By Patricia Simone
There’s never been a more fashionable
time to get married. It used to be that Vera Wang was the only designer name
in town, but within the past ten years, fashion’s elite, along with
its foot soldiers, have flocked to the bridal market, each bringing their own
sensibility and style—and with it, more choices and options for brides.
And this year is no exception. From a Town and Country aesthetic to Disney
fantasy, there’s something for everyone.
“Fashion should be flattering and wearable, and always retain a sense of fun,” says Texas native Lela Rose, a Parson’s School of Design graduate who first made waves with her unique, finely detailed ready-to-wear line. Following her passion for pairing unconventional fabrics and techniques, the Lela Rose Wedding Collection (lelarose.com)includes about 15 different designs priced from $3,000 to $10,000. Brides can choose from classic strapless looks to dramatic deep V-backed selections and graceful trains. Unusual, decidedly feminine details include tulle-covered stones, laundered double-faced duchesse satin finished with delicate lace, and quilted embroidery. For fanciful fashion with couture sensibility, Lela Rose is a terrific pick.
For cost-conscious brides seeking a couture look, there’s the new Vineyard Collection by Priscilla of Boston (vineyardcollection.com; 973-376-2345). Designer Mark Bower, formerly with Vera Wang, uses his hands-on embroidery, embellishment, and beading skills to produce a refreshingly modern collection. “It’s about putting together current fashion and inventiveness, without it being contrived,” says Bower, who also teaches part-time at his alma mater, the Parsons School of Design. According to Bower, the overall mood of the collection is very pure, while making a big statement about shape and form. That translates into a nice assortment of styles and silhouettes, including close to the body, several versions of A-line, full skirted, sassy short gowns, halter necklines, and off-the shoulder looks.
Bower’s creations include new takes on old standards: a beautiful lace strapless gown with detachable sleeves (that mimics a mini-shrug) and a sophisticated satin dress with sheer organza sleeves. “It’s an amazing quality and fit for the price point, giving brides the tailoring and details they are looking for,” says Bower, adding that half of the collection runs between $1,200 and $2,000, with the other dresses running up to $2,800.
Nina Designs Haute Couture (ninadesigns.ca) by Nina Duong is another recent addition to the American scene. Duong, a talented Vietnamese designer who now lives in Canada, introduced her Black Pearl Collection on the Wedding Channel Couture Show in October 2007. She describes her line as simple, elegant, and sophisticated. “Brides today are seeking modern simplicity combined with classic elegance. We achieved this using simple lines accented with touches of color or lace.”
Even though it’s more difficult to work with, silk is Duong’s favorite fabric because the result is outstanding. “When a bride tries on a silk gown you can see it in her face—the dress feels like nothing she’s tried before,” says Duong. “You can have your dream gown—compromise is not necessary. Keep searching until you find exactly what you are looking for.”
And for the bride who’s a Disney fanatic at heart and has always envisioned her own princess walk down the aisle, she’s in luck: Disney has recently introduced the Fairy Tale Weddings Bridal Collection by Kirstie Kelly (disneybridal.com). With prices ranging from $1,100 to $2,900, brides can be inspired by none other than Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, or Ariel. The collection also includes selections for bridesmaids and flowergirls. “I designed the gowns so that each bride can capture the beauty, magic, and essence of each Disney princess, with a decidedly fashion-forward, elegant, and modern look and feel,” says Kelly.
Who Needs Manhattan?
With New Jersey boasting four great new salons you no longer need to head to the City to find the ultimate in stylish couture wedding gowns…
Vera Wang has come to the ’burbs! Just opened this past summer, the brand-new couture salon in Millburn (120 Essex Street, Millburn; 973-376-2600) is the only location in New Jersey where you’ll find Vera’s signature bridal gowns, small silver gifts, and fragrance under one roof. From the contemporary furnishings, exquisite fixtures, and attentive service, this couture experience is everything you’d expect from the famous designer. By appointment only.
Exquisite Bride just relocated to Princeton (107 Main Street, Princeton Forrestal Village, 609-452-7200; exquisite-bride.com) and offers such high-end designers as Romona Keveza, Ulla-Maija, and Judd Waddell.
Saks The Bridal Salon at Saks Fifth Avenue (The Mall at Short Hills, 973-315-1242) is sporting a fresh, new look. This inviting space is now featuring some of the hottest bridal designers: Melissa Sweet, Amsale, Carolina Herrera, Reem Acra, Monique Lhuillier, and Claire Pettibone. While the collections are new, the salon has a proud history of offering personal care and expert fittings. And here’s an added bonus: Brides opening a Saks charge can take 10 percent off their purchase. By appointment only.
