A whole lot of white going on

The bridal gown shop around the corner from work changes their window display about once a month. Sometimes I really like what bridal gown trend they are showcasing; the lace and the layering of these two gowns really caught my eye.

I've only known one girl who married in a lace dress.  She was so excited that when she purchased it, she had to share with her groom to be that it was a lace gown.

He, being young and inexperienced with such matters, thoughtlessly blurted out that he disliked lace.

Well...it was too late to return the dress.

He later became a pastor; they now have three grown kids and grandchildren and I suppose if you ask him now he would not even remember that he once made such a silly mistake.

I think the lace of this gown is gorgeous.  If I was a size six or so, I would be tempted to purchase it and wear it as a tea gown.

Layers and layers and layers...for a bride who is so thin that adding a few inches all over would not matter.

What a fabric!  Pure silk and probably light as air.

Mormon brides must wear sleeves to cover their "temple garment".  When a couple marries, they are given a undergarment that is like a tee shirt and shorts combined that must be worn under their clothing at all time.

This bridal shop advertises that sleeves can be added to any of their gowns.

Personally...I wish more brides would cover their shoulders at least.  The sleeveless/strapless gown was specifically designed for ballroom dancing, so the woman's shoulder would not bind in her dress as she lifted her arm to place her hand upon her partner's shoulders.  

Why this strapless ballroom style became the style of choice for the past decade or so mystifies me. 

The flower atop suggests a facinator or cocktail type hat. 

Still...a flowing veil is usually chosen by brides and I can't blame them.

The veil is the iconic bit that differentiates a bridal gown from a prom or formal gown.

The lacy gown's train is has lovely elements to study while the bride's back is to her guests during the ceremony.

Dancing would be challenging though; this is clearly not a detachable train.

Well, perhaps it can be bustled.

I get a kick out of the decision making processes that brides now have to go through to decide what bustling style they prefer on their wedding day. When I got married, my train was detachable, I don't know what bustling style I would have wanted. 

 HERE is a link to pictures of the various bustle styles. It might take a few moments to load but worth the wait.

There are only three dress forms by the way:  Bell shaped, Cylinder shaped, and Back Fullness.

Throughout the centuries of European based dress design, those three shapes rotated through favor, right up until the mid 1950's after which back fullness has never been seen in fashion design, save in bridal gowns.

Some fashion design scholars note that as the homosexual fashion designers gained prominence, the dresses began to conform to body shape that was closely related to the body shape of adolescent male bodies, that is to say, a body with no hips or bust.

Consequently curves fell out of favor, at least with women hoping to be fashionable, while most men still voiced an appreciation for women with curves and a bit of "backside".

Curiously, the black population continued to favor a "bootie" on women as desirable; both black men and women approved a fuller rounded bottom which coincidental is a characteristic of Negro physiology.

White men express more interest in full bust lines, and of course more women than one might think have sought medical intervention to accommodate that preference.

It is curious that younger white males have come to prefer a "Barbie doll" bust to hip ratio, which is almost never found in women without breast augmentation.

Anyhoo...back fullness preference on wedding days is a mystifying to me.

Oh...and I have seen on Goth sites ready made bustles of fabulous fabrics that are designed to slip over slim dresses or even pants.  They are quite fun...and why the idea has not caught on with those of us with a bit of natural back fullness I can not imagine. HERE is one...HERE is another one.

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Such a simple dress design, which of course is all that is needed to allow the fabric to be appreciated.

I was looking at the dress at the front of the hanging dresses....

While I was just down the street from this...seems like the inspiration for these gowns doesn't it?

(The bridal shop is next door to the pink building.)

The frost on my windshield might also been used for inspiration....

Wedding gowns inspirations are everywhere this time of year aren't they?