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Behind the Dress – Issue 05: Love, Vera
Vera Wang is known for celebrating classic luxury with all its subtle, sophisticated and seductive facets. And this design trait is no more obvious then in this week’s featured wedding dress, Bouquet, a showcase for flattering clean lines as well the timeless tradition of lace and embroidery. Below find Vera Wang’s insights on the design inspiration behind Bouquet.INSPIRATION
As Bouquet illustrates in a very compelling way, contrast is powerful The inspiration for Bouquet began with a modern form – a strapless, modified A-line silhouette – that offered the necessary structure to support the intricate, elegant details that would best offset the silhouette. The design elements of Bouquet transcend time and will feel as appropriate today as they did twenty years ago, or a century ago.
The timeless magnificence of lace and embroidery is undeniable. The skirt of the Bouquet wedding dress fuses Alencon, Chantilly and Battenberg laces on French tulle and is embellished with floating floral embroidery.
In Bouquet is evident the weight of tradition supporting the age-old institution of marriage, as well as the buoyant happiness that brings beauty to every bride. A bride wearing this wedding dress will feel delicate and the light, as if she is floating on the joy of her day.The spectacular bowed sash at the waist enhances the striking drama of Bouquet helping to create a wedding dress that is at once deeply romantic and evocatively traditional, weaving its magic with its unabashed charm.
Keep in mind that hand-embroidered details add cost to a wedding dress, but they also add stature and visual excitement. Consider embroidery as an alternative to beading, particularly for daytime or outdoor weddings. Also consider embroidery as the connective design element in your wedding look: for example, the floating floral embroidery detail on Bouquet can be mirrored in your bridal headpiece or your wrap.
LACE
Historically, lace has been known as the ultimate wedding dress fabric because of its intricacy, rarity and cost. Today, lace gowns are often chosen by brides who wish to embrace tradition.Lace comes in many varieties, each distinct for its weave and corresponding unique look. Lace can range from the fragile and delicate, such as Chantilly, to the elaborate and bold, such as Alencon. The Bouquet wedding dress reflects a combination of laces, to create a gown that is greater then the sum of its parts.
TRADITION
A Traditionalist is a bride who prioritizes style over fashion. Her choices are understated, focused on refinement, dignity and quality. A Traditional bride knows the power of subtlety – hand-tied bows, lace trim and embroidery – as captured in Bouquet. Graceful and confident, the Traditionalist seeks relevance and timelessness in her wedding dress. What kind of bride are you?
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Behind the Dress – Issue 04: Love, Vera
Vera Wang introduces youthful charm and romance through hand-painted tulles and silks. This week’s featured wedding dress, Didi, showcases innovative design techniques from Vera Wang. Vera offers her insights on the design inspiration behind Didi.INSPIRATION
The Didi embraces color for its fresh interpretation of modernity and romance in wedding fashion. In particular, Didi’s unique design is showcased in citrus, a core color of this collection’s palette. This color – and this wedding dress – can be described as nothing less than vivacious.
Didi illustrates an important technique in the use of color: hand-painting. The full skirt is a combination of hand-painted organza and tulle that tumble from the structured, pleated bodice into artful deconstruction. You will see this frothiness throughout the collection, along with a very specific delicate lightness that is created through the layering of fabrics rather than crinolines (stiff petticoats under the skirt).
The pleats on the Didi’s bodice are particularly dramatic at the back of the wedding dress (see image below).
Didi captures artistry, which is another common thread in Vera Wang’s recent collections, along with whimsy and charm. These themes are soft, but not antiquated. The crispness of the design technique and the use of color establish the modernity of these wedding dresses.
Keep in mind, Vera Wang wedding dresses shown in color are also available in traditional white and ivory; contact one of our wedding consultants for more detail.
BODICES
The design of the bodice is the centerpiece around which other components of a wedding dress are created. Like a foundation garment, a bodice is defined by its construction and its fit. The bodice of your wedding dress should be tailored to the length of your torso. Precise fit is crucial for a strapless wedding dress, such as Didi, as the bodice requires stays for support.
ROMANCE
A Romanticist is a bride who is willing to embrace fantasy. Her love of beauty translates to enchanting wedding gowns with grand details – delicate ruffles, billowing sleeves or layers of tulle, as shown here on Didi. Passionate and adventurous, the Romanticist seeks to be transported by her wedding dress. What kind of bride are you?
