Roland Mouret introduced his now signature Galaxy dress back in 2006. The square-neck, cap-sleeve, knee-length frock was worn in quick order by Hollywood starlets—Victoria Beckham, Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz, and Rachel Weisz among them—for its unfussy simplicity and magical proportions. It combined nipped-in tailoring with soft draping, sleek lines with sensuality, and an old-school shape with modern tweaks. The rest of his collections have followed a similar minimal-yet-womanly aesthetic, and with the launch of his bridal collection, he’s bringing it to the world of weddings for the first time.
Well, not the very first time. Unsurprisingly, Mouret gets a lot of requests for custom wedding gowns. The women who live in his Galaxy dresses, sculptural suits, and crisp shirting aren’t the type to walk down the aisle in a cupcake gown. Instead, they’ll ask Mouret to whip up one of his crepe columns or flared jumpsuits in white. That inspired him to introduce a bona fide bridal line that’s arriving in stores now. His design approach wasn’t dramatically different for bridal: All of his signatures were there—the asymmetry, the origami folds, the sharpness, the tailoring—and on a call from London, he used a word more often associated with “regular” clothes: practical. “I don’t think it’s relevant to buy a dress for one occasion anymore—women are way more practical than that,” he insisted. So he designed his ivory pantsuits, midi-dresses, and evening tops to be re-worn again and again. Mouret added that brides who are getting married for a second time are particularly drawn to that concept; they might be a bit older and want a dress that feels elegant, not princess-y. Or they’ve simply been around the block enough to know that an expertly made suit is a better investment than a sequined ball gown.
That ties in with Mouret’s other passion of late: sustainability. Buying something you only wear once is by definition wasteful; instead, he wants to design things that have a long life. For resort 2020, he told Vogue’s Sarah Mower, “I don’t think about clothes anymore. It’s about values. What you stand for.” And if ever there were a time to stand for something and wear your values, it’s your wedding day.
