Iconic Brides, Revisited

As Bridal Fashion Week kicks off, The Daily Beast celebrates iconic gowns—from Bianca Jagger’s revealing YSL tuxedo to Princess Diana’s 25-foot train.

The onset of spring signals wedding season; or, the time of year when brides to be abound. The biannual Bridal Fashion Week is currently taking place in New York, where designers like Carolina Herrera and Douglas Hannant are showcasing their latest aisle-ready ensembles.

So, in honor of the one occasion where sartorial frugality goes out the window and all eyes are on the bride, we’ve assembled a gallery of the most iconic wedding dresses past and present (head-to-toe white and pink haute couture included).

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H/T: Alisa Gould-Simon

Oscar de la Renta: Here Comes the Bride 2009

The fabulosa Oscar takes the couture bride on a fantastic voyage of new glam and old tricks.

Contrast the avante garde silhouette of white duchess satin one shoulder cascading ribbon bridal gown above with the retro waltz down memory lane of this silk shantung pantsuit below.

Chacun a son gout.

More from Oscar de la Renta here.

Project Runway: Here Comes the Bride

In the next to last installment of Project Runway, the final four contestants squared off in a competition to design a wedding gown and bridesmaid dress. Which look could you wear?


Jerrell goes over the top in a dark ivory strapless princess a-line wedding dress with richly jeweled bust.


Kenley takes you on a flight of fantasy in a strapless tea length wedding dress embellished in feathers and anchored by sneakers.


Leann demonstrates a delicate touch with an ivory strapless bridal dress with cuffed neckline and daring silhouette.

Korto works magic into a sleeveless mermaid bridal dress with both fit and flare.

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!

Silk or synthetic: what's the best fabric for my wedding dress?

Silk or synthetic, which fabric is best for your wedding dress? It depends on how you define "the best."

If you're into the most expensive, then silk by all means is Queen. Silk fiber is made from silkworm cocoons and woven to create various fabrics distinguished by a characteristic look and feel. There is nothing in the world like the feel of silk on bare skin.

If you're into the best bang for the buck , then go for a fabric woven of synthetic fiber. Rayon, polyester, nylon or acetate fiber is woven into bridal fabrics that both mimic silk and create their own brand of luxury. Nothing compares to the sound of taffeta as it sweeps up the chapel aisle.

I believe that the bride who turns her nose up at a wedding dress she loves because it is polyester is making a mistake.

Princess Diana was wed to Prince Charles of England in a silk taffeta princess a-line wedding dress with a 25 foot train.

David Emanuel, who designed the French meringue of a dress, complained in a TV interview that the carriage was far too small for both Diana and her robustly built father along with her full skirted dress. Her skirt was a wrinkled mass when she arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Fortunately the designer was on hand to smooth out the worst of it before she commenced her walk up the aisle. After the ceremony, the creases in her skirt had to be smoothed yet again before she posed for wedding pictures.

The lesson is: even real princesses fall prey to the mystique of silk over synthetic and pay the price.

All bridal designers, from Amsale to Vera Wang, may style a wedding dress or bridesmaid gown in synthetic fabric. All satin used in bridal and formal gowns is synthetic. Duchess satin is a blend of synthetic and silk fiber. It's more affordable. It holds its shape better. It's easier to keep clean. And it wrinkles less.

The grade of synthetic fabric a designer uses makes the difference.

A better quality weave looks and feels exactly like silk. In fact, the only way we can tell them apart - and you will find both silk and polyester wedding dresses in Scarlett's Closet - is to find the fabric content on the manufacturer's care tag.

So don't dismiss a dress you love because it's made of a synthetic fabric. If the fabric feels thick, stiff and cheesy, then move up to a better quality. But if the fabric is lustrous, holds it shape when you move and drapes on your body like a dream, who cares? Silk or synthetic, in the hands of a great designer, they offer equal, but different, appeal.

More about the fabrics used in designer wedding dresses in our Fabric Glossary.