's all about how different dresses hang – if it's a long dress it really has to hang well – and lovely fabrics are important too. Nadine Merabi dresses are the go-to for glam evenings and special occasions and are made to make you look good. Left: actress Brooke Vincent and right, Nikki Sanderson at the National Television Awards, 2016, both in Nadine's designs for the red carpet. Image courtesty of Rex Shutterstock. Tell us a bit about your design process Most of my dresses are inspired by the fabric. I travel all over the world to source the highest quality fabrics for my designs and I often see the fabric before I start putting anything on paper. Seeing a fabric helps me to imagine what the dress will look like in my head and then my studio team will make a pattern and a sample. If we still love it, it's sent to be made. What inspires you? The wow factor. Everything I make has to be ‘wow'! Silhouettes really inspire me, as well as that all-important fit. If you've got those boxes ticked, it makes all the difference. Describe your new collection at Little Black Dress in three words. Elegant. Timeless. Show-stopping. Which is your favourite dress in the new collection? This one's easy as it's a signature shape for me – the Helena. It's a long black backless dress and it is honestly the most perfect thing. It hugs you in all the right places. Who have you dressed and whose style do you most admire? I've dressed quite a few celebs now, including Catherine Tyldesley, Michelle Keegan, Katie Piper, Jorgie Porter, Nikki Sanderson… there's lots more! Cath's style is really sophisticated. I love that she really emphasises her curves and she's not afraid to try something new either. Left Catherine Tyldesley in Nadine's corseted Serena dress and right Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter in one of Nadine's designs for The British Soap Awards in 2013. All images courtesy of REX Shutterstock. And who's your dream client? I've got three. Jennifer Lopez. Blake Lively. And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. I'm obsessed with Rosie and Jason Statham – I just want to have them round for tea… Describe your perfect night out Well, I'd get the girls round first. There's about six of us, and we'd all get ready together, doing our hair and make-up and sipping on Champagne. We would wear really show-stopping dresses, perfect for taking in a few cocktails in town before a sit-down dinner. Then we'd take our gowns out dancing. We love to dance. Centre, Nadine Merabi on a night out with her girlfriends What does the little black dress mean to you? I actually have a really good story for this. When I first started out I was away in Portugal and I found this gold necklace on a market stall. I picked it up, thinking I don't know where I'll use it but I really like it. Anyway, I got a call saying Michelle Collins had joined Coronation Street and was going to an awards show, which she needed a dress for. I had about a day to sort something out! I thought of the gold necklace and knew I could make something beautiful. I basically draped some gorgeous black fabric from the dress, letting it all hang from there. It was simple but it got such good press when she wore it and it really helped launch me. It was just one of those really great, unexpected things. A nice LBD memory. Left, the dress Nadine designed for Michelle Collins, center TOWIE actress Ferne McCann and right actress Anna Passey, both in Nadine Merabi designs. Got a special event coming up? You can shop Nadine Merabi at Little Black Dress here.