It was a particularly beautiful October that served as a setting for New York bridal week. The bright sky and temperate weather added to the celebratory mood of designers, models and marketers who expressed a positive outlook for the business of weddings. “There is an avalanche of weddings coming up,.” was a comment overheard at one of the presentations I attended. The bridal business and all that comes with it was a buzz for for the first time in 2 years with many brands that remained dark during the pandemic, now presented their freshest collections at variety of spaces around Gotham. Here are 7 bridal brands that stood out during the week.
Badgley Mischka
Badgley Mischka chose, Fresco by Scotto’s midtown restaurant for their breakfast fashion show. “We are using our favorite classic couture fabrications—sumptuous satins, Beautiful sheer chiffons, georgettes and luxurious Mikado with gossamer laces and crisp organza fabrics,” said both James and Mark (the designers). The duo is known for Hollywood glamour, and they continued the tradition for fall ’23 weddings. The stand out was turquoise fabric used to accent gowns—it looked fresh and original.
Jude Jowilson
Designer Jude Jowilson treats his brides to one-on-one personalized fittings at his salon in the garment district. “I create my gowns with satin, silk faille, silk taffeta, silk wool and Mikado fabrics, says Jowilson. His gown’s are exquisitely crafted to accentuate a women’s body with a sophisticated and elegant simplicity. He tends to favor clean silhouettes using embellishments like lace sparingly. It’s all about the shape and the luxe fabric for Jude Jowilson’s bride. This formula makes for a distinctively strong collection.
Honor NYC
Honor’s designer, Giovanna Randall is not one to follow the fray—nor do her brides. She creates bridal looks that have a sweet, youthful and vintage 60’s vibe. You won’t find any mermaid va-voom gowns here. Her designs are made with layers of diaphanous fabrics shaped into “cottage core” type gowns and dresses. Below is a Q+A with Ms. Randall.
What do you think is the state of the wedding industry?
“There are so many weddings happening right now, and the excitement in the air is palpable. After the past two years, the value of gathering with our favorite people, the simple privilege of being able to celebrate in person has brought new perspective to what makes a wedding meaningful.
What are women looking for in a bridal look?
“I always know when a bride is going to choose one of my dresses, because when she’s wearing it her face fills with a kind of joy that can’t be contained. A bride comes to me in search of something unique to match her individuality. She’ll want something flattering, of course, but when a gown compliments her inner light, it’s something special.“
How has your work with brides changed over the years?
“Thankfully, it seems that brides have grown to be more open-minded and are moving away from a copycat mentality or a standard for what their wedding should look like, from their dress, to their bridal party and everything in between. It’s a much needed evolution.“
Lapointe Bridal
Creative Director, Sally LaPointe kicked off her first bridal collection with a look book that she photographed herself. Lapointe, a favorite of Hollywood starlets, has taken her recipe of cool-girl monochromatic classics and brought it to the bridal market. Feathers faux leather, satin, sequins are incorporated into her looks to make them irresistible. The tightly edited grouping is mostly comprised of tailored pants in cream not the usual bridal white. Her opening crop-top look reveals a bikini bottom with a low-slung feather trimmed pants. It’s all in the lexicon of Lapointe language and is now available alternative for fearless brides.
The collection is available for pre-order exclusively at shopLAPOINTE.com.
Ines Di Santo Couture
Designers Ines and her daughter Veronica showed their latest bridal collection at her usual spot, Home Studio with a verdant set designed with climbing vines and trellises mixed with Murano Chandeliers which made for a magical garden effect. The Italian chandeliers were the main inspiration for this majestic group of wedding gowns called, “Illuminated Soiree”. Hand embellished detailing evoked the chandelier’s twinkling theme with some short dresses that were decorated with vibrantly colored flowers picked up on the colors of Murano glass. Of course there were voluminous floor sweeping, grand entrance gowns which Ines Di Santo Couture does so well.
Anne Barge
Anne Barge’s presentation of timeless bridal gowns had a traditional vibe but gorgeous none-the-less. There were several adorable flower girl dresses modeled by the cutest little ones who added an element of sweet reality to the statically posed models. The dresses are bridal perfection with strapless and one shoulder looks as stand-outs. There is something so lovely about a classically and exquisitely sculpted dress that Anne Barge does exceptionally well.
Kelly Faetanini
Ms. Faetanini’s show was held in her recently opened Soho shop. Models sauntered out in gowns accented with black velvet ribbon, feathered black skirts on a classic bridal gown, corseted bodices and tiers of tulle ruffles. The gowns are showstoppers and they swept the floors gracefully as the show progressed.
