Watch out white, black is breaking the bridal gown mold.
Vera Wang bridal gowns from the designer’s Fall 2012 collection; photo sourced from The New York Times
Vera Wang caused jaws to drop right on the runway floor when she debuted her Fall 2012 Bridal Collection at New York Bridal Market—not a single shade of white was seen.
The trendsetting designer’s collection featured a flock of black wedding gowns that were fashioned with sheer layering, exposed corsets and frothy tulle. Though it created quite the spectacle, she’s not the first to dip her design pen into an inky shade. For Spring 2011, Oscar de la Renta finished off his show with a navy tulle ball gown so dark that it appeared black, and Romona Keveza wowed the crowd by closing out her Fall 2011 collection with a dramatic midnight black one-shoulder gown.
Ramona Kaveza bridal gown
However, this Bridal Market showed that black is seemingly beginning to move from the finale to the full show with Vera showing nine out of 15 gowns in the noir hue. “I did take it to a witchy kind of place,” she admitted in a New York Times article. “For me, it helped build a sense of mystery that I was hungry for. And it added this sensuality and sexuality, and a little bit of severity, too.”
Ramona Kaveza bridal gown
The smoky color is a dramatic breath of fresh air in the wedding gown design scene. It’s becoming clear that brides are divorcing tradition, bringing their own personal style down the aisle and designers are creating gowns with these fashion-forward thinkers in mind. Romona Keveza featured several black-and-white and full black pieces in this year’s Luxe collection, and black was spotted a handful of times at the JLM Couture show.
Ramona Kaveza bridal gown
We saw black dresses and white pant suits this year—perhaps next we’ll see the two come together to create the ultimate attire for butch brides: a black wedding tux fit for the female form.
Photos: Vera Wang Bridal; New York Times; Ramona Kaveza, courtesy of RamonaKaveza.com
Brittny Drye is a New York City-based freelance writer who meticulously spins words for a variety of sites ranging from fashion to food, while she undertakes the excruciatingly long process of penning her first novel.
