Bridal week is just getting started, but a big theme has already emerged: non-wedding dresses. By that, we don’t mean dresses that aren’t “bridal,” nor dresses in crazy colors; rather, designers are considering what a bride might wear to her pre-wedding party, post-wedding brunch, and myriad other wedding-related events, in addition to the ceremony and reception. Any girl who spent the summer crisscrossing the globe for destination weddings can attest that those brides need way more than one look; the current vogue, if you’re lucky, is to wear a range of chic white outfits leading up to the big day.
Marchesa’s Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig were thinking along those lines and spoke of transformation. Their dresses can help turn you into a blushing bride, of course, but they also come with metamorphic properties. For Fall ’18, one minidress had a removable high-low train that you could twist to the front or side to show flashes of skin—or remove altogether to hit the dance floor. Another short dress in Chantilly lace had of-the-moment poufed sleeves and looked ideal for a city hall wedding or an engagement party. Of course, saying “I do” in a Marchesa gown is still the dream for many brides. As far as real-deal, exchanging-vows dresses were concerned, the delicate capelet gowns were among the highlights.
