Sashes and Bows on Wedding Dresses -by Shari

Obviously, I love sashes and bows.  My own wedding dress had a brown bow tied at the empire waist.  While I didn't put a lot of thought into it at the time of purchasing the dress, I later realized that my body was more suited to a small bow rather than a large one, since I am so short and small-framed.  A large one would have shortened my torso and possibly made me look wider.

Here are some dos and don'ts of wedding day sashes.  Let's start with the bad news.

There is little I like about this Alfred Angelo dress. The colour of the sash reminds me of my old teatree shampoo (that's never a good thing). Maybe this would work better if: 1. the sash was wider; 2. the sash was plain and not detailed; 3. it was higher up. The detail of the sash, the slimness of it, and the placement all draw the eye to the widest part of this model's body and make her waist look much wider than it actually it.

Here is my least favourite example. I don't know what this Maggie Sottero designer was thinking. From the time we hit puberty, underwear becomes about lifting your boobs and making them look under control and symmetrical. Why on earth, on your wedding day, would you choose to make your boobs look lopsided?

If a sash that meets in a bow at the bustline, please please please put the bow in the center and under the boob.

Help!! Somebody TP'd this bride on her wedding day!

 

 

With this Watters dress (the above dress was Watters as well), I enjoy the sash itself, and the dress in general, but the dramatic effect the bow creates paired with the dramatic effect of the deep V of the bodice is just too over the top.  I am also not a fan of the hair or hair piece; it's a lot of interest on the bride's left side of her body.

I love the colour of this sash (I chose it myself from the David's Bridal website because purple is my favourite), but that's all I like.  I'm not a fan of the cupcake skirt to begin with, but paired with a long flowing sash?  It really does look like the icing on the cake.  Also, wearing a veil with a sash this long would be tricky; there are too many horizontal lines here, sending the eye left to right instead of up and down.

This is another David's Bridal dress tha makes me cringe.  This is completely the wrong dress for this girl's body.  The halter top is so ill-fitted that it flattens her and doesn't create curves.  The sash cuts off her torso, again at the widest part, and makes her upper body look like a rectangle.  There is nothing on top to balance the extra fabric of the bottom.  Very poorly done.

This Sincerity Bridal gown would be alright if it weren't for the sash and the choker (!).  If there is going to be a defined bodice separate from the skirt (with different fabric), then the sash has to sit at that line, or it should be removed completely.  Having it so much above the top of the skirt just doesn't work for me.

And now with the good news!  This Eden Bridals dress uses a sash quite nicely.  The entire dress is satin with a lace overlay, so without the definition of a line between the bodice and skirt, this sash is free to sit at the natural waist without competition.  Too bad this model's wearing my mom's 1985 potpouri flowers in her hair.

This is another David's Bridal gown, but this one I really like.  I love lace gowns, but sometimes the combination of a satin sash and lace gown do not work; not so here.  The white sash here is the perfect size and gives the whole look a bit of a modern twist.  Also, because this bride is petite, the size of the sash adds emphasis to her curves.  On an already curvier bride, I would make the sash wider.

I just discovered this designer a few minutes ago: Justin Alexander. I think this might be one of my all-time favourite wedding gowns. There's nothing I don't like about this dress. I love the a-line of the skirt but also love that it doesn't go right to the ground, allowing for a full day and evening of easy mobility. The sash is not the main focus of this dress, but rather artfully breaks up the detail of the bodice and skirt top. The model wears her hair the same for all dresses of this collection, but from this angle it works really well. Wearing hair down with a dress like this would be a definite mistake. From the other side the hair might have a bit too much going on and may compete with the dress, although the look is definitely glamourous and dramatic. What do you think?

Halter Wedding Dresses -by Shari

A halter dress is a good choice for women of all body shapes and sizes; the upwards line of the straps lengthen torsos, and the angle of the straps slim shoulders. However, there are right and wrong ways to wear a halter wedding dress.

This dress on the left is from Alfred Angelo. I like that the model is wearing her hair neatly up, which, along with the deep V created by the halter, creates a statuesque appearance. However, the bodice of this dress reminds me of my grade 11 crochet bathing suit. My bathing suit was lavender, but still. I also do not enjoy the contrast between the re-embroidered lace bodice and the silk skirt; this contrast in cooperation with the A-line is what gives the dress the "body suit" look.

This dress from David's Bridal doesn't have any of the above problems. Made of faille (a new word for my vocabulary!), the a-line of this dress is not nearly as pronounced as the one above because there is no line where the bodice stops and the skirt begins. I also enjoy the sweetheart neckline which accompanies the halter top. However, do not be deceived: even though David's Bridal got this one right, a quick peak at the website shows that they are also guilty of designing dresses that appear to have a tearaway skirt for a quick swim in between ceremony and reception.

Also, if I were the stylist for this photoshoot, I would not have parted the model's hair so severely off to the side; this takes away completely from the illusion of height that the design of the dress creates.

On the topic of David's Bridal, I have always been a huge fan of their designs, and their prices! Compare these two pieces:

The first dress is from the Vineyard collection at Priscilla of Boston, in the price category of less than $2000. The second is from David's Bridal, priced at $499. Regardless of the price difference, I prefer the David's Bridal dress, for real life anyway. I know I've already said this a few times on this blog, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but a bride should never look like she's dressing up as a bride. The Vineyard dress is great for the runway, but that's all.

As a frequent "Say Yes to the Dress" watcher, I've noticed a trend that goes along with halter top dresses: see-through bodices.

This ADK Canada dress is embarrassing. It's ice capades meets Phantom of the Opera, and not in a good way. There is a proper way to do see-through fabric!

Nicole, a "real bride" as they'd say on theknot.com, is wearing a Private Label by G dress from the Ginza collection, which saves the sheerness for the back of the dress! Gorgeous!

I am also a fan of the way Nicole decided to wear her hair! While I did say earlier that parting your hair is a no-no, Nicole's hair has a much softer look to it than the model in the earlier example. Also, as a veil would have looked busy and confusing against the sheer back of the dress, she chose to wear a small yet interesting hair comb which kept the gaze sweeping in an upwards direction. Well done Nicole!

(Also, though I don't plan on focussing on menswear for awhile, I really like Cort's white on white look!)

If you are interested in halter tops or halter dresses, for wedding or other occasion, and would like tips on putting the outfit together, please let me know!