Image courtesy of brides.com
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the day-to-day business of fashion has been on pause. In many ways, we have watched the disruption in slow motion. As fashion industry professionals, we are timidly unearthing ourselves from the emotional rubble and uneasiness felt across the fashion world. It’s a process, and it takes time to reorient to a “new normal.” Things have changed. They are changing daily and from moment to moment! We are witnessing a paradigm shift towards something new for an industry steeped in traditions and old ways of creating and doing business. That is what makes 2022 unique! The feeling that something new and different is in the air.
From a creative standpoint, fashion designers have been the first to start tapping into what’s next. That is what makes the resurgence of New York Bridal Fashion Week special at a time when people feel more confident saying, “I do!” What’s more, after several seasons of viewing clothes virtually, designers are choosing to welcome their colleagues back for in-person shows and appointments.
The collections for 2023 represent a fresh perspective and a new outlook that designers have spent months digesting and interpreting to create something special for a bride’s special day. A mixture of contemporary and traditional silhouettes that make a statement to amplify the excitement around the moment. Brides still looking should expect to see fresh new ideas that they haven’t seen with shapes that range from voluminous to sleek full of unexpected and inviting details.
As part of our coverage of New York International Bridal Fashion Week (NYIBFW), Fashion Reverie has rounded up an exclusive peek into the thoughts and ideas of some of our favorite designers who are on the cusp of what’s new and what’s next in bridal fashion. Stay tuned for more coverage and exclusive access to NYIBFW.
Image courtesy of Mira Zwillinger
Mira Zwillinger
Inspiration:
Unity enhances the potential of our strength, courage, and growth as individuals. Together we are better, and only together can we accomplish something with a lasting impact.
Our spring 2023 “Wonders” couture collection explores the importance of staying united amidst a newfound disconnect. We understand more than ever how valuable our relationships are both for inspiration, harmonious balance, and freedom. Throughout the 13-gown collection, delicate and intricate handcrafted florals are designed both as the main component of the gowns as well as abstract extensions beyond the gowns themselves. The ultra-fine elements move freely and effortlessly symbolically expressing how unity can uplift through strength, while the unique array of silhouettes create a dynamic expression of how much power and resilience togetherness can help us achieve. With unity, we can create wonders.
Image courtesy of Sheila Frank
Sheila Frank
Inspiration:
This season I explored Victorian menswear from pre-Victorian 1830s to late 1890s. Each look is designed with a garment in mind from the frock coat, waist coat, shirt variations to the cravat. Fabrics include matte and shiny satin, crepe, tulle, and beaded mesh. Gowns are adorned with bronze and gold buttons and styled with pressed flower pendant necklaces and belts. I explored the idea of vintage meets modern with clean lines and pleated fabrics that flatter the female form.
Image courtesy of Sophie Et Voila
Sophie Et Voilà
Inspiration:
This collection is not about drawing inspiration from his work, nor is it even about emulating his technique or his mastery. That would be, to say the least, an unforgivable boldness. I will not analyze his lines, patterns, or sketches. I am not trying to be someone I cannot. I do not want to frustrate myself by copying. To know myself as an impostor, incapable, a liar and, in other words, one more. But I want to think I learned. That I took from the master a way of thinking. This collection is about his philosophy, his way of believing in fashion. To know that each dress has a name. One and only one. To say no to what I do not believe in and to bet my life on what excites me. I represent a firm with values, with a way of doing, with principles. At Sophie Et Voilà we never wanted to be commercial. We never thought about being others. Being different was never our goal. Doing something different has been the consequence of opting for doing things our own way. In a world where adaptation is everything, being true to oneself is a luxury that very few can afford.
Image courtesy of THEIA
THEIA
Inspiration:
Our spring 2023 Bridal collection for THEIA continues to push boundaries, balancing angular and organic elements to create signature looks for today’s modern bride. The season’s design inspiration intersects with that of another artist, local photographer Eva Grall. Grall, along with our designers, are drawn to the “Mother of American Modernism,” Georgia O’Keeffe’s series of Irises as a nascent source of inspiration. Grall’s emotive, modern lens, thoughtful range of texture and value, and air of sensuality coincide with the core values of THEIA’s aesthetic. The simplicity of magnified petals and the soft tactile nature of Grall’s works are evident in the tucks, cowls, and folds of our crepe and satin gowns. Easy slip dress silhouettes, plunging V-necks, jubilant floral beading, and cheeky asymmetry can be found within the collection.
Image courtesy of Nadia Manjarrez
Nadia Manjarrez Studio Bridal
Inspiration:
“This season as I was planning my own wedding, I began to explore the significance and mystique surrounding wedding rituals. Mexican brides typically wear big ball gowns, which I gave a modern twist by adding removable puff sleeves and a detachable train. Dahlia, Mexico’s national flower, are also present in this collection as an ode to my own heritage,” Nadia explains.
In the Mexican tradition brides also wear a Mantilla Veil, a circular veil with a lace trim around the edge. Nadia integrated the drama of these conventional pieces into the collection, adding in tones of blue as a pop of color and a nod to the “something blue” tradition. While customs like having a bouquet or dawning a long cathedral veil inspired Nadia, she vowed to keep the collection versatile including these details as embroidery on recycled taffeta, 3D floral embroidered tulle and hand drawn crocheted laces. The brand’s ethos rests in modular pieces: Add-on capes, removable skirts, and detachable sleeves. Hand-made beading and threadwork features variations of the poppy flowers in last season’s collection, alongside new fabrications like flowing pleated tulle and double satin. This season is for the bride who wants the sentiment of heritage, but is a contemporary woman destined for progress.
Kristopher Hoyle
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