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Wear a Denim Bridal Gown? Not Yet, but … | Fashion

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 08:10 AM PST

SHOPPING for a gown, one of the first to-do's on any bride's checklist, is about as unfettered and do-as-you-please as it has ever been. Unwritten rules that have long hemmed in the traditional bride (like wearing white, unless it's a second wedding) have been jettisoned in favor of statement-making fashion-forward choices that better express a bride's true personality and tastes, industry experts say.

Want to wear pants or a slit up to there (two of the freshest innovations on the recent bridal runways) or a boho halo in lieu of a veil? Now a bride can. Some of the biggest trends in bridal fashion for the coming year include lace sleeves (call it the Kate effect) and high-low hemlines (also strong in designer ready-to-wear spring collections).

SLEEVES AND ILLUSION NECKLINES

The Kim Kardashian debacle aside, the biggest wedding moment of 2011 belonged to Kate Middleton, in her gown designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. "The royal wedding sort of put a stamp of approval on sleeves for brides who have thought previously they can look dated," the designer Lela Rose wrote in an e-mail.

Not only the princess, but several more of last year's highest-profile brides — includingLauren Bush (in a gown by her father-in-law, Ralph Lauren), Nancy Shevell (in an off-white, to-the-knee creation by new daughter-in-law Stella McCartney) and even the fictional Bella Swan (in Carolina Herrera) — all wore sleeves. So it's no surprise that many designers have embraced the trend in their latest collections.

"It's not the big poof sleeve of the '80s," said Nicole Sewell, divisional merchandise manager of Bhldn, a wedding shop that offers many bridal gowns with sleeves. "It's sheer, it's slim, it's lace, and it's sexy."

Still, some designers caution that most brides will still choose a strapless style. "It's the most universally flattering," said Judd Waddell, a wedding dress designer.

READY-TO-WEAR INFLUENCES

As noted by Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, ready-to-wear designers continue to enter the bridal market.

Last year, for example, Dennis Basso showed his first collection of wedding gowns for Kleinfeld, and Matthew Williamson, following a collaboration with Net-a-Porter in 2010, introduced his independent bridal line, pushing innovation and creativity and adding an array of styles and silhouettes previously unavailable. Bebe will begin selling a bridal collection, Rami Kashou for Bebe, in March. Among the fashion-inspired details that buyers saw on recent runways were peplums (Lela Rose), leg slits (Angel Sanchez), high-low hems (Monique Lhuillier), one-shoulder silhouettes (Oleg Cassini) and men's-wear references.

Regarding the latter, Oscar de la Renta showed pants, and Theia had a tuxedo-inspired jumpsuit, while Bhldn plans to offer cigarette pants, a vest and lace shorts in its next spring collection. "I was thinking of the sophisticated girl, who is just as cool and just as chic, and wouldn't be caught dead in a dress," Don O'Neill, Theia's creative director, said of his tuxedo look.

Juli Alvarez, fashion and beauty director of colincowieweddings.com, commented on the jumpsuit look. "I think that the trend of jumpsuits for brides might be a bit of a stretch," she wrote in an e-mail. "Maybe it's more of a second- or third-wedding look."

COLOR AND PRINTS

A black wedding dress? Vera Wang's latest bridal collection included several. "She was clearly making a fashion statement," said Mark Ingram, whose eponymous boutique in Manhattan stocks Ms. Wang's and other upscale bridal collections. "It shows the range of choice that a bride has."

Ms. Wang was not alone in pushing the color envelope. Oscar de la Renta, who first showed a hint of color on his bridal runway in 2006, whipped up creations in palest blue and petal pink; Claire Pettibone sent a blue-toile lace trumpet gown down her spring runway. Ms. Pettibone first used color in her 2007 collection, but wrote in an e-mail that she has become bolder in the use of color over the years.

"First you'd see color in the trims — a sash or some embroidery — but now it's really the dress," said Ms. Alvarez, who added that her favorite new bridal-gown color is peach because it's not such a departure from white and ivory, and favors a lot of different skin tones.

Prints are also filtering into the mainstream. Dan Rentillo, design director for David's Bridal, said that dresses that the company made in a soft watercolor fabric for key stores sold so well last year that they will be sold in all of its retail locations. "We didn't expect the response to be that overwhelming," Mr. Rentillo said.

WHITE BRIDESMAID DRESSES

The royal wedding and the Kardashian spectacle did share one thing: white bridesmaid dresses. Pippa Middleton's white cowl-neck dress and the Kardashian sisters' strapless ivory mermaid numbers gave a boost to another rule-breaking concept: the all-white bridal party.

David's Bridal and Bhldn report an uptick in sales of white and ivory attendant dresses. "All white is fine for a bridesmaid as long as the silhouette and the drape is very understated, so the attention remains on the bride," said Jacqueline Weppner, a New York bridal stylist and blogger.

HEADPIECES

The veil is no longer de rigueur, and while many brides still choose one (overlong ones were seen swishing down recent bridal runways), those who do often wear veils just for the ceremony. "The new trend is to wear it quickly as you can for the ceremony, then switch to a fascinator or a comb for the reception," Ms. Weppner said.

The options don't end there. "Ten years ago when my friends were getting married, it was if you didn't wear a tiara, you didn't wear anything," said Jennifer Behr, an accessories designer whose bridal collection includes ethereal crystal head wraps, hand-pressed silk flowers and feathered headbands. "Now the field is wide open."

Thanks in part to Ms. Kardashian and Ms. Bush, across-the-forehead headpieces have made a small comeback, as have birdcage veils. (Janie Bryant, the "Mad Men" costume designer, wore one for her wedding last fall.)

And even tiaras — yet another royal influence.

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