Wedding Gowns & Bridal Fashion

My daughter is getting married in January. I would like to know what style and length a mother of the bride should wear. What colors are appropriate for a winter wedding? High heels are very painful since I got my leg hurt in a car accident. What choice do I have? Also, where do they have a good selection? Some stores don’t even have a dress department anymore.

– Lindy Sue, Homestead

The mother of the bride is expected to look appropriately festive for what is ostensibly a happy occasion, even if she thinks the groom leaves something to be desired. (And what mother — in her heart of hearts — doesn’t?)

For a traditional wedding, you will want to rely on dressy fabrics, such as silk, taffeta, polyester and brocade, to name a few. At more casual weddings, a breezy chiffon is fine.

The dresses are usually full-length, and often come with matching jackets or boleros. If not, make sure you have a pretty shawl or dressy sweater. If you can’t see yourself in anything other than a suit, make sure it’s memorable — with a metallic tint, sparkly adornment or shiny threads.

For winter weddings, you’ll want something in a more somber color — burgundy, blue, gray, black or just about any other wintry hue. Many mothers of the bride go for champagne or tawny — but for nuptials in January, go for one on the darker end of the spectrum.

This means you cannot shop the summer sales racks or the color will definitely be off.

Bigger, bulkier jewelry is also somewhat expected for the mother of the bride, and there’s nothing wrong with going for the costume variety.

If you don’t own any, start asking friends now because borrowed jewelry can be hard to nail down, especially since you’ll need a particular length and style to match your outfit.

Heel trouble is the easiest thing to remedy. Simply skip the stilettos. There’s no reason why you can’t find stylish flats or dress shoes with baby heels. Go to Saks, go to Shoe Rack, but just find something of relative comfort for eight hours.

Where to shop? Without knowing your budget, it’s hard to advise you. In general, smaller boutiques aren’t likely to carry formal gowns. Department store buyers, however, live to dress people for events like yours.

Got a fashion emergency? Send your questions to Herald fashion and style writer Kathryn Wexler by going to www.MiamiHerald.com and clicking on Tropical Life. Or by snail mail, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL, 33132. Answers will appear online and in the Wednesday Style section.

Source: MiamiHerald

A change of season brings new fabrics, styles and colors to the mother of the bride or groom dress market. Find the same high quality selections online as those that can be found in more exclusive bridal shops.

Mother of the bride or groom dresses in new fabrics, styles and colors for the 2007 Fall season are on their way to Formalwear-Outlet.com. A change of season brings new fabrics and styles to the Mother of the Bride or Groom dress market.

Brocades, Chiffons, Pepple Crepe and Floral Jacquards top the list of fabrics for the new styles for Fall 2007 weddings. Selections come with wonderful color names such as Chestnut, Lapis, Merlot, Raisin, Cognac, Expresso, Wine, Sapphire, Dark Chocolate, Cabernet and Amethyst, just to name a few.

Among an array of styles to choose from include:

• Satin suit jackets atop a skirt of brocade
• Chiffon tiered dresses with long sleeve jackets
• Embroidered three-quarter length sleeve tops over crepe skirts

Both short and long lengths are in style for this wonderful season. Formal pantsuits are offered in the same fabrics and colors as the dresses.

Brides and bridesmaids spend multiple hours searching for the perfect wedding gown to complement the bride’s selection. Now mothers can add the finishing touch to a dream-come-true wedding by making a very important fashion decision.

Formalwear for the mother of the bride or groom in just the right style and color can be difficult to find, but one online boutique is making it easier by adding new styles to its selection.

Formalwear-Outlet.com has been assisting brides in the selection of bridesmaid’s dresses for seven years. Last year it added its own line of simple, yet elegant, wedding gowns. Even more recently it has included a line of formalwear for the mother of the bride or groom.

Kathy Dooling, who manages this online boutique, says, “Our customers want personalized assistance with up-to-date contemporary styles in the latest fabrics and fashionable colors. We can accommodate all their concerns in a wide range of sizes.”

Shop from the comfort of home at Formalwear-Outlet.com from the same selection of formalwear found in some of the more exclusive bridal shops. In addition, buyers will receive personal attention from some of the most highly trained wedding apparel coordinators in the business.