Fashion is full of contradictions. One of the things I love about it is the way the old and the new coexist: the forward-thinking, innovative side pushing the boundaries and challenging the rules just as they become comfortable, constantly revisiting and reinventing what has gone before.
One area of fashion that does not seem to move with the times much at all however is the wedding dress. Now I have always had very strong views when it comes to wedding frocks. Mostly of the why would you bother wearing an outmoded style that has no relevance to the modern world variety. Who wants to perpetuate old-fashioned notions of helpless girls being rescued by dreamy men in dinner suits, wanting to be looked after and idolised as only a princess should?
But there is a lot of truth in the don’t-knock-it-until-you-have-tried-it approach to one’s pet hates. Just as there is admittedly a little more to my views than just an aversion to white taffeta and veils.
I recently found myself surrounded by those very items, whilst accompanying a soon-to-be wedded client on a fact-finding mission. We wanted to find out what kind of wedding dresses were to be had out there that did not actually look like wedding dresses. Something befitting the style and sophistication of a forty-year old bride, that would not scream I am deluded, but instead say I am divine.
Terrified that we were about to be subjected to the hard sell, we agreed upon our modus operandi before entering the store. Then we firmly briefed our consultant on colour, shape and style (no white, no trains, no cakes) before she went off to make her initial selection. First style, minimal sparkle, tasteful shade of silver. So far so good.
Sitting on the chaise lounge waiting for the modelling of the next frock, my mind started to wander. I started to picture myself on a dance floor in a backless satin gown, handsome partner in tow, gliding effortlessly around to the strains of the jazz quintet, admired by all present.
I was horrified. Did I secretly harbour the desire to swan down an aisle in white? Was I experiencing a defining moment, where everything I had thought to be true was being turned on its head as I admitted that, yes, I not only wanted a wedding, but a gown to match?
But I soon got a grip on my imagination, as I realised it was not about starring in my own fairytale wedding. It was actually all about the dresses, and my romantic associations with bygone eras of balls and beaus and glamorous gowns. Surrounded en masse by beading and chiffon in an age of viscose and cotton jersey tends to do that do a girl if she’s not careful.
I could now see how easily one could get carried away, egged on by a sales consultant that spends her days swimming in a sea of tulle and taffeta, and get talked into buying something inappropriate not only to your modern-girl sensibility but your modern-girl shape as well. It is no secret that we are taller, bigger-chested and wider-waisted than our predecessors that donned pretty much the same designs filling catalogues and bridal magazines today. The difference is that those designs weren’t so far removed from what those women wore out on a regular Saturday night to the local dance. So why do we feel the need to delve so far back into the past?
I guess it is partly about wanting to properly mark the occasion, acknowledge its solemnity with a suitably grand outfit. But therein lies the danger, and it is treading that fine line between reverence and irrelevance that is so tricky.
In the end it is the prerogative of the bride to choose how she wants to look on the day, but it is worth keeping in mind that you don’t have to bow to tradition to carry on the tradition you are taking part in. After all, the beauty of the modern age is having the power to express yourself as you see fit. And that expression is what people are coming together on the day to celebrate, not how many petticoats you can fit under your dress and still manage to stay upright in.
Although I must say the experience has me rethinking my next choice of gown as a wedding guest. Maybe a little more old-world glamour would be fun. After all, a little bit of sparkle goes a long way…
Rubi
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
