Photo Credit: Harper Smith Photography; @harpersmithphoto
Have you ever seen such a beautiful night? ((Don’t worry we won’t be dropping the hey now, hey now, but we still gotta honor that McGuire 🔥)) That night we’re talking about is Saturday, December 21st. When Hilary Duff and Matthew Koma said “I Do.” The newly short-haired, stunning bride actually went rogue from the dreams we always had of her, Cinderella Story must have pushed that princess premonition a little too hard, and wore a custom Jenny Packham gown that will surely be the new standard of clean and modern for any bride who’s after that kind of look.
Though she’s never dressed in a Jenny Packham original before, Hilary couldn’t have picked a more perfect designer to bring her vow-worthy vision to life. We loved watching the couturier herself talk about the design process and what her favorite details of the dress were on Vogue - from the inspired cape sleeves to the saddle shoulder pads, flexible, yet structured stretch crepe fabric and fishtail skirt to the sophisticated covered buttons all down the back, this gown would get ALL the gold stars if that was a thing in the industry.
If you listen to Hils talk about what sort of moment she wanted to live in when she married Matt, you get that she wanted something unique, simple, yet full of edge - and she got it. She got it in those strong, dramatic shoulders and those commanding cape sleeves ((which we haven’t really seen before, right??)). Goddess like glam, that’s what we’ll call it. GLG.
We’ve seen capes done in very ethereal, romantic, even whimsical iterations - but Jenny’s interpretation of a cape, in the form of sleeves that transform into a train is precisely how she describes it: empowering. Formidable. Fierce. Feminine. And we’re totally here for it, much in the way we’re here for high-necked gowns and chokers. It’s a mood that is bold and uncharted, but it's absolutely badass.
We spent a lot of time scouting out similar seam-for-seam styles in the current bridal space, and nothing is an exact match to our girl’s - but if you’re in the market for a gown that is simple, clean, modern, yet timeless, then you might want to have these design houses on your radar.
Oh! And if you want to embrace the cape sleeved look, but aren’t too keen on a commitment like Hilary’s - you can look for accessories that bring that coveted wing-ness to your wardrobe, but can also be removed. Get to know Alice + Mae Bridal, because their completer-pieces and cape confections have got you covered.