Black wedding dress trend grows during coronavirus pandemic
09/20/2021
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Vera Wang says there’s nothing wrong with black wedding dresses, and a growing number of brides seem to feel the same way.
The 72-year-old bridal wear designer spoke with Harper’s Bazaar about her use of the dark shade in past collections, including her notable fall 2012 and spring 2019 collections.
“A lot of people were shocked – they said it was depressing to have brides in black. I said, ‘Not at all, it’s sexy,’” Wang told the fashion magazine. “Then of course a lot of brides embraced it.”
Brides have embraced the color enough that other luxury designers have gone on to add black in their collections, including Maggie Sottero, Leanne Marshall, Galia Lahav and Marchessa.
The trend has even made an impact on main street with mass-market retailers and boutique designers embracing the color.
Experts at the wedding attire retail chain David’s Bridal have observed a shift in demand among pandemic brides.
“We are definitely seeing an increase in brides considering alternative styles or colors, like black gowns, tying into the trends that we’re seeing during the pandemic of non-traditional styles,” said Laura McKeever, the bridal senior manager, brand PR, philanthropy & communications at David’s Bridal.
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David’s Bridal has a growing selection of black wedding dresses as more brides decide to wear colors other than white. (David’s Bridal)
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David’s Bridal has a growing selection of black wedding dresses as more brides decide to wear colors other than white. (David’s Bridal)
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David’s Bridal has a growing selection of black wedding dresses as more brides decide to wear colors other than white. (David’s Bridal)
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David’s Bridal has a growing selection of black wedding dresses as more brides decide to wear colors other than white. (David’s Bridal)
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David’s Bridal has a growing selection of black wedding dresses as more brides decide to wear colors other than white. (David’s Bridal)
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David’s Bridal has a growing selection of black wedding dresses as more brides decide to wear colors other than white. (David’s Bridal)
“Pre-pandemic ‘black wedding dresses’ didn’t even rank in our search terms last year and it’s doubled in the last 12 months. We have seen a 3.7x growth year over year in black bridal gown sales,” she told Fox News. “The pandemic has moved many brides towards smaller events and more casual or non-traditional cuts and styles – jumpsuits, short dresses, for example – to the point that we launched a Little White Dress Boutique and expanded our color assortments last year to provide more of those options for weddings and pre-wedding events. Dozens of our styles come in a number of colors so that brides have options to have the wedding dress they love in a color other than white.”
Search engine data on Google Trends shows online queries about black wedding dresses have more than quadrupled from January 2004.
Search engine data on Google Trends shows online queries about black wedding dresses have more than quadrupled from January 2004.
(iStock)
Representatives for Wang did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Wang told Harper’s Bazaar her social circle’s fashion choices inspired her to use the color black in her wedding designs. She also noted that her friends inspired her to use nude colors in her past collections.
In her own words, “That’s what all my girlfriends were wearing.”
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