The Chicest Luxury Wedding Dresses for the Modern Bride in Fall 2020
The options are many when it comes to your wedding day, and today's brides are looking beyond the wedding salons and onto the fashion week runways to find a dress for the occasion.
Even though New York has specific weeks in April and October for bridal designers to show their latest collections, this past fashion month, ready-to-wear labels showed a range of looks that easily double as luxury wedding dresses for the modern bride. Many of the major trends to come out of the four big fashion cities, in fact, came back to romanticism and the art of dressing up. Ballroom gowns, Victorian ruffled dresses, and opera-length gloves were all the norm throughout the Fall 2020 shows. It only added to the increasingly growing themes of maximalist dressing when designers presented a range of modern looks that would easily make great luxury wedding dresses.
In a new decade of modernization, technology, and constant reinvention, being a "modern bride" appears to be a mindset rather than a specific style or set of trends. It doesn't mean to forego full-volume, dramatic lace dresses just for the sake of rejecting tradition. Instead, a modern bride dresses solely for herself on her big day, despite whatever pressures of venue, age, season, or silhouette is impressed upon her. Scroll below for 25 of our favorite luxury wedding dresses from the Fall 2020 runway shows, sure to satisfy discerning fashion brides of many tastes.
At London Fashion Week, Simone Rocha showed a champagne-colored, shoulder-bearing luxury wedding dress with a traditional feel. Some unconventional features were a sheer bodice and fully sheer skirt layered over tailored ivory pants.
In the mood for separates? For Fall 2020, many designers were finding alternatives for dresses, with Marc Jacobs showing a column silk taffeta skirt that featured a train and voluminous back bow. Completing the deceivingly conservative look was a three-quarter sleeved top with subtle cone-shaped cups in the bodice.
Rodarte bought full dark romanticism to their Fall 2020 runway, drawing inspiration for eveningwear, luxury wedding dresses, and beyond straight from the vampire classic Dracula. Though the puffed sleeve, slinky silhouette and precise appliqué feel very classic, the dark lip and wavy bob feel like more of a modern update.
The Chloé girl definitely embraces softness and exquisite fabrics, and it comes as no suprise that the Chloé bride would be no different. This Fall 2020 look pushes the minimalist luxury wedding dress boundary with just the right details in the embroidered gold collar, thin lace panels, and sheer pleated covering.
Paco Rabanne sought out a chic level of bridal balance by pairing a high-collar, scalloped lace top with a sheer skirt. If you're feeling especially daring, feel free to add the maroon platform boots.
Bevza runway shows display a consistent dedication to elegant minimalism. This satin silk number pays attention to detail in the trim and challenges the minimalist bride to take her luxury wedding dress a step further with the matching silk hand pouch.
This Brandon Maxwell dress is not skin-bearing by any means, but it does not neglect to make a statement nonetheless. The body-hugging silhouette leaves just enough fabric in the legs for sufficient mobility while also being beautiful to watch in motion–perfect for a walk down the aisle.
Conventional bridal aesthetics? All but such should be expected coming out of a Comme des Garçons runway show. With an unforgettable lace headpiece and two-toned creme gown, don't be surprised if you see your future luxury wedding dress on a red carpet.
Shrimps has pulled out all the romantic stops with this gown. Ruffles, puffed sleeves, and embossed silk with a structured corset boning make this potential luxury wedding dress an instant classic. The icing on the presumable wedding cake? The silk ivory gloves that complete this picture-perfect look.
If there was any cheat sheet to looking as chic as possible on your wedding day, the top hack would undoubtedly be to wear a Chanel dress. That may seem too easy, but we guarantee your wedding guests might not be expecting this short dress with a black bow at the collar.
Sometimes the best things in life are just the easiest. This Self-Portrait dress looks as comfortable as it is stylish. The lightweight fabric and square neckline work perfectly for a warm-weather ceremony, yet the minimal silhouette lends itself to be versatile enough to be styled for any wedding celebration.
Ready to ditch the idea of luxury wedding dresses altogether? So is Dior. This ivory wide-leg pantsuit offers high-level tailoring to provide just as much attention to detail as any any gown would, all while refusing to compromise the ease and comfort of wearing pants.
Leave the flowers with your bridesmaids and wear your bouquet on your dress. Valentino offers a truly special gown that is both beautiful and unconventional. The floral print, pink panels, and red ruffled wrist details is perfect for a modern bride looking to sport an amazingly imaginative piece.
After over 50 looks that highlighted animal prints, jewel tones, and sequins, Tom Ford closed out his Fall 2020 show with a full-on bridal look. Despite being intentionally created for a bride, the luxury wedding dress features a waltz-length veil, long-sleeved one shoulder cut, and barely there sheer lace, ensuring the wearer will not sacrifice her personal style for her big day.
Short but sweet would be the perfect summary for this Marc Jacobs dress. However, don't underestimate the styling possiblities of a shorter luxury wedding dress; this minimal look lends itself to unlimited pairings for jewelry, florals, and hair accessories.
This Ulla Johnson dress is brimming with detail while still not being an overwhelming look. The bare arms and ankle-length skirt perfectly balance out the multi-layered ruffles, sheer panel, and Swiss dot pattern.
Prabal Gurung's minimal luxury wedding dress offering for Fall 2020 creates visual interest thanks to unexpected features. The almost halter-top neckline and asymmetrical jewelry give it an artistic touch, while the subtle lace makes for an elegant finish.
The Givenchy Fall 2020 bride is too cool for words. With an oversized creme suit, this ensemble embodies the same chic energy as Emily Ratajkowski's civil ceremony look. Level up with these taupe leather gloves.
Volume and drama take full form in this Brandon Maxwell ensemble. The modern-meets-classic potential luxury wedding dress strikes the perfect (albeit over-the-top) balance with the full ballgown skirt, paired with a bandeau crop top and sheer cape. A moment like this deserved Gabi and Lexi's mat talk, for sure.
Delicate and sheer separates at Paco Rabanne create a bridal look that works both on and off the aisle. The ultimate pay-off of wedding separates is being able to wear both pieces on their own well past the festivities.
Simone Rocha interprets the very definition of traditional luxury wedding dresses with a heavy lace veil, but the look also takes an unexpected turn by cutting the length short and pairing with school uniform knee-high socks. If the maximalist ensemble is too much, save the commitment for your ceremony and pick out whichever pieces work best for your big day.
Prabal Gurung perfectly executes the element of surprise in this dress. With a full-coverage silk silhouette, the asymmetrical side cut-outs keep the gown interesting.
Ruffles and a cream shade may be expected details for a luxury wedding dress, but the standout detail in this Chloé gown is the detail along the neckline. With the combat boots and the model's visible tattoos, it seems as though the modern Parisian women's brand was looking to make an intentional statement about their interpretation on today's bride.
This Carolina Herrera number offers an ambivalence that doesn't scream wedding dress, but remains just as sophisticated should you choose to wear it as one. The birdcage veil, however, suggests that Wes Gordon does see the dress as an ideal choice for the Carolina Herrera bride.
