Lace is still the trend: this is where Italians excel

We all know it: it is important to think about how you want to look on your wedding day.  Sometimes what we think we want doesn’t actually look good on us, so it is important to keep an open mind about the styling. Prospective brides have to feel good in the dress they pick because the confidence will show on their special day.

What’s trending these days in the bridal fashion market, though? We asked Mindy, our partner at Group868 in New York City: “These days the trends seem to be lots of details and at the same time lots of skin showing.  Low necklines, low backs, with or without illusion. The fit is important too.  Brides want to look their best with all their best assets shown off”, she said to us. But together with this proud skin exposure, there is a lot of texture and novelty fabrics on the gowns. “Lace is still the trend”, claims Mindy, “But now brides are looking for different laces besides Alencon or Chantilly lace. This is where the Italian’s excel. There are such fine fabrics from Italy that all the top designers (whether Italian or not) get their fabrics from Italy”. Acknowledging this is more than flattering for us: Italian fabrics, handcraft and design are Elisabetta Polignano’s finest and most distinctive assets. “Italian designers are also experts on fit” continues Mindy, “The dresses fit beautifully whether it’s from infrastructure or the expert draping of the fabric that the Italian designers employ in their dresses”.

Italian expertise seems to have a role in terms of leading style, too. “I think the difference between the American market and the Italian market is that Americans tend to be a year behind Europe in terms of style”, she claims. “Americans want to be glamorous but not avant-garde. Italian styling tends to be on the one hand traditional, but on the other hand fashion forward, with many flourishes or flounces.  The silhouettes can be unusual and yet with details used sparingly, making the Italian styling almost architectural”.

These are among the reasons why Group868 chose Elisabetta Polignano for their stunning showroom, we suppose. “We chose Elisabetta Polignano because she has a particular styling that is different but still approachable to the American aesthetics”, replies Mindy, “She has great fit and the dresses look fabulous on, which is 50% of why a girl picks a dress. She uses unusual fabrics and textures mixed together, yet draped effortlessly to create a frothy confection. It’s a fine balance between something different, but understandable to the bridal customer. At the end of the day, it’s still a wedding dress and must look like one”. We all agree, Mindy.