Staying one step ahead in bridal fashion can always be a tricky proposition. If you’re looking for couture wedding gowns, you’ll no doubt have been keeping an eye on the latest trends.
Even when it comes to something as traditional as the wedding dress, there are very strong currents influencing materials, colours, styles and details, and these are all factors that need to be considered by brides-to-be. The new innovations of the €Autumn 2011′ shows heralded the fashions to come for the year ahead, although fashion protocol means that the styles and trends of the 2011 catwalks probably won’t hit the high-street until autumn 2012. Here is a brief overview of the bridal fashions that you will be likely to see towards the end of this year.
Also Available in Black: According to those dictators of taste over at fashion bible Grazia, Vera Wang’s decision to spurn any white dresses will have a big influence on other designers of couture wedding gowns. Ivory, nude and blush tones have been particularly popular, but the boldest step made by the collection – and one that might find it hard to gain widespread influence – was the showcasing of jet black wedding attire.
Show Your Skin: Ok, ok, while some are predicting 2012 as being a big year for more subtle styles such as illusion necklines, others have it as a nailed on cert that it will be de rigour to bare a little flesh. Outside of couture wedding gowns, the off-the-shoulder dress has been a staple feature of red carpets and award ceremonies during 2012, and wherever celebrities go, there’s always a decent chunk of the population ready to follow. The larger transparent panels that graced the catwalk and red carpets might be best left there, but for women with the pins to pull it off, the daring thigh-high slit has also been seen at various shows. While not for everyone, it’s certainly an option for those who want to make a huge impact as they sashay down the aisle.
Devil in the Detail: If you don’t fancy getting wed in black, or showing off more skin than you’re entirely comfortable with, there are still many elements involved in couture wedding gowns that will be influenced by the autumn catwalk. The current taste for lace, brought about largely by Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, has been further developed by an interest in even more intricate (but more practical) laser-cut bridal gowns. Laser cutting allows the patterns to be developed in a single layer, rather than the multiples that are required to give lace its best effect.
