“My inspiration is the tranquil mystery of Venice. The beautiful harmony of the gentle gothic architecture reflecting on the shimmering waters.” -RIVINI designer Rita Vinieris
Against floor-to-ceiling windows showing New York City’s urbane collage of buildings, RIVINI presented the beautiful Venice-inspired collection at Bridal Fashion Week. The team from Little White Dress Bridal Shop in Denver experienced the breathtaking show while sitting across from the wedding industry’s top publishers and editors. We were enamored of the entire collection and are thrilled to bring these gorgeous gowns to Colorado brides.
The Manuela jumpsuit (L), Letta gown (R)
To start the show, two models – one in a feminine jumpsuit and the other in a wispy gown – walked hand-in-hand down the runway, making a statement more focused on beauty than on politics. Read more on The Huffington Post about the headline-making opening looks from Rivini’s runway show.
The Letta gown (L), Manuela jumpsuit (R)
The Beatrice gown
The Donatella gown
The Donatella gown (back)
The Lauda gown
The Antonella gown
The Antonella gown
The Grazia gown
The Sofia gown
The Margherita gown
The Elenette jumpsuit
The Francesca gown
The Francesca gown (back)
The Cila gown
The Paola gown
The Valentina gown
The Fabrizia gown
The Fabrizia gown
The Giuliana gown
The Giuliana gown
The Patrizia gown
The Giovanna gown
Rivini designer Rita Vinieris waving to the audience at the close of the show
Do you love these gowns? Little White Dress is hosting a Rivini trunk show in February 2014, where brides will be able to experience the entire collection. Keep an eye on www.lwdbridal.com for our upcoming announcement about the trunk show dates!
For weeks and weeks before Bridal Fashion Week each October, we speculate about what boho-vintage wedding gown goddess Claire Pettibone will do at her always-spectacular runway show. The themes of her collections are without exception creative, artistic, and entirely unique. This Bridal Fashion Week, Claire Pettibone wowed the audience, the fashion magazines and blogs yet again, this time with her Still Life collection.
Says Claire of her inspiration for the collection, “In the second half of the 17th century, the art of the floral still life reached the height of fashion. Dramatic arrangements of flora and fauna, insects and fruits, set against dramatic dark backgrounds exude a mysterious romanticism. The brilliance of nature’s beauty is highlighted to dramatic effect, just as the bride becomes the center of our attention. Painterly butterflies and floral details grace delicate silks and laces gilded in gold, glowing as if lit from within. Oh, the unexplainable mystery of love! Be still my heart…still in love…still life.”
Even the description leaves us breathless! Then, imagine the delight we felt at walking in the show setting to see a long, elevated runway covered in silk rose petals arranged in a striking ombre color scheme, ranging from the palest blush to midnight black.
No detail was spared for the setting of the runway show. Goodies for all guests included limited edition iPhone covers and notecards from Claire Pettibone’s new collaboration with stationery brand Wedding Paper Divas. Decorations included opulent bouquets made of paper flowers and tags hanging from silk ribbon from each chair.
With such a beautiful experience before a model even started down the runway, imagine our eager anticipation as the first gown floated down the rose petal path. The gowns were straight out of a dream….
To the applause of an awe-struck audience, Claire Pettibone took a well-deserved bow on the runway after the final walk-through of models. Bravo to Claire’s Still Life collection!
The excitement didn’t stop there! After the show ended, we chatted with Bachelorette Des, who was in the audience with us. Did you know she used to work for a bridal accessories designer in Colorado?!
To experience the incredible Still Life collection by Claire Pettibone and to meet and be styled by Claire Pettibone herself, join us for a trunk show at Little White Dress Bridal Shop, January 24-26, 2014! Mark your calendar now for our most popular trunk show of the year!
The team from Little White Dress Bridal Shop in Denver had the privilege of attending the runway show for Jenny Packham‘s 2014 bridal collection, as part of New York Bridal Fashion Week. As we’ve come to expect from Jenny Packham’s shows, it was an absolutely breathtaking experience. Taking place in a blank canvas of a studio in New York’s Meatpacking District, Jenny Packham transformed the space into an experience reminiscent of a walk in the moonlight along a beautiful tree-lined boulevard.
Says Ms. Packham, “My 2014 Collection is inspired by the Belle Epoque era of the early 20th Century. A statement of romantically soft, feminine design, the collection encapsulates the spirit of Edwardian style and the Art Nouveau movement which defined it. Intricate, light beading, delicate embellishment and clean, understated silhouettes play homage to an Edwardian inspiration, whilst romantically voluminous ballerina skirts, graceful tulle sleeves and elegantly exposed backs bring to mind a very modern bride.”
