wedding dress

Selena Gomez with Only Murders in the Building costars Martin Short and Steve Martin. Photo: Instagram.com
A wedding dress might not be everyone’s first choice for an award show, but Selena Gomez‘s style credentials allowed the star to make a statement in just that at last night’s Emmy Awards.
Gomez looked radiant in a white halter neck dress from Rotate, while once again making a case for sequins, the season’s glitziest trend, as well as the unofficial dress code for the evening—white. Styled by Kate Young, who is the go-to for many stars including Gomez, the dress featured a form-flattering silhouette, slits on the side, and a thigh-length slip under the sheer beaded fabric. The singer added color to her look with a pair of diamond and emerald tassel earrings from Boucheron, and a manicure in a matching metallic green hue. For the rest of her beauty look, Gomez went for an understated soft glam with glossy peach lip, and a chic updo with volume at the front.
Photo: Instagram.com
The actor and singer notably missed the red carpet and arrived in time to present the award for Best Variety Talk Series alongside her Only Murders in the Building costars Martin Short and Steve Martin. The 30-year-old was also nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Comedy Series for her role as a producer on the popular Hulu show, making her the second Latina to be included in the producing category. Her date for the evening? Her mother and Wondermind business partner, Mandy Teefey.
While fans await Season 3 of OMITB, they can look forward to the upcoming documentary on Gomez’s life, which is set to release on Apple TV+ soon.
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the ‘Marry Me’ LA screening. Photo: Getty
In her upcoming film, Marry Me, Jennifer Lopez wears a maximalist Zuhair Murad wedding gown, but for its screening, the star had something more low-key in mind. The actor walked the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of the film in a delicate dress that may not be in line with the glamorous looks usually expected from Lopez, but certainly kept with the film’s marital theme.
The dainty white number was aptly picked from Giambattista Valli‘s first-ever bridal collection named ‘Love’, which was unveiled in September 2021. One of the collection’s wedding gowns with a shorter silhouette, the mini dress was made entirely out of lace and featured a closed neckline, long sleeves, and a flared skirt.
Photo: Instagram.com/jlo
Stylists Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn completed the star’s romantic ensemble with a pair of strappy Jimmy Choo Odette pumps with feather detailing, and a floral Dolce & Gabbana box clutch. The star’s beauty look was flawless enough to inspire that of a bride—Lopez had her hair down in loose waves, and makeup featuring a soft bronze glow and peachy nude lips.

In case you missed it, Jennifer Lopez did not attend the Marry Me screening by herself. The star was accompanied by partner Ben Affleck, with whom she recently revealed she feels “lucky, and happy, and proud” to be with. This is the second time the star has made a public appearance with Affleck dressed in a softer look. At the premiere of The Tender Bar, the singer also made headlines for wearing a waterfall-like blue couture piece by Lebanese designer Elie Saab.
Read Next: Jennifer Lopez Wore a Sparkling Elie Saab Couture Gown for the Marry Me Live Concert

Elie Saab
A new couture season also means plenty of wedding dress inspiration as designers put their spins on the white gown. The spring/summer 2022 season certainly didn’t skimp on creativity, offering a range of silhouettes and statement elements for future brides to choose from.
For the minimalists, delicate and dainty pieces were created by Chanel and Ronald van der Kemp. Virginie Viard’s version meant stripping the dress back to a slip form lined with pearlescent sequins at the neck and sleeves, and the latter’s was a timeless column dress with a sequined train. Fendi took the embroidery route, rendering it entirely on an off-white number in a classic feminine shape that flatters the curves before flaring out at the hem. Dior‘s bridal outfits mainly featured excellently tailored cream-colored separates with the exception of a mesh-like dress with a V-neck. Elie Saab and Zuhair Murad did the princess gowns best, with both Lebanese couturiers sending voluminous dresses down the runway, complete with embellishments. There were also dresses meant more for the maximalists and less for the faint of the heart. Reimagined from Jean Paul Gaultier’s archives, Glenn Martin’s figure-hugging and sheer design leaned into the goth bride aesthetic, and Viktor & Rolf’s Dracula bride wore a dropped-waist dress with a tulle skirt and fanned-out sleeves on a raised shoulder.
Scroll to take a look at the best wedding dresses from the spring/summer 2022 couture season.
Chanel
Jean Paul Gaultier
Giambattista Valli
Zuhair Murad
Viktor & Rolf
Fendi
Christian Dior
Ronald van der Kemp
Elie Saab
Antonio Grimaldi
Read Next: The 23 Best Modest Looks from the Spring/Summer 2022 Couture Season

