Batshit Dramatic Wedding Gowns From Paris Haute Couture Week

Here comes la mariée!

Paris Haute Couture Week just wrapped up and almost all of the designs featured are dramatic by default, so it’s not always clear which dresses designers explicitly intend to be viewed as a wedding gown. Anything could qualify: This diaphanous number from Dior Couture would look lovely on a bride; Giambattista Valli’s white-skirted ballgowns would work too. Franck Sorbier’s trippy, all-white collection could be considered “bridal,” even though he (almost certainly) didn’t design it as such. Mostly this is a matter left up to the interpretation of the buyer/bride, but some of these shows do feature a look specifically designed to be a wedding dress that the designer sends out last, often with a a veil or an abundance of white or some scrap of tulle—anything “extra” that might set off bridal sirens.

There’s not a ton of that in this week’s Fall 2015 couture collections, just a small handful, though Maison Margiela’s white garbage-bag gown deserves top billing.

If you’re a bride who gets off on watching your family question your sanity, this voluminous sci-fi garment with outstanding Derelicte details is a winner.

(The edging here feels familiar, no?)

Elie Saab eschewed subtlety, went straight for the regal messaging:

Zuhair Murad gave us something similarly dramatic:

Georges Chakra, comparatively understated:

I’m not certain anything in Franck Sorbier’s show was meant to be a wedding dress, but the final look featured an alt-bouquet, so let’s go with it:

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Ralph & Russo didn’t leave anyone guessing whether or not there was a bride:

And garnering the most media attention was a double-breasted bridal suit from Chanel, not because it was particularly lovely or interesting…