Disney Preps to Dress Princess Brides: Is This ‘Happily Ever After’?
And naturally, there's been a singular upswell of excitement from the press, engaged couples, and those few bridal shops blessed by the magic wand that grants them distribution. The general reaction so far (to the idea — not the gowns)? Mixed.
"I would have thought that because many young women are waiting until their late 20s and early 30s to marry, that would put them long past the delusional princess stage," says a media critic in the Vancouver Sun. "I'm guessing they'll be kind of tacky," says a bride on a popular Disney forum, who wistfully adds, "maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised."
Some wedding planners are a little more optimistic. "It's a good way to for brides to put their theme over the top — stand out from all the other Disney weddings happening that year," says Shayna Box of Posh Celebrations.
"Disney's been a favorite destination wedding/honeymoon spot for years. I wouldn't be surprised if there was huge demand for the character gowns," says Mattie Johnson of Look No Further Events.
Couture or Costume?
Part of the resistance is the vision of thirty-something brides gliding down the aisle in bouffant Quinceañera style dresses, maybe with a Mickey logo here and there. Even the Wall Street Journal contributes briefly to this scare, describing the product line as a princess look, "complete with billowing gowns and crystal tiaras."
Not so, not so, says the PR rep for Kirstie Kelly, the designer tipped for this giant commission, who's said, "They will be high-fashion and very modern. We are modernizing the princess concept." And the details leaked by the WSJ back her up, with sketches showing sultry mermaid silhouettes, dropped backs and plenty of bare shoulders.
Kirstie Kelly: From Footlights to Floodlights
Amy-Jo Tatum, fashion journalist, former fabrics buyer and longtime custom gown designer, has followed Kelly's work for years. She, too, believes the designs that flow from the "House of Kelly" are far more likely to be couture-friendly than cringeworthy.
"Kelly's a beautiful designer," she says, “And I think this is a good step for her and Disney both." When she first came on the scene, says Tatum, Kelly immediately struck her as innovative.
"I'd put her in with greats like Vera Wang."
Vera Wang, with her punk-princess designs and torn fabrics? "Well, Kelly's innovations were a little different," says Tatum, recalling sumptuous fabrics and clean lines. "One of the first I remember was a debutante-type strapless A-line, but underneath was what looked like two layers of pleated organza ruffles ... gorgeous.
"She also did an evening gown that had a nostalgic feel: asymmetrical torso flowing into a full skirt — a really beautiful version of a mermaid.
"I don't think she has a princessy look in general, but I do see a very romantic designer."
Odd Couple or Match Made in Heaven?
Which brings up the obvious question: with Disney looking to one designer or label to launch an enormous fleet of princess gowns, why Kelly? After all, up until now, Kelly — though well-known in the fashion world — hasn't exactly been a household name. And if you were a mega-corporation appealing to princess brides, wouldn't you pick someone who'd already carved out that niche for themselves?
"It's true, I wouldn't necessarily see Disney type gowns with Kelly," says Tatum. "You'd naturally think of labels like St. Pucchi or Lazaro, which I see more as princess gowns. They're huge — enormous ballgowns, exactly the type you think of when you hear 'Cinderella.'
And she'd connect the dots right away, she says, if Disney had gone with almost any of the British designers. Elizabeth Emanuel, for example, who became a household name when Princess Di wore her magnificent gown down the aisle. "It's not American designers all limit themselves to the debutante dress ... but on the whole, they're not as costumey as the British."
The conclusion? These gowns are likely to lean more toward sleek modern lines and couture echoes than princess costumes after all — just as Kelly's spokeswoman says.
"She'll just keep doing what she's doing," says Tatum. "She'll stick to her creative process — her own version that she takes away from the Jasmines and Ariels. If someone said to me, 'do Cinderella,' it would be my take on what Cinderella would do."
With Great Opportunity Comes Strange Pitfalls
There might be only one glitch here for Kelly, says Tatum, which befell super-designer Elizabeth Emanuel not long after her House of Windsor triumph. "If this takes, her gowns might be remembered by name — the Cinderella gown, the Snow White gown.
"It's an interesting position. Because Emanuel is working at this amazing level — she's done many beautiful things since Di's dress — but she's really remembered for almost none of them, outside of fashion circles or British designer circles."