We were able to capture the beauty of each gown in the collection during this magical presentation and are pleased to show our brides all the new styles from Jenny Packham.
Belle Magnolia
Genevieve
Vivien Ivory
Tilly
Tilly – Detail
Freya
Mary
Claudia
Belle Ivory
Florence
Lina
Amour
Sarah
Ingrid
Magnolia
Kitty
Jean
Rose
Rose – Detail
Minnie
Molly
Ellie
Daphne
Rita
Nanette
Alexia
Cynthia
Utopia
Marion
Kathleen
Lucy
Lucy – Detail
Champagne
Ivory
Just stunning, right? We were awed by every single gown!
After the show ended, we joined our friends and industry peers in the audience for a reception with Jenny Packham to celebrate her 25th anniversary as a designer. We had the special opportunity to talk with Jenny about her new collection. She asked us what we thought of the show and the collection (we replied in unison, “AMAZING!!!”), and told us that she thought the hair and makeup of the models really came together well with the gowns. She said, “I think the Marion dress is going to be BIG! Get ready to have a ton of brides fall in love with that gown!” What an exciting moment for us to talk to THE Jenny Packham!
The LWD ladies after the Jenny Packham show!
LWD owner Cate with Jenny Packham!
Start planning for your opportunity to see all these gowns in person and choose amongst them your own perfect wedding gown. Our Jenny Packham trunk show is scheduled for January 3-5, 2014!
The Reem Acra runway show: what a way to kick off Fall 2013′s Bridal Fashion Week! We’ve had our eye on this well-known designer for a while now and we were excited to view her newest collection. After seeing her runway show and getting a look at these gowns up close, we had all but decided that we had to bring Reem Acra to Colorado. These dresses are just that beautiful. (The actual decision to carry Reem Acra was made at our viewing appointment the next day – all the details to come in the next post!)
From BRIDES: Exotic wedding venues and nontraditional locales inspired Reem Acra’s glamorous Fall 2014 wedding dress runway show, titled “Going Global.” From feathery crowns to twinkling beadwork, Acra’s latest collection managed to be modern, exotic, and feminine all at the same time, aiming to satisfy the growing number of brides traveling overseas to tie the knot. Like Acra’s previous collection, lace-embroidery glistened over a sheer nude bodice. Light fabrics such as tulle, delicate shirring, and buoyant ruffles made this collection feel as breathless as ever.
Ms. Acra may have had exotic places in mind when designing this collection, but we think these gowns are the perfect match for Colorado’s beautiful landscapes and wedding venues. They are extraordinarily delicate and elegant, while being natural, fresh, and understated all at the same time. Our brides are going to fall in love with these gowns as much as we have.
Enjoy some of our images from Reem Acra’s runway show!
Stay tuned for all the details about our viewing of the collection at the Reem Acra showroom, including meeting with Reem Acra herself, and our decision to bring this incredible designer to Colorado brides!
Little White Dress Bridal Shop‘s team has just returned to Denver from an incredible Bridal Fashion Week in New York, where we saw thousands of wedding gowns by dozens of designers over the course of five full days. Our style report covers not only the top trends of Bridal Fashion Week, but also the bigger picture of bridal fashion and where wedding style is headed. The bottom line: we know our brides are going to love what we saw – and what is coming to Little White Dress!
We noticed – and heard similar thoughts from many others – the overall movement toward distinctive and thoughtful collections from the biggest names and most talented designers in bridal fashion. Designers are staying true to who they are with their new collections, without letting other designers influence what they do. (So refreshing to see!) We heard it best when when one designer told us, “I know who I am – and who I’m not.” This sentiment translated into some of the best, most interesting, and most beautiful creations we’ve ever seen in bridal collections.
One of the results of this movement is an ease, effortlessness, and elegance in nearly every trend we noticed, influencing everything from fabrics to shapes, details, and accessories. Take a look at what we mean, with the 10 styles we saw most at Bridal Fashion Week:
Updated Romantic
Left to Right: Jenny Packham, Liancarlo, Anne Barge, Rivini
We were pleased to see the return of fuller, more romantic silhouettes than in seasons past. Form-fitted, fit-and-flare, and mermaid silhouettes are certainly still around, but we are loving the new version of A-lines and ball gowns. It’s not the ball gown we’re all too familiar with: it’s easier, more comfortable, lighter, and unfussy. We’re calling it “Updated Romantic” since the days of stiff, poufy styles are (thankfully!) long gone.
