Rethinking the Dress

Jennifer Stemm wears a strapless ballgown with a V-notched bodice from Anne Barge.

COVID postponements — and a desire for comfort — are promp�ng brides to ree amine their choice of wedding gown.

By Andrea E. M cHugh

Add wedding dresses to the list of coronavirus casualties.

With so many weddings postponed because of the pandemic, brides are swapping the dresses they bought pre-COVID-19 for something that better reflects their tastes or plans today. “The last few years have been pretty weird to say the least,” acknowledges wedding dress designer and couturière Harper Della-Piana. At her bridal studio, Seams Couture in Providence, Della-Piana often sees brides who bought their dresses early in the planning process, then delayed their weddings, only to conclude that their original gown is no longer “the one.”

“Many are rethinking their approach,” says DellaPiana. “There were so many dresses bought long ago that some brides have had buyer’s remorse.” She says she has worked with brides to reinvent dresses, whether that meant adding sleeves or removing sleeves, or adding a high neck. But she says that even when brides downgraded their guest list dramatically or canceled overseas weddings, she saw no reason to rethink the dress of their dreams. “Why dull it down?” she asks rhetorically.

Alisa Loughlin paired her Mikado gown with a Bel Aire cathedral veil. See Real Wedding on page 38.

Francesca Micheletti was a “COVID bride” who delayed the date of her Rosecliff wedding to her nowhusband Anthony more than once. By the time they confirmed their October 2021 nuptials, she was in a different mindset. “My style changed,” concedes Micheletti, who owns Lucia Aguiar/Ivory Bridal Boutique in East Greenwich with her mother, Kate. “As new trends came out and continue to come out, COVID brides had a chance to really think about what they wanted — because they didn’t know when they were getting married.”

Micheletti had bought a wedding dress early on in her wedding planning process, then ultimately decided it was no longer the style she wanted. As she explored new options, she found not one but two new dresses for the big day: one for the ceremony, cocktail hour and early part of the reception, and one for the latter half of the celebration that would allow her to comfortably dance the night away. “Yes, I’m a two-dress bride,” she admits.

While her more formal dress embraced traditional vibes with long sleeves and a full skirt, her second dress was crepe; lighter than more traditional fabrics, and had a plunging exposed back capped with a giant bow. “I’m a sucker for big bows,” laughs Micheletti. “I really wanted to dance, and I really love clean lines. I loved them both and I didn’t want one to overpower the other.” And she’s not alone; she finds many brides opting for two dresses nowadays. “Today’s modern bride is focused on comfort and not always seeking out a skintight dress,” adds Micheletti. The comfort and flattering fit of A-line silhouettes, she says, is making the style one of the most in-demand right now, and the design’s emphasis on a narrow waist and forgiving flared skirt complements a wide range of body types. Donna Morrissette, owner of The Bridal Shoppe in Warwick, agrees. “Today’s brides like the A-line silhouette, which is a little more comfortable. It’s not that big ballgown with lots and lots of fabric. It’s a little easier to wear.” Morrissette theorizes that the trend may be driven by couples who have had to postpone and reschedule their wedding time and time again due to the pandemic. “They really want to Francesca Micheletti wore two dresses enjoy their wedding,” she adds. at her wedding: this crepe outfit was better for dancing. Although it has been a

After rejecting her original dress, Francesca Micheletti switched to this long sleeved gown with a full skirt, which she wore for the first half of the celebration.

Bridesmaids wore complementary hues at the wedding of Rosy Ward (far right), avoiding the typical “matchy matchy” look. decade since Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, wore the wedding-dress-seen’round-the-world, its V-neckline and signature long sleeves remain extremely popular today.

“Statement sleeves are huge right now,” says Micheletti, noting that the look may include “puff sleeves,” a touch that adds both drama and romance, or intricate lace long sleeves, which Micheletti wore at her ceremony. “A lot of dresses also have detachable sleeves; you can take them off for more mobility later in the night.”

Morrissette says smaller guest lists and more intimate affairs are giving many brides permission to choose more casual wedding gowns. “You see that in the fabrics,” she says. “Brides seem to be more interested in soft chiffons and tulle: a very easy, romantic, boho look and silhouette.”

Though comfort and mobility are top-ofmind for many brides, that doesn’t mean they’re compromising on style. “Giant trains are back, and so are long, dramatic veils,” insists Della-

Piana. The skilled seamstress also makes veils that incorporate sentimental vintage elements. “I do a lot of restoration or take part of a mother’s gown and incorporate it into a dress or veil. This year, we took the sleeve lace off of a mother’s gown for a veil.”

Local bridal pros are also seeing brides eschew traditional white in favor of gowns in different shades of off-white, champagne, gray and pink.

“This year I’ve seen the color trend of gray and pale gray — even the mother of the bride in gray,” says Della-Piana. “Grays and silver really complement so many different skin tones. It’s moody, but still looks really formal.”

Micheletti agrees that color is a trend not only in bridal gowns, but throughout the bridal party, as well, explaining that groomsmen and bridesmaids no longer have to be, in her words, “matchy matchy.”

“It can be hard trying to perfectly match colors. Instead, I’m a big fan of tone on tone,"

“Today’s modern bride is focused on comfort and not always seeking out a skintight dress.”

says Micheletti. She also suggests the bridal party can wear different colors together, provided the shades are complementary.

At The Bridal Shoppe, many brides are opting for champagne and ivory in lieu of traditional white. Morrissette adds that most often, brides take their cue from the vibe of their wedding venue. “They’ve done their research and they really want to embrace where they’ve chosen to get married, whether a beach or vineyard or mansion,” she says.

“These women are really knowledgeable,” Morrissette says about the brides she encounters, many of whom have had to endure pandemicrelated challenges before they were finally able to make their dreams come true. “They waited for it, and they deserve it!”

Statement sleeves are very popular right now, and can include intricate lace designs. Blue suits are especially popular in Rhode Island. See Real Wedding on page 50.

LET’S HEAR IT For the Boys

When Senator John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier at St. Mary’s Church in 1953, he wore a double-breasted morning coat with a white pocket square, a white turndown collar shirt sporting French cuffs, a gray waistcoat, and a subtly patterned tie paired with wool hickory-striped trousers and shiny black Oxfords. Nearly 70 years later, any groom wearing this same ensemble would look equally stylish.

But today’s grooms have more options, and as with some brides, many are focusing more on how they “want” to look and feel versus how they are “supposed” to look and feel.

“A lot of men right now — especially the younger generation — don't see the necessity of a tuxedo. Some see it as their father’s or grandfather’s thing,” says Jim Fortier, owner of Blueprint 5 in East Greenwich and a men’s clothier for more than 35 years. Clients often ask for something that they can work into their wardrobe and wear again, Fortier notes. In those instances, he tries to steer them toward a bespoke suit, since they’ll get considerably more wear out of it than a traditional tuxedo.

Fortier also says that blue suits, ranging from midnight blue to navy and lighter shades of the hue, are very popular right now. “Especially here in Rhode Island and New England in general, most guys are more comfortable in blue,” he points out. “Guys look at black as very formal.”

Grooms who want to show a little more personality, he adds, tend to do so when choosing a custom lining for their suit, as well as with ties, pocket squares and socks. Says Fortier, “Some guys don’t want any pizazz at all, but some guys want a little fun.” — Andrea E. McHugh