Bridal Fashion Week has come and gone in New York! I was so excited to go through all the looks from this season’s “Fall 2027” collections and report back to you.
We’ve dug into the collections of more than 16 designers, ranging from a bridal couture house in Tel Aviv to a family-run atelier in Puglia and a new bridal label out of Seattle. All the gowns you see below will land in stores next spring, but I’m sure many similar styles are already on the rack or will be popping up at designer trunk shows throughout the year.
Galia Lahav‘s head designer Sharon Sever summed up the season’s mood better than I could:
Couture should never ask a woman to fit the dress. The dress has to rise to the occasion of fitting the woman. If everyone can have the same thing, we have probably missed the point.
Sharon Sever, Galia Lahav, in the house’s Fall 2027 collection notes
So take this info with you at your next appointment (or three…or five), and keep these silhouettes in mind when you’re shopping:
Are Drop Waists Back for 2027?
Yes. Mira Zwillinger built her whole capsule around “elongated low-waist silhouettes” (her words). Capsule aside, a lot of other designers were playing in the drop-waist department as well, with corsets that nipped below the waist before meeting the skirt: Dreams by Lihi Hod, Hera Couture, Nardos, Heli Kalkstein, Galia Lahav, Arava Polak, and Verdin.
The drop-waist, also referred to as the basque waist when it ends in a point or a curve low on the hips, has been popping up more frequently on the bridal runways recently. For brides who want to add (at least the perception of!) four more inches onto their stature, a drop-waist gown elongates the torso and gives the look some definition and purpose. I especially love seeing drop-waist on structured ballgowns, as it gives the look a little something extra. However, since these nips below the natural waist tend to be structured and are cut to fit snugly at the hips, if you carry your weight in that area (hi) I would definitely shop drop-waist styles and dresses with a natural waist in the same shopping appointment and see how both feel.
Is Strapless Still in Style for Wedding Dresses?
If there was no sparkle, it had a straight neckline. Fall 2027 was calling all the no bust dips, no illusion necklines, and no beads. The strapless gowns that came through my inbox were plain-as-day satin dresses without a hint of beading, with all the interest in the shape.
Some standouts included Alma by Lihi Hod, a silk satin column with a train, and Valentina by Hera Couture, a satin A-line dress with a straight neckline and a basque waist. Other beautiful examples of this trend include Verdin’s Rain, Nardos Look 14, and Heli Kalkstein’s Bell.
A beautifully-cut strapless dress with a clean neckline (either curved or straight) is a sure-fire photo taker because there’s nothing competing with your face (or fighting for attention)! Just go in with the understanding that you might need more help (aka more than willpower) staying up in these during the dance party. That’s an alterations question, and it’s near the top of our list of questions to ask at your dress fitting.
One Dress, Two Looks: Toppers, Sleeves, and Overskirts
Fall 2027 brides-to-be, I saw lots of gowns that you could add pieces to, and pieces that you could remove, for two looks in one. From sheer lace toppers, to removable sleeves, to an overskirt to hide a mini dress in plain sight, Fall 2027 was all about options when it came to covering (and uncovering) shoulders. Lee Petra Grebenau’s collection notes call them “transformative elements.”
I spied high-neck toppers that can be pinned or strapped to dresses to change a look up, including Heirloom by Lee Petra Grebenau, which adds sheer sleeves and a neckline with a keyhole. In many designers’ collections (like Dreams by Lihi Hod) they photographed their gowns with and without the toppers, to drive home the two looks for one.
Hera Couture pushed the convertible trend this season: Darcy features a bustle train that zips on at the back of the dress and can also be worn over the shoulders like a cape. Meanwhile, Cici by Mira Zwillinger was the mini-dress-under-a-full-skirt trend embodied, and shows how a dramatic overskirt can transform the whole feel of a gown.
These pieces will be perfect for church brides who want to be demure in front of the congregation but bare those shoulders when the dancing starts. Ask your boutique if these pieces are included in the price of the dress (or if they’ll add a little something extra to the bottom line, probably something in line with the price of your girls’ dresses!).
Big Satin Skirts Are Back (Bring a Friend to Carry It)
One thing that’s for sure: this year’s bridal fabrics have heft. Duchesse satin, silk Mikado, Shantung, taffeta and silk faille were all over the collections. Ballgown silhouettes came in these heavier fabrics and had more shape via big, dramatic folds and pleats. Dreams by Lihi Hod’s Nelly and Abi, in taffeta and Shantung, Cosette from Hera Couture with its boxed-pleat skirt, and the duchess silk satin throughout Nardos’s lookbook show this trend best. During its New York debut, Seattle-based Soul Mates Bridal filled room after room with satin ball gowns with bows.
If you opt for a dramatic satin ballgown, note: it’ll need to be bustled a certain way. These gowns need to be French bustled with a few anchoring points; your regular one-hook-and-go bustle won’t cut it. Plus, full-skirted, heavy satin dresses hold body heat, which isn’t something you’ll feel in tulle. So if your wedding is outside, on an August day, this trend might not be for you. Still, the shape these skirts have is wonderful. And unlike tulle, the dresses don’t swoosh, they rustle.
High Necks and Long Lace Sleeves
Last year’s lace-sleeved gowns were flowy, boho-ish. This year is more covered up, in a different, Victorian kind of way. Look for high necklines, pointed sleeves and cuffs at the wrist, and sheer yokes: Cadenza and Odéon from Lee Petra Grebenau, Looks 5, 6 and 15 throughout Nardos’s lookbook, Valentini’s high-neck lace gowns, and Amber by Arava Polak. Galia Lahav’s One of One line had some gorgeous examples, too; Capri is the best.
Hera Couture’s creative director Katie Yeung wrote that the entire collection was inspired by the Renaissance, and that “corsetry is no longer about restriction. It becomes a source of strength, confidence and beautiful structure.” A lot of these high necks are the removable toppers from above, which is a good option in this category if you’d like the look at the ceremony but would rather not have a lace choker while eating. We have a whole roundup of long sleeve wedding dresses if you want to see how this shape works on a range of budgets.
Sheer Corsets and Boning You Can See
The other side of the covered-up trend is the see-through corset, where the lining is skin-toned (or missing) and the lace sits right on top of you. Heli Kalkstein explored it throughout her Solaris collection (her descriptions mention a “sheer corset with delicate boning” on gown after gown), Julie Vino Couture‘s notes say the corsetry “exposes construction with intention,” and throughout Galia Lahav’s new line, No Filters, the graphic, clean lace highlights the trend. From the No Filters collection notes:
Cleaner silhouettes, sharper proportions, graphic lace, fluid satins, elongated lines, sculpted shapes, and sheer elements bring a new ease to the House’s signature corsetry and craftsmanship.
Galia Lahav, No Filters collection notes
When shopping for dresses in this category, have your consultant bring different bras and undies to get an accurate sense of how sheer the dress is; try dresses on in rooms with natural lighting (and view them from behind) to get a more honest sense of how sheer the dresses really are.
A dress can look perfectly opaque under a boutique’s lighting, yet extremely sheer at your outdoor wedding, come 4 p.m.
Mini Wedding Dresses (With a Skirt to Put on Top)
Nearly every designer sent me mini dresses, many styled with sheer or embroidered overskirts. Here are some I loved: Cici by Mira Zwillinger, a lace mini with long illusion sleeves; three minis from Nardos (one is actually a three-piece ensemble: the mini is a halter, and it comes with a lacy topper and a corseted column skirt); a beaded mini from Julie Vino Couture; and Colin by Arava Polak, styled with its sheer overskirt. I also loved the beaded, ruffled mini by first-time bridal designer Bi Pham, formerly of Dior’s embroidery atelier (that dress with those sneakers!).
The skirt situation means you can have a gorgeous, full wedding dress for the aisle and by 9 p.m., be dancing around in a cute dress. Or opt for one of these dresses if you plan a second celebration, or if you’re just getting married at City Hall. We keep a list of the best short wedding dresses if you’d rather skip the couture prices.
3D Flowers That Look Like They’re Floating
Where flowers used to be appliquéd or embroidered flat onto lace, designers are incorporating dimensional flowers between layers of tulle, making them look like they’re hanging in space. Check out Rio by Mira Zwillinger for one of the best examples: the flowers (made from flower-embossed silk Mikado, according to Zwillinger) are positioned by hand inside the skirt, and continue onto the veil. Nardos showed two dresses with floral appliqués blooming across the trains, plus a completely appliquéd veil. Arava Polak named her collection La Pure Bloom and described it as inspired by Impressionist paintings of flowers.
If your dress isn’t covered in appliqués, you can achieve a similar effect at a lesser price tag with a flower-covered veil, which can also come off later for the party portion of the wedding.
Bows (the Bigger the Better)
Bows are taking over this season, too: look for them at the back of dresses, by the waistline, in approximately throw-pillow-size dimensions. See: the Verdin Ellie, the satin ballgown (with bow back) by Julie Vino Couture, Nardos’s “sculptural back half-bow” on a ballgown, and Soul Mates Bridal’s strapless satin gowns with bows at the hips. There’s also a gorgeous oversized bow at the hip of Lihi Hod’s Liri dress.
Bows, like veils, can come off at the reception. And if you fall in love with a dress but want a bow, your seamstress can probably create one from leftover material from the hem. Bonus: guests spend the most time looking at the back of the dress during the ceremony, which makes the back of the gown the star of that portion of the day (and the photos).
