Winter Storm

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Winter Storm is a Fall/Winter 2018 Bridal Collection. The inspiration for this collection was found within the harsh, but beautiful, nature of winter. Since people view a winter storm as harsh and unforgiving, the goal of this collection was to show the beauty in everything. Winter beauty can be identified in each unique snowflake, every pattern the ice makes, and the striking colors found. This influenced the use of a ombre grey-blue to ivory color pallet. The specific colors used are Ice Blue, Stormy Water, Winter White, and Frozen Silver.

The targeted brand for Winter Storm is Oscar de la Renta Bridal. Oscar de la Renta designs for the ‘ladies who lunch’ meaning women who want to look beautiful when meeting with their friends. De la Renta does a remarkable job at flattering a woman’s figure and making her feel feminine. This collection was designed for a woman who wants to feel feminine and glamorous on her wedding day. She wants no expense spared on her big day and will stop at nothing to have herself and her bridal party looking their very best. She is willing to pay $10,000-$15,000 for her personal dress. For her bridesmaids, she is willing to pay $5,000-$9,000 per garment. Finally, for her sweet flower girl’s gorgeous dress, she is willing to pay up to $1,000.

This collection embodies several trends current in the bridal industry. Deep V necks are a current bridal trend highlighted in this collection as is hand beading. Jumpers are increasingly more popular in the industry making them a perfect fit for this collection. Finally, one of the most significant current bridal trends influencing this collection are detached sleeves. The designer included several unique fabrics with the main fabric being a medium weight twill containing 51% Silk and 49% Wool. This fabric is used in every piece of the collection except the wedding dress, which is a medium-weight cotton velvet. The last fabric used is an embroidered and beaded 100% polyester mesh used in the wedding and flower girl dresses.

Each garment in this collection is in harmony with the other. Each includes the Deep V neck spotted in trend research putting an emphasis on the tops of the garments. You can see the ice theme throughout the collection through the patterns made by beading and the rhythm of the sleeves. Each of these pieces have their own unique features, but they all come together in harmony.

All garments in this collection were hand-draped and personally fitted to each model. The collection has hand-beading throughout and horse hair to emphasize the large skirts of the wedding dress and the flower girl dress. Overall, this collection embodies the essence of couture sewing. 

This collection fits in with Oscar de la Renta through its feminine accents and flattering silhouettes. Oscar de la Renta said "I am not interested in shock tactics. I am not trying 

to impress people; I just want to make beautiful clothes." This collection was designed on the idea that women should look and feel as beautiful as they can in whatever they wear. Oscar de la Renta uses a lot of inspiration from nature, but more on the spring flower side. In this collection, the designer decided to pull inspiration from nature, but in the form of a season instead of greenery like de la Renta. This collection embodies both the designer’s personal aesthetic and Oscar de la Renta’s aesthetic. As Oscar de la Renta says, “My role as a designer is to make a woman feel her very best.”

May you find the beauty in all things.