Maggie Sottero is an apparel brand headquartered in West Valley City, Utah. It was founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1997.
Clara DeLisio and Lil Stalnaker remember 1997 as the year an Australian designer put out a two-piece corset wedding outfit, and they wondered who would wear something that risky on her wedding day. "Little did we know, everybody," DeLisio told The Salt Lake Tribune. Both now carry her gowns in their Ohio boutiques. The designer became Maggie Sottero, and the company she started in Sydney is run today from West Valley City.
Lesley Margaret Webster took the alias in honor of her great-grandmother, and the company says a corset in a lingerie store gave her the idea. Her daughter, Kelly Midgley, runs the family business, and retailers in more than 70 countries carry the gowns. Every line still includes some version of the corset, even the Rebecca Ingram line, where most dresses cost under $1,500.
The brand had never held a fashion show at home until July 2024. Its usual bridal expo was postponed, so it built a runway in the Grand America Hotel courtyard, with acrobats working the crowd beforehand. More than 100 dresses came down it, and the Ohio pair were there to pick some for their stores. "We're having fun tonight," Stalnaker said. "Tomorrow gets serious."
At least one dress in every Maggie Sottero line has a high neckline or full sleeves, which the company's sales and marketing vice president says are designed specifically for Utah brides.