The Slit Is Back on Wedding Dresses
About half the Julie Vino Couture dresses had thigh slits. The trend continues at Verdin in the Aster and Penelope dresses, in Galia Lahav’s Janis from No Filters, and in the Jasmine by Heli Kalkstein, which her notes describe with a “daring thigh-high slit.”
Before falling in love with a slit, consider all the times your shoes will be seen (hint: all of them), the potential challenges of sitting down at dinner with one (hint: there are a few), and dancing. Ask yourself, too, if the windy weather forecast for your outdoor ceremony would be kind to a high slit. And when you go for a fitting, sit down in it in an actual chair (the kind you’d sit in during dinner), not on the pedestal.
Wedding Pants, Suits, and Separates
Mira Zwillinger’s Nura set is actually a wide-leg lace pants and strapless lace corset duet. Nardos has a three-piece lace set. Bi Pham, who debuted his bridal line this season, incorporated a bit of the menswear trend as well: ivory wool pants with a hand-beaded tulle shirt and an embellished tulle train, a tuxedo shirt with a cummerbund that turns into a train, and a velvet suit in bordeaux.
Galia Lahav’s press release calls its new collection, No Filters, “a bridal wardrobe rather than a single definition of what a bride should look like,” which sums up the sentiment. Sharon Sever, the house’s head designer, says of this generation of brides, “This generation looked at us and basically said, ‘Why would I want to become someone else?’ I love that.” I bet we’ll start to see more women wearing the pants to the rehearsal dinner or the after-party, and the dress to the ceremony. We could totally see it.
Veils, Juliet Caps, and Pearl Headpieces
Veils continue to be big for 2027, with Nardos showing both a dramatic sweep of a veil covered with floral appliqués as well as a cathedral-length veil trimmed with lace. Lee Petra Grebenau’s Delina also comes with a cathedral-length veil trimmed with lace. Valentini, the Italian bridal house that started out making veils and headpieces sixty years ago, showed tons of gorgeous styles. Elsewhere, Dreams by Lihi Hod accessorized their gown Ever with a 1920s-inspired fitted lace Juliet cap.
Other headpieces ranged from Alon Livné’s headdresses of pearl and shell (fitting, since the label’s collection had an under-the-sea theme) and a pearl hood to corsets embellished with antique jewelry, conches, and actual seashells.
If you’re on the fence about what kind of wedding dress to choose, consider shopping for a simple style (within your budget) and adding drama and interest with an affordable Juliet cap or a lace-trimmed cathedral-length veil. Our wedding veils guide covers the lengths and what they cost.
Black, Bordeaux, and Champagne Wedding Dresses
Some designers, think Bi Pham, fully leaned into black, showing not only a black velvet corset wedding dress (styled with a tulle veil trimmed in black lace) but also a black gown of hand-beaded tulle and even a bordeaux velvet suit. Elsewhere, champagne hues warmed Lee Petra Grebenau’s gown Neroli, and Arava Polak layered lace in “crisp white, warm creams and delicate shades of powder blush.” Other labels, including Lihi Hod and Galia Lahav, offered wedding gowns in cream and deep ivory, not stark white.
While I doubt most of you will don an entirely black wedding dress (unless it’s very corseted and paired with a black tulle veil, Ã la Pham, in which case, maybe), shopping for a cream or champagne-toned dress would soften lace work and offer more depth in wedding photos. Plus, a blush or champagne colored wedding dress won’t start a familial uproar. (We have a whole post on black wedding dresses if you want the full version.)
What to Do With All of This
Don’t shop for a trend. Still, knowing some of the key bridal fashion trends for 2027 might help you shop more efficiently, particularly as you discuss your dress vision with a bridal boutique consultant. For example, instead of describing your vision as modern, you may want to ask for a wedding dress with a basque waist and a detachable lace topper.
Timing-wise, from my Smart Wedding Planner: “Before you start your dress search, you’ll want to know your budget,” “plus 4-12 weeks for alterations.” Plus any additional purchases like a topper or jacket. Gowns are typically ordered 8-12 months out, which means if you’re getting married in fall 2027, it’s time to start wedding dress shopping!
When you do start wedding dress shopping, don’t be afraid to try dresses totally outside your wheelhouse. I thought I was a lace girl. I was not a lace girl. So give satin a whirl, wear the mini (add an overskirt if it feels necessary), and try everything your heart desires!
Photos courtesy of the designers: Galia Lahav, Dreams by Lihi Hod, Mira Zwillinger, Hera Couture, Lee Petra Grebenau, Nardos, Verdin New York, Bi Pham, Heli Kalkstein (photographed by Daniel Elster), and Soul Mates Bridal (@soulmatesbridal, photographed by Slavik Lyzhov, @slavik_lyzhov).
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