Historical elements are in vogue on wedding aisles and bridal runways.
Mareh Couture Bridal owner Mariam Ohanyan observed the trend forming six months ahead of time when she attended New York Bridal Fashion Week in 2024.
“A big thing that has been happening is this thing called Basque waist dresses,” Ohanyan said. “So this is something from the Victorian era, pretty much, that came back.”
The Basque waist style is a structured silhouette of a corseted upper body that drops into a V-shape at the waist on top of a billowing skirt. The fitted bodice often extends past the waistline, accentuating the hips and creating the illusion of an elongated torso.
Such dresses were traditional for women of the Basque region that lies on the border of Spain and France. The hourglass-forming style became sought after and has resurfaced not only in bridal gowns but also in sundresses.
Brides and bridal designers are giving the Basque style a modern spin.
“Instead of having the corset already building into the dress, we’re seeing a removable corset,” Ohanyan said. “Imagine this, you’re walking down the aisle. It’s dramatic, it’s amazing … then for the reception, you remove the piece of the corset, and then it turns into a regular dress.”
Orders for Basque waist dresses are already trickling in for Ohanyan, who runs her bridal store in downtown San Luis Obispo. Creating a Basque waist dress, however, is hard work thanks to the ever-changing textures of all the fabric involved.
“In the waistline, there are a lot of thicker fabric textures that you have to use, and those are a bit harder to, overall, put together than the standard fabric, like organza, tulle, things like that,” she said.
While she is a bridal designer, Ohanyan only makes three to four custom wedding dresses a year. Most of Mareh Couture Bridal’s outfits come from roughly a dozen other designers Ohanyan stocks, inlcuding Paloma Blanca, Anne Barge, and Evie Young.
Most designers are now using more “earth friendly” fabrics, Ohanyan said, which make dresses look and feel more expensive. Luxurious crepe, textured flowers with organza, and Chantilly lace are in demand.
The polished finish that comes with using higher quality materials is ideal for invoking a sense of the past, according to Amanda Judge of Untamed Petals.
“There is such an ode to sophistication and romance; it’s sort of like this Old World, old money look,” she said. “It just really lends itself towards the trend right now and how brides are feeling about their weddings.”
Untamed Petals is an online store that ships bridal dresses and accessories globally. Judge founded the company in 2009, and it’s headquartered on SLO’s Buchon Street.
She told the Sun that she strives to be sustainable. The key lies in not over producing.
“We don’t produce in bulk,” Judge said. “Our dresses are made to order. So, when a bride orders a dress, we hand cut, sew it, and work with our team. We try not to over-buy fabrics or over-buy any of our raw materials.”
While Untamed Petals is also witnessing the rejuvenated fascination with Basque waist dresses—which Judge and her team also sometimes create using silk-and-nylon blended Mikado fabric—romantic accessories from older eras are making a comeback, too. Many brides these days are especially fond of adding gloves.
“They’re such a fun way to personalize a look or add a really sophisticated touch,” Judge said. “We’ve had so many brides opt for a really cool lace glove or a beaded glove to pair with their dress as well.”
Statement pieces like ornate veils, sometimes even ones that are cathedral length, have been plucked from the past.
“There was a trend for a long time where brides weren’t wearing a veil at all, but now they really want a beautiful cathedral-length veil with a dramatic lace trim or a floral motif, and even in our case, hand-beaded details,” Judge said. “So, it’s definitely trending towards that historical look.”
In fact, Mareh Couture Bridal’s Ohanyan is elbow-deep in more than 200 orders for veils.
“Some of these veils, they’re as long as if you were to walk down from the Mission all the way to the Network [shopping center] building,” she said.
Some veils come with a hefty price tag. Ohanyan stocks a long veil worth $8,000 that bears a white cascade of 1,000 handmade flowers. It hailed from Senstudio, owned by luxury bridal couture sisters Nicole and Felicia Chang. The designers made fashion headlines recently after pop star Taylor Swift wore their gowns on her global Eras Tour.
“I had to fight for getting such a high-end line in the Central Coast because usually those kinds of designers like to be in bigger cities,” Ohanyan said. “But I saw them in New York Bridal Fashion Week, and I absolutely fell in love.”
Despite the latest love for all things historic, brides are also shunning superstitions of the past. Take it from the abundance of pearls found on veils, gowns, earrings, headbands, shoes, detachable capes, and even bridal manicures.
“Pearls were once considered bad luck at weddings because in some cultures they look like tears,” Ohanyan said. “Our modern brides, they completely redefined it. They’re embracing the pearls as a symbol of elegance and grace and more timeless beauty.”
Are 2025 brides ready to push the envelope a little further and eschew the classic white of wedding gowns?
“I will be honest with you, it’s a bit tricky for our area,” Ohanyan said. “I would say a lot of brides on the East Coast would go for it and wear the color and show off a little more contemporary versions of dresses and colors. Our area is definitely more safe, in a way, when it comes to the color.”
Still, brides can dream. Ohanyan displays a purple and pink Senstudio number reminiscent of chic cotton candy in her boutique.
“[Brides] still end up ordering the ivory color version of the dress after trying the colors,” she said with a laugh. “It’s so fun having it! They kind of also bring joy to the store itself, because it’s the variety that you get to explore.”
Reach New Times Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal, from the Sun’s sister paper, at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 9, 2025.