The two eagerly awaited months of the year in the bridal industry are April and October. Designers, press, bloggers, influencers and salon owners, aka the powers of the bridal fashion industry, converge on New York City eager to preview the new Spring and Fall bridal collections and then critique the runways during New York Bridal Fashion Week. Historically in the world of fashion, “bridal” has always had its own signature looks and there has never been crossover between traditional bridal style and current fashions. That is until lately. Designers seemed to have this in mind for their Spring and Fall 2020 collections. Yes, there are still ball gowns, A-lines, Mermaid and Fit & Flare silhouettes. Add in a cathedral veil, and custom embellishments and voila you have all the makings for a moment worthy of saying “Yes to the Dress” with complete confidence.
Today’s 2020 collections are a far cry from the strapless satin ball gowns introduced in the late 1980’s, even though today we do see fashion influence stemming from that decade. For those who remember, those strapless silhouettes were radical and for some considered too risqué for brides at the time. Today we wouldn’t even blink an eye with plunging necklines and backs, illusion fabrics with unlined bodices and skirts and the new sophisticated and sexy thigh-high-slits. Modern traditional styles are evident for 2020. Retro-revisited inspiration continues to evolve into voluminous ball gowns, silhouettes with sleeves, hints of color, 3-D flowers, bows and the jumper.
With modern traditional style, sleeves are now available in many varieties as the bishop sleeve modernized by the “garter” technique allows them to be removed after the ceremony, creating a strapless silhouette. Dramatic long sleeves with a flowing effect can also be detached showing a very dramatic elegant style. Embellishments such as feathers can enhance an illusion fabric jacket creating quite the ‘WOW’ moment.
Say “puffy sleeves” when it comes to bridal and one automatically thinks back to the gown Princess Diana wore to her wedding in 1981, or by some considered the gown that wore her. For a more urban chic vision you may want to consider a removable jacket or long cape which will allow you to deliver the drama it will bring to the ensemble. Trying to envision this style for your day, place yourself in these images and imagine the look from your guests upon your entrance.
When romance encompasses the day, puffy sleeves can just be the beginning. The use of 3-D flowers continues this season allowing for a very romantic and sweet style. The interesting thing about the flowers is how the designers intertwine the 3-D flowers and their inspirational vision to their silhouettes.
Utilizing the full extent of their talent, designers are intermingling with lace as if the floral lace is the canvas and the flower is evolving from the painting. Some of the silhouettes are almost completely designed as a bed of flowers or used as a simple enhancement of a coat’s bust line. If you really want to allow the 3-D flowers to express your vision you can even use floral upper arm garter accessories to create an innocent fairy-tale persona.
Bows are not just for the “girly” bride. Today’s designers are also relying on bows for enhancing some of the most sophisticated and elegant gowns for the daringly stylish bride. Yes, back-of-the-waist bows are the main point of placement for designers; the difference today is the different forms of bows.
Beautifully draped shoulder bows and even bust line cover-ups allow for a bold traditional-style bow in the back which is a perfect look for ceremony images. The “untied” bow is a favorite, giving an artistic presentation and a bit of an Asian flare cascading with graceful eloquence in a long removable train. No matter what bow is chosen, the fabrics can make all the difference in the look, such as ridged dupioni, rich voluminous satins and wispy ethereal chiffon and organza giving a very flowing appearance.
When determining the most interesting developments for 2020 fashion, the most amazing leap in design is the jumper or pantsuit. When you think of a pantsuit today it’s more than just slacks and a blazer, we are seeing styles from a more traditional approach to Marilyn Monroe-inspired bodices from the 1955 hit movies, including The Seven Year Itch. We also love the idea of brides wearing bridal jumpsuits for other wedding-related events like bridal showers, rehearsal dinners or even the second look for your reception.
Our favorite aspect of these trending silhouettes is how you can style them with leather racing gloves and yes even hats. From the traditional men’s Fedora and Trilby hats to over-scale embellished hats, regardless of your choice heads will turn.
