Designer Bridal Dresses: The Second Time Around

"Love is lovelier... the second time around," goes the song that has been covered by everybody from Frank Sinatra to the Goo Goo Dolls.

Given that almost half of all weddings are second marriages for either bride or groom, this old standard is a oft heard refrain. Listen here.

Is the bride's dress lovelier as well?

The beauty of the second wedding is a woman's freedom from convention.

"Been there, done that, doing this my way" is the guiding principal for everything from the wedding march to her dress. Still pastel and ivory are top choices for color and simple, elegant styles reign supreme the second time around.

Here are a few ideas in Scarlett's Closet that make our cut.




Cameron Blake Style 13660 champagne silky crepe and silk chiffon two piece sheath and matching jacket offers an elegant and graceful silhouette to the not so blushing encore bride.

Take me there










Full length palazzo pants with a beaded side split sex up a dressy pantsuit in lavender silk chiffon by Cameron Blake.


Take me there.







A smart tailored silk shantung jacket and gown trimmed in pearls and lace by Alyce JDL Boutique suits the sophisticated Cinderella.


Take me there








Slimming styles such as Maggie Sottero "Chicago" gold stretch satin bridal dress - cut on the bias - are also favored.


Take me there




By contrast, many encore brides are happily wedded ladies who are renewing vows.

These fortunate women may indulge their Cinderella fantasy by wearing the ball gown they could not afford the first time they waltzed up the aisle.


Sposa St. Pucchi Z230 in ivory silk organza wedding gown fulfills any woman's Cinderella fantasy with magical style and yards and yards and yards of skirt.

Take me there




Dressing to be married - again - is simple, really.

Select a wedding dress that both reflects your personal style and matches the tone of your wedding ceremony.

And while you're shopping, hum along: "I feel pretty... oh so pretty..." which has been covered by everyone from Marnie Nixon to Sarah Brightman.

Watch

Skin Deep - It's Botox for Bridesmaids

According to the following article in the New York Times, brides are gifting attendants with Botox treatments and spray tans. In some cases, they are demanding that their attendants go for (and pay for) tooth whitening procedures and cosmetic surgery. Is the quest for wedding day bliss going too far?

It’s Botox for You, Dear Bridesmaids

By ABBY ELLIN
Published: July 24, 2008

AFTER the band was chosen and the napkins color-coordinated to match her shoes, Kacey Knauer, a bride-to-be, had another critical matter to address: her skin, and the skin of the nine women in her bridal party.

Read it

Bridesmaid Video: A Brief Guide About Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids have been essential to the wedding for centuries. They share this exhilarating and rewarding experience with the bride from the courtship to the reception. The maids are the ones she can count on to perform timeless duties - from warding off evil spirits to keeping the groom on his toes!

The Dessy Group keeps you up to date on modern bridesmaid trends. As your celebration approaches, they are your source for great bridesmaid dresses, destination wedding gowns and flower girl dresses.

Have a look at the Dessy Bridesmaid Video: A Brief Guide About Bridesmaids, then shop for one of a kind maids dresses by Dessy and After Six in Scarlett's Closet.

Connecticut Sample Sale: The Plumed Serpent

Brides to be in or near Westport, Connecticut can save $$$ on high end couture bridal gowns on July 18 and 19 at The Plumed Serpent.

Sample wedding dresses include styles by Anne Barge, Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier, Romona Keveza, Vera Wang and many other world famous bridal designers.

It's a once a year event for a once in a lifetime occasion at an oh so chic salon. (Well, okay maybe twice in a lifetime, but who's counting?)

The Plumed Serpent
295 Post Road East
Westport, CT 06880

Designer Wedding Dresses: The Cinderella List

If two old farts can traipse around the world to fulfill their "bucket list," the Cinderella list is every little girl's fantasy wedding ensemble fulfilled.




