Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Photography, J. Ecochard
Description of photographs:
-Gown w/ green ruffled trim, Paula Varsalona
-Strapless w/ floral embroidery, Claire Pettibone
-Gown w/ veil, Romona Keveza
-Models in pastel off the shoulder gowns, Priscilla of Boston
-Models in lace dresses, Monique Lhuillier
-Tiered strapless ivory gown, Lela Rose
-strapless cocktail dress and long gown, Priscilla of Boston
HERE COMES THE BRIDE, but she’s not all dressed in white. Well,not really. Most brides are choosing ivory or champagne over the traditional white the doll on your wedding cake wears. They're also opting for strapless [a trend that's just not going away] and seeking gowns that are more Ready to Wear [RTW] in nature.
If you’re lucky enough to be able to buy one of Reem Acra’s gowns, she has some incredible pastel colored gowns the color of sugared almonds. Romona Keveza also had some gorgeous pastel gowns in her couture collection for fashion minded brides who are open to something a little different.
Monique Lhuillier and Lela Rose design and delight us with their feminine RTW designs and they did the same when it came to bridal. The word that popped into our heads while watching Ms. Lhuillier’s bridal show was “fashion” not “bridal”.
While at the Wedding Channel.com's Couture show at the Waldorf Towers, we dropped in on Lela Rose and were thrilled to see some great destination gowns and dresses that double as bridal and a great occasion dress.
Inspiration: "To make burlap couture"
The focus: Body type rather than age
Best dress: We've featured her strapless column gown with multiple tiers that mimic the tiers on a wedding cake.
Price range: $3,995 to around $10,000 for a custom gown
Paula Varsalona, has been designing wedding gowns for decades. While adjusting a hem of one of her gowns, she remarked that she was “the Vera Wang of the Eighties” and is generally acknowledged as the bridal designer who came up with the ever popular “crumb catcher” bodice. The “crumb catcher” bodice looks very much like a fan. As other top couture bridal designers, Paula follows the RTW market with interest and there are carry-overs from that market into the designs in bridal. For 2008, there’s the baby doll and the bubble.
We're longtime fans of Romona Keveza's. Kudos to this 3-time winner of the Couture Bridal Award for "Classic Designer of the Year" for her more modestly priced "Legends" diffusion line. The line is as its name implies, inspired by timeless fashion icons such as Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn. Legends offers a bride to be a wide choice of options from an easily packable destination dress to one for a full-on Cathedral wedding. Ms. Keveza started her carer selling and designing gowns at her own specialty stores in Canada and D.C., selling designer RTW to high profile clients including Jackie Onassis. Designs from Ms. Keveza's exclusive "Romona Keveza Collection" are a boon to glamorous red carpet regulars such as Marissa Tomei, Julia Roberts, and Mary Hart.
Claire Pettibone has slews of fans who live for her lingerie collection. Some will surely look to her for a bridal gown. . Said Ms. Pettibone in a backstage interview, "I strive to make the anti-cupcake gown. Bridal should be timeless. You shouldn't know when the wedding picture was taken."
Inspirations this season include: Lalique, Erte, Poiret, and the Ballet Russes. Her romantic panne velvets look wonderful as lingerie AND looked equally great fashioned into retro inspired bridal gowns. LANCOME Paris' star makeup artist, Gucci Westman, created a sultry face using Lancome's "enchantment" lip pencil with "cerise" blush to fill in the lip. The hair by Diego Americo for REDKEN 5th Avenue NYC started with Clara Bow but with texture.
The lines are blurring and more importantly, bridal is becoming more fashionable.