Little Miss Couture

• Tweet

What’s it about a stunning bridal dress which makes everyone turn their heads? Couture designers, Christos, Vera Wang, and Carolina Herrera, recently hit NYC to reveal their spring 2012 ready to wear collections. I am not only thrilled with what I saw on the catwalks (sashes and ribbons, sweetheart necklines and illusion lace sleeves), but I cannot wait to see what elements of these collections will hit the catwalks at the end of October. So, take a look at five of our favorite new gowns from the hottest names in bridal and haute couture dresses.

Carolina Herrera

I saw a lot of beautiful necklines and sleeves this season; however ‘the prize’ goes to this sweetheart neckline and illusion sleeves, in which a sheer, delicate, embellished layer of fabric veils skin which would otherwise be exposed. Think of illusion as a positive thing, noting its power to transform a cheeky, ‘check out my tits’ situation into something stylish, pretty and sophisticated. Carolina Herrera

Christos

Last season in mini-skirts, 3D florals hit the fashion scene. This season, couture designers focused on hemlines, designing dresses with a couple of tiers. An extravagant form of the tunic detail from the last season, and this time, it is ultra-stylish! Most importantly, the top tier is the perfect way to camouflage your wide hips. Christos

Vera Wang

With the popular trend of turning wedding gowns inside-out in mind fashion designers are now exposing this underlay fabrication, as an extravagantly looped sash or visible hemline treatment or bodice detail. It works to create amazing dimension and volume on fancy ball-dresses and provides a one-of-a-kind, bubbly -but-contemporary textural element. p.s. Do not worry, animal rights conscious brides, horsehair doesn’t come from horses. It is actually a man-made fabric generally used on the underskirts of dresses to create a crisper hemline and a much cleaner shape. Vera Wang

Monique Lhuillier

Wearing a bridal dress in a non-champagne or white color was, until not so long ago, seen as a quite bold thing to do. Luckily, a couple of seasons ago, fashion-hunters began seeing subtle touches of color. From the subtlest pop of lilac or silver all the way to beautiful bright lettuce green. However the color was still the exception and definitely not the rule. The 2012 spring season, pink and blush shades appeared on many catwalks, marking its long-awaited debut as an expected (and not strange) bridal dress color. Monique Lhuillier

Legends by Romona Keveza

Since April wedding market fell only a couple of weeks before the Big Wedding, few haute couture designers were inspired by Duchess of Cambridge and what she might wear. For others, this meant lace sleeves; more elegant and more modern version of the voluminous sleeves which engulfed the young Princess D thirty years ago. Turns out the Kate Middleton did end up wearing lace sleeves to her big day, and it is just a matter of days before the royal look catches on in a big way. And the truth is that I cannot wait for that to happen. Legends by Romona Keveza