“Ballet wedding gowns fuse femininity, elegance - Los Angeles Times” |
| Ballet wedding gowns fuse femininity, elegance - Los Angeles Times Posted: 05 Dec 2010 09:01 AM PST When you think about it, weddings and ballets form a perfect pas de deux. They share the elements of romance, fantasy and fairy tales. The ballet that most epitomizes wedding style is Tchaikovsky's ethereal "Swan Lake," with its corps de ballet dressed in white skirts of layered, frothy tulle flowing from jeweled white satin bodices and accented with feather headdresses. "Black Swan," which opened Dec. 3 in theaters, could have the effect of reviving interest in the ballet look for brides. The movie, about a ballerina (Natalie Portman) preparing to play the lead role in a modern-day production of "Swan Lake," is already generating Oscar buzz. Tiers of tulle Fortunately for brides inspired by Portman's feather and tulle costumes by Rodarte, there are plenty of designers who have mastered the look. New York-based gown designer Randi Rahm, for instance, is known for her ballerina-style gowns with tight strapless bodices and layers of tulle. For spring 2011, she has adorned that silhouette with white feathers accenting the gowns' skirts. The key element of a ballerina-style gown, Rahm said, is that it is "very feminine with movement. Movement is always so important in a gown in general, but especially when you are interpreting something like ballet. It's a slow movement — when you see tulle go up and come down, it looks like it's in slow motion. "The décolletage has a more open type of feel [in a traditional ballet costume]. Because ballet dancers have beautiful long necks and arms, usually that area is bare or partially bare," she said. Rahm used feathers in her upcoming spring collection of wedding gowns, she said, "because feathers have that slow motion. They all move in different ways when the air hits them. They have beautiful swish and movement." Not only are feathers a throwback to the classic ballerina look, designers such as Gucci, Chanel, Zac Posen, Marchesa, Elie Saab and Kate Spade are featuring them in their spring 2011 collections. InStyle magazine fashion director Cindy Weber Cleary calls the look "glamorous in a lighthearted way,""unabashedly feminine" and seductive. According to her, "Feathers say 'touch me.'" As much as she loves ballerina-style gowns, Rahm warned that they are not for every bride. "It looks best on a young, lanky, willowy body," she said. "But a lot of women like the ballet look because it's a very feminine and elegant genre. So many corporate women come in and want the most feminine, froufrou thing you've ever seen. People play into their fantasy — it doesn't matter what age they are. It's an opportunity to wear a real-life costume." She said she usually gently guides her mature clients away from some ballet styles and toward gowns that are most appropriate for their age and figure. A gown doesn't have to consist of layers of tulle to evoke a ballerina feel, she said. "In the more modern, contemporary ballets, you see a ballet dancer in a long, draping gown with the fabric flowing behind her — a look that would be more appropriate for an older, more sophisticated bride, Rahm said. "It's a feeling, an emotion that you want to portray in the garment." Jose Dias, designer for the Justin Alexander and Sincerity Bridal collections, said he would suggest a ballerina style for a woman with a curvy figure as well. "Generally this shape works on most figures. It has connotations of style icons such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Doris Day, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. The styling, however, must be age-appropriate." Meaning, the older you are, the fewer fussy accessories you should wear. Choosing the accessories For brides intrigued by the "Swan Lake" look, feather accents can also be found in the current collections of jewelry, hairpiece, shoe and purse designers. Samantha Goldstone, a Santa Barbara jewelry designer who founded the Adesso line, uses clusters of onion-cut beer quartz paired with a gold vermeil wing pendant in her Dolce necklace. "Wings evoke the feeling of freedom, dreams and power," she said. "To me, wings symbolize the ability to go beyond what you think possible and to do so with power and grace." L.A. designer Rosanne Karmes, founder of Sydney Evan jewelry, crafted a necklace with a single delicate feather available in white, yellow or rose gold with white or black diamonds or pink sapphires. "Feathers are feminine. They're soft, they're wispy. Each feather has its own unique shape. No two are alike," she said. "A feather is sexy and classic at the same time. It evokes lightheartedness." When North Hollywood shoe designer Mariya Palanjian, the founder, owner and CEO of Lanalia Shoes, added feathers to her Zina shoe, it became the company's best-selling bridal shoe. "Initially, Zina was designed to be a simple satin shoe with crystals," she said. "I felt that something was missing — the blend of crystals with satin looked clean and simple, but had no character. It almost looked flat to me, so I began experimenting with feathers to give Zina a 3-D look. "It was difficult at first, especially when I had to take each feather one by one and attach it to the satin," she said. "However, after a few tries I got better at it, and the response I got from my brides was so astonishing that we decided to add Zina to our collection." Many brides opt for feather headpieces, perhaps paired with jewels on a headband or comb, over more elaborate veils. Also called "fascinators," these feather headpieces epitomize "Swan Lake" style. Maria Elena Headpieces in Miami and Leah C. Couture Millinery in New York are two modern designers showcasing these feather accents. When all of these design elements come together, a bride can be transformed from an everyday duckling into an elegant swan. — Langley Lyon, Custom Publishing Writer This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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