A Dark & Dangerous Bridal Party At Bensoni Fall 2011 Runway Show
Most of us have had our fair share of 27 Dresses moments, where we’ve been asked to wear some hideous frock in the name of celebrating a bride’s marital union — and, in the process, we’ve had to indulge her sadist tendencies, which prompted her to require that all her bridesmaids look like Sesame Street characters so as not to outshine her on her big day. But, when Bensoni designers Benjamin Channing Clyburn and Sonia Yoon envisioned their Fall 2011 collection, they pictured a rock-n-roll wedding, one that would have the betrothed’s friends and family clamoring to be selected for the bridal party with the fervor you’d expect if they were vying for entry into the most exclusive new nightclub.
The runway show, held at the Standard Hotel in New York City’s Meatpacking District, was beautifully choreographed to resemble an offbeat wedding. The first few looks, then, represented the edgy guest list, with models wearing wintry white, beige, and ash-colored pieces like a hooded silver fox cardigan vest, a chunky cable knit jacket, and exotic snake-print blouses and dresses. The muted palette then gave way to downtown chic looks like an asymmetrical, V-neck blood tartan tunic paired with a fringed, wine-colored voile peplum jacket and over-the-knee black leather boots (as shown above, after the video clip) or a blood tartan duffel coat with front cargo pockets, a city slick hood, and army green sleeves (shown second below, after the jump). The tartan prints, military coats, and plaid pieces in were meant to pay tribute to the aesthetic of the bride’s Scottish and British cousins, who clearly shared her punk-y predilection.
Next, the wedding procession officially commenced, with pieces in a melting rose print symbolically heralding the slow and steady march of flower girls down the aisle. The most stunning look in this portion of the show was a sleeveless, black peplum dress with a fuchsia melting rose print and a voluminous tiered skirt (shown above, next to last). The bridesmaids followed, wearing somber, enigmatic, gothic-flavored pieces like a slightly sheer, floor-length, lace fishtail skirts (as seen below, fourth from top); a lace snake print taffeta dress; and a stunning, silver-colored snakeskin biker coat with a flared, swinging hemline (pictured third below). The palette darkened with every look that passed, eventually hitting an all-black palette meant to resemble the virginal bride’s loss of innocence, her foray to the “dark” side.
A black wedding dress (shown above, last) punctuated the collection’s finale. The floor-length, embroidered lace dress featured a halter-like neckline that exposed the shoulders and a hint of the collarbone region for a demure sultriness, with chain-like paillette ribbon strands positioned along the sides of the bodice in an upside-down triangle shape extending from the neckline to the belted waistline. An explosion of black feathers adorned the bodice, extending all the way down the middle of the skirt, giving the gown a exquisite sense of texture. Paillette embellishments, meanwhile, added a hint of sparkle, like tiny stars in a black sky. This bride, then, was relishing her transformation into a Black Swan, making her wedding the most eclectic, rocker-friendly, atypical event of the fall season.
Check out the photos after the jump and don’t miss the video of the show above!
