I stumbled upon live tweets from Fall 2014 Bridal Fashion Week when I was updating my Twitter account to reflect the changes around here. Before I knew it, down the rabbit hole I had fallen (or dived?), finding myself beneath a sky-high pile of tulle, lace, and illusion panels galore.
The thing about bridal, if I'm being candid, is that it can go really wrong.* At the opposite end of the spectrum, bridal can be painfully (and boringly) safe. The sweet spot is a place in the middle, where a gown, or a comprehensive look, does one of two things: It is both timeless and visually interesting, or it successfully throws classicism out the window.
I'll focus on the former approach, though honorable mention goes to Houghton for killing it in the Defenestration of Classicism category, also known as I Do What I Want.** Those dresses defy traditionalism, but they represent a commendably strong point of view. My hunch is that East Side Bride and her readers will jump on that wagon fast.
One way to achieve the timeless-yet-interesting duality is to combine a simple, classic silhouette with more complex, possibly modern details. Luckily for brides-to-be, the Fall 2014 bridal collections offer many, many successful takes on this approach. While reviewing the collections, I spotted more stars than could fit reasonably in a single post. So, this week we'll have a little bridal-themed series, with each post dedicated to this season's most stunning interpretations of a classic bridal bodice/neckline shape: strapless, tank, cap sleeves, and longer sleeves.*** I won't even identify my absolute favorites; the selection will just be my picks for the best of the bunch.
Stay tuned! And be sure to share your two cents in the comments!
*Either in the moment, or twenty years later. We all remember the beach ball-sized puffed sleeves of the 1980s.
**Beyond this South Park reference, there are still less polite, more edgy ways to describe this category, which I feel the creators of Houghton might appreciate, but which some readers might not. Here I defer to the more delicate sensibilities among us. :)
***Why not categorize by dress or skirt shape, you ask? Well, because, personally, I'm more intrigued by necklines, and it seems that we are moving past the point (finally) where strapless is the only acceptable or readily available bridal neckline. Variety in neckline or bodice shape seems to achieve the classic-but-interesting duality more effectively than variety in dress or skirt shape. Getting overly creative with skirt shape can move a wedding gown into costume territory quickly. Illustrative of this point are exaggerated takes on trumpet/mermaid skirts and the billowing, multi-tiered ball gowns with sort of tufted skirts. We can do better, ladies.
(Top image from Monique Lhuillier; bottom image from Naeem Khan.)
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