White gown traditions
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White was not always the traditional wedding gown color. Roman brides wore bright red and orange veils and dresses designed to evoke the imagery of flames, which were believed to protect her from evil spirits until her matrimony was official. Although the first documented white bridal gown was worn in 1406 by Princess Philippa, it took another four and a half centuries for the trend to emerge as the tradition it remains today.
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White Gown's Mistaken Symbolism
Today, brides mistakenly regard the basis of the white wedding dress as symbolic of purity and goodness. In reality, it was the color blue that connoted those virtues since biblical times -- and since then hadn't been considered the universally standard color for a bride's wedding dress. Instead, common brides throughout history would usually wear their best dresses, regardless of color.
Emergence of White Gowns
Until Queen Victoria donned a simple white satin gown, accentuated with a white lace veil and an 11-foot train in 1840, the traditional dress color for wealthy or royal brides had been silver. Her desire had been to find some way to make use of white lace she had, and what she came up with was an all-white gown. All over the world, newspapers and fashion magazines circulated photographs of her big day -- and all over the world, women yearned to replicate her style. To this day, white remains the traditional, most common and most popular choice for bridal fashions.
Historical White Gown Trends
In the decades after Queen Victoria popularized the white wedding dress, puffy gigot sleeves emerged in popularity, followed by tight bodices, hooped skirts and petticoats, then bustles and fitted sleeves. At the start of the 20th century, bridal attire wasn't complete without corsets, slightly flared skirts, long veils and adornments of lace, embroidery, jewels, pearls or taffeta. The onset of World War I called for more practical trends- but after wartime, corsets were shunned, hemlines rose above the ankles, and emphasis shifted to the natural female shape. By the 1920s, popular dresses were knee-length, with slim fits and lengthy strains. From the 1930s to 1950s, brides who could afford to appease luxurious tastes between the Depression and World War II wore skintight, floor-length gowns featuring boat collars and detachable trains. After the war, the Victorian era's elegance and grandeur -- full skirts, long sleeves, and high necklines -- returned. In the 1970s, gowns were more informal, sometimes using nylon or polyester for flowy dresses suitable for outdoor weddings. Princess Diana's wedding in the 1980s inspired a brief resurgence of grandiose formality, which calmed again to sleeker styles by the 1990s.
Bridal Fashion Trends Today
The emphasis of modern bridal fashion is on conveying the individual style of each bride, whether flashy or understated. No style innovations have tended to achieve any more prominence or popularity than another, as today's bride most often opts for traditional, timeless elegance over trendiness. Style, length, price -- and even shade -- options are endless. Although white remains the most common wedding dress color, there are countless shades of the color to choose from, including pure white, ivory and eggshell.
Tags: wedding dress, dress color, gown traditions, most common, over worldSource: www.ehow.com