Photo: Princess Diana Archive/ Getty Images
Diana, Princess Of Wales’s wedding dress is to go on display at Kensington Palace. The gown, worn by the 20-year-old Princess at her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, will be the crowning glory of a seven-month long exhibition, Royal Style in the Making, in the Orangery at the Princess of Wales’s former home. Forty years on from its debut, the silk-taffeta, puff-sleeve gown remains perhaps the most famous bridal gown of all time.

When will Princess Diana’s wedding dress go on display?
The wedding gown will go on display from 3 June 2021, and will be open to visitors until 2 January 2022, as a part of a collection of royal pieces – many never displayed in public before now – that illustrate the relationship between the monarchy and the couturiers who have shaped their wardrobes. The exhibition is set to “explore the unique relationship between fashion designer and royal client”, a statement from Historical Royal Palaces reads. “The exhibition will offer visitors a sneak peek into the rarefied world of the atelier, unpicking how some of Britain’s finest designers rose to the challenge of creating clothing destined for the world stage.” Other pieces displayed alongside the Princess of Wales’s dress are expected to include a toile made for Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother, for the 1937 coronation of King George VI, and pieces designed by courtier Madame Handley-Seymour for Queen Mary, the Queen’s paternal grandmother, in the early 20th century.
How can you see Princess Diana’s wedding gown?
Tickets for Royal Style in the Making are available to purchase now, and start at £23 for adults, with concessions available. The fee also covers access to other exhibitions taking place at the Palace, including the King and Queen’s state apartments.
When was Princess Diana’s wedding gown last on display?
Previously the dress, which boasts a 25-foot train embroidered with Carrickmacross lace originally belonging to Queen Mary, featured in a touring exhibition, Diana: A Celebration, before becoming part of a display at the Spencer family’s ancestral home, Althorp House, where she is buried.
Who owns Princess Diana’s wedding gown?
Following her death in 1997, the wedding gown was bequeathed to her sons, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, who have granted permission for its appearance 40 years after their parents married at St Paul’s Cathedral on 29 July 1981. It wasn’t until 2014, after Prince Harry’s 30th birthday, that it entered their estate on the Princess’s request, and it is believed to be her younger son’s. William received her Ceylon sapphire and diamond engagement ring, now worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.
Why is Princess Diana’s wedding dress going on display now?
The princess would have celebrated her 60th birthday on 1 July this year, and the exhibition of her wedding gown is one of a number of special arrangements scheduled to mark the milestone. It’s expected that her sons will reunite in the summer to unveil a statue of their late mother, created by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley and commissioned on the 20th anniversary of her death in 2017, to be erected in the gardens of Kensington Palace.
Who designed Princess Diana’s dress?
Described by exhibition curator at Historic Royal Palaces as “show-stopping”, Diana’s dress was designed by former husband-and-wife duo, David and Elizabeth Emmanuel. Shrouded in secrecy at the time, the dress went on to shape bridal trends. “We had no guidelines or instructions, so we came up with this amazing, completely OTT gown that we knew would stand out on the steps of St Paul’s,” Elizabeth Emanuel told British Vogue in 2020.
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Read Next: Prince Harry Opens Up About Losing His Mother, Princess Diana in a Note to Bereaved Children
Originally published on Vogue.co.uk

Saudi designer Arwa Al Banawi shares the collaborative process of bringing her dream wedding dress to life.
Arwa Al Banawi. Photo: Stavros Antypas

“Despite the fact that I am a proud Arab designer who designs for a contemporary urban luxury brand, when it came to designing my own wedding dress, the experience was different. I used to think that I would be one of those brides who wouldn’t take weddings too seriously, that I’d just do things spontaneously – but that was until I actually got engaged. It was then that I discovered a completely different side to myself! The emotional journey made me learn so much about myself and the kind of bride I really was: I wasn’t spontaneous at all. I realized that yes, the idea of stressing about a dress and the wedding may be a bit cliché, but it exists, and I certainly felt anxious. It’s a big deal, getting married, and what you wear is very personal. I wanted my dress to show people who I was. It can’t be done spontaneously. The wedding dress has to represent me and who I am. I have to feel myself in it. This is also one of the reasons I became a designer. Fashion is a mirror of society and a mirror of yourself, or who you aspire to be. Fashion is about feelings and a moment and memories.
Photo: Supplied

I was planning to design my own dress, but honestly, I wouldn’t advise any bride to do that. Designing your wedding dress is a nerve-racking process. If I had a senior designer at my atelier who I could have worked with closely, and from whom I could have taken advice and had help, then I might have made my own dress. But I work alone, as the head designer of Arwa Al Banawi, and I couldn’t make up my mind. I was worried all the time. I wanted to wear something that would feel right. For me, it was more of a feeling than a specific look that I was going for. I started sketching and looking at vintage dresses. I looked around for inspiration – my mother; Audrey Hepburn. After a month, I still hadn’t come to a conclusion. I kept changing silhouettes and flitting between fabrics and embroideries.
Photo: Jessica Andreatta Studio

I then thought to myself, just take a look at wedding designers and see what’s out there. I kept going back and forth, fixating on one dress then another, until one day, I came across a dress on Pinterest that stayed in my mind for about a week. I saw something special in that dress. I did some research and found it was designed by Jessica Andreatta from Australian bridal and couture house J. Andreatta. It was 4am Saudi time. I called them right then and there! Jessica herself answered the phone. I told her about the dress I liked, my story, and that I’m a designer. We connected on that call and she agreed to make me the dress I first saw online – with a few personal adjustments, of course. Two weeks later, Jessica was working on my dress after I’d reviewed some changes.
The embroidery reading “The sun, the moon, the desert and the sea, sunrise, and sunset.” Photo: Jessica Andreatta Studio

I have lived, studied, and worked in different parts of the world, and I wanted my dress to be bold, eclectic, timeless, grounded and, most importantly, effortless. Jessica gave me just that. I envisioned an off-shoulder dress, as that was always my dream look. I wanted a balance between elegance and confidence. More so, I definitely wanted to add a touch of my culture to the dress; something that would reflect my artistic soul. I decided to express this through Arabic embroidery, which Jessica happily agreed to do and beautifully fit it into the overall dress. The embroidery on the veil was done by hand and the motifs are beautiful. There are so many details in the dress that it felt one-of-a-kind; like it came out of a modern, romantic love poem. The embroidery reads, “The sun, the moon, the desert and the sea, sunrise, and sunset.” It comes from a poem of mine that I used in my FW18 collection. It means that you don’t have to choose between the sun or the moon, the desert or the sea, the sunrise or the sunset, because when you fall in love, you balance each other; you are fire and water and your shared love is incredibly powerful. It’s an idea close to my heart.
Photo: Supplied

The design journey for my dress was a crazy, fun one. Like everyone else, I was stuck at home as a result of Covid-19. We did most of it via FaceTime, including taking my measurements. I was OK doing it since I am a designer. Being able to take measurements helped make the process easier. It was an adventure, to say the least! It’s a wedding dress and anything could go wrong. Doing my dream dress over FaceTime was fun and daring and I’m glad I did it, even though my mother thought I was crazy.
I believe a woman should choose her dress. It could be her mom’s old dress, it could cost US $100, it could be an expensive designer dress – it doesn’t matter – as long as it represents her. I chose a designer who reflects my bridal taste: one-of-a-kind, romantic, and intricate in the details. A wedding dress should feel like you, because your wedding is about you, your story, and this new journey you’re embarking on.”
As told to Nadine Kahil
Read Next: Arwa Al Banawi’s Latest Collection Is An Ode To Strong Saudi Women
Originally published in the December 2020 issue of Vogue Arabia