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Brides get canny on cost
May 3, 2009, Sunday
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RATHER than join in the new nationwide pastime of bemoaning the economy, bridal designers have jumped into the new season with ingenuity and, in some cases, razored prices. But it's debatable just how recession-proof the wedding business is.
Several bridal executives noted wedding budgets are being tightened, brides are saving up and buying closer to the actual day and the ongoing popularity of destination weddings is now even more appealing from a price standpoint. In regards to the latter, many resorts are offering special rates or promotions due to Americans?reluctance to get on a plane.
For brands that only do bridal, taking a straight-to-it strategy is essential. But even designers with an array of products are diving into the category with gusto and elegant touches, knowing many women will spend several thousand dollars for the perfect dress.
And those four- or five-digit purchases could certainly help compensate for all the sweaters, perfume and "It?bags shoppers have refrained from buying in recent months.
Vera Wang slashed select price points by 40 to 50 percent, serving up a new opening retail price point of US$3,600 compared with US$5,500 last year. Needless to say, retailers?jaws dropped, Wang said, and then many wrote orders. But her top five selling styles, in terms of dollar sales, are still from the high-end Luxe collection. In fact, the most popular styles retail from US$8,500 to US$13,900. Ultimately, Wang wants brides to be allured by the design of whatever dress appeals to them, not the price tag.
For her April 5 show at Tiffany's Fifth Avenue flagship, Carolina Herrera created "a homage to classic painters?such as Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Gustav Klimt and Jacques Louis David by designing dresses inspired by fashion featured in their art. Herrera described the extremely detailed process as "fun and interesting,?despite the task of modernizing what in some cases was 18th century work. Naming each of the 12 gowns after an artist and preparing for the show made for an amusing atmosphere in Herrera's showroom. "Someone would say, 'where is Diego Velasquez??
As for the current state of affairs in the United States and abroad, Herrera said, "there is a bigger challenge. You have to be creative and be sure you want to show something special.?
After his latest show, Oscar de la Renta said his overall business was doing "extremely well,?so his bridal business was not serving as a buoy. "You just have to do your best even though the economy is difficult. It is not insurmountable,?he said, adding that happy occasions such as weddings give shoppers reason to indulge.
Monique Lhuillier made the most of The London Hotel's penthouse by showcasing her bridal collection, a new bridesmaid line and just-released licensed bedding. She set the retail prices of the bridesmaid dresses between US$250 and US$390 with cost-conscious consumers in mind. Not wanting to undercut retailers that carry her more expensive wedding gowns, the designer decided to sell the bridesmaid dresses solely on her Website for the time being.
To give buyers a glimpse of her bridesmaid dresses, Lela Rose showed her wedding collection at her bridesmaid dress store at licensor the Dessy Group. Having only been in the wedding business for two and a half years, Rose said she was pleased with how the business was developing.
And, in what is perhaps an indication of the state of the market, her two best-selling wedding gowns after the show were the most expensive style at US$8,000 retail and the least expensive one at the US$3,495 ?about US$500 cheaper than last season's opening price. To play up brides?individuality, Junko Yoshioka collaborated with astrologist Susan Miller to develop dresses by the various astrological signs.
In addition to having 6 million unique visitors to her astrologyzone.com Website each month, Miller has seen an uptick in corporate clients such as Cole-Haan and Apple.
Wedding planner Donnie Brown, now in his ninth season in "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?? a reality show on the Style TV network, doesn't read astrological signs, but has noticed changes in clients?behavior. He isn't convinced that designers will be successful in bringing back short wedding dresses, but many of his clients are buying short white dresses for the reception or engagement parties. "Most brides want something more formal. We're seeing a few ballerina styles, and sheaths are always in with women with perfect bodies,?he said.
This season has also brought a few firsts for bridal manufacturers. Alfred Angelo, a 75-year-old bridal label, launched a Recessionista collection, a nine-piece line with a starting retail price of US$298 that shipped to stores last month and select J. Crew stores are selling styles from the collection which until now was only available online.
