“We found everything to be airy, vaporous and light. It also seems that people could not believe their eyes when seeing Dua Lipa dancing to ‘Les Démons de Minuit’ [by the band Images] or ‘Voyage, Voyage’ by Desireless. Yes, Dua Lipa really does like French songs!” Jacquemus told Vogue of dressing his guests for the ultimate fashion wedding day.
“Anyway, it’s a wedding, not an after-party, and weddings are about hits!” he continued. “Our aunts and grandmothers were present. We needed to kiss, dance and sing together. You can’t be a snob at a wedding.”
So true! Weddings should be fun!
Jacquemus is one of a slew of fashion designers changing the bridal industry. His recently launched collection, Le Mariage, which also features outfits for wedding guests, is brimming with colour, femininity and – of course – quite enormous floppy sun hats.
He joins La DoubleJ, JJ Martin’s joy-inflected Milan-based label, which in March launched a wedding hub. Putting a marital spin on its “high vibration” clothes, it included a selection of its bestselling maxi dress silhouettes – such as the Visconti, the Footloose and the Long Sleeve Swing – in embroidered white lace; curated gift ideas that definitely won’t be exchanged; and perfect bridesmaid dresses.
Meanwhile two UK designers – cult jeweller Jessica McCormack, and opulent nightwear and loungewear brand Olivia von Halle – have just collaborated on a super-luxe collection of ivory silk pyjamas. The PJs feature McCormack’s signature embroidery – with one very special pair made to order with ruby and diamond buttons, handcrafted in the designer’s workshop. For von Halle, it was a meeting of minds – and aesthetics.
“Jessica has been a dear friend of mine for a long time and we’ve always shared this dream of working together on something very special, tapping into the hallmarks of both our brands,” she says. “I’ve always been inspired by her work and it’s been a dream to be able to reinterpret some of her ethereal motifs on our silks. But, most of all, she’s made my crazy dream of finishing a pair of pyjamas with diamond buttons a reality. I can’t think of a more heavenly and opulent duo than diamonds and silk pyjamas,” she adds.
“Bridal is at the core of both our businesses and we share a lot of the same clients, so it made sense to come together and create something very special for them. There is definitely a demand for uber luxury and increasingly brides want something that feels unique, special and personal to them.”
British designer Molly Goddard, known for her signature dreamy froths of gelato-hued tulle and charming knits, has also ramped up her bridal offering. She recently added four new styles to her offering – named March, April, May and June – all playing with her signatures, including full skirts, and smocked bodices in tulle and taffeta. She has also restocked her constantly sold-out bridal dress, the Saturnia.
For Goddard, it took some coaxing for her to enter the bridal category.
“We resisted doing bridal collections for a while as so many of our customers loved wearing pieces from our ready-to-wear collections, but after doing a few custom dresses for friends of the brand and receiving so many requests for bridal, it felt right to launch a small collection in 2020,” she says. “The offer has since grown to include ready-to-wear pieces, custom and bespoke.”
Goddard says brides, especially her brides, want something that doesn’t feel too far from their own personal style. And something they can dance in.
“[They want] something they feel comfortable in! I think brides come to us to wear something that feels super special but still makes them feel like themselves and feel at ease,” she adds. “Our dresses all have an enormous amount of work in them, and often a lot of volume, but the fit is relaxed. I think it’s important when choosing a dress not to go with a totally foreign silhouette but stick to a shape that you feel yourself in.”
This idea extends to jewellery. No longer is there the expectation that you must wear granny’s pearls. Sisters Morgan Lang and Jaclyn Solomon, founders of New York brand Agmes, say brides are seeking something more distinctive.
“We’ve found that many brides come to us looking for distinctive shapes that will elevate their look, but also their everyday beyond the wedding day. Within the collection, they’ll often be split between bigger baroque pearl styles or smaller styles that are beautiful, modern statements with a timeless feel,” says Lang. “Increasingly, brides are incorporating bigger cuff styles for a personal twist on bridal dressing. There is also a big interest in styles that can be engraved with a date or sweet message for the bride or groom.”
Solomon says she’s noticing that today’s bride is happier to experiment and express her own personal style.
“It’s been exciting to see brides experiment with our sculptural silver pieces, statement cuffs, or adding a brooch, all of which feels distinctly modern and fresh,” she says. “Also, purchasing pieces that will be worn again and again, rather than just once feels like a positive evolution in bridal dressing that we hope will continue – the memory of that special time remains with the piece, and hopefully be a sweet reminder to carry with you and pass down.”
Goddard agrees that how people dress for weddings has changed.
“I have noticed a lot more colour – our brides often like a traditional white or ivory dress but will add a bright pink veil, which I love,” she says. “We have made a few custom dresses that have a blue or green silk lining under ivory tulle, adding a subtle pop of colour and joy.”