NASHVILLE, Tenn. - s4story -- Nashville-based designer Leah Langley-McClean, founder and creative director of Ellenelle Bridal, recently designed and constructed a custom red-carpet gown for Gabourey Sidibe to wear to the American Horror Story Season 13 premiere in New York on September 23.

The look was developed in Ellenelle Bridal's Nashville atelier and built around the brand's signature approach to structure, corsetry, dramatic proportion, and refined glamour. The gown featured a fully structured internal corset and sculptural shaping designed to create a strong visual silhouette while giving the wearer support, security, and ease on the carpet.

For Langley-McClean, the project marks an important step in the continued evolution of Ellenelle Bridal from a bridal-focused label into a broader fashion house serving red carpet, eveningwear, gala, and custom special-occasion clients.

More on S For Story

• Kenneth "KT" Thomas Releases New Book What If You Don't Quit? The F.L.I.G.H.T. Framework
• "The Tree of Cinema" Installation Brought Film History and Its Audiences Together at TIFF 2026
• Author Crystal Silva Establishes BreathWoven Book Store
• Detroit Lawyer Steals $600,000 Settlement Meant to Protect Child
• Dr. Shantell Byrd Martin, Launch In My Bloom Era™

"Every part of this gown was designed around how I wanted her to feel in it," Langley-McClean said. "I wanted her to feel supported, secure, confident, and completely transformed. That balance between structure and emotion is at the heart of how I approach design."

Langley-McClean entered fashion through an unconventional path. A Tennessee State University graduate with a background in accounting, she spent more than a decade working in the field before teaching herself fashion design. After creating her own wedding gown and recognizing a gap in the market for women seeking more inclusive fit, stronger structure, and greater customization, she founded Ellenelle Bridal.

Today, Ellenelle is known for modern couture, architectural silhouettes, corsetry, and a highly personalized approach to fit and design. The brand's expansion into red carpet and eveningwear builds on that same foundation while extending its design language beyond bridal.

The American Horror Story premiere gown also reflects Ellenelle's commitment to developing fashion work in Nashville. Pattern development, corset construction, fabric manipulation, fitting, and finishing were completed through the brand's local design process before the gown was shipped to New York.

More on S For Story

• Book Launch - A Quiet Defiance
• Debut Fantasy Novel When Stone Awakens Introduces the World of Atholaria
• Heritage at South Brunswick Announces Special Townhome Mortgage Rate Buydown
• Heritage at Hopewell Announces Limited-Time Mortgage Rate Buydown on Select Quick Move-In Townhomes
• Impact & Influence December 2026: Joel Rodriguez Tirado on Reflection, Refocus & Moving Forward

"This project was exciting because it showed what Ellenelle can look like outside of bridal," Langley-McClean said. "The same attention to fit, structure, and individuality translates naturally into red carpet and eveningwear."

The red-carpet commission is part of Ellenelle Bridal's broader growth strategy as the company expands its custom offerings and continues building its presence as a Nashville-based luxury fashion house.

About Ellenelle Bridal

Ellenelle Bridal is a Nashville-based bridal and fashion house founded by designer Leah Langley-McClean. The brand is known for structured silhouettes, modern corsetry, refined glamour, inclusive fit, and highly customizable design. Ellenelle offers bridal, custom commissions, eveningwear, and special-occasion dressing.

Visit us at http://www.ellenellebridal.com