Hollywood glamour for daring brides

‘Hollywood’ dress photographed on the catwalk at the recent ‘Bridal Fashion through the Years’ show for Age Concern, held in Takapuna, Auckland. Photograph courtesy of Neville Bailey.

It’s one of the hot new looks for the 2010 wedding. A one-shoulder, satin dress with more than a hint of the Hollywood star about it.

Made of lightweight satin charmeuse, the oyster-coloured dress is easier to wear than it might first appear. Astra Bridal’s Lori McPherson says it’s actually quite flattering as it’s cut on the bias, which means it skims over the body and falls gracefully. It also features ruching at the front which helps too.

Astra is stocking the dress and Lori says some brides are “thinking about it”. “It’s a daring bride look. It’s one of the hot looks right now as it’s very glamorous, with more than a nod to Hollywood.”

“Some brides are a bit scared of it. It does look sexy. It’s a non-traditional look.” However, it is more modest than it appears, says Lori, as it’s laced up the back but has a modesty panel behind the lacing.

Another dress, by Sosi, is more revealing, with a deep V-neck and a back-bearing corset – no modesty panel behind the lacing here. Curiously, this is proving more popular. Lori puts this down to the fact that it is more symmetrical; it features double straps and a circular skirt. Not everyone is comfortable with an asymmetric style, she says.

Wedding gowns with vintage bling

Wedding café suggested that we are probably seeing a resurgence in glamour because in tough times people often look to a bit of bling to pep them up. During the war years, for example, land and munitions factory girls blinged-up their look with glamour-puss curls and bright red lipstick. The Hollywood dress has a bling feature in the vintage-style diamante brooch on the strap.

However, despite the glamour and vintage bling, the dress isn’t as expensive as it might appear. “There’s not a lot of embellishment. It’s this, and the work in the lace dresses, that leads to the high price tags,” says Lori.

‘Hollywood’ dress photographed on the catwalk at the recent ‘Bridal Fashion through the Years’ show for Age Concern, held in Takapuna, Auckland.

Photograph courtesy of Neville Bailey. www.nbphotography.co.nz