Denver Fashion Week Debuts Bridal Show
303 Magazine
Denver Fashion Week (DFW) made history with its debut bridal fashion show. The event was a beautiful occasion, hosted by Erica Lopez of 9News and Kylie Bearse of Fox News, both dressed by bridal designer, Bête Noire.
READ: Denver Fashion Week Hosts First Ever Bridal Night
Winners of DFW’s Entertainer Challenge, Death Wish, an alternative rock-inspired band, provided the night’s entertainment. They played two original songs and popular renditions by Nirvana and The Weeknd, adding to the evening’s excitement.
The show featured a lineup of top Denver bridal designers, each showcasing their unique take on wedding fashion.
Bête Noire
Bête Noire opened the show with their avant-garde gothic designs. Their collection featured a striking palette of black and red, with huge gowns adorned with ruffles and sparkles. Specializing in headpieces and veils, Bête Noire added a touch of drama to the runway.
“I always go a dark and moody route but, there’s some things tonight that we haven’t done before. And I would say that kind of symbolizes my heart and being alive, healing, and just overcoming adversity,” Alicia Rau, the designer of Bête Noire, said
The evening was not without its somber moments, as the Bête Noire performance paid respect to model Amya Aubrielle Addams, who passed tragically the week before. Addams was due to walk down the runway in a gorgeous Bête Noire gown, and her absence was acknowledged by everyone in attendance. A moment of applause was extended in her honor, a poignant reminder of her influence on the Denver fashion world.
Moškem Menswear
Moškem Menswear, featuring designs from El Salvador, followed at DFW Bridal with unique and unconventional men’s wear.
The collection included a wide range of cuts, colors, and shapes, with notable items such as pink, maroon, and sage-colored suits with elaborate stitching and even capes, showcasing the brand’s unique approach to menswear.
Runaway Bridal
Runaway Bridal offered a more traditional approach to bridal fashion, focusing on white bridal attire.
Their selection comprised of fitted suits, mermaid and princess cut dresses, and enormous puffy skirts adorned with glitter and lace to make every bride feel beautiful on her wedding day.
Rachel Marie Hurst
Rachel Marie Hurst‘s collection was inspired by uncommon, non-traditional love and featured puffy high-low skirts layered with various fabrics. Sparkly accessories, such as a variety of shoes, lent a whimsical element to her designs. A lot of Hurst’s designs are truly almost Marie-Antoinette inspired, with pastel pinks and purples, and plenty of ribbon bows.
“I wanted to look at the oddities of love, and my husband and I have been together for 16-17 years and we didn’t do it conventionally,” Hurst said. “So you’ll see some things that you wouldn’t normally see, because my bride tends to be more non-traditional.” Hurst was motivated to develop bridal designs that represent a contemporary girl who wants to walk at the beat of her own drum.
D’Lola Couture
D’Lola Couture brought a classic reimagining of traditional wedding gowns to the runway. Their collection featured beautiful silky dresses with huge bows, plenty of lace enhancements, and pearly accessories, creating a timeless and elegant look.
“My line is made for the bride who can’t decide, she’s going to all the bridal stores and she’s like ‘I want something different,”” The designer of D’Lola Couture, Deedee Vicory-Corn said.
Vicory-Corn created a line that would be different and unique but didn’t stray too far from the bridal realm, with her personal favorites being the all-white romper look, bow accessories, and trains.
Tara Hari Couture
Tara Hari Couture created a non traditional wedding collection with beautifully, culturally inspired gowns amd intricate headpieces and braids. Fabrics with jeweling, intricately stitched skirts, feathery details, and ribbons added a regal touch to the collection.
SKYE|AIRE
Closing the show was SKYE|AIRE, who blended a mix of different colors, patterns, and fabrics into her non traditional collection. It featured beautiful accessories such as big hairstyles and dangly earrings, with three pieces showcasing huge black satellite hats/rings around the models’ chests and heads, in a clean black and white dress design, highlighting the designer, Skye Barker Maa’s signature style.
“I wanted to create a line that tells families who don’t have a huge fairytale, princess wedding, or one that doesn’t involve a giant white dress, or maybe even it’s LGBTQ+,” Barker Maa said, “I was just kind of bucking any of the traditional shapes or structures that you typically see in a wedding.”
DFW’s first-ever bridal fashion show was a stunning display of creativity and talent, showcasing a diverse range of bridal fashion styles and trends. The event was a celebration of love, fashion, and artistry, in the heart of Denver, and highlighted the importance of inclusivity and innovation in the world of bridal fashion.
Photography by Weston Mosburg