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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1984)
Page ZB/Tfte Battalwn/Tfwrsdayj February 8, 1984 Brides choosing more traditional gown United Press International NEW YORK — Today’s typical bride is a traditionalist, dipping into the nostalgia of the 1950s and earlier and away from the barefoot in the park era of the ’(30s and ’70s. The casual look of wedding attire has disappeared as com pletely as the flower children and love heads. steeped in tradition that her eped wedding is similar to her mother’s or grandmothers’. She selects what she wants from tradition and combines it with contemporary adaptations. Her wedding gown alone can cost as much as $25,000, although not many brides can afford that amount. Barbara Tober, editor in chief of Bride’s Elegance and age-old ritual are the rule, say fashion author ities. But the 1980s bride isn’t so magazine, estimates today’s typical bride spends $400 to $500. Tower Underground Dining Room Deli and Store OPEN OPEN Sun.-Fri. Mon.-Fri. 11:00 a.m.- 7:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Where You Get More For Your Money “Quality First 41 Priscilla of Boston, a famous bridal manufacturing and retail firm, puts the average at $550 to $600. At this house, which has made bridal attire for many of the headline brides such as Tri- cia Nixon, a one-of-a-kind, cus tom gown can run from $16,000 to $25,000. “It’s all that labor, all that hand work,” said Priscilla Kid der, who heads the firm. For Pat Kerr, of Memphis, it’s all that hand work plus the anti que fabrics she uses that send her prices soaring. Kerr, a collector of antique textiles, also has a collection of laces to boggle the mind. Gowns by Kerr, a former Miss Universe-Tennessee from Savannah, Tenn., are featured in the top stores around the country. Bergdorf Goodman re cently gave its Fifth Avenue win dow display over entirely to her creations. “I never expected the bridal market to become what it is,” she said. “But there is that kind of customer who will spend $12,000 or $15,000 for her spe cial dress.” “Regardless of cost, brides want to go the traditional route, but they also want to be contem porary,” Tober said. “The silhouette is slender. Today’s market responds to the of the cr€at€ n VAtemrine THevu €OT UP! Send the Cupid Cookie for Valentine’s ORDER NOW from Cupid’s Message Center... Post Oak Mall 764-0079 fitness mood of the country. Ten years ago, the most popular sizes were 12s and 14s. Now they are 8s and 10s. The girls certain ly are not shorter. They’re just leaner. Everyone seems to be into some phase of body care.” “The smaller sizes don’t sur prise me at all,” said Gele Lalli, editor-in-chief of Modern Bride magazine. “Think of all that dieting, exercise, the accent on fitness.” Except for renewed interest in traditions, there seems to be no major event shaping the brid al gown fashions. Gone, or re fined, is the effect of that 26-foot train on the wedding dress of Diana, now Princess of Wales, when she married Prince Gharles. Somehow every bride in a long dress also wants a train, said style sources. But if she’s wear ing the newly popular length called the “tea,” from tea gown, and coming almost to the ankles, the train gets replaced by a more elaborate veil. “Everything is very roman tic,” said Garol Loudon, head buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue stores for 12 years. “We do see a lot of shoulders bared that once upon a time might have made a bride blush, but there usually is some net to fill in. For spring and summer wed dings, most brides favor white over ivory, said Tober. Fabrics, however, are season less. Once upon a time, satins were for winter weddings, organzas for the summer. To day, satins are popular the year around, because new fabric de velopments have made them and many other silks lighter in weight. Also gone is the prejudice against white for a second wed ding. Long ago, white was looked upon as the symbol of the bride’s purity. White always was a color of celebration. Today’s bride takes the celebration atti tude. “This is a woman who can afford to be a woman,” Mrs. To ber said. “She’s loved as a woman. One woman told me, ‘I want him to be proud of me all my life.’” For a while, especially for out door weddings, lacy, airy garden hats were the rule. That trend, too, is reversed. “We’re back to veils, flowers and caps for the head,” said Mrs. Tober. “Hats all loo frequently hid the bride’s face, anyway. Brides are electing coronets, circlets of flowers, half hats, tiaras, and toques that are small and close fitting, but without brim. The Juliet cap goes on and on. This a small cap, ornately trimmed with pearls and jewels and also hugging the crown of the head.” One note on the flower girls. Their numbers are fewer, say wedding experts, simply be cause today’s bride, being older than a generation ago, has older friends as attendants. It’s a matter of taste for the mothers of the bride and brideg room. Many elect a long, beautiful evening dress. Hhoto by Bill Hughti One of the wedding dresses shown at a recen! wedding fashion show in Bryan/College Station, Dots, red in for men mm IS BEST ON HARWOOD STUDENT TflllHS TOP QUALITY ESCORTED CO-ED FUN GROUPS 16-41 Days 4-11 Countries From $1 295 plus air Nationally Acclaimed Since 1 959 See Your Travel Agent or Write: Harwood 2 «8 GUADALUPE By MIKE DAVIS Reporter A bold red dinner jacket, black trousers and a white wing- tipped pleated shirt with black cummerbund are the attire of the modern groom. If your most formal attire is jeans and cowboy boots, or if you’re model-material for Gen tlemen’s Quarterly magazine, or if you’re somewhere in between, red is the color, dinner jacket is the style and designer is the cut for the 1984 groom. “Red is where it’s at,” says Joni Grogin, director of market ing for Al’s Formal Wear and Bride-n-Formal in Houston. • Dinner jackets with a round ed shawl lapel or the traditional notch lapel may be the trend, but Grogin says older styles also are popular. “Double-breasted is really coming back," she says. The double-breasted tuxedo is worn buttoned with one side of the jacket far overlapping the other. Wing-tipped shirts with matching tie and handkerchief combinations are popular op tions. Many brides want a color- coordinated wedding, Grogin says, so wedding clothiers have made many color combinations available. ■“Colored cummerbund sets — that’s a real big thing,” Grogin g to n St AUSTIN, TX 78705 NAME Vlt.'jl V STATE. UNDERGROUND DELI AND STORE THE DIET PLACE OPEN BREAKFAST LUNCH 7:30am - 10:30am 10:30am - 3:30pm Mon — Friday “QUALITY FIRST” says. “The red tie and cum Catholic bund set is probably theh< jon “It’i of any of them.” Hither Style is as importantloi udgmen men as looks. For them, jiff pastel oi polka-dotted cumff'Forg bund sets are somethingt says Ke rent. ..^Hngeli: "They have new ones of Chris bku k with while dots,btugiflrers i with while dots, polkadols, ! ther nt says. “That is all really up; ngocci coming. I ( “It’s like taking your hi ;^ ve black xedo and dressings J s T r with just a little color." mi «- "It’s still conservative.H fthodi haven’t gone back to real’ heatter colors in tuxedos. Theyji | lca lly need to pick upthecolorsoi cr y they can match theirdaii ervovv dress.” While hints of color mayi ernize the groom’s attire, black tails still are in style, silver and gray still lingenl being the colors of 19" Grogins says the groom should onlyweariK lional black or white tro»i with matching patent leatl shoes. Other accessories; grooms include: j j • ascots, which Grogins! Uest j 0 are still appropriate for mi ing and daytime weddings; • top hat and canes, vl Grogin says are more popni for proms, but add a toudif elegance to any wedding; • gloves, which shouldal be worn at the traditional time or evening wedding. "Ti ast mi »e,” s; Spring Break Edition Add a Chapter to your life... Register your STUDENT ORGANIZATION! January 31 - February 14 213 PAVILION Featuring Mardi Gras $105 Disney World $280 New York City $500 Ski—Steamboat $355 Ski—Crested Butte $335