(Of course, Emanuel lost the rights to her own name in a complicated business sale, which didn't help at all. Helpful note to Kelly: keep control of your name.)
"I just hope she'll keep up her ready-to-wear line," says Tatum, adding, "this really is good both for Disney and Kelly.
"Not many designers get this opportunity. And not many conglomerates have a chance to work with someone that talented."
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March 26th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
If you think about each character and their personality and background, the dresses fit each of them. The dresses aren’t predictable, which I like. I personally love Belle’s dress. She also happened to be my favorite growing up…
February 26th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I love this collection. It is fairytale meets modern fashion, but the good fashion. The kind that you could see yourself actually wearing. Disney and Kirstie Kelly you have great ideas, keep it up.
February 11th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
The dresses are beautiful. Both disney and kirstie kelly got a lot of slack when these dresses were announced, because everyone assumed that they would be big versions of the little girl’s dresses that we see at the disney store. Glad to see that this isn’t the case. Nice job.
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I liked the dresses. I think they’re beautiful, but.. yeah. I would prefer a 1000 times more if the dresses where just as the movies.
When I was a kid, I LOVED Ariel’s dress. I even thought I would get married with a dress just like that.
January 20th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
In the little mermaid cartoon when Ariel married prince Eric the dress she wore then is the one i like the most. Will you ever design one like that and if you do what is the cost of said dress.
thx
Ariel
November 19th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
These dresses are beutiful and my fave is cinderella. But can you try and make 1 of cinderellas dress a light color of aqua marine?
November 14th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
can u show me a gown with fuschia pink with celedon green color?
November 14th, 2007 at 9:40 am
I am having a terrible time choosing a color scheme for my May wedding. My bridesmaid dresses are Davids Bridal cornflower blue, my moh is in dark blue and my wedding dress is white with tiny light pink iridescent jewels across the top 3 inches of my dress, must I tie in that pink in my colos scheme?
October 28th, 2007 at 11:27 am
i am looking for ideas for center pieces for a cinderella wedding
October 16th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
do you think black red pink and white are going to look stupid in my wedding?
September 11th, 2007 at 10:32 am
If you really want a unique wedding gown, check out Rivendell Bridal. Her stuff is really awesome.
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:44 am
Those of you who were criticizing the designs need to lighten up. The key word to keep in mind is Disney “Inspired” designs. Just because they are not identical to the cartoons, does not make them dissapointing. Have you ever heard of the words artistic or imaginative? I think the dresses are beautiful, and a modern rendition of the classic princesses.
August 17th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I have been obsessed with the Belle gown. Drove from Ottawa to Toronto just to try it on. I was surprised it fit just like a glove too bad I can’t afford it. I was a princess for 5 minutes.
July 30th, 2007 at 9:58 am
July 28th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
After reading what everyone else had said i totaly agree. Im having a cinderella wedding but thats not what i picture as a “cinderella” wedding dress!!!!
July 15th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I’ve already chosen my dress but I really loved the Aurora/Sleeping Beauty dress. The inspiration was wonderful and I can see why they didnt replicate those dresses exactly. The Ariel and Jasmine are beautiful too. I wasnt too impressed with the Cinderella or the Belle. I agree with kitten52105 about the Belle dress, I picture the Yellow/Gold gown she wore! Other than that they were very unique!
July 14th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
I think you guys are kind of missing the point- it’s more of a concept- kind of an artsy point of view.
If you have a bit of imagination you can see the tie in, and what fun would it be if it were exact?
Grow up.
July 14th, 2007 at 12:33 am
I was very disappointed in these gowns! I expected to see nothing short of amazing gowns and all I saw was just okay. I don’t really see the Disney Princess connection either. What a let down.
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:22 pm
July 1st, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I liked the jasmin dress and the snow white as well. However, I certainly didn’t see the true Disney tie-in. With the standards Disnesy usually holds for itself, it definitely looks like they’ve lowered them this time. These dresses aren’t anything you couldn’t find in any other bridal shop. When I think of a Disney Princess I imagine an enchanted beauty….something I definitely don’t see in any of these dresses. Likely, poor brides out there will be overcharged for a David’s Bridal knockoff.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:26 am
dude you guys total messed this up none of them are even closely related to the real disney princess’s you guys are oh my god.. just totally making people over pay on stuff thats not even real!
