What did Amal Alamuddin, Kate Bosworth, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Peet and Jenna Bush have in common on their wedding day? They all wore a dream dress from the house of the late Oscar de la Renta (Odlr). Each of these was an individual statement within itself as, according to Tara Maietta, global sales director for Odlr, the fashion house doesn’t really follow prevailing trends.
“The name Oscar de la Renta itself is iconic and people aspire to that prestige. I can’t speak on behalf of the design team but I can say the Odlr house is a fashion house and we primarily do ready-to-wear. So I believe a lot of the bridal influence comes from ready-to-wear; it comes from couture. Sometimes we go back to the 1920s and 1930s. So I think that’s where we look for influence and inspiration,” Maietta, who was in Dubai earlier this month for a trunk show of Odlr’s latest bridal collection, told tabloid!.
Maietta’s sphere of work is merchandising, sales and distribution, she said. Her department provides feedback based on the different markets and client aspirations, to the design team. She was personally meeting 40 clients at Esposa boutique in Dubai, to get an insight and tools that will help them put together a strategy for this particular market, she said.
“[This year] for bridal in America, I’m seeing a lot of long sleeves, curve illusion necklines, deep V necklines, deep V back necklines, very close-fitted gowns, long trains. Lots of siren shapes — very provocative in many ways. But with Odlr that’s not the case. We don’t design based on trends. We have a different mindset.
“I think for us [bridal wear] is about couture techniques, beautiful seamwork, lots of layering of different fabrics to create that diaphanous or ethereal feel, lightweight fabrication and removing a lot of the crinoline under the skirts and underpinnings and creating volume through texture. That’s what I’ve noticed as the big trend for us this season.
“Faille — it’s our signature fabrication that we’ve been using for ready-to-wear for many years — is incorporated in our bridal wear as well. It has a beautiful structure.
“One of my main responsibilities is to come out here [in the Middle East] and get a true understanding of the market. Then I can give my feedback so that when the designing happens, we keep this market in mind. We have such a strong following here, I’m sure we will have a strong demand for bridal as well,” she said.
“Earlier the demand in the region was for white with lots of bead work. Now the brides are open to off-whites, they don’t mind having a bit of peach and light blue mixed in,” said Kristie Romanos, operations director at Esposa boutique that exclusively sells Odlr bridal wear in the UAE.
“They request linings, maybe of a blush colour or lace that is a bit more off-white. They are moving towards simple styles with luxurious fabrics — silks, Chantilly lace — rather than heavy beads or big stones. So, they are going more towards the Western styles.
“At the same time, trends are always retrospective. Designers and clients are always looking to earlier times for inspiration but with a modern touch,” Romanos added.
“You still have brides who want that typical Kate Middleton dress, which is all lacy. So in bridal wear it doesn’t really help to be ultra modern. You have only four types of brides — the romantic who wants all lace, the princess who wants a big dress, the natural bride who wants to marry in a garden and wear tulle, lace and a fresh look, and the hipster who wants a sheath gown and a small wedding. Based on the trends, designers will probably change the fabric or come up with a new style but the cuts more or less remain the same — the princess cut, A-line, the trumpet ...”
A 25-year-old establishment in Lebanon, Esposa has been functioning in Dubai for the last three years, housing names such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Marchesa. As the operations director and the designer for the production team, Romanos visits a lot of fashion weeks in New York, Milan, Spain as a buyer for the next year’s collections.
In the UAE, Romanos says Odlr is very popular.
“Clients love the spirit, the texture, and the styles of Odlr. It’s the most in-demand label for bridal wear. Mostly the dress in the store is a sample. The client can order it and Odlr will create and send it about six months later. If the client wants modification — extra beads, less train, moving the neckline — we do it in-house. But she will still have the Odlr material, the design. We will just add a little bit of sparkle to make her glow more as a bride,” she says.
