Vera Wang Debuts White Collection: A Perfect Fit for the Newport Wedding

It’s that time of year when summer wedding and bridal shower save-the-dates start arriving in the mailbox much to the delight of guests to be. They are as fresh a sign of spring as the daylilies and crocus just starting to burst through the soil.

Years ago, I worked at a magazine that hosted an annual bridal show, replete with a fashion show full of models clad in stunning bridal gowns. Each year, new gowns would grace the runway, and it started the conversation with fellow staff of what sets a Newport wedding apart. The dress that wows at a hip Tribeca rooftop venue may not have the same vibe as it does in say, a historical estate, ornate ballroom or nuptials overlooking Narragansett Bay. A Newport wedding has it’s own unique style, a Newport style if you will, where it’s identity is intimately tied to its locale, and the wedding fashion follows suit.

When I heard about Vera Wang’s White Collection for David’s Bridal, I wrote it off as another designer lending their name to an inexpensive line mass produced by a manufacturer or big box store. It’s not a bad thing, necessarily. Isaac Mizrahi for Target, Lanvin for H&M, and Wang’s already cute and affordable line for Kohl’s have all sold like hotcakes. Truthfully, I hadn’t been in a David’s Bridal in more than a decade, when I was destined to wear an unfortunate bridesmaid gown that was a celebration of the mullet hemline—shorter in the front, longer in the back. Don’t ask.

When I saw Wang’s recently unveiled debut collection (12 gowns total) for David’s though, I was stunned, even more so when I saw the price point that ranged between $600–$1,400. The designer’s imaginative bridal genius and delicate handicraft is all over these dresses–see Wang in action in the short video below.  So many of these are quintessential Newport—can’t you just picture a bride sashaying across the lawn at Eisenhower House or Fort Adams, the ballrooms of the hotels, or the rolling greens overlooking where the bay meets the sea at Castle Hill and OceanCliff in one of these masterpieces? I do!

Photos: David’s Bridal

Watch Vera Wang construct the White collection here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4po53ieO2Rs]