Vera Wang for David’s Bridal
Vera Wang Wedding Gowns for David's Bridal Stores
Whoa, I just read that Vera Wang has designed a line of Wedding Gowns/Dresses for the David’s Bridal Chain Stores. This is the shock of the month. Why would she do that?
On one hand Vera Wang has headed a design company that has produced many of the most elegant wedding gowns and formal gowns I’ve ever seen. She combines classic lines, elegant materials and modern simplicity better than anyone else. They are always a great mix of traditional and modern at the same time, never too frilly, never too plain.
On the other hand, David’s Bridal Stores are the most affordable place to find wedding gowns. That means that they are usually a few seasons behind in styles, they use cheaper synthetic fabrics and the gowns are generally made simply and don’t really support a fuller figure very well. I tried on dresses there and I didn’t find anything I could wear.
Could this be the beginning of a wonderful relationship?
Years ago David’s Bridal started design partnerships with two of the most popular wedding gown designers of the time: Oleg Cassini and Galina. Now who has heard of them? Nobody in the last 10 years.
The dresses I saw from these designers in 2008-2009 were not fashionable enough, not elegant enough and kinda felt cheap. Does this past experience mean that the huge corporate chain mentality will slowly smother the Vera Wang brand? I hope not. And I hope she has not just sold out.
I know it is the corporate leadership’s preference in many cases to use the cheapest materials and have the largest margins on dresses. It is also their preference to outsource as much as possible to China and hire the cheapest designers that they can (the ones that do the daily work, not the licensing partnership with Vera) This series of compromises usually waters down the product with too much mediocrity and too many changes due to unforseen circumstances. I would be very suprised if in 2-3 years the dresses from the Vera Wang White Collection at David’s are still popular. And that they haven’t tarnished her own personal bridal line collection.
That said, 9 out of the 12 dresses I’ve seen look good in the marketing photos. The Grace Kelly inspired dress with the illusion overlay is very 1950’s retro with a modern twist. I really think people are over the strapless dress trend that has dominated Wedding Gowns in the last 10 years and women want to have stylish gowns that cover up more. Not everyone has the perfect body for a strapless gown. That said, they still want to look like they are going to the Oscars at the same time so glamour is very important. Tradition and vintage details seem to continue their importance in wedding gown styles also. Vera Wang’s regular wedding gown line has a more edgy feel, more disorganized in the placement of details and more modern shapes. You can still see the difference, but there are a lot of details that flow over from the high end line to the low end.
I think these gowns will do well initially and the real test will be 2-3 years from now when it is easy to lose momentum. That said, I am very glad that David’s Bridal is interested in keeping the cost of a wedding gown below $1,000 (and in many cases below $500) which is a huge plus for hundreds of thousands of brides across the country. I wish more companies were able to do this especially in a recession-like time we are in. The Vera Wang Gowns are more expensive than the typical David’s Bridal Dress at about $1,200-$1,400. That is about double what the normal David’s dress costs and far less than half the cost of the normal Vera Wang Gown.