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Behind the Dress – Issue 04: Love, Vera
Vera weaves a sense of magic into her collection with embellishments and adornments. This week’s featured wedding dress, Fairy Dust, is light, flirty and whimsical. Vera offers her insights on the design inspiration behind Fairy Dust.INSPIRATION
This collection, as a whole, was inspired by the idea of fairy tale princesses. This wedding dress, in particular, captures the nymph-like innocence that threads through the collection. The words I chose to describe Fairy Dust were carefully chosen: incandescent and magical. In design, I envisioned this as a wedding dress that casts a spell and transports you to another world.
The cascading silk organdy pleats of this wedding dress swirl, like dust, when the bride walks. I love this movement, which I find to be uplifting.
Lightness is enhanced by the leafy tiaras, and by the twinkles and sparkles of the dangling, jewelry-like ornamentation. These embellishments are a distinctive mark of this collection, and reinforce the importance of the overall styling of your wedding dress.
Keep in mind, if choosing a bridal headpiece, determine your hairstyle and veil before doing so. These elements of style are interrelated and will detract from the bride’s overall look if not harmonious.
HEADPIECES
A bridal headpiece is a powerful decorative element. Whether worn casually or as a formal ornament, a tiara is always magical. Tiaras have an implied grandeur and therefore are not appropriate for all weddings. Flowers, bows, barettes, combs and pins are alternatives that can be incorporated with subtly into the hairstyle to provide an additional touch of elegance. A floral wreath can be a perfect complement to the bridal bouquet or a floral detail on the wedding dress.
JEWLERY
On occasion, a wedding look will be determined by a statement piece of jewelry. Most often, however, the wedding dress is the focal point and accompanying jewelry should be chosen with discretion. As a general rule: the more ornate the design of the wedding dress, the less ornate the jewelry should be. Choose necklaces based on the neckline of the wedding dress. Do not mix jewelry styles or metal colors. Finally, an unusual piece of jewelry is an ideal way to add a personal statement to your chosen wedding dress.
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Behind the Dress – Issue 03: Love, Vera
Vera introduces a heightened sense of drama to classic glamour. This week’s featured wedding dress, Magnolia, crosses from wedding to black tie with ease and style. Vera offers her insights on the design inspiration behind Magnolia.
INSPIRATION
The first New York Social Register was published in 1886, a directory of prominent American families, polite society and the city’s most fashionable ladies. In this collection, I drew on this high-society glamour and sense of occasion for inspiration.
Magnolia is a classic wedding dress that takes on a unique drama not only when worn in a daring color, but also for its eye-catching over-the-bust bow and vertical top-stitching. In this collection, I also incorporated deep-hued corsages and velvet details into the design of the wedding dresses to draw out the seductive attitude. For Magnolia, the accompanying dark bouquet captures this same idea.
I believe Magnolia also showcases versatility. Certain wedding dresses in my collections are designed into a specific color or fabric, and would not reflect the right sensibility otherwise. Others, like Magnolia, are designed to work with a broader range of colors and fabrics so that brides can strike the balance that best suits her personality. Magnolia is available in magenta, plum, oyster, ivory or white and in duchess satin or double-faced satin wool. The drama of this wedding dress can be turned up or down based on the chosen combination.
Keep in mind, a mermaid shape articulates the curve of the body and is daring, but also flattering. A mermaid wedding dress is particularly appropriate for evening weddings. This shape is outright sexy, and may require a cover-up for more conservative moments. Keep in mind that a mermaid wedding dress cannot be bustled.CELEBRATIONS
Embrace a sense of occasion not only for your wedding day but also for your pre-wedding celebrations: the engagement party, bridal shower and rehearsal dinner. These are moments when you can either communicate a signature style or showcase different aspects of your personality through your fashion choices. Your guests will appreciate your celebratory mood and also rise to the occasion.
INDIVIDUALITY
While the majority of brides prefer the convention of a white wedding gown, a bride who is an Individualist wants to make a deliberate fashion statement. This often translates into an unusual color. Magnolia, as shown here in plum, is an example of daring self-expression and therefore an ideal choice of wedding dress for the Individualist.