June 21st, 2007 at 9:21 pm
June 13th, 2007 at 10:51 am
The Ariel and Jasmine dresses were the only ones where I could see any inspiration from the characters. My daughter’s favorite movie ever is Sleeping Beauty, and instead of the lovely portrait neckline and graceful sleeves, there was a tank top. A full skirt was the only connection, and you can get that from any line. The designer needs to go back to her drawing board.
June 12th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Love the new dresses. Who cares if they are Disney inspired. If you love the look….. My favorites were Belle & Cinderella. I can see these more on a younger bride, however, they were all beautiful and could make you feel like a princess.
June 11th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
June 11th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
June 8th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
The dresses are beautiful.
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:32 pm
i totally loved the Belle & Jasmine dresses!!! I have 2 agree with Jovan, the Jasmine dress does look sexier.
But i just CANNOT decide b-tween either 1 for my wedding in September!!!
May 26th, 2007 at 9:09 am
May 26th, 2007 at 6:48 am
I will certainly not be wearing any those dresses. They aren’t nearly the same class as the other bridal gowns so therefore i just call them plain old dresses. Of course I’ve already decided on a gown made by the Australian designer Maggie Sottero, so if you’ve ever seen her work you’d see why I could never settle for something so drab.
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:03 am
I think they are beautiful! However, I don’t think I would ever wear a “Disney” dress…. “what are you wearing?’, “Ummmm……… Disney.”, “Disney? are you 12?” Especially on my wedding day, I want to be sophisticated and mature. My suggestion to Disney is to market the dresses under a different name, a sub entity owned by Disney…. something more mature sounding.
May 21st, 2007 at 11:34 am
I really thought that the Jasmine dress and the Belle dress were pretty representative of their character’s, but if I saw all the others without their character labels, I would just think of all the other gowns I’ve seen in magazines. And I heard they will cost between $1,100-$3000!!! One can find a much more unique gown for that.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I really like the Jasmine dress. It’s a little sexier than a “regular” empire waist gown.
I’m too impressed about the overall line for my special day.
May 12th, 2007 at 1:27 am
I don’t know. I understand that they’re “inspired” by the characters, and I really see that in the sketches. However, the completed dresses are pretty bland. They look just like hundreds of dresses I’ve seen before. I just expected a little more creative license with the gowns.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
I agree that I was disappointed to see the less than elegant gowns. The Belle and Cinderella gowns are my favorites but prob. wouldnt wear them in my wedding. Well maybe next time. I expected a more princessy look for these gowns and they have been contemporized.
May 2nd, 2007 at 4:03 pm
May 1st, 2007 at 1:41 pm
I thought they were lovely - but not all of them were as representative of the characters as I thought they would be. That being said - they are “inspired” by the characters and of course, each person would capture that inspiration in a different way - this is Kelly’s view of those characters.
May 1st, 2007 at 10:16 am
April 29th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
my favorite all time character was Belle for her knowledge & less girly-ness. but these dresses dont remind me of their weddings at all- way off the mark! personally i think they look cheap and not well made at all. that said belle’s was the closest but my favorite was snow whites. very simple & elegant.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Not what I expected. They don’t seem very representative of the characters at all. The characters wore dresses in the movies that are very distinct and recognizable to that princess.. Where are they? (Aside from the Belle gown, which is probably the closest to the actual gown in the movie) Very disappointing.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Totally disappointed in them
April 17th, 2007 at 7:32 am
You can see the dresses here.
new Disney Dresses
They’re very pretty
April 17th, 2007 at 6:23 am
I have viewed the gowns at the Disney website. They are tasteful and elegant. And, interestingly enough, limited to sizes 2-14 for the most part. Having been married at the Wedding Pavilion at WDW, with the reception at the Grand Floridian, I knew Disney was capable of pulling off the line of wedding dresses in an appropriate, modern way. The dresses are inspired by, not heavily based upon, the princess characters.
April 4th, 2007 at 1:49 am
i am also looking for the mermaid stle gown