To better understand today’s wedding dress trends, it helps to go back to Victorian times. Queen Victoria is credited with bringing the white wedding dress into style. When she chose white silk satin for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, she wanted to convey her purity and innocence. Until then, brides wore all number of colors on their wedding day—from red to black.
While white is still the preferred color of gown for most brides, hues of red, yellow, blue and even metallic have been making their way into dresses for several years. Local fashion designer and personal stylist Raoul Blanco says brides are bucking tradition more and more by choosing gowns that reflect their personality.
“What we have this year is different shades of color, like ecru, blush, light champagne and ice blue,” he explains. “You also see the metallic dresses. I have one that is silver with powder blue brocade.” Brides are getting away from what he describes as “cakey” dresses and ballgowns, opting for slimmer silhouettes or “fit and flair” as the style is called in the industry.
Embellishments, from flowers to ruffles, are where brides can express even more individuality. Owner of Le Jour Couture in Lafayette Roxanne Yazdi says three-dimensional lace, beadwork and bold flowers are becoming more and more popular. The shop, which also has a location in New Orleans, carries nine designers, most of them exclusive to Louisiana.
Yazdi echoes Blanco’s feelings on color and fit, adding that blush, nude and fitted gowns are on her racks from designers like Pedram Pasha Taheri and Viktor & Rolf for 2017. “Every body is different,” she says. “Still, for the girl that has a good figure, fitted is popular. We work to accentuate the waistline and try to find the right style that does well with her body type.”
For those brides wanting to show a bit more skin, off-theshoulder and cut shoulder gowns are going to be easy to find this year. Plunging necklines—in front and back—and high-necked styles have also been spotted on the runway.
“It all depends on the bride,” says Blanco. “I have seen brides getting married with Converse sneakers or cowboy boots. The bride should be the focal point, not the gown.”
5 TRENDS TO LOOK FOR:
• Color
• Off the shoulder
• Slim silhouettes
• Flowers & lace
• Metallic