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Behind the Dress – Issue 02: Love, Vera
Hollywood. This week’s featured wedding dress, Joan, reflects the polish and sophistication of cinema’s most fashionable stars. Vera offers her insights on the design inspiration behind Joan.
INSPIRATION
A modified A-line wedding dress with bias cut bands, a strapless bodice and bows down the back, Joan is a classic Vera Wang. Over nearly twenty years in wedding fashion, my vision has naturally evolved. Yet even as I push the boundaries, I keep these classic design elements and signature fabrics in sight.
Joan is a tribute to Hollywood fashion of the 1930’s through the 1950’s, a period noteworthy for the siren dresses and slinky charmeuse slips of its starlets.
Women like Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe epitomized an important transition in the uniquely American woman. I am inspired by the tension between femininity and independence that these women embodied.Like these cinema stars, Joan is classic in form yet seductive in personality.
On a wedding dress, the combination of silk organdy and duchess satin fabrics creates a polished sheen that is ultra-sophisticated. Satin adds glamour to any look.
Keep in mind, create a consistent look with a hairstyle that draws from the same period as the wedding dress, but be careful not to choose one that overpowers the dress. The classic films featuring these glamorous stars are a great source of ideas and inspiration. A satin shawl or wrap is a perfect complement to Joan.FABRICS
Satin is the long-established preference for formal wedding dresses because of its shimmer and weight. Plain or embellished, satin looks lavish and important. That said, the impact is not simply in the choice of fabric but also how that fabric is used in the design of the dress. Organza is one of my fabrics of preference for wedding dresses because of its lightness and ability to be folded and manipulated.
FOUNDATIONS
For the wedding day, choose foundation pieces that provide functional support for your chosen wedding dress. For example, a slip that skims the body, but does not ride up, reduces transparency and prevents the wedding dress from sticking. Save lacy lingerie for your honeymoon trousseau, an age-old tradition that remains an important wedding ritual even today.
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Behind the Dress Issue 01: Love, Vera
Vera continues to innovate with silhouettes that convey a light, airy feel.
This week’s featured wedding dress, Amelia, was inspired by a sophisticated layering of fabric, jeweled adornment and a new mark of modernity in wedding fashion: color. Vera offers her insights on the design inspiration behind Amelia.
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Amelia reflects two important elements of my design philosophy: weightlessness and draping.
The ethereal beauty of a fairytale princess inspired this collection. I wanted to capture the concept of weightlessness through light, frothy skirts. By removing the crinolines (stiff petticoats under the skirt), the wedding dresses gain more movement. The result is a nymph-like sensuality that is both romantic and modern.
Soft draping across a structured bodice is a challenging formula in design. At Vera Wang, we have sought to master this technique and made it a signature of my wedding dresses. With Amelia, I chose to leave the seam allowance at the back of the draped bodice free, consciously adding more detail to the back. My eye is always searching for subtle ways to draw attention there…I never add ornamentation just for the sake of it. Like jewelry, the crystal corsage at the hip of the Amelia wedding dress can stand on its own. As it is placed here, the crystals add an organic touch of magic to the dress.
Keep in mind, when accessorizing this wedding dress, keep it simple. The mix of design elements speaks volumes; little more is needed or you will overpower the dress.
ORNAMENTATION
I added crystal details on Amelia to introduce drama. As a philosophy, ornamentation on a wedding dress should reflect the nature of the celebration as well as the shape of the dress. When added directly to the wedding dress (as shown here), ornamentation accentuates.
Added ornamentation is particularly effective when beading feels overwhelming or inappropriate, such as for a daytime or an outdoor wedding.
COLOR
My recent collections of wedding dresses are tinged with color to provide a fresh interpretation on modernity. I believe color expresses romance, artistry and femininity. For this particular collection, I focused on a palette of muted colors. Amelia is shown here in pale nude but is also available in ivory and white. Color speaks to each bride in a different way; use it to capture your own sense of style and originality.
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Vera Wang 2010 Bridal Collection
Vera Wang collections are positioned at the highest end of the luxury market. Driven by artistic, modern and luxurious design and style, couture-like quality and a high level of customer service, Vera Wang’s collections hold impeccable customer appeal.
Vera Wang collaborates with leading global partners, directly employs more than 200 people and manufacturers the majority of its bridal collection in company-owned workrooms in the United States.
