Modesty makes a comeback in bridal fashion as wedding gowns trend towards the demure

Designers are dreaming up new looks for brides getting married next year, with the latest bridal shows expressing emerging ideas and previewing a glimpse of styles to come.

Brides-to-be who are wary of the risqué wedding gowns that were almost entirely transparent bar a few strategically placed embroidered or lace embellishments can heave a sigh of relief.

A major bridal trend for next year is notably more demure, with a shift towards a timeless look that covers modesty. One of its key aspects is for gowns with long sleeves, no doubt helped along by images of celebrities such as Miranda Kerr, who wore a long-sleeved Dior wedding dress when she married in July.

At Hitched! Bridal, designers such as Studio St. Patrick, Limor Rosen and Temperley Bridal are interpreting the look in their own ways, using lace, embroidery and beading to create illusory

effects, and adding dramatic, billowing sleeves.

Reem Acra, available at Trinity Bridal, paired long sleeves with a silk Mikado ball gown named “Captivating”, which set the tone for a new era of elegance in bridal wear; think fluid fabrics and romantic silhouettes in contrast to the sultry, figure-hugging gowns of recent years.

Designers such as Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang, at Central Weddings are also moving towards voluminous, regal ball gowns, using lighter materials in the skirts that give softer, dreamy silhouettes, as well as more freedom of movement to the bride.

Gowns with corseted bodices that add sensuality to a feminine silhouette are re-emerging with designers such as Limor Rosen contrasting the look with simple crêpe skirts, while Vera Wang gives it her trademark edginess, and Monique Lhuillier reinterprets it with her elegant, romantic variations on

the theme.

“This Elizabethan-era detail adds a vintage touch to modern styles and also offers more support and structure in the bodice, accentuating the curves,” says Carolyn Chow, co-founder of Central Weddings.