Tag Archives: wedding fashion

And the Bride Wore White…

Posted on July 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

When planning a wedding I really thing the dress sets the tone.  Some say it is the location (the beach, a ballroom, a bar – whatever).  But, I disagree.  When brides begin their planning in the back of their head they have a vision of what they will look like on their wedding day.  The bride who sees herself as a princess, sophisticate, goddess will pick the setting to match their style.

I reviewed the Resort 2012 shows to find these looks and created mini inspiration boards to accompany them.

Images: Marchesa, Martha Stewart, Great Gatsby, Martha Stewart

How decadent is this style?  Inspired by the Marchesa gowns, it’s elegant, bright, fresh and while attached to a vintage aesthetic it still feels completely modern.

 

Images: Naeem Khan, Pinterest, Bhldn, Pinterest

Naeem Khan, a favorite of Hollywood and the FLOTUS, this inspiration board feels well traveled, glamorous, and collected by your friend with the most admirable and enviable style.

 

Images: Badgely Mischka, Brides, OneReverie, WeddingBee

This style is for the playful bride – Hello! Polka Dots!  – and yet it is still completely sophisticated and lovely for a wedding.  Added to the playful nature this inspiration board picks up the theme of dots and color.

 

Images: Salvatore Ferragamo, Stella & Dot, Ruth Drennan Cakes, Rosebrook Meyer Stationary

This inspiration board, inspired by the Salvatore Ferragamo gowns, have a sprinkle of sparkle, a fluidity of movement and clean lines.

 

Images: Carolina Herrera, Oh So Beautiful Paper, The Velveteen Baker, Constanca Cabral, Christian Louboutin

Images: Carolina Herrera, Oh So Beautiful Paper, The Velveteen Baker, Constanca Cabral, Christian Louboutin

This set inspired by Carolina Herrera is for the fun, retro inspired bride.  It feels seasonless with the crisp black and white and the pop of red.


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Seeing Green, Pink and Blue

Posted on April 13, 2011 | 1 comment

This past week was Bridal Market in New York, my invitation was lost in the mail but thanks to the various people I follow on Twitter and Brides.com I had a virtual front row seat.  A few trends really stuck out to me, and the first was the presence of color in a sea of white.

In a conversation I had last night I told someone there is no right or wrong way to get married, only your way.  These dresses are the visual illustration of that theme.  You can wear whatever you want, and now in whatever color.  Here are some of my favorites:

For Spring I love the bold, and the slight touches of soft sage green.  It is fresh, light and a really lovely take for a bold bride.

Oscar de la Renta – Spring 2012, via Brides.com

Vera Wang – Spring 2012, via Brides.com
Two trends that I loved were the surprising supersized stripes on Carolina Herrera’s runway, and the ombre dyed Oscar de la Renta in radiant blue.

Oscar de la Renta – Spring 2012, via Brides.com
Carolina Herrera – Spring 2012, via Brides.com
In a more classical turn, the runways were filled with swaths of blush, mauve, pinks and lavenders.  The beauty of the bridal bouquet and some ballerina style have influenced the wedding gown.

Monique Lhuillier – Spring 2012, via Brides.com

Reem Acra – Spring 2012, via Brides.com

Rivini – Spring 2012, via Brides.com

Vera Wang – Spring 2012, via Brides.com
Watters – Spring 2012, via Brides.com

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The Most Important Dress to Date

Posted on October 20, 2010 | 1 comment

When I reviewed Spring 2011 Fashion Week I touched on how the fashion cycle is a full season ahead; in the world of bridal it is a full year ahead.  Brides are instructed to always have selected their wedding dress no less than six months prior to getting married.  I bought my dress on June 6, 2009 – my wedding date was January 23, 2010 and you wouldn’t believe the shock from the store attendants.

Anyway, as we are fully into Fall 2010 it is time to look towards Fall 2011.  This week was Bridal Market in New York, and through the power of the Internet it’s like we are all able to attend.

Here are my favorites, so far:

Seriously, I love this dress.  I love the structure, the cut outs, the keyhole at the bust.  I would love it even more Red Carpet in a metallic, or a black.  I’ll take it in my size; thanks Angel!
Angel Sanchez
I love this dress.  It reminds me a glamorous swimsuit with an even more glamorous sarong wrapped just so elegantly at the hip.  I like the metallic sheen and the delicate tied bow at the hip.
Priscilla of Boston
The following bridal gowns are for the following brides:

This reminds me of the punk rock princess.  The dress is all princess, and the styling has just enough edge to keep it fun.  I hope she is secretly wearing a pair of Converse under all of that.
Jewel by Priscilla of Boston
This is the dress I pick for the White (as in Snow White) Wedding.  I can’t ID for sure the fabric of the skirt but it reminds me of fresh, powdery snow.  The simplicity of the bodice is a perfect balance to the drama of the skirt.
Angel Sanchez

This is so classic bride.  I love simple shape.  P.S. what you don’t see is the intricate cut outs across the back.

Angel Sanchez
I love this shape for bride who wants to walk on the edge.  She wants to play with fashion, she wants an awesome pair of shoes, and want to show of her legs all night long.  It also doesn’t hurt that it reminds me of the skirt Carrie wears when she bumps into Aidan in Morocco, err, Dubai.

Wtoo
For the dreamy bride, this dress is a dream come true.  The layers are whimsical and ethereal.  She looks like she is floating in style.
Monique Lhuillier
For the bride with aspirations to float down the aisle like Marion Cotillard, a la her John Paul Gaultier 2008 gown.  Love the scales down the skirt.
Rivini
No matter the style, it is great to see bridal taking a cue from high fashion.  On her wedding day a bride is any thing: a movie star, a model, a princess, and luckily she’ll have no trouble dressing the part.

What style do you favor most?

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Very Vera

Posted on August 4, 2010 | 2 comments

In the world of couture wedding gowns, there is a name that stands above the rest, Vera Wang.  In my mind Vera Wang is synonymous with her pin straight black hair, black leggings, and timeless bridal style.  I have read that as a young girl she had ice skating aspirations and I can only assume that her time on the ice and in costume has informed her creativity.

The beauty of Vera Wang’s talent, as evidenced by the high profile brides she’s dressed, is that dress is designed for the bride and not the bride for the dress.

Need proof?
Jessica Simpson was a classic Southern Belle in a lace, strapless gown.
Jessica Simpson in Vera Wang via People.com
Ivanka Trump’s bridal look was inspired by Grace Kelley with a nod to vintage romance, and a more conservative bodice.
Ivanka Trump in Vera Wang, via People.com

Chelsea Clinton was the picture of the modern (political) princess bride in raw edge ruffles, and architecturally designed ballskirt.  Rumor has it that for her reception she changed into a more modern gown, also by Wang.
Chelsea Clinton in Vera Wang, via People.com
I am of the opinion that on their wedding day, every bride is an A-lister, and so Vera has options for all!  Here are my favorites from the Fall 2010 Collection.
Classic, elegant, with a modern touch in black
Dramatic ballgown, with a romantic vibe
Modern and Grecian bridal glam
The other best news, is that while Vera Wang is the choice for the rich and famous and those with a richer dress budget, Vera Wang will be designing a collection for David’s Bridal, set to hit stores in time for the Spring 2011 collection.  

Vera for everyone, very nice!

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To Match, or Not to Match, That is the Question

Posted on July 28, 2010 | 2 comments

As first a bridesmaid and then a bride, I know that picking out bridesmaids dresses can be tough.  As a bridesmaid, you want something wearable and flattering, something not budget busting, and to please the bride.  As a bride, I wanted something my friends could afford, would like and that they would also feel beautiful in.  

I think at one point I was open to them all wearing different styles, and buying off the rack and was choosing between purple, brown, gray or black – also known as aubergine, espresso, ebony and pewter — ahh, weddings! 

