Today, national paraphernalia is gaining popularity, which is present almost everywhere: in hats, accessories, shoes, clothes and other details of everyday life. Not only famous designers, but also ordinary designers, as well as studio workers, caught this feature. And away we go. Shops, markets, boutiques and other retail outlets, including bridal salons, were filled with goods with traditional ornaments. And the most spectacular were the wedding dresses in the Russian style. What is so special about them? What national outfits were before? And what have they become today? What does modern fashion offer charming Russian brides?
What was the wedding dress like before?
Many people know about the ornament, colors and even some details of the wardrobe worn by brides in Russia. Only not everyone knows that the wedding dress weighed about 10 kg (or even more). Are you shocked? But the ladies of that time, this outfit did not seem so supernatural. On the contrary, it was a matter of pride, as it was created manually. Moreover, the brides themselves were engaged in design and tailoring. It was believed that the more all kinds of patterns on the wedding dress, the more hardworking the wife will be.
It is noteworthy that the Russian folk dress of the bride was worn over the underdress of the shirt, which was also sewn and decorated independently. By the way, creating an entire outfit was a very time-consuming process. And the point is not even the amount of decor, which covered clothes from top to bottom, but among the many skirts that add splendor. All of them were also made by the hands of a craftswoman.
Show me your dress and I'll tell you who you are
Since the wedding was considered a very costly affair (little has changed since then), in many families there was a tradition of passing the wedding attire from mother to daughter and further along the female line. In addition, each owner of the outfit had to add something from herself to it. The result was beautiful sundresses studded with pearls, precious stones, and beads.
Wedding dresses in the Russian style could be decorated with brocade robes. They were attended by national embroidery with gold and colored threads. And, of course, by how expensive the bride’s dress looked, those around could judge the financial situation and social status of her parents.
Accordingly, if the family was poor, then the wedding attire itself was much more modest. It was no frills, but there was a national symbolism.
Headdresses of brides in Russia
Like a wedding sundress, the headdress for brides of that time was also created by the hands of young craftswomen. And, of course, its variety and number of decorative elements depended on the wealth of the bride's family. So, ordinary village girls put on a head a wreath of wildflowers. Or they used satin ribbons as decoration.
Wealthier brides could decorate their hair with high hoops with inlaid stones, pearls or hide their hair under the fashionable wedding kokoshnik at that time. A striking addition to such gowns was jewelry made of gold, silver or bronze.
In winter, the bride’s dress was covered with warm outerwear. Over the outfit, poor brides wore sheepskin, sheepskin or squirrel sheepskin coats, and rich bridesmaids wore fur coats made from beaver, fox or sable skins. Hