After 20 years in the business, Claire Pettibone knows a thing or two—or twenty—about designing bridal collections. Bridal designers are under a little less pressure to design in a constant state of newness, as they often focus on variations of a theme (white gowns, princess gowns, etc.). However, like all fashion sectors, the bridal industry has trends that come and go.
Rather than give in to the pressure of trends or come up with multiple new variations on a theme, this season Claire Pettibone decided to revive her archive. Pettibone created an entire retrospective of her 20 years of bridal designs. Appropriately titled “The Archive Collection,” Pettibone reintroduced gowns that had been requested by brides throughout the years because, at the end of the day, who is fashion about if not the customer? The collection included three new designs inspired by the archives and three new archival-inspired pieces.
The six styles that were the focus of “The Archive Collection” include Midnight, Toulouse, Memory, Treasure, Forget Me Not, and Cherish. Midnight is from Claire Pettibone’s 2009 Rock’n’Roll bridal collection and features French embroidery, jeweled straps, and a black tulle train. Memory is new to the archives and features French embroidery, a velvet-inlaid beaded waist, and a delicate peplum. Toulouse is from the 2012 Beau Monde collection and features silk ribbon and embroidered lace. Treasure is new to the archives and features embellished floral embroidery. Forget Me Not is a revival style from the 2007 Le Jardin de Monet collection and is a silk slip dress draped in ribbons and flowers. Cherish is a new blush floral embroidered gown with silver accents.
In a time when marriage rates are declining and America is facing a tumultuous economy amid a government shutdown and layoffs at major companies like Meta, Amazon, and IBM, Claire Pettibone made a smart choice to revive styles she already knows sell well. The brand has long been known for its vintage inspiration, but this time, instead of dialing it back to mom’s and grandma’s wedding days, they looked back through their last 20 years for a retrospective.
Bridal Fashion Week also featured new styles all tied together by Claire Pettibone’s signature details, such as delicate lace, embroidery, and hand-painted florals. While it might seem like Claire Pettibone was playing it safe, the collection was also a love letter to the fans of her brand who have kept her going for two decades.
Images courtesy of Claire Pettibone
Ultimately, Claire Pettibone created a collection both rooted in nostalgia and moving forward for the next generation of brides. She offered something old and something new, and there were even some hints of blue. The story of the brand goes on as the next bride marches down the aisle.
—Kristopher Fraser
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