Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Vera Wang Showroom
Bridal designer extraordinaire, Vera Wang presented her 3rd collection exclusively for David’s Bridal under her “White” label in her showroom, once again, staged on mannequins & strewn sort of here & there about her glowing new showroom space overlooking Madison Square Park. The first two dresses on display as one entered the space were two inspired by the ones (3 in total, mind you…) that Ms. Wang created for the recent “reality” nuptials of Kim Kardashian. They were very, very good copies & will no doubt sell more units than any other bridal gown in recent memory, however, the real fashion action was in the ones that were not burdened by celebrity endorsements & tabloid imagery. The collection was in a couple of words… unbelievably beautiful. Beautiful, as these were from the creative genius of one of the genre’s all-time best & unbelievable, as this entire collection ranged in retail price from $158 to $168 for the bridesmaids’ dresses & from $500 to $1500 for the bridal gowns, with arguably the best in the bunch a mere $700 retail. As you now can see, unbelievable is the proper qualifier.
Vera Wang signatures are prevalent enough on these pieces to earn the right to bear the designer’s name, however, there is still an element of unbridled experimentation that is lacking for sure on these offerings, which, given the wider audience to which this collection is being offered is not only completely understandable, but, I would argue, necessary. The three gown offerings most deserving of special mention are the strapless ball gown with draped tulle overlay ($1,200), which is offered in Blush, Ivory & Soft White, the taffeta ball gown that is offered in Ivory & a Pink Printed Floral pattern ($1,100), & the twill gazar mermaid gown with exposed net corset, back draped cowl, & floral corsage detail that is available in Soft White & Ivory ($700… no, this is NOT a “type-o”). The last of this list was such a lovely piece that I will go on record saying that it was high up on my list of favorites of all of NY Bridal Fashion Week.
There are a full range of bridesmaids’ dresses as well as shoes, head accessories, sashes & shoes, all in the $38 to $128 range for the accessories. The collection is sold in dedicated shop within shops at all David’s Bridal stores nationwide.
-Scott French
Designer’s website: www.verawang.com
Retailer’s Website: www.davidsbridal.com
What we’ve said: Bridal 2012 White by Vera Wang
What we’ve said: Bridal 2012 Vera Wang
