An ever-growing bridal trend this season, those dramatic and glamourous mermaid skirts have come back into popularity of late. Better yet, bridal designer Isabelle Armstrong has gone ahead and reworked these skirts to encompass dresses full of elegance and glamour in her fall 2015 collection. We love mermaid skirt wedding dresses for the same reason that celebrities love wearing this style at all their red carpet events. A mermaid skirt, or trumpet skirt, is usually a strapless dress with a form fitting bodice that continues to the knee, where the skirt then cascades out in either a simple flare or at times, layers of tulle. However, the modern twist that has been put on this dress of late is the chapel trail. Along with a flared skirt and flattering bodice, the skirt then leads into a billowing trail that extends out in that same graceful arc behind the skirt, making it a tasteful and glamorous end to the dress.
Theses dresses are the perfect combination of formal and sensual for a wedding, when a bride can opt for ornate and classic designs and fabric without having to sacrifice her curves. A mermaid wedding dress combines the best of both worlds when brides think that they have to make a choice of either or – an organza ball gown or a straight sheath dress. With this artful combination, a bride can have both a flattering flair with a figure hugging bodice. This season, Isabelle Armstrong has created mesmerising wedding gowns with stunning skirts to give you an unlimited option of mermaid gowns to choose from.
Her most popular were the trumpet skirts in layers of tulle. This season, Isabelle Armstrong clearly loved creating skirts with volume and emphasis at the end of her gowns. This included layers of tulle and ruffles, with silk and satin edging along the tufts at the base. This created a very dramatic and show-stopping effect, having a tight and somewhat minimally decorated bodice with the gown ending in an attention grabbing skirt. However, as is the allure with most mermaid skirts, there was an even balance between both accents of the dress. The vivid skirt didn’t entirely captivate the eye and leave nothing else to be noticed. Due to the careful placement of the skirt very low down on the silhouette, and the added volume just at the base of the knee means that the dip in the waist is accentuated more so than ever. Many of them come with a strapless bodice, where the frame and set of the shoulder and collar bone are made to look more angular and petite against the dramatic flair at the knees and the curve of the waist. The best kept secret behind this gown, or rather the formerly best kept secret, is that it is structurally designed in such a way that all three components of the top, middle and end compliment and flatter each other in terms of balance and harmony.
Another huge style feature that Isabelle Armstrong used in this collection was what we touched on earlier, the chapel trail. Almost every bride has seen the ceremonious trails over 15 feet long draping behind brides and think, with disappointment, that despite how lovely they are, they would be too impractical to have on your wedding day. Well this time, Isabelle Armstrong has the perfect gown for you. The same silhouette as a mermaid gown, these wedding dresses have also incorporated a sincere trail that’s the ideal length surrounding the end of the skirt. The skirts that have been used in these wedding dresses aren’t as dramatic as tulle or ruffles, but rather consist of just a simple flair that allows the eye to fall on the trail when turned around. Ideal for a bride who wants to inject a bit of glamour into a traditional gown, the classic trail makes a perfect partner to the modern, flattering mermaid skirt.
Two of our favourites here (because it was impossible to pick just one) were the Helena dress and the Josie dress. The Helena dress had a full satin finish with glittering sequin straps that continued to work in intricate leaf patterns on the back. The simplicity of this Isabelle Armstrong creation is that it has just the right amount of adornment on top and is complemented by a stunning and subtle trail that extends just out past the flair of the trumpet skirt. It's an established dress with an old Hollywood feel, elegant and glamorous. The Josie gown is much more traditional in style, with an entire body of light lace covering the gown, that lead up to the main focal point of the dress, which is its trail. The trail erupts from the dipped back in a second, sheathed layer of lace that flows out and around the mermaid skirt. This dress is timeless and beautiful, perfect for a bride who wants a sense of tradition with an edge of lavishness trailing behind her.
If it’s a flattering wedding dress that you are searching for with a unique style and eye-catching detail in the skirt and bodice, then Isabelle Armstrong is the designer for you. Her fall 2015 collection is bursting with dramatic mermaid skirts, dainty bodices and elegant fabrics. These wedding dresses are perfect for a confident bride who wants to combine timeless style with a modern, dramatic finish.
- Roisin Curran
Image Credits: Fall 2015 Collection: Isabelle Armstrong