Flapper-Style Wedding Dresses

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Since the film “The Great Gatsby” hit movie theaters in 2013, brides in the U.S. have been flocking to the shelves, searching for flapper-style wedding dresses. Brides also search for other types of wedding styles that were popular during the Roaring ‘20s and ‘30s. Brides fell in love with these particular styles after realizing how vintage the dresses were.

A Tallahassee bridal consultant says the flapper-style wedding dress trend has taken off at a very rapid speed. When “The Great Gatsby” was first released, her store saw a steady stream of brides coming in to her store, searching for flapper wedding dresses.

“Yes! Last year, when “The Great Gatsby” first came out, we would get brides looking for flapper-style and other retro-themed dresses at least two times a day," she said.

                                                       Photo Credit: Raihan-wed

Brides are heavily influenced by the dress styles they see on the red carpet. Designers realize this, and duplicate the styles that are worn at award shows and in movies.

 “Bridal is very influenced by celebrities and the red carpet,” said Mark Ingram, the founder of a New York bridal atelier.

Jenny Packman is an evening wear and bridal gown designer in London. She thinks history also had an influence on flapper style wedding dresses making a comeback.

“It was a wonderfully liberated time for women. There’s a strong contemporary relevance,” said Packman.

Ever since the release of “The Great Gatsby,” several websites that sell flapper wedding dresses have been launched. Web searches for these dresses have increased dramatically.

Nicole Sewall is the managing director at BHLDN, a bridal e-commerce website. She says the company’s launch was influenced by the style of the 1920s and ‘30s.

“The 1920s was definitely part of our plan at launch,” she said.

Tasha Walker is currently planning her wedding. Because she is a huge fan of the flapper dress, her plans include getting married in one.

“I am not sure as to what style of dress I want. I do love the regal feel of the ‘20s and ‘30s gowns, and I do want a formal wedding, so that dress would fit perfectly into what I am going for,” said Walker. “The beauty of the ‘20s and ‘30s inspired gowns are the amount of detail, which provides drama as you come down the aisle.

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To keep the dress from seeming too much like a costume, brides should wear accessories. Popular accessories include headpieces and flowers.

 The bridal consultant says brides choosing the flapper-styles, and other styles from the ‘20s and ‘30s, tend to choose accessories also from the ‘20s and ‘30s.The most popular accessories include feathered headbands and pendant necklaces.

Karina Sokolovsky, a senior director of public relations at eBay, says that headbands are also one of the easiest accessories to add to the dress.

“The easiest add is a single vintage-inspired crystal headpiece,” she said.

But like any other trend, the flapper-style dress is a trend that may not be around for much longer. Since “The Great Gatsby” has been out for over a year now, she has seen a slight decrease in the number of brides searching for the vintage dresses.   

       

“Now, we only get one bride looking for those styles only once every four or five days,” she said. 

After the trend ends, brides can still wear their wedding dresses, but as party dresses. That way, brides can still have their dresses, and the dresses are still being put to use. 

By, Naikeema Fields 

With contributions from the New York Times
Photo, Raihan-wed
Video, WKEF and WRGT

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