Local brides put emphasis on body-conscious

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i brides as a whole have been slower to adopt the sexy gown styles of their Mainland counterparts.

Still, over the past few years, there has been a trend toward more body-conscious wedding gowns. Brides are asking for strapless and spaghetti-strap dresses. Silhouettes are slim, sleek and A-line rather than full. It's more Hepburn than Cinderella. The fairytale-princess look is out.

Roseanne Beyer, wedding coordinator for Haleiwa Joe's at Haiku Gardens, who helps plan outdoor weddings, said the trend in Hawai'i is "more sensuous than sexy. There's not a lot of bareness. Although the gowns may be sleek and strapless, our brides add a chiffon shawl for a little coverage."

Leslie Nakagawa, vice president of Bridal Emporium, said wedding gowns with lower backs and more skin showing are popular with local brides this season. The look is simpler and less froufrou than past years. There's also a trend toward embroidered fabrics, as opposed to lace and beads.

At Princess Bridal, manager Irene Nagahara said they have more requests for plunging backs, and the silhouette is definitely closer to the body. A few are asking for short dresses, but nothing close to a mini.

KHON news anchor Malia Mattoch, who is getting married May 25 at a beachside resort on the Big Island, may be ahead of the curve: She will wear a sexy gown by Monique Lhuillier from Neiman Marcus. It's extremely body-conscious, cut on the bias, with a back that goes "down to there." Only tiny spaghetti straps across the back and shoulders hold it together.

For a beach wedding, she said, "A formal gown would look out of place."

Her fiance will wear a linen shirt, so she wanted something with the same degree of informality. "I wanted something that looked like a wedding dress but wasn't traditional," Mattoch said.