Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

The rise of the low-key wedding dress

The rise of the low-key wedding dress

The pandemic has forced bridezillas to become bride-chillas, and it’s a change reflected in their Big Day fashion. Are the meringue’s days numbered? asks Chloe Street
The wedding dress game has changed.


The hunt for The One (the dress, not the life partner) once involved trawling bridal boutiques before landing on the perfect princess creation, then returning several times over the course of a few months for fittings before the Big Day reveal. However, a year of yoyo lockdowns, repeat postponements and micro-nuptials has made many women re-evaluate the mega meringue altogether.

In a year where budgets were tightened and sustainability shot to fore, high street wedding dress sales have surged and a second-hand wedding dress industry has blossomed. In fact, 67 per cent of brides, according to Bridebook.co.uk, no longer want a couture made-to-measure gown, and "casual wedding dress" was Googled 158 per cent more in January 2021 than in January 2020.

Erdem


“The needs of someone getting married today are very different to the needs of someone getting married even a year ago,” says Erdem Moralıoğlu, creative director of luxury label Erdem, which last week launched its first off-the-peg bridal range. The year-round collection of seven summery Broderie Anglaise midis and ditsy cotton voile maxi dresses are surprisingly easy-breezy for a designer that usually specialises in full-on princess fantasy.

“When I created the collection, I approached it in a more relaxed way… I love the idea of these pieces working in different contexts and settings.”

Harmur


Also jumping on the bridal bandwagon is wedding guest dress favourite RIXO, which will debut its first wedding dress capsule at London Fashion Week, which kicks off on Friday. Made using a bespoke minimal crease silk for ultimate practicality, the capsule, which starts at £295, includes a registry office-appropriate jumpsuit and a two-piece skirt and blouse alongside more traditional boho lace options.

“We wanted there to be an everlasting element,” says co-founder Henrietta Rix. “For example the ostrich feather trimmed jacket and silk midi skirt can easily be styled into an everyday wardrobe.”

RIXO


This growing appetite for wear-again wedding wear is one that motivated ex-Condé Nast Brides editors Lily Dixey and Lizzie Gray to create bridal fashion site Little L, which launched last week and stocks all the best wedding-appropriate dresses and jumpsuits from cool young brands like Harmur and Seren.

“We definitely feel that there has been a gap in the market for an alternative to the traditional wedding look for some time,” says Dixey. “We want to offer pieces that you could walk down the aisle in one week, and wear to a party the next.”

Erdem


The trend was gaining momentum pre-Covid. Matches launched its fashion-forward bridal section, featuring a tight edit of white dresses from brands like Christopher Kane, Molly Goddard and Galvan, in January 2020; while Browns Fashion launched its edit back in late 2019.

“Even before the pandemic we had started to see a real shift to a more relaxed bride,” says Holly Tenser, Buying Manager at Browns. “I think now more than ever brides are looking for something that is wearable yet chic… there is no longer the understanding that the big white dress is the only way to achieve this.”

Sleeper


Even Browns Bride, normally a go-to for traditional bespoke princess gowns, has noticed women opting not to customise, instead taking designer samples they can wear off the peg. Vivienne Westwood gowns that, as they’re made from natural silk, can later be dyed another colour and Viktor & Rolf’s two-piece ivory suits, which can easily be worked into a post-wedding wardrobe, have both been popular.

Halfpenny London


London bridal designer Kate Halfpenny has seen a surge in demand for wedding day separates. “I feel the trend for being able to wear elements of your wedding outfit is here to stay,” says Halfpenny. Loungewear label Sleeper meanwhile, famous for its feather-trim pyjamas, launched a bed-ready bridal capsule back in 2017, after noticing women wearing their silky separates for the big day.

If walking the aisle in a pair of white feather-trimmed PJs isn’t peak 2021 bridal, I don’t know what is.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
×