And Priscilla of Boston has teamed up with brides.com to provide a live video stream of its new season fashion show.
Several bridal executives noted wedding budgets are being tightened, brides are saving up and buying closer to the actual day and the ongoing popularity of destination weddings is now even more appealing from a price standpoint. In regards to the latter, many resorts are offering special rates or promotions due to Americans?reluctance to get on a plane.
For brands that only do bridal, taking a straight-to-it strategy is essential. But even designers with an array of products are diving into the category with gusto and elegant touches, knowing many women will spend several thousand dollars for the perfect dress.
And those four- or five-digit purchases could certainly help compensate for all the sweaters, perfume and "It?bags shoppers have refrained from buying in recent months.
Vera Wang slashed select price points by 40 to 50 percent, serving up a new opening retail price point of US$3,600 compared with US$5,500 last year. Needless to say, retailers?jaws dropped, Wang said, and then many wrote orders. But her top five selling styles, in terms of dollar sales, are still from the high-end Luxe collection. In fact, the most popular styles retail from US$8,500 to US$13,900. Ultimately, Wang wants brides to be allured by the design of whatever dress appeals to them, not the price tag.
For her April 5 show at Tiffany's Fifth Avenue flagship, Carolina Herrera created "a homage to classic painters?such as Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Gustav Klimt and Jacques Louis David by designing dresses inspired by fashion featured in their art. Herrera described the extremely detailed process as "fun and interesting,?despite the task of modernizing what in some cases was 18th century work. Naming each of the 12 gowns after an artist and preparing for the show made for an amusing atmosphere in Herrera's showroom. "Someone would say, 'where is Diego Velasquez??
As for the current state of affairs in the United States and abroad, Herrera said, "there is a bigger challenge. You have to be creative and be sure you want to show something special.?
After his latest show, Oscar de la Renta said his overall business was doing "extremely well,?so his bridal business was not serving as a buoy. "You just have to do your best even though the economy is difficult. It is not insurmountable,?he said, adding that happy occasions such as weddings give shoppers reason to indulge.
Monique Lhuillier made the most of The London Hotel's penthouse by showcasing her bridal collection, a new bridesmaid line and just-released licensed bedding. She set the retail prices of the bridesmaid dresses between US$250 and US$390 with cost-conscious consumers in mind. Not wanting to undercut retailers that carry her more expensive wedding gowns, the designer decided to sell the bridesmaid dresses solely on her Website for the time being.
To give buyers a glimpse of her bridesmaid dresses, Lela Rose showed her wedding collection at her bridesmaid dress store at licensor the Dessy Group. Having only been in the wedding business for two and a half years, Rose said she was pleased with how the business was developing.
And, in what is perhaps an indication of the state of the market, her two best-selling wedding gowns after the show were the most expensive style at US$8,000 retail and the least expensive one at the US$3,495 ?about US$500 cheaper than last season's opening price. To play up brides?individuality, Junko Yoshioka collaborated with astrologist Susan Miller to develop dresses by the various astrological signs.
In addition to having 6 million unique visitors to her astrologyzone.com Website each month, Miller has seen an uptick in corporate clients such as Cole-Haan and Apple.
Wedding planner Donnie Brown, now in his ninth season in "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?? a reality show on the Style TV network, doesn't read astrological signs, but has noticed changes in clients?behavior. He isn't convinced that designers will be successful in bringing back short wedding dresses, but many of his clients are buying short white dresses for the reception or engagement parties. "Most brides want something more formal. We're seeing a few ballerina styles, and sheaths are always in with women with perfect bodies,?he said.
This season has also brought a few firsts for bridal manufacturers. Alfred Angelo, a 75-year-old bridal label, launched a Recessionista collection, a nine-piece line with a starting retail price of US$298 that shipped to stores last month and select J. Crew stores are selling styles from the collection which until now was only available online.
And Priscilla of Boston has teamed up with brides.com to provide a live video stream of its new season fashion show.
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