Thurin Atelier in Princeton (112 Commons Way, 609-924-2153; thurinatelier.com) features custom creations. Here, designer Jean-Ralph Thurin, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, works with you to sketch, design, and create your dream couture wedding gown.—P.S.
By Patricia Simone
Think of Nicole Miller, and it’s a sure bet that you are not thinking of a loose smock dress– the design that launched her career in 1982.
Today’s Nicole Miller bridal collections are fresh, feminine, elegant, and edgy, and are now available in her new chic boutique store in Livingston. You heard it right: Nicole Miller, known for her beautifully cut garments and exquisite prints, is moving from the mall to “Main Street.” She says she wanted to provide more attentive service in a different environment for all her clients and a dedicated private space for her bridal customers.
Nicole Miller is a study in contrasts. She was schooled at the more free-spirited Rhode Island School of Design, with a stint at the prestigious Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, where rules and attention to detail were the norm.
Over the years her dresses have been attracting fashionistas around the world, and her imaginative, elegant designs have been worn by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, and Hilary Duff.
“I have a very independent streak. If everyone goes one way, I go the other,” says this busy, successful designer. This less mainstream attitude trickles down from her eclectic designs to the locations of her 20 stores. She tries to place her boutiques away from the standard “in” locales. “It’s not in my game plan to be everywhere...I don’t want my clients to see themselves (in a certain dress or outfit) coming and going.”
When it comes to bridal fashions, Miller says her forte is destination weddings, where the look is chic and elegant and not frou-frou. She is into unusual fabrics; her latest favorite is metal taffeta, which she calls “a really cool material”; soft, drapey styles, which work well for beach weddings; and some quirky looks, which include a crocheted gown. While Miller offers some minor alterations to her creations—adding straps, for example—she shies away from any major design tweaks. Innovation, elegance, and fun come into play through the use of her other fabric favorites, which include silk gazar and metal jacquards.
According to Miller, her hallmark in bridal has been delivering tremendous value. Her bridal gowns retail from $595 to $2,600 but Miller says they can easily be compared to gowns costing $500 more, because of the workmanship and the quality of fabrics she uses. “We use the best silks, the best beading and embroidery, and gorgeous Italian fabrics, running between $20 to $30 a yard,” says Miller.
“I’m anticipating having great success in our new location in Livingston,” says Miller of her sparkling new digs in the Livingston Town Center. The Bridal Salon occupies a cozy space behind frosted glass pocket doors, where brides can peruse her entire line of bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses in comfort and privacy.
Finding the Perfect Gown at Trunk Shows
By Patricia Simone
Serendipity—that’s the exhilarating feeling you’ll get when you find your perfect gown at one of the many trunk shows being offered at area bridal salons.
“Trunk shows are exciting because the brides get to see the latest and the newest styles, while being able to take advantage of discounts of the featured collections,” says Stephanie Welsh, salon manager at the Priscilla of Boston salon in Short Hills (973-376-2345), which offers trunk shows featuring one of their three lines: Priscilla, known for classic lace and traditional looks, Melissa Sweet, with whimsical, fashion-forward designs, and Platinum, the collection with unique beading and embellishments.
So, what exactly is a trunk show? While it varies from salon to salon, most trunk shows offer the bride a unique opportunity to see an entire collection from one designer in one location, says Elga Koehler, owner of Calvary Bridal House in Millburn (973-376-2466; www.calvarybridalhouse.com ). Depending on the designer, this can mean being able to view anywhere from twenty-five to forty-five of the newest gowns up close, before they are in the salon. According to Koehler, sometimes the best part of the trunk show is meeting and chatting with the designers themselves. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the bride (to meet the designer), but it also is a way for designers to spot emerging trends from the feedback brides give for certain tweaks to particular gowns,” says Koehler, whose couture salon features designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, and Ulla Maija.
Gillian Sleight, manager of Bridal Garden in Marlton (856-988-8188; www.bridal-garden.com), which carries Lazaro, Monique Lhuillier, and Alvina Valenta, agrees, saying the bride can customize her dress in many ways. “They can raise or change a neckline, open up a cup size, remove or add a bustle—all elements that can truly personalize a gown,” says Sleight. An added bonus is that these adjustments are usually offered at a discount if the bride purchases her dress the day of the trunk show.
