Little white dress

Some brides are going for the short and sassy wedding dress.
THE hunt is on for the little white dress! Almost every girl dreams of that fairy tale moment when she sashays down the aisle looking every bit like the princess she imagines herself to be. But wait, did you say “little”?
Wedding gowns are anything but “little”, especially when you check out the traditional garments which come complete with trailing sequined trains.
However, as people do away with metres and metres of fabric, and opt to simplify their lives, there could be a place today for the modern short wedding dress. It could be a midi creation, one that ends just after the knee; or a modest knee-length dress or even a daring mini to show off long, lovely legs.
“Quite often, if the wedding ceremony is held outdoors where it’s a garden party or on the beach, then I would recommend a shorter wedding dress for practical reasons,” says designer Eric Choong.
At the Malaysian International Fashion Awards (MIFA) two years ago, he presented a whole range of short white wedding dresses. The outfits were short and sassy, and a few even bordered on naughty. But they were definitely different and titillated the imagination on how you can provide a different spin to an otherwise predictable white gown affair.
“Young brides from Australia and Britain have no qualms about wearing it short. In fact, if you’re holding a small private party, it comes off as very chic and classy.
“Most people think short white dresses are better off as bridesmaid dresses. They associate long gowns with glamour and modern Malaysian brides still have a hard time accepting changing trends,” he adds. Choong has been in the fashion industry for 22 years and designs a few hundred wedding gowns every year, out of which a handful are above the ankles.
Well known for his gowns, Orson Liyu opines that it’s all about perception.
“Asians dream about happy ever afters and a once-in-a-lifetime event, so they like to go all out and hype up the glam factor. Think red carpet and Oscars! My overseas clients, on the other hand, are more adventurous and don’t mind donning a short and sexy wedding dress.
“The short and sexy white dress can be elegant but you must be careful because an ill-conceived design might come off as cheap and vulgar. And here, shoes play a more important role, unlike long gowns where they can hardly be seen. If it’s too strappy, then it may seem more suitable for a cocktail event. You need classy court shoes or something stylish.
“It all depends on the theme of the wedding. For instance, a short dress would suit a simple wedding luncheon. But you need to choose your designer wisely as this is not the same as choosing a pair of jeans!”
Talk about extremes – Liyu once designed a white tuxedo for a bride. But generally, he estimates about one in 25 of the outfits that he designs are above the knee.
A quick check of the bridal houses around the Klang Valley revealed that if you’re renting a short white wedding dress, sometimes it’s only slightly cheaper than a long gown. Rental prices range from RM250 for very simple designs to RM700, depending on beadwork and details.
At Red Bliss in Petaling Jaya, the only short dress available in the shop was used for window display, “just to show variety”, says the spokesperson. Obviously there’s no short trend that’s about to take over any time soon, and it’s a rare bride that dares to show off her legs on her big day lest she offends the mother-in-law to be!
Another bridal house, Victoria Wedding Collection, only off-white and pastel short dresses were available, and these were reserved for the bridesmaids or the registration ceremony.
Another designer, who has been around the block, will be launching her wedding label next month. All this while, Beatrice Looi has been designing gowns under her Beatrice Looi Couture label.
“If you look at international designers, it’s the thing to do – have a separate wedding collection,” says Looi, who has shops in Starhill Gallery and Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur. She didn’t reveal much but let on that the new label will still carry her signature look. The gowns will be flowy and very Victorian, and the emphasis is on comfort.
“Personally, I still prefer long gowns – short dresses, to me, are more suitable for the registration or perhaps pre-wedding party. It also depends on the venue as well, for example, if it’s by the beach. By short, I mean just below the knee. That’s more presentable,” she adds. She designs plenty of short white dresses but these are often for bridesmaids or for guests of a white-themed wedding. Prices range from RM600 to more than RM1,000 for more elaborate creations.
A friend said that she might consider wearing a short white dress if she was getting married a second time, a la Jackie Onassis. Or perhaps, if one were to do a Britney Spears quickie in Las Vegas. The long and short of it? The length of the wedding dress doesn’t matter … the length of the marriage is more important.