As the final model walked the runway at Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week, a familiar sigh rippled through the crowd of journalists and bridal buyers. Yes, everything was breathtakingly beautiful but sat in the front row we were also kind of underwhelmed. It was all just more of the same…
The newly presented collections from New York to Barcelona bridal markets were indeed filled with soft romance, impeccable corsetry and delicate appliqué but beneath the polish, it was very similar to the styling of last season and in fact the one before that!
Pretty, But Predictable
There’s no ignoring the elephant in the design studio: the economy. With rising production costs, tariffs and global supply chain disruptions, bridal labels are under enormous pressure. Many independent brands have sadly been forced to close or scale back their collections. It is therefore no surprise to see less experimentation and creativity as bridal collections must be designed to sell, and sell to the masses.
We get it, risk-taking is expensive but one size doesn’t fit all. We believe weddings are an opportunity to let your personality shine and embrace what it means to be ‘you.’ Yet it seems harder and harder to not have a cookie cutter wedding!
Fashion is interwoven with art and without risk it’s just conveyor-belt business. Bridal fashion is specifically built on emotion and storytelling, but in the rush to appeal to as many brides as possible, it seems some designers are flattening their creative edges. We’re seeing a wave of gowns that are minimal, ultra-feminine, or overtly traditional whilst the avant-garde, interesting silhouettes and experimental fabrics are now the sole reserve of the high end and fashion crowd weddings. So often pinned but hard to recreate on a budget. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with clean lines or classic romance, but the fashion forward designs seem to be dwindling from the attainable bridal landscape.
Where are the Plus-Size Models?
Sadly, it’s not just bridal collections that lack diversity but also the models chosen to wear the dresses. Despite the strides forward made in recent years, we witnessed a shocking regression in the representation of plus-size models in this year’s catwalk shows. Is it the Ozempic effect bringing back yesteryear’s body expectations? Whatever the reason, body inclusivity isn’t a trend. The lack of diversity in bridal fashion isn’t just disappointing, it’s harmful. It tells certain brides that they don’t belong in this fantasy because they are being excluded.
It’s a domino effect where designers don’t show clothes on a variety of body sizes, which means retailers don’t sample them and ultimately, brides can’t buy them.
The Rise of the Tradwife Aesthetic
TikTok has a lot to answer for and our latest gripe is the undercurrent of Gen Z women embracing ‘Tradwife’ domestic roles, 1950s aesthetics, and sometimes regressive gender dynamics. Sometimes satirical at other times sincere, there is no doubt this nostalgia is a yearning for what was incorrectly perceived as easier, more financially and politically comfortable times.
This influence has trickled into bridalwear through modest silhouettes, high collars, long sleeves and a return to more “ladylike” dress codes. There’s a fashion appeal to finding inspiration in vintage styles and old-world Hollywood aesthetics, but we need to balance it. Ultimately, what you choose to wear on your wedding day should be your choice, and romanticising eras like the 1950s, when women were often restricted to rigid, subservient roles and denied basic rights, is the exact opposite of that.
It’s Not All Doom & Gloom
Thankfully, not everyone is playing it safe, there are still those designers pushing boundaries. The Vivienne Westwood team did a fantastic job with their first ever bridal show at Barcelona Bridal Week which was genderless and ageless showcasing a wealth of fresh design ideas.
Wona Concept presented more interesting structural gowns. UK-based The OWN Studio offer chic minimalism with real range, including a wealth of sizing. Lucy Can’t Dance are forever inclusive with their sample sizes and model choices. Designers like Nadia Manjarrez from Culiacán, Mexico, and Vaishali S Studio from Mumbai, India are incorporating traditional craft techniques into modern silhouettes.
Choose Boldly, Choose You
To you, dear Rock n Roll Bride readers, we’ll continue to do our best to highlight the bold, the risk-takers and the innovators, but we want to hear from you too. Show us the wild ones, the rule-breakers, and the beautifully unconventional. After all, the world doesn’t change by playing it safe – and neither should your wedding.