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When we talk about classic, iconic wedding dresses, there are always certain names that crop up. It’s also fascinating to see how these timeless designs still influence the most stylish modern brides. You can also link relatively recent celebrity brides to the wedding dress trends we’re seeing right now. So, for a truly timeless bridal look, you need to know your classics…
Images: Top Row Left via Bridal Musings | Top Row Right via Pinterest | Second Row Left via Daily Mail | Second Row Right via Pinterest (as before) | Third Row Left via Vogue | Third Row Right via Daily Mail (as before) | Bottom Row Left via Brides | Bottom Row Right via Daily Mail (as before)
Looking back at the brides of yesteryear, there are some wedding dresses that have absolutely stood the test of time. We can’t even begin to talk about iconic wedding gowns without mentioning Grace Kelly. Her beautiful lace dress was made for her by one of the costume designers at MGM and it’s possibly one of the most famous wedding gowns of all time. 25 yards of silk taffeta, antique rose-point lace and hundreds of pearls went into the dress that took six weeks to make.
Another bride whose gorgeous gown would still look amazing today is Jacqueline Kennedy. She wore a full-skirted off-the-shoulder design by Ann Lowe when she married future President John F Kennedy in 1953.
Elizabeth Taylor’s first wedding dress was actually designed by Helen Rose, the same MGM costumier who created Grace Kelly’s iconic dress. This might be a slightly less well-known wedding gown but my goodness; you could wear this fabulous dress today. Another off-the-shoulder design, this also features long sleeves that would be totally on trend today.
There are also plenty of iconic brides who were seen as being slightly more daring at the time. Audrey Hepburn’s short full-skirted wedding dress, Gene Tierney’s long figure hugging lace gown, Mia Farrow’s mini-dress and even Racquel Welch’s super short crochet dress might have raised eyebrows back in the day but they too have played a part in changing the wedding dress world. Designers even name their short dresses after Audrey Hepburn now and look at the crochet-style wedding dresses from designers such as Minna and Grace Loves Lace to know that even Racquel Welch made her mark.
Images: Top Row Left via Vogue (as before) | Top Row Right via Harper's Bazaar | Second Row Left via Vogue (as before ) | Second Row Right via Harper's Bazaar (as before) | Bottom Row Left via Vogue (as before) | Bottom Row Right via Marie Claire
If famous brides from the past have shaped the wedding dresses we still wear today, there are plenty of modern muses out there who are creating classics right now. A dress doesn’t have to be decades old to earn the title of ‘a classic’ and we know plenty of recent brides who we all love.
Kate Middleton has become something of a Grace Kelly character. A girl who married her prince in a stunning lace gown that proved elegant even demure designers always look fantastic. Kate has been credited for the recent revival in the use of lace in wedding dresses and if that doesn’t make you a modern icon, I don’t know what does. Her sister Pippa also looked lovely in lace on her wedding day and her timeless gown was another winner in the classically elegant category.
Two other Royal brides also deserve mentions here and again, they’re names that you might not automatically add to your list of stylish brides but ignore these women at your peril! Victoria of Sweden might well have re-ignited our love of bateau necklines and Zara Phillips low-waisted, deep hemmed gown by Stewart Parvin proved that Royal brides don’t have to wear huge gowns with endless trains to make an impact.
I also have to mention the brilliant Amal Alamuddin and the super stylish Olivia Palermo here. Amal’s Oscar de la Renta dress we received with universal praise and with good reason. It suited her and her style perfectly plus she added her own take on the lace trend. Olivia Palermo totally embraced the bridal separates trend and that’s surely here to stay now.
Classic brides all with their own unique style and wedding dresses we’ll still be talking about in years to come.
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