Manolo for the Brides

Wedding dresses are crafted in a variety of fabrics and fabric finishes, with everything from cotton to taffeta being fair game. Yet the last thing most brides-to-be are thinking about when they step into a bridal salon or log on to an online shop like House of Brides is fabric characteristics. Luckily, wedding dress designers and manufacturers make it easy for us all, pairing certain fabrics with certain styles to ensure that everything drapes and flows and rustles like it ought to.

Still, a little knowledge goes a long way when you’re searching for the perfect wedding dress! For example, knowing the difference between a fiber and a finish will ensure that you don’t unintentionally buy a wedding dress made of synthetic fabric when you have your heart set on natural fibers. The finish is what cloth looks and feels like once it’s woven – for example, taffeta can be made of silk or polyester, and it’s worth it to know which one you’re buying.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a short bridal fabric glossary that includes the fibers and finishes you’re most likely to encounter when shopping for your wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses.

Batiste
Made of cotton, wool, or polyester, this lightweight fabric is thin and opaque, but not nearly as transparent as organdy.

Charmeuse
A lightweight fabric with a satin weave that is softer and clingier than satin and less voluminous than silk finishes. Charmeuse, which is lustrous on one side and dull on the other, can be made with silk, polyester, or rayon. This is a slinky, slippery fabric.

Chiffon
This lightweight and slightly rough fabric is translucent with a soft drape. Made with either cotton, silk, or synthetic fibers, it is quite delicate and is usually thought of as a summer weight fabric.

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We’ve all heard of the “little black dress,” but how about the little white dress? The little white dress might be a bride’s main wedding dress or it could be the dress she changes into before arriving at the wedding reception. Obviously the little white dress is best suited to weddings that are perhaps a tad less formal or at the very least a tad less somber. It is not, in other words, for the grand church wedding with the full Mass.

Amsale seems to have pioneered the little white dress concept, or at least to have taken the idea to the next level by creating an entire collection of them in one place. Too bad all of the little white dresses are so much like other wedding dresses in that they have no sleeves, there are a lot of strapless necklines, and the bride would have to be quite slim to pull most of them off. Alas.

But even with all these strikes against them, I LOVE these little white dresses! They’re quite fun and fresh and a little cheeky in that they take the bride into the realm of the unexpected. That’s what I say — what say you?

(image via)

As much as I like the bold, bright bridesmaids dresses I featured in Inspiration for Ashley #5 — and as popular as they are right now — there’s still a huge contingent of brides-to-be out there planning weddings with predominantly pastel color schemes. And good for them, I say. While it’s not my bag, I support a bride-to-be’s choice to outfit her wedding party in any color, from black to neon green to white!

That said, if you favor a wedding color scheme that could be described as soft, pretty, and/or feminine, don’t think you have to go running straight to the bridal salon for your bridesmaids’ dresses. For the same money you’d spend at David’s Bridal or a similar shop for your bridesmaid frocks, you can outfit your best girlfriends in pretty Amsale cocktail dresses from Bluefly. True story. And none of the potential bridesmaids dresses below cost more than $180, while all of them promise to look beautiful on your ‘maids without needing all that much alteration.

How about pairing them with slightly brighter bridesmaids bouquets similar to this one from One Source Weddings:

Suggesting to my bridesmaids that they look outside of the world of weddings to find their dresses (I gave them some color and cut parameters but let them shop on their own) was something I really ought to have done. After all, I write about weddings for a living. Maybe, just maybe, they would have found their bridesmaid attire before the last possible second if they had realized they could have shopped online or at the mall.

(As always, click on any of the dresses for prices and availability)

Ack! Too many interesting newsbites has translated into too few pictures of pretty dresses! As you no doubt know by now, I’m a big fan of shopping for bridesmaid garb outside of the bridal salons because you can snag something lovely off Bluefly for not much more than you’ll pay elsewhere.

In fact, I had a look around Bluefly today — I know, hard work, right? — and found a bunch of gowns that would look fab on a bridesmaid or maid/matron-of-honor. From strapless to strapped, slim to poufy, I hope my choices will delight and perhaps inspire those of you who have not yet decided how your female attendants will be clothed on the big day.