Easy, Breezy Chiffon
Left to Right: Anne Barge, Jenny Packham, Rivini
Chiffon is back. Keeping with the flowy and light theme, chiffon creates movement that is so easy to wear. We saw chiffon in a variety of ways, including layered over silk charmeuse and silk crepe, and in full skirts as a contrast to an ornate bodice.
Subtle Color
Left to Right: Matthew Christopher (1, 2), Jenny Packham (3, 4).
The use of color in wedding gowns has been around for the past couple of seasons, and we can now say that it is a trend with staying power. Almost every designer showed at least one gown in color. But before you think about going out and buying a hot pink wedding dress, consider the use of subtle color. It’s so much more wearable than a shock of color (like we saw with bright-colored sashes a few years ago or with some of the all-over red or pink – or black! – gowns we’ve seen recently), yet it’s a way to bring uniqueness to your wedding gown. Our favorite looks were shades of champagne, blush, and the lightest blues – with dreamy names like “coral mist” and “candlelight.”
Illusion Everything
Clockwise from top left: Claire Pettibone, Reem Acra, Jenny Packham, Rivini
The newer illusion trend is also continuing. This time we’re not seeing it only on necklines: it’s everywhere, from sleeves, to backs and décolletage. In the sheerest of nude and ivory materials, with many of the illusion details you really can’t tell the fabric is even there unless you’re within touching-distance. We think this is the most elegant way to bring in the illusion trend. And illusion long-sleeves are by far our favorite way to have a full sleeve that will never be associated with the word “matronly.”
Tasteful Low Backs
Left to Right: Reem Acra, Charlie Brear, Inbal Dror, Rivini.
Designers showed the low, low back look this season with styles that are well-made and tasteful. Brides want to be alluring yet appropriate, which is why we were thrilled to see the super-low look in ways that are surprisingly easy to wear and without veering anywhere close to trashy territory. We think showing off a toned back is the most elegant way to show some skin on your wedding day.
Feminine Metallics
Left to Right: Claire Pettibone, Matthew Christopher, Jenny Packham
One of the biggest trends we saw this season was metallics. From rich and royal golds to shimmering silvers, we loved seeing metallics on laces and embroidery as opposed to an all-over metallic look. Again, it’s about being unique while maintaining wearability. This look is eye-catching yet soft, edgy yet feminine. And imagine how gorgeous this would look for a fall or winter wedding!
Horsehair Volume
Left to Right: Rivini, Reem Acra
We loved seeing what’s called horsehair hems (which is a bit misleading, as this type of hem is now made from nylon instead of actual horsehair). These hems are a type of crinoline netting that creates volume without being bulky. They look like ribbons, but they hold their shape while being incredibly light and translucent. We saw horsehair hems this season in airy, romantic gowns – as an ultra flattering take on a peplum, and as the most modern, wispy ruffles.
Off-The-Shoulder Sleeves
Left to Right: Jenny Packham, Reem Acra, Anne Barge
The off-the-shoulder look is another great way to bring romance into your wedding gown, while highlighting the collarbone. Our favorite off-the-shoulder looks are structured without being too restricting. (We asked the models to show us how high they could raise their arms. The best answer we heard – with a demonstration – was, “I can’t do the YMCA, but I can raise the roof!”) You don’t want your arm to look or feel glued to your body, but going for this ultra flattering style does work best with a bit of structure so the fabric doesn’t just hang loose.
Long, Coordinating Veils
Left to Right: Anne Barge, Reem Acra, Liancarlo
Along with designers embracing the romantic, flowing style of gowns is the reemergence of cathedral-length, coordinated veils. The details of these veils are just as well-crafted as the gowns, but – again – they aren’t heavy. They compliment the gowns without overtaking them, and they look and feel like a cloud. Because they are so light and unstuffy, these stunning veils would look just as good at a rustic outdoor wedding as they would at a traditional church.
Fashion Forward Coverage
Clockwise from top left: Matthew Christopher, Reem Acra, Matthew Christopher, Charlie Brear
Jackets, capes, and ponchos were all over the runways this Bridal Fashion Week – in ways that aren’t just for show, but that are actually easy to pull off for your wedding day. Our favorite versions are perfect to add for the ceremony or for photos, and they don’t cover your whole dress. Perfect for the fashion forward bride who wants a timeless gown.
Which look is your favorite? Tell us what you would wear and what you would leave behind. And stay tuned in the coming days for the full collections of our incredible designers, behind-the-scenes at the fashion shows, and the details about all the new gowns we’re bringing to Colorado!