1. A Picked Up Ball Gown

Richard Glasgow Style 1509 white silk satin strapless bridal dress with a romantic ball gown skirt. Pearl and crystal rhinestone embroidered medallions pick up the skirt.

Take me there





2. Sensual Silk


Christos Bridal Sienna white silk faille designer wedding dress features a ballerina scoop neckline, dropped waist, chapel train. Pearl and crystal rhinestone metallic embroidery embellishes the waist.


Take me there






3. Yards and yards of skirt


Casablanca 1690 white beaded lace and organza strapless a-line wedding dress, dropped waist, floor length skirt, semi cathedral train. White and silver embroidered detail.


Take me there





4. Barely there wedding slippers


Grace Footwear "Micaela" Silk Satin Ankle Strap Sandals with a very high 3.5 inch heel and just the hint of a platform.


Take me there








5. A sparkling tiara


Infused with playful whimsy, mirrored crystals surround pearls, silver beads and Swarovski crystals on a sparkling tiara to rival even diamonds.


Take me there




6. A charming prince

And lest we forget, no Cinderella list is complete without a handsome Prince Charming to wed, bed and live happily ever after.

(A girl can dream, can't she?)






What's on your Cinderella Wish List? Post a comment!

Fashion Rescue: Passing the Oops Test

I won't offer products that I have not used and approved. So our stock room (and home) has become a bit of a test laboratory for a new category of products I call "Fashion Rescue."

Miss Oops Mishap Tape is simply great.

You get 36 transparent double sided tape strips. These work amazingly well in ways the manufacturer planned and could not foresee.

-Fix the dropped stitches at the waist of a Vera Wang party dress in a snap.

-Repair the torn spine of a book with ease.

-Secure upholstery trim that came loose after the glue dried out.

I've become a mishap tape fool, spying all manner of rips, tears and simple mending projects that have gone undone because I a) lacked the skill; b) lacked the materials; c) lacked the time to tackle the project.

Frankly, testing Miss Oops Mishap tape is better and way more fun than mending. And let's face it, shoring up a falling hem or upholstery trim with a stapler is so 20th century.

You'll also appreciate the Miss Oops Mini Lint Roller.

Tote size and refills make this dandy lint remover a handy pick for your purse, glove box or desk drawer.

It's especially useful for women who wear lots of navy blue and black and also own pets.

Really.

When did you ever leave the house totally free of cat or dog hair? Somehow, no matter how careful (or clean) you are, a few stray hairs inevitably show up when you get into your car.

Yes, there are other, cheaper mini lint rollers out there. The packaging is not nearly as cute. (This is fashion, after all.)

We have more Fashion Rescue products on the way from Hollywood Fashion Tape. If they work half as well as Miss Oops, you'll see them soon in Scarlett's Closet.

Next on our test lab agenda: stain removal.

It Happens: Prepare, Recover, Repair on the Spot

Drinks spill. Lipstick smudges. Bra straps peek. Lint finds tuxedos. Sweat stains show. Shoes rub blisters on dressed up feet. No matter what the occasion- hot date or cool wedding - it happens.

Everyone knows the value of double sided apparel tape when a spaghetti strap breaks, your blouse gaps or you step into the hem of a long gown with a high heel. I would not have thought to use a household sponge to remove deodorant streaks from a little black dress, but it works. And mini lint rollers are as common as the day is long.

The problem is - aside from celebrity stylists and experienced wedding planners - no one has these items handy when you need them most - when "it" happens to you at work, school, senior prom, country club dance, cathedral wedding.

Now you can. So have a look at our new line of Fashion Rescue products from Miss Oops. And stand by for more helpful, tote-sized products from Hollywood Fashion Tape for starters.

Once they've passed our "oops test," Scarlett's Closet will offer many more ways to prevent, prepare, repair and recover gracefully - on the spot- from life's little emergencies with smart, handy products from today's hottest fashion rescue companies.

Want to try them out for yourself? Three ship for the same price as one!