Named after the Greek goddess of light, Theia, the bridal brand is known for its clean, linear, yet feminine silhouettes funneled through a prism of luminescent beauty that allows a woman’s inner goddess to shine through. This season creative director Don O’Neill looked to expand the Theia aesthetic as seen through a patina of gold, or the “Midas Touch.”

“Theia, the Greek goddess of light, was also responsible for giving metals their luminescent shine.  So, she predates King Midas in Greek mythology. Her gift allowed King Midas to have his golden touch, so to speak,” explains O’Neill.  “This collection is about gold being our new approach to light. We are giving the bride light and luminescence, but through a golden arch.”

True to form this collection was soft and glowing, but with that added touch of wintry textures and connotations. Lace embroidery embellished with crystals and pearls resembled icy snowflake configurations, satin petal embellishments conjured up images of gentle falling snow, and column silhouettes reflect wintry icicle shapes.

“When I have a theme in my head, I see everything through that theme. Because I was thinking of winter that is the reason we have a cape and some shoulder shrugs in the collection. I was thinking of winter in a very soft way, not the harshness of winter months.  Think of an early winter snowfall when everything is soft and delicate. So with our lace in this collection everything is light. We connected the cotton Gulpare back to snow but in a winter wonderland kind of way;” details O’Neill.

Though there is an emphasis on early winter in this collection, O’Neill did expand to late winter expressed in the somewhat heavy gold brocades in some of the looks. O’Neill elaborates, “anything that Midas touched became weightier because he turned everything into gold solid metal, so we also wanted that counterbalance in the collection with the Snow Queen meeting King Midas. You will see that juxtaposition in the softness of winter expressed in our Chantilly lace and silk snow petal embellishments meeting the heavier gold brocades.”

Still, the Midas inspiration was also evident in in hand-painted gold Murano glass beads that encircled bodices and gold lame and golden sequins that were detailed throughout several of the gowns. Looks that showcased O’Neill’s gold reference best was the ivory Duchess Satin ball gown with gold filigree lace bodice and pearl and Murano glass embroidery, the gold brocade backless ball gown with hand embroidered crystal belt, and the gold hand-embroidered mitered sequin and crystal gown. Other standouts in the collection were O’Neill’s sequined and hand-embroidered sweatshirt with silver lame trouser, and the ivory satin petal halter gown with hand-embroidered petal veil.

Images courtesy of Ernest Green

With this collection, O’Neill demonstrates that though traditional silhouettes and white palettes are still the order of the day, some women are looking at other alternatives to the traditional white wedding gown. “The woman that I dress is confident and wants to be comfortable. She is not necessarily interested in sticking to the traditional white gown; she is just being true to herself.  So if she wants to wear a gold gown, she wears it because she wants to and is comfortable in it. Prior to Queen Victoria, women did not wear white on their wedding day, but it has become a tradition that we’ve stuck to. But there are women who are breaking away from that, and what we are doing in this collection is giving women that option.”

So, there you have it!! Now, is the gold lame tuxedo for the groom, next? Hmm, let’s rethink that one.

—William S. Gooch