When Carryover = Cryover

What is a carryover style? It's a style from a past season that a designer decides has been successful enough to continue offering. So any dress that is part of a collection but not from the current season is a carryover style. It's a good thing in a lot of ways- if every dress only lasted for one season, customers would have such a short window to buy them, and the longer you keep a dress available, the more opportunity there is to sell it, right?

I understand why designers want to keep dresses that have been successful in their lineup. If it's sold well in the past, it may continue to do so in the future. The problem is when you end up having dresses that are 4 or more seasons old. Even 3 can be pushing it (so it's almost fall 2011 now, 3 seasons back would be Spring 2010.) Bridesmaids the turnaround is a little slower than bridal, I would say. Most stores move old things out as new things come along- there just isn't room to keep every current style around. So, the older a style is, the less likely it is you will be able to find one to see in person.

That's when a carryover will become a cryover. A bride will see a picture of the dress online, think it's amazing, and then won't be able to find it anywhere. If she had never seen the picture, it wouldn't be a big deal. But some people get obsessed with thatpicture, and then compare everything else they see to it, which of course is hopeless, because if you can't see the dress in person, you can't know for sure that it's better. At this point some people just take the leap and go for it, but not everyone can do that. Some people have to see it in person, so they literally end up crying over a. Most designers don't put information about what season a dress is on their website, so you can't necessarily tell how old it is. In general, the farther you have to scroll down or the more pages back you go, the older, but not always.

So, how to avoid this potential pitfall? I would say, if you are a person who needs to see something in person to know it's the one, don't let yourself obsess over anything you see online. Be suspicious of everything. Get some ideas before you try things on, but then wait to see what you can find in person. Magazines will be a little safer, as long as they are recent. Anything more than a year old, don't even go there. Then you won't end up crying over a dress you can never see!

Why I Love Randy Fenoli

Mainly, I love him because he's adorable and a genius with fashion. But he's just a smart guy in general too.
Here's a little snippet that I thought had some really good advice. Enjoy!


http://blogs.discovery.com/say-yes-to-the-dress/2010/07/randys-rules-revised.html

Fall and Spring and what they bring...

So, everybody knows that normal clothes change with the season. Right before fall, fall clothes come out. Right before spring (or in our case in Minnesota, when it is still frigidly cold and depressing out) spring clothes come out. That's how it works.

From time to time, I hear from brides that are concerned to hear that the dress they love is from a Fall collection, and they are getting married in the Summer, or the dress is Spring and they are getting married in the Winter, etc.

What people don't realize is that bridal is its own special world, and so the seasonal thing doesn't have any bearing. Since you have to order your gown months ahead of time anyway, this should make sense, but I thought I would just put it out there since the concern seems so strangely common.

Bridal fashion has two seasons, Spring and Fall. Some designers put out a collection only once a year, but many have both Spring and Fall collections( some even do previews, so you could see a Fall preview, then Fall, then pre-Spring, then Spring... it can be a little silly!). Spring collections are usually larger, and it's just a bigger deal. Fall will have some great new things, but not as many, and you aren't as likely to see something earth shattering and new.

So, don't worry about what season your dress is- if you love it, then the timing is just right.

A Note from Captain Obvious: Hair and Makeup for Maids

I was looking at some photos recently of a wedding, and they looked amazing, except for one tiny problem. One of the bridesmaids had ATROCIOUS hair. It was clearly styled to look the way it looked, it wasn't just an unfortunate accident. And all I saw in those pictures was that bridesmaid's head. It REALLY stuck out. (Her hair was kind of big, and a much darker color than the others).

Here's the deal. Your bridesmaids may be gorgeous girls with great style in general, but that does not mean you should let them just do their thing on the big day. While matchy matchy hairdos are definitely not cute, there should be consistency with the look. Makeup too. Sometimes this just takes care of itself as people get ready together, but to be safe, make sure you are giving some guidelines ahead of time. And don't be afraid to tell someone if they need to change up their look. It will save us all pain in the long run.

Thanks for Listening,
Captain Obvious

Ruffle some Feathers...

What is it about ruffles? From flower inspired to deconstructed and jagged, with bling or feathers or without, they are everywhere right now, and there is just something about what they do for a dress! They add instant oomph and drama, but there's just something so darn romantic and feminine about even the craziest concoction that just makes you want to get married tomorrow... at least if you're me : )

Some people worry about the trend factor, that in a year or two there will be no more ruffles, but I really don't see that happening. There are always little changes and innovations, but 1) Bridal fashion changes more slowly than regular fashion and 2) There really isn't any one trend that the bridal industry follows these days. There is so much variety, and brides are all looking for such different things, that you really don't have to worry about having the experience of everyone who was married in say, the 80's or even the 90's. The bridal industry is so much more varied now.

So, if you dig it, embrace the ruffled/textured look and fear not. Ruffle it up.