From Vera Wang:

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I was deeply engrossed in Style Scoop when my little eye happened upon this intersection of the nuptial and the presidential:

Whether you give two toots about Jenna Bush’s May 10th wedding to Henry Hager (I don’t, oddly enough), it’s beyond cool to see all of the potential dress designs. As Style Scoop tells it, the first lady (hey, should I be capitalizing that?) asked twelve notable designers to submit sketches of the gown that may just clothe her daughter on said daughter’s special day.

The twelve designs sprang forth from the minds of the following designers (from one to twelve): Vera Wang, J. Mendel, Arnold Scaasi, Carlos Miele, Amsale, Carmen Marc Valvo, Angel Sanchez, Badgley Mischka, Nicole Miller, Lela Rose, Marc Bouwer, and Oscar de la Renta.

My personal favorite is number nine, but I have always fancied those Nicole Miller ruffles. Number one looks like it ought to be in the annual toilet paper gown contest. Three gets a big ol’ yawn from me, but all things considered it does look sort of right for a White House wedding. Eight is too daring for the same, and I have nothing to say about seven other than that the cartoon model looks entirely undead.

Which, pray tell, do you favor?

Migraine today, ugh. I’d planned to post after doing some work, and then work never happened because I was in bed with an ice pack strapped to my forehead. Now I’m up with a fresher ice pack strapped to my forehead and still none too happy. Thanks, brain.

In lieu of a longer post, here is a picture of loveliness from Amsale. I love the way the fabric falls and the ultra skinny, ultra long straps. I love the little bit of sparkly mesh that peeks out just above the bum. But goodness help me, that loose flap of fabric just beneath it does so remind me of these:

Now that an intense splash of color is considered de rigeur on wedding gowns, plenty of designers are stepping up to the plate with vividly-hued sashes that fall to the front, the side, or the back of the gown. I’m not usually a fan of giant butt embellishments, but I love the way the blue sash cascades on this white Amsale gown. It features a French blue taffeta sash which accents a Duchess satin strapless a-line gown with fitted bodice. The sash can be pinned any number of ways, from what I’ve seen.

It’s nice to be able to see the gown on a real bride. Too, too, too often the stick-thin models are simply swimming in the gowns in the adverts.

While there is no one gown or style that will please everyone, I think we can all agree on the fact that the year’s new warmer whites benefit almost everyone. Few people look good in stark, glaring, antiseptic white gowns – though the contrast is gorgeous on dark-skinned brides.

It’s a question of tone. While ivory is great for redheads and ruddy-skinned brides, it may do little for those brides with darker or more yellowish complexions. Electric whites (another way of describing those whites that are white like a piece of new printer paper) can make pale ladies like me look washed out and grey. Champagne whites look simply fabulous on brides with darker complexions. Warmer whites make the skin look fresher and more youthful on many people.

Beau Coup has a wonderful (and short) guide to choosing the color of your gown. The advice is sound and can help future brides choose a dress that will highlight her beauty rather than detract from it.

Stark White: The brightest, crispest white you can find. Looks great on dark skin.

Silk, Diamond, or Natural White: A shade off of stark white, though it looks pretty much the same in photos. “Eighty percent of the population looks best in a soft, diamond-white dress, which isn’t as chalky as a white-white,” explains dress designer Melissa Sweet. “When in doubt, buy diamond white.”

Ivory: Also referred to as “eggshell” or “candlelight.” Some ivory dresses have yellow undertones, making them look creamy; some are just a “quiet” white.

Rum or Champagne: A white with pink undertones that looks nearly white in photos.

If your skin is fair: you’ll look best in yellow-ivories and warmer natural colors. You should probably steer clear of stark white, though — it may wash you out.

If your skin is medium with pink undertones: opt for creamier colors.

If your skin is medium with yellow undertones: try diamond whites or champagne.

If your skin is dark: lucky you — most shades of white will complement your skin. If you have yellow or olive undertones, though, stay away from yellow-ivory dresses. Try stark white or rum pink.

For those curious, the dress above is from the Amsale Blue Label Collection, and features an all lace sheath with a scalloped V-neckline and bias flared hem.