In this article, join us as we explore the evolution of wedding dresses from 100 years ago to today.
According to Saadnews’ fashion and beauty service, the classic white wedding dress has remained in fashion since the time of Queen Victoria, but over the past century, these dresses have undergone various designs while retaining their color. To see how wedding dress styles have changed over 100 years in terms of design and style, make sure you don't miss reading this article.
In this article, we have compiled wedding dress styles from the 1910s to 2018, roughly two years ago, in the history of wedding fashion. Stay with us.
1910s: Loose and Flowing Wedding Dresses
The couple in the image is from 1915. During this period, many brides wore loose dresses with skirts that reached the floor, making it easier to move. This is when dancing at weddings became popular.
1920s: Busy Wedding Dresses with Long Veils
The photo you see is from a wedding in 1929. During this era, brides wore long veils and chose white for their wedding dresses, which were high-necked, straight-cut, and had a slim waist.
1930s: Wedding Dresses Made of Silk or Rayon
The simple yet classic wedding dress you see above was made in 1983. Wedding dresses during the 1930s were quite simple and shiny; they were high-necked with long sleeves. Brides who could not afford silk dresses would opt for more affordable rayon or synthetic silk dresses that resembled the look of the natural fabric.
1940s: Covered Wedding Dresses with Long Sleeves
This wedding took place in 1948. Wedding dresses of the 1940s did not change much compared to the 1930s. At that time, many brides wore straight-cut, slim dresses with long sleeves.
1950s: Puffy Wedding Dresses
Puffy wedding dresses with large skirts were a trend of the 1950s, making brides look like lampshades when they wore them. The upper body was slim, and the lower body was voluminous. Many girls might dislike this style of dress.
1950s: Strapless Wedding Dresses
The bride in the image above, from 1957, is wearing a strapless puffy wedding dress. This style was in contrast to the covered wedding dresses with long sleeves that were in fashion before. While some brides weren't ready to say goodbye to sleeves, the strapless wedding dress trend gradually became popular as it was seen as a little risky.
1960s: Slimmer and More Fitted Wedding Dresses
The wedding dress in the image above is from 1964, designed by Pierre Cardin. After the puffy and bulky wedding dresses of the 1950s, brides began opting for dresses that were slimmer and more form-fitting. Some brides even preferred a mix of puffy and straight-cut dresses. During this period, straight-cut wedding dresses with a fishtail design became fashionable.
1970s: Wedding Dresses with Long Sleeves
The wedding you see took place in 1976. When Dior unveiled wedding dresses with long, slightly puffed sleeves in the 1970s, brides eagerly embraced this style.
1980s: Strapless and Sleeveless Wedding Dresses
The wedding dress in the image above was designed and made in 1981. This wedding dress style was a significant change. Before the 1980s, finding anything that was not strapless was very difficult.
1980s: Fitted Wedding Dresses
In the 1980s, especially towards the end of the decade, wedding dresses became more fitted and were no longer puffy. The dress in the image is from 1987. Wedding dresses of this time were somewhat body-hugging with long sleeves and slightly puffed shoulders, and they became very popular.
1990s: Wedding Dresses with Sleeves
The wedding dress in the image above is a 1993 design by the brand Tornate. In the 1990s, brides preferred dresses with sleeves and were tired of wearing strapless gowns. During this period, wedding dresses became more modern. The dresses were fitted and resembled tango dresses.
2000s: Fitted Wedding Dresses
The wedding dress in the image above is from 2008, during the Barcelona Bridal Week. From the 2000s onward, there was greater diversity in wedding dresses, from trailing gowns to fitted, body-hugging dresses. During this period, embroidered wedding dresses became popular.
2010s: Wedding Dresses with Sleeves
In the 2010s, sleeves made a royal comeback. The image above shows Kate Middleton wearing her wedding dress in 2011. Gradually, brides were moving away from sleeveless designs, and Kate Middleton’s wedding dress with sleeves made headlines in fashion media.
Initially, customers were not very interested in such dresses, and designers had to redesign them four years later to make them more marketable. Since then, this style of wedding dress has been in vogue for a while. Today, brides are not as eager to wear this style of sleeve. What brides now prefer are dresses with short sleeves, long sleeves, or blouse-style sleeves.
2010s: Semi-Naked Wedding Dresses
The wedding dress in the image above is by Kleinfeld, worn in 2014. This wedding dress features lace and transparent sections that reveal parts of the body. Some brides feel that this style is too revealing, provocative, and risky to wear.
Today: Wedding Dresses Tailored to the Bride's Personality
The model in the image above is walking down the runway during Barcelona Bridal Week in April 2018. In recent years, the gap between everyday fashion and bridal fashion has been narrowing. Wedding dress styles have become more diverse and personalized, with designs reflecting the bride's personality.
Today, the variety of wedding dress designs and styles is vast. The wedding dress market is so exciting that it's almost safe to say that every bride wears a dress that no other bride has ever worn.
