Two-Piece Wedding Dresses Make Their Statement

 

With an intimate May 16 wedding set in Santa Fe, N.M., Tiffany Coletti Titolo began a quest last year for a gown that would fit her hourglass proportions but that also, she said, “didn’t feel off the rack.”

Her reaction to her initial forays into the marketplace: “Really disappointing.”

“Everything was the same: It was either a princess cut, mermaid cut or the strapless,” said Ms. Titolo, a 33-year-old marketing executive in Manhattan. “There was a ton of tulle. I felt like I was still in 1985.”

She thought separates might be an easy solution; she could customize the ensemble to her style and needs. “But when I suggested it at Kleinfeld, they really snubbed the idea,” she said, referring to her saleswoman at the New York store of that name. “They told me, ‘It’s not traditional.’ ”

So instead, she sought out Charles W. Bunstine II, the head designer of Anna Maier-Ulla-Maija Couture, to custom-sew her mermaid-cut skirt, strapless bodice and lace coverlet.

“Look, as we get older, we’re more informed about who we are,” she said. “If I was getting married at 21, I’d probably end up in a ridiculous cupcake dress. But I know what works for me, so I went and got something made that was unique.”

Ms. Titolo is on to something. Two-piece wedding dresses are turning up in the fall 2015 lines of a number of designers who are showing them in their ateliers and at the New York International Bridal Week shows, which began this weekend in New York. “Separates are making a big statement in the world of weddings thanks to the sheer loveliness of Olivia Palermo,” said Abby Larson, founder of Style Me Pretty, a wedding blog.

Last June, Ms. Palermo, a socialite, married the German model Johannes Huebl. At their wedding in Bedford, N.Y., Ms. Palermo wore a long-sleeve cream cashmere sweater with ostrich feathers, white shorts and a full tulle skirt overlay, all custom-designed by Carolina Herrera.

“We worked on the look together,” said Ms. Herrera, whose fall collection includes a two-piece model called Desiree. “Brides love to wear something they can build themselves. Separates give them options.”

Also, “there is something really freeing about separates,” said the designer Giovanna Randall, founder and designer of Honor, the fashion label.

Ms. Randall recently designed a bridal collection of gowns and separates for Stone Fox Bride, including the Astrid, featuring a silk faille cropped top and maxi skirt. “I like the idea of a confident bride that doesn’t need to wear a dress that is a silhouette of a cookie-cutter shape,” she said.

Ms. Palermo’s confidence, in particular, has left a fresh impression. “I was really pleasantly surprised that someone as fancy as she is would go for such a simple take on a wedding dress,” said Loren AliKhan, 31, a lawyer in Washington, who is in the throes of wedding dress shopping.

She has until May 2016 for her ceremony but has decided that the dress “is one of the most important first steps.” Ms. AliKhan has tried on a wedding romper (“I thought it would be fun, but it was terrible,” she said), a lace minidress and a more traditional column, among other things.

“It turns out if you want something simple, there aren’t a lot of options in the gowns department except for spaghetti-strap dresses that look like you’re going to prom,” she said.

Now thanks to Ms. Palermo, she’s investigating separates, as long as the price is right. “I want to look classy and simple, but the wedding is about starting our life, not having a big fancy wedding and spending all of our savings on it,” Ms. AliKhan said.

In fact, the sister of the separates trend, the two-in-one dress, where either the skirt is whisked off to reveal a more casual silhouette underneath or a removable lace top cloaks a sexier strapless gown, is not only in fashion, but can also save you the cost of a reception dress.

Because of strapless-dress fatigue, it was Ms. Herrera who started offering the chiffon, tulle or lace tees and jackets. “There are so many strapless dresses, and the idea came from thinking, ‘How can I cover them a little so it’s not just a strapless gown?’ ” she said. (The strapless silhouette, which has dominated the industry for the last two decades, is still her best seller.)

Meanwhile, Monique Lhuillier’s removable airy tulle skirt overlay has been especially popular. “Women love the idea of transforming during the night,” said Ms. Lhuillier, whose line now includes one look with a silk white lace crisscross crop top with a pencil skirt.

Ms. Larson of Style Me Pretty agreed, saying, “My sister-in-law recently tore off her ball gown leaving only her bodice and a miniskirt to dance the night away with her guests.”

But Ms. Larson and Ms. Lhuillier emphasized that there are many ways to slice the wedding cake. They each pointed to other current trends like risqué low back cuts, fully embellished gowns and blush hues.

Today’s bridal looks should fit in with today’s open-minded approach to the ceremony, Ms. Lhuillier said. “There are less rules for weddings,” she said. “They can happen anywhere from a courthouse to a ballroom. So your look doesn’t have to be so fancy or formal. Anything goes now.”