- Daring wedding dresses have become popular in recent years, from sheer fabric to plunging necklines.
- Designer Justin Alexander Warshaw told Insider he's glad we're moving away from the trend.
In recent years, many brides have been drawn to wedding dresses with daring elements.
Brides have been saying "I do" in dresses with sheer bodices, daring slits, plunging necklines, and low backs.
But according to designer Justin Alexander Warshaw, the CEO and creative director of the Justin Alexander Group, we're moving away from the trend — and he's glad.
Wedding dresses won't be as daring in 2024
Speaking to Insider, Warshaw reflected on just how daring wedding dresses have become in recent years, and he said the trend has its roots in red-carpet style.
"There was a very big trend started by a lot of celebrities beginning to wear a lot of transparent garments to red-carpet events, and everyone's like, 'Oh, I need a super-sexy wedding dress,'" Warshaw said, adding that these gowns often have a sense of being "informal."
"I think we're moving away from that a bit, which is exciting because I love creating timeless designs," he said.
While gowns with low necklines or see-through fabric can be gorgeous, Warshaw said they sometimes run the risk of placing a dress too firmly in one time period.
"I want a bride to be proud to share what you wore and not just this year, but 10, 20, 30 years from now," Warshaw said.
You may love your see-through wedding dress today, but you may feel differently about it when you look back on it in the future.
"Say Yes to the Dress" star Randy Fenoli previously expressed a similar sentiment to Insider, saying he can't wrap his head around sheer wedding gowns because he's "a traditionalist."
You can balance sex appeal and timeless beauty with your wedding dress
Although we're moving away from completely daring wedding gowns, Warshaw said that doesn't mean your dress can't have sheer elements or slits.
"It's not like we're abandoning transparency altogether," Warshaw said. "Most of the time, we're trying to find a way to create sexiness without necessarily revealing a woman's body or showing a little bit of a particular feature a little bit more."
"For example, ruching could create a little bit of sexiness, or just showing the right amount of shoulder detail," he said, as opposed to gowns with completely transparent bodices or plunging necklines.
That subtle sense of sexiness jumps out in Warshaw's latest collection for Justin Alexander Signature.
For instance, the Saki gown has a sheer panel across the bodice that reveals just a hint of skin, while the Eldon features a thigh-high slit and low back but a more modest neckline.
"We are trying to make dresses for brides that they can absolutely fall in love with and want to wear and be happy when they look back at their photos in 20 or 30 years and be proud to show their children and everyone else," Warshaw said.
For some brides, that dress may be more daring, while others may select something more modest. At the end of the day, just make sure you choose the wedding dress that's right for you, and Warshaw encourages brides to lean on wedding dress consultants to do that.
"Let yourself be surprised and try some things and just have an open mind and lean on the stylist," he advised. "They're professionals."