Bridal Gowns Paint Runway Black

Last winter, I was lucky enough to travel to Florence and Rome, Italy for several weeks. While wandering through one of the many winding, cobblestone alleyways making up the maze that is Florence, I happened upon a bridal store, Atelier Aimée, one of Italy’s leading bridal gown production companies. Though marriage is nowhere near my future as of yet, I still profess a love for bridal wear, especially the black wedding dress. I saw my first one ever at Atelier, and I’ve been hooked since:

So imagine my surprise when I, reading through NYTimes.com, I happened upon an article by Bee-Shyuan Chang, “All Dressed in Black,” which profiled Vera Wang’s latest bridal collection, rife with black gowns. Wang debuted her 16-piece collection – without a shred of white in sight – at New York’s Bridal Fashion Week last week.

To keep the femininity alive, Wang designed the dark dresses with layers of tulle, lingerie-inspired corsets and black lace layered over champagne.

Wang’s new line is truly intended for the unconventional, yet show-stopping bride, who seeks to push the envelope much like Wang. Though some critics claim the line is too goth, too dark, effeminate or just ugly, I have to disagree. The black bridal gown has the capacity to make quite the romantic statement. And this is especially true with Wang’s 2012 line; she manages to capture the softness of the female body through layers of fabrics, yet juxtaposes it against the unconventional color.

To see Wang’s full Fall 2012 collection, click here.