Bridesmaid Style Guide
There's no reason to subject your friends to tired taffeta. The most modern bridesmaids' dresses are sleek, simple, and something they'll want to wear again.
Classic Bride
If
the leading lady is going with a traditional, all-American gown, knee-length
A-line dresses from Vanessa Fox are a perfect complement. When
Fox, a former Mirabella fashion editor, was planning her 1999
wedding, she was shocked at the pickings and saw a business opportunity.
"I constantly had friends saying the same old thing: 'Help! I want
something simple but nice-quality,' " says Fox, who turned her Upper
East Side dining room into her first showroom. "There's nothing worse
than being in your best friend's wedding and feeling like a frump."
Eight months later, her well-tailored dresses and separates colonized
a quaint townhouse storefront around the corner, and her navy round-neck
shell and ball skirt won the coveted viewers'-choice award on the
Today show. This spring, seersucker and toile prints join the
solid silks and satins. Each dress can be still be customized with
her signature preppy edge: a grosgrain ribbon at the waist or the
hem. $275-$400.• 212-744-6960
Vibrant
color choices are the theme with Simple Silhouettes' stylish frocks.
(We love the poppy and slate gingham fabrics.) Designer Christina
Dalle Pezze learned to sew at 11, making her first A-line skirt at
12. Years later, while she was toiling on Wall Street, a friend came
to her for help when she couldn't find her way around the bejeweled,
chiffon choices on the market. Dalle Pezze set to work designing boat-necked
cashmere and wool sheaths for the bridal party, and six months later
Simple Silhouettes began. Her Empire-waist designs with bow
bands or spaghetti ties flatter many different figures, and are especially
friendly to thicker waists. The mix-and-match separates, which include
cap-sleeve or spaghetti-strap shells and A-line, straight, or flared
skirts, are excellent for girls who wear a size 8 top but a size 10
bottom — and they're doubly wearable after the wedding. $250-$350.
• simpledress.com; 212-598-3030
Formal Bride
Let's
say you're the kind of bride who can't watch Gone With the Wind
enough. When all the flowers and candles are in place and the music
begins, a parade of simple cocktail dresses just won't do. BCBG
Max Azria's off-the-rack formalwear is made for girls who'll be
walking the aisle with groomsmen in tuxedos or dinner jackets. "Asymmetrical
hems, corseting, and tops paired with skirts in satin or chiffon are
trends for spring," says Azria. His black strapless A-line with full
crinoline skirt will make all the girls feel like Grace Kelly; his
blue one-shoulder silk-chiffon number, on the other hand, will make
them feel like Jennifer Lopez. $200-$400. • BCBG, 770 Madison Ave., at 66th St., 212-717-4225; bcbg.com
Brides with a close eye on the runway — and celebrity awards
shows — will want to check out A.B.S by Allen Schwartz,
who's known for sketching facsimiles of red-carpet gowns in lightning
speed. Whether it's the long-sleeved black dress with a strategically
placed white flower that Jennifer Connelly wore to the Golden Globes
or the fifties-style polka dots Sarah Jessica Parker donned at the
Emmys, A.B.S will have a copy by 4 p.m. the next day. "It even amazes
me sometimes," says Schwartz of his celebrity collection. "We're for
brides and bridesmaids who are not afraid to be a little different.
Traditional is not really at work here; classic with a twist is what
we do." The floor-length halter neck from their so-called bridal-evening
collection is also plenty glam. Their white eyelet dress with a tight-fitted
waist and thin double straps is an elegant choice for a more casual
affair. $250-$350.• absstyle.com; 212-398-0330
| PREVIOUS DRESSES |
Email
PrintFrom the 2002 New York Weddings Guide
