Bridal Expo

Has anyone else noticed that no one seems to wear gloves anymore? I’m not talking about the First Lady, the Queen of England or debutantes, since women of that social stature always seem to be appropriately gloved.  I’m talking about bridal and semi-formal attire, Sunday best and special occasions. I know gloves are old school and seem kind of prissy to some but,  I couldn’t agree less! I think the right glove with the right outfit is a spectacular fashion statement.

Women have been wearing gloves for about 400 years. During Victorian times it was considered ‘improperly alluring’ for a woman to remove her gloves in public. In fact, it is completely impossible to overemphasize the importance of gloves in fashion prior to the middle of the 20th century. Which is why it is so surprising that they have been absent in mainstream fashion for so long.

In the 1980′s bridal gowns were almost always featured with gloves and bridesmaids often wore gloves that were dyed to match… just like the dye-able shoes. I can recall countless conversations with concerned brides about how to handle the ring portion of the ceremony when gloves are involved.  Now only the most formal weddings would require gloves and brides have almost forgotten that they were once a wedding wardrobe staple. So imagine my surprise yesterday when I was browsing through  several photos from  acclaimed bridal and formal wear designer, Yumi Katsura, and there they were…. the gloves! Of course she matched the short, organza gloves and the full length satin opera gloves to the appropriate gowns so they perfectly accented  the overall look of the ensemble. I was stunned at how perfect they looked and excited that maybe gloves are making a comeback. If you want to give gloves a try, there are some things to remember:

Short, wrist length gloves work best with tea-length or informal gowns

Opera Length gloves are designed for gowns with exposed arms; halter, strapless, one shoulder. They should not fit so tightly around the upper arm that they cause skin to roll over and look flabby. The glove should be fitted tightly up to the elbow and looser at the top.

Gauntlets are fingerless gloves. They can be straight around the wrist or come to a ‘V’ pointing to the ring finger, attached by a  loop of elastic to keep them in place.

Gloves are not recommended for gowns with long sleeves.

If you decide to go ‘Old School Glamorous” for your wedding and wear gloves, remember that you do NOT have to keep them on the entire night; definitely remove them before eating and at this point you can leave them off if you want.  Of course you might want to slip them back on for the first dance, for some truly romantic  photos.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

The Pantone Institute has issued their trend report for 2012 and the must-have color for all things beautiful is Tangerine Tango. Pantone is an American company that has been producing standardized color matching systems since 1963 for fashion, art, graphic design and commercial use. If you are wondering how this is relevant, think of it like this; you go to a store to buy a blouse and the ‘blue’ one really pops out at you. You are afraid to buy it because you will never find anything to match and you will be stuck wearing this blouse with a black skirt until you tire of it. Not to worry, since Pantone’s inception, they have provided color matching to designers who refer to this system to create their new lines. So, that ‘blue’ blouse is really ‘ocean blue’ and you will literally be in a sea of it at every department store. Each color and even multi-colored prints are matched, jewelry is matched and every designer has consulted Pantone to create their collection based on this color  which is found on a fan-out card system just like the ones at the paint store.  Before the Pantone system, grey was grey and blue was blue, you had to match it yourself and Good Luck! You carried a blouse around looking for a print that had even the lightest hint of that color and the search could last longer than the blouse.

Now, thanks to Pantone, every floral designer will have access to Tangerine Tango Ribbon, bridesmaid designers  have Tangerine Tango fabric, accessories will be created to compliment Tangerine Tango. Invitation desingers using Adobe have access to the same Tangerine Tango  in their palette and if you opt for dyed to match shoes, all you have to do is tell the shoe professional “Tangerine Tango” and you will almost certainly be assured a match. Although you may not want to be in Tangerine up to your eyeballs, you will have the option.

So why Tangerine Tango #17-1463?  Tangerine Tango is a spirited reddish orange, which provides the boost needed to recharge and move forward in Spring. Traditionally an Autumnal hue, tangerine has become a year round winner since it is both exotic and friendly, sophisticated and seductive. According to  Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “ Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.” The bonus is that Tangerine compliments so many colors; hot pink, lime, yellow, brown! It is hard not to get excited about a color this dynamic.

Without further adieu, we present Tangerine Tango in all it’s glory:

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago