What does a non-Western inhabitant of the West conjure up when she has to make a wedding dress in the West?
NOT makes a white dress.
And, since the color palette is her world, why not go for the most abrasive?
Last year, Vera Wang made red wedding dresses, from a bright "new blood" red, to a darker "older blood." They looked like what vampires might wear. I semi-excused her by saying her red dresses may be referencing her Chinese tradition (regardless that Wang was brought up as an "American" and as far as I know has never lived in China; that she married - and divorced - a white American; and her two daughters were apparently brought up as Americans).
Vera Wang Spring 2013 Bridal Collection: Vampire Theme
For her 2014 collection, it is clear that Wang's intention is once again to go as far away as possible from the traditional, Western white wedding dress. She's going black. She's done black in full tulle in 2010, and periodically since then.
Vera Wang's Charcoal Black Collection from 2010
This time, for her 2014 bridal collection, the black that Wang is adding is by accessorizing with long, black leather gloves. Her brides look like they're Harley Davidson bikers' brides, or they're in an S&M-themed wedding. But, Wang is clever. Those full-on black dresses cannot have been very popular, and the white dress with long, black pleather gloves will be more acceptable.
Vera Wang Black Wedding Dress
from her Fall 2014 Bridal Collection: S&M Pleather
Amsale, on the other hand, who I think is Wang's direct rival (being a non-white, prestigious wedding dress designer) is going for whimsical gowns. I have written that Amsale is probably channeling her Christian background, which grounds her closer to a Western mindset. The closest to color that Amsale has designed is off-white dresses. And these are very few.
Amsale, Spring 2014
Keeping it Simple
Carolina Herrera, another haute couture rival, keeps the gowns white, but her brides' bouquets are a a meddley of colors. The red roses reference her dramatic Spanish background, although she does have white and yellow bouquets:
Carolina Herrera Spring 2014 Bridal Collection
And finally there's Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, who adds color more subtly with whispers of "something blue" in delicate robin blue.
The strips of blue ribbon are also a cultural reference, and don't diminish the "whiteness" of the gowns.
Wedding Gown of Caroline Sieber
From the September 2013 Vogue
Inspired by a portrait of
Empress Elisabeth of Austria
by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Empress Elisabeth of Austria
1865
Oil on canvas
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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