Somehow the indecisive bride and her completely supportive friends came to one decision.
Five beautiful Bridesmaids, Image by Ashley Colhouer
They looked stunning, but, if I were to do it again, I might do it all differently, as in encourage the bridal party to wear a dress that reflects their style.
They could choose a variety of different styles within a color family;
Cheyenne Schultz Photography, via Ruffled Blog

Or, choose all different styles within the same aesthetic or theme, like Christina Hendricks’ bridesmaids did for her vintage, dare I say Mad Men wedding;

Christina Hendricks Wedding Party in InStyle Magazine, via OnceWed.com 
Or they could all pick dresses that are equally glamorous or equally high fashion, like the most famous set of high fashion bridesmaids did in 2008.
The Wedding That Never Was, Sex and The City: The Movie
Creatively styling your bridesmaids will often allow your friends to buy “off the rack” from a dress store or designer that they know and like (and are more likely to wear again), and will likely save them from having to wear a dress that is sized larger than they are (as almost all bridal wear is sized differently) and to save on alterations.  Good times to shop middle of Fall – (October/November) for Holiday wear and immediately following the holiday season (January) for the best selection and sales respectively.

May all your friends be fabulous in no matter what they wear, I know mine were, and are!

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Splurging on the walk

Posted on July 21, 2010 | Leave a comment

I love shoes. 

More specifically, I love looking at shoes; Ferragamo, Louboutin, Jimmy Choo.  These are the shoes I can’t afford, or cannot justify splurging on.  For our wedding I certainly looked at all the designer favorites, but I couldn’t bring myself to splurge.  My logic was, I’d rather go all out on a pair of shoes that I can wear more than one time and will not be hidden by the layers of tulle in my wedding gown, than on a pair that will be hidden for the night. 

The WIC (Wedding Industrial Complex) would probably have preferred I splurge, but I couldn’t do it.  Luckily for me, and for many other brides there are similar replicas, and discounts galore.

When I first started wedding shoe shopping I fell in love with these:
Valentino Sequin Peep-Toe Pump – they are no longer available, but they retailed in the $800 range

Here’s an alternative:

I also loved the  Jimmy Choo ‘Clue’ Glitter Slingback Pump (Nordstrom Exclusive), and in fact tried them on, walked around the shoe floor and was told by the salesperson that I could definitely wear them with jeans and on the weekends.  But the price tag deterred me, especially when I found a very similar style by Enzo Angiolini.
Of course who could forget the most famous “wedding shoes” and perhaps the pair that really gave birth to the trend of wearing colored wedding shoes?  The Manolos spurred a million knock-offs but probably no knock was better than these.



So, where did I end up on my shoe search?  Well, after trying on a pair of Jimmy Choo, ordering Badgley Mischka online, and browsing at length online and in person, two weeks before getting married I still had no shoes…  

This is where the MOB comes in.  The mother of the bride (my mom) found these beauties on sale at a Macy’s store – and that was that!


And wouldn’t you know it, they very much resemble these beauties by Christian Louboutin, but for much less!
I wore my wedding shoes for easily 12 hours on our wedding day – I liked mine so much I wore them for hair and makeup time too.  I had to make sure that I not only loved the shoes, but that they loved my  feet.  Your wedding day is not the day to get a blister and sit out from the dance floor.  (Although, to be fair, when you dance for that many hours, the blisters are sort of unavoidable, but totally worth it!)
I won’t discredit the difference in materials and quality when buying premium designer shoes, so if you want to splurge go for it, after all, it is your day!  And if you don’t, check out bluefly.com, zappos.com, Martinez Valero (for very, very close copies) and Nina Shoes for the classic bridal footwear.

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An Extra Serving of Wedding Wows

Posted on July 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

Let me tell you a secret. Shh! I love evening wear. It’s worse… I actually look at evening gowns on sites like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. No, I don’t go try dresses on without reason, after working retail, I could never, but I do like to “Windows” browse.

A perennial favorite of mine in the evening wear world is David Meister – I own a black cocktail dress with a fitted silhouette and some pintuck ruching at the waist. It is a really classic style, that I could wear to any “dress-up” night and the fit is fabulous.

If I was wedding dress shopping again – I am not, but maybe future bride friends?? – I would definitely suggest a trip to the David Meister section of the bridal salon. Yes, my friends the designer of classic, flattering cocktail and evening dresses is walking down the aisle for Fall 2010.

I have seen just a few dresses from the collection so far, but these are my favorites for now:
All dresses by David Meister – at Aisledash.com


This is a style I could see my sister wearing, if she were to take a wedding dress risk… one day!

All dresses by David Meister – at Aisledash.com

This style is really far more me…

Can someone start planning a wedding?

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