In October, Vera Wang will celebrate her 60th bridal collection. Could she chill out and just reproduce her greatest hits? Sure, but that isn’t likely to happen. In fact, her Spring 2020 bridal collection was one of her most intricate and challenging yet, consisting of gowns that required so much handwork and detailing that Wang said they’ll be a trip to reproduce. She started with the idea of wanting the dresses to look completely different from every angle, whereas many designers only think about two vantage points: front and back.
Applying a more 360-degree approach to her gowns got Wang thinking about perfection. Most wedding gowns are too perfect, too precious; Wang’s, on the other hand, were purposefully asymmetrical. Many of them came with giant handmade roses pinned to one side while others had a big swath of tulle bunched at the hip, like a mini petticoat. As models glided through the showroom, the dresses seemed to take on a new shape with every turn; the finale gown combined a beige tulle skirt with a structured ivory top that seemed to wrap around the body, ending with a surprise flash of skin in the back. Making it all look natural and spontaneous was the trick, of course. The effect was of artfully throwing tulle on the body, but one hand-tucked gown in shades of blush and beige was hardly spontaneous; Wang said it used 1,000 stitches.
She joked that once she had finished the collection, she realized it looked a lot like a case of Ladurée macarons. “What’s funny is that I do a lot of color for bridal, but never for ready-to-wear.” There’s nothing cloying about her pastels, though. Mixed in with the framboise and pistache hues were moodier hits of gray, sage, and deep burgundy; Wang called them “strange.” That wouldn’t be perceived as a good thing in any other bridal house, but for the fashion-forward bride who wants to look truly relaxed, a bit of strangeness would feel just right—maybe even a bit liberating.
