By FEDERICA K. CLEMENTI

Despite the passing of time, millenniums, styles and fashions, there still exists a "universal bride" and they all want one thing, according to Monica Hickey, vice president and director of custom and couture designs at Kleinfeld, who has committed herself to the happiness and beauty of brides for over thirty years.

"All brides are the same. It is the eternal bride in search of the perfect dress," Hickey said. "And of course, the society and various fashions are clearly reflected into the bride’s choices," she added.

Originally from Scotland, Hickey came to America in the early ‘50s and started her career in New York City working for the famous Henri Bendel’s. There she discovered her true passion for fashion design and the pleasure of working behind the curtains to make the most magic moment in a woman’s life — her wedding day — unforgettable.

"In those days, everybody who wanted something unusual, something very beautiful, came to Bendel," Hickey recalled. "I started going to Europe, Italy, England, and France because I wanted to add my personal creative contribution to Bendel’s."

After four years at the boutique, Hickey was invited to go to Bergdorf-Goodman on Fifth Avenue, where she had her own large department named "The Bridal World of Monica Hickey." The times were changing rapidly, and Hickey had to mold the bridal fashions to fit the hard-to-please ‘60s.

"Then came the days of the big social revolution in America, the hippies and all sort of crazy things. We invented the new style — we brought in dresses from India, beautiful white cotton dresses from Mexico, we put flowers into the brides’ hair, made them go barefoot. We bent to the new social changes, but also preserving the tradition" and still meeting the needs of that universal bride, Hickey said.

For many years, Saks Fifth Avenue held Hickey’s creative concepts in their store window, with a brief stop at the bridal emporium called Klienfeld. She has now returned to Kleinfeld, and she believes that her current opportunity to create for the universal bride are limitless.

"Changes are a very good thing for me. I have been here and there. Now I am at Kleinfeld and I find it very exciting. They have more dresses than I have ever seen in my entire career: from Milan, Paris, London. I flourish in the energy and true diversity that is Kleinfeld. I am here to bring life. To give my point of view," she said.

Advising a bride on what is better for her the day of her wedding is a delicate operation. It requires tact, style and sensitivity, Hickey said.

"Trust and honesty; this is what I give the girl. We can never tell a bride that she’s marvelous if she is not. We are not just trying to sell a dress, but to sell trust, commitment and the perfect fit," Hickey said. "You don’t always follow beyond the aisle, but up to that moment, you are the person they [the brides] cling to, they trust and confide all their hopes, and ask advice about everything."

The best advice that Hickey never forgets to impart to her clients is "to really love the dress," and that the universal bride should never settle until the one thing that links her to the styles and ages that came before her has been met.

As for knowing when you’ve found your perfect dress, Hickey said it’s simple. "When the mother cries, you know that’s the dress."