DOWN THE AISLE WITH STYLE.Byline: Valli For the Italian actress, see . Valli (Tamil வள்ளி) is the name of prominent Hindu god Murugan's consort, according to Tamil traditions. She is depicted as a the daughter of a tribal chief. Herman Dallas Morning News Once, the carpets in bridal salons almost sparkled - wedding gowns were so laden with beads, sequins, lace and pearls, they left a glittery trail as eager brides tried them on. But not anymore. Instead, top designers are making dresses so sophisticated, so delicately embellished, that without the veil, they could pass for evening gowns. Bridal gowns by top designers often haven't a single petticoat, applique or sequin se·quin n. 1. A small shiny ornamental disk, often sewn on cloth; a spangle. 2. A gold coin of the Venetian Republic. Also called zecchino. tr.v. . Some designers have even dared to make a pure, plain white sheath dress and call it a bridal gown. The change has come from two directions: older brides who don't buy into the Cinderella fantasy, and high-fashion designers introducing their spare silhouettes to the world of weddings. ``There's been a big revolution in bridal,'' says Nina Nichols Austin, manager of the Bridal Salon at Stanley Korshak in Dallas. ``It was never considered a fashion industry until recently.'' Women who have recently become engaged may note some new names on the labels of wedding and bridesmaid dresses when they begin shopping. The past three years have seen a steady stream of name-brand designers getting hitched to the bridal business: Giorgio Armani, who introduced a generation to restrained tailoring, sells lightly decorated bridal gowns in his boutiques. New York evening wear designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka recently translated their slinky slink·y adj. slink·i·er, slink·i·est 1. Stealthy, furtive, and sneaking. 2. Informal Graceful, sinuous, and sleek: wore a slinky outfit to the party. , sparkly spark·ly adj. spark·li·er, spark·li·est 1. a. Giving off tiny flashes of light; glittery: a dress with sparkly sequins. b. sensibility to a line of similarly sleek Badgley Mischka bridal gowns. Vera Wang and Nicole Miller now make bridesmaid dresses. New Yorker Heidi Weisel multiplied white versions of her classic couture dresses to create a bridal collection. And Italy's Dolce dol·ce Music adv. & adj. In a gentle and sweet manner. Used chiefly as a direction. [From Italian, sweet, from Latin dulcis.] Adv. 1. & Gabbana traded leopard spots and bra-dresses for pristine organza or·gan·za n. A sheer, stiff fabric of silk or synthetic material used for trimming, neckwear, or evening dresses. [Probably after Organzi (Urganch), a city of western Uzbekistan. and dainty bustiers in their wedding looks. Although the $2,000 to $6,000-plus designer-label wedding dresses may be affordable to a select few, they're widely influential. Such style bibles as Town and Country and Martha Stewart Living Martha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. have endorsed bridal wear's new clean and classic approach. Mainstream companies, from Priscilla of Boston to bridesmaid specialist Watters & Watters, offer quiet dresses that would have looked unfinished 10 years ago. ``I've seen a real definite trend toward the very simple, clean dress,'' says Austin, ``but now we're coming back to a little bit of embellishment.'' Minimalism has clearly invaded the bridal salon, but it hasn't conquered. Although many gowns are simpler now, they still powerfully evoke the traditional ball-gowned image of a bride. A big, bountiful skirt, often below a tightly fitted bodice, is still a strong seller in mainstream and in designer salons. Step into the bridal stock room at Neiman Marcus or Stanley Korshak, and you see the evidence: Billowing bil·low n. 1. A large wave or swell of water. 2. A great swell, surge, or undulating mass, as of smoke or sound. v. bil·lowed, bil·low·ing, bil·lows v.intr. 1. white clouds of tulle Tulle (t  l, Fr. tül), town (1990 pop. 18,685), capital of Corrèze dept., S central France. Firearms and other goods are made there. Tulle was built around a 7th-century monastery. , chiffon and satin choke the aisles. They are not, despite their volume, what is often called ``foufy.''Today's modern bridal gown ``isn't foufy and big,'' according to Weisel. ``It doesn't weigh 30 pounds because it has thousands of layers of beading beading, n the scribing of a shallow groove (less than 0.5 mm in width or depth) on a cast that outlines the major connector. It is used to transfer the design to the investment cast and ensure tissue contact of the major connector. and flowers and all that garbage on it.'' Gowns by many makers frequently have only a single area of embellishment, perhaps at the waist, hem or, commonly, sparingly all across the bodice. Their understated adornment may be a sprinkling of seed pearls, an overlay of lace, or a tiny cluster of silk flowers placed like a corsage, enhanced by the gown's strong silhouette and dramatic neckline neckline The line that connects the two lowest points on the intermediate declines of a head-and-shoulders chart pattern. In an inverted head-and-shoulders formation, the neckline connects the two intermediate tops. . A-line, empire and ballgown silhouettes are common and are often paired with deeply scooped, tank or off-shoulder necklines. CAPTION(S): 5 Photos Photo: (1) Fairy-tale bridal gown, above, features sheer illusion fabric and tulle skirt, from JC Penney, $300. (2) Elegant empire-waist gowns are a major trend in bridal attire, perhaps inspired by Jane Austen's ``Emma.'' This Catina Ferraine design in silk crepe is $2,800. (3) no caption (Bridal) (4--5) Newer looks include Vera Wang's simple off-the-shoulder wedding gown, $3,400, above, and pastel empire-waist bridesmaid dresses by Nicole Miller, $170, left. Top left photo provided by Diamond Information Center. William Snyder/Dallas Morning News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion