Priscilla Chan’s wedding dress: Another step away from strapless style

Priscilla Chan was not your typical bride, and not just because she was marrying one of the world’s youngest billionaires, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. It’s not because she sprung a surprise wedding on her guests, either. Instead, it’s her dress — long, lacy and lovely, but, unlike most bridal dresses these days, not strapless.

Chan’s dress, revealed to be by Los Angeles designer Claire Pettibone on Tuesday, was a $4,700 gown with a delicate Italian lace overlay that the bride bought under a fake name last year, according to the Associated Press. The sleveless gown, which the designer calls “Sky Between the Branches,” features a sweetheart neckline and low back. “What a smart girl! Managed to marry one of the most famous billionaires on the planet, and still keep her wedding private, genuine, and beautiful,” wrote Pettibone in her blog.

Chan’s choice of demure lace aligns her dress with the Duchess of Cambridge’s long-sleeved Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding gown. The two brides may soon be credited with sparking interest in wedding dresses with a little more coverage, and a move away from strapless styles.

Slate’s Katherine Goldstein recently analysed the predominance of the strapless dress in the wedding industry, and found that it’s easier for designers to make strapless dresses due to the relative complexity of constructing and altering strapped and sleeved styles. Even though they’re typically less comfortable, consumers prefer them, too, because strapless gowns allow them to bare a little skin and, according to a David’s Bridal design director, make brides feel like princesses. But since a real princess — and Chan, who could be considered newly minted American royalty — chose to forego the straps, brides everywhere may soon be seeking out less gravity-defying gowns.

Source: Washingtonpost