Discounts on the gowns themselves are also sometimes available. “In addition we sometimes offer other incentives as well, if they purchase the day of one of our trunk shows,” says Judy Fletcher, owner of The Wedding Store at Liz Clinton’s in Andover (973-786-5330; www.myweddingatlizclintons.com), which carries Henry Roth, Bellissma, and Anjolique.
And while many brides go to specific trunk shows to see a featured designer, some arrive ready to look at other collections, too. This was the case with Meaghan Orcutt, a bride from Weehawken, who will be getting married in September 2007 at Martha’s Vineyard. Orcutt, whose mom Mary drove down from the Vineyard to go gown shopping, discovered her perfect gown—a Carolina Herrera dress—at Calvary Bridal House during a recent Anne Barge trunk show.
The same time Meaghan was admiring her final choice, Marianne Racioppi of Bernardsville, was conferring with her mom Anna Marie and Barge in another private viewing space, about the perfect gown she had just found for her New Year’s Eve wedding to Gregg Angelillo.
While most trunk shows cater to the bride, Nonchalance, a full-service boutique in Morristown (973-292-0902; www.nonchalancenj.com), specializes in bridesmaid dresses. They carry more than one thousand of the latest styles and host trunk shows that showcase the top designer’s bridesmaid collections, including Jim Hjelm, Vera Wang, and Bill Levkoff. “Trunk show are a fun way for customers to see a designer’s new line four or five months before it’s available in stores,” says Kristin Erickson, owner of the 13-year-old salon, where the prices range from low $200s to the mid $300s. “The designers lend their dresses to the select stores to give brides a chance to preview and order the dresses if they like. Plus, we offer extra discounts at our trunk shows in addition to what we normally do,” she says. A good incentive to keep in mind, says Erickson, is that “a bride can come to one of our trunk shows and we’ll still extend the discount to her bridesmaids if they order within one month.”
Before you rush to the next trunk show, take time to do some homework first. “It’s important for prospective brides to get educated on the quality of fabrics and how they drape; and a good salon can help with that,” says Bunny Matthius, owner of Exquisite Bride in downtown Sparta (973-726-7979; www.exquisite-bride.com). So check out the latest bridal fashions in magazines and websites. Once you’ve got an idea of which designers and styles you like, it’s a sure bet you’re a short drive away a designer’s trunk show you’re looking for.
TRUNK SHOW CALENDAR:
Upcoming trunk Shows
Please confirm with store before you go.
Bella Sposa Bridal Boutique
20 Wall Street, Rockaway
973-625-4747
www.bellasposabridal.com
Call or visit website for fall trunk show details
Bridal Garden
900 W Route 70, Marlton
856-988-8188
www.bridal-garden.com
July 13-15: Lazaro
Aug. 17-19: Monique Lhuillier
Sept. 14-16: Marisa
Calvary Bridal House
110 Essex Street, Millburn
973-376-7001
www.calvarybridalhouse.com
Call or visit website for trunk show updates
Exquisite Bride
107 Main Street, Princeton Forrestal Village, Princeton
609-452-7200
www.exquisitebrdide.com
July 12-15:Amy Michelson
Aug. 3-5: Kirstie Kelly for Disney
Sept. (call for details) Carmela Sutera
Jay West Bridal
151 Kings Hwy East, Haddonfield
856-795-0424
www.jaywestbridal.com
Sept. 6-9: 2 be bride
Nicole Miller
Livingston Town Center
6160 Town Center Way, Livingston
973-535-1191
www.nicolemiller.com
By Appointment Only
July 29: Breezy Tropical Weddings
Call for details on this and other events in the fall
Priscilla of Boston
565 Millburn Avenue, Short Hills
973-376-2345
www.priscillaofboston.com
July 12-16: Melissa Sweet
July 26-30: Priscilla of Boston
August 9-13: Vineyard
August 23-27: Platinum
Sept. 6-9: Watters & Watters
The Wedding Store at Liz Clinton
200 Main Street, Andover
973-786-5330
www.myweddingatlizclintons.com
Nov. 1-3: Watters Brides
Nov. 23-24: Bellissima Bridal
Bridesmaids at Nonchalance
(Bridesmaids Only!)
12 South Street, Morristown
973-292-0902
www.nonchalancenj.com
Sept. 28-30: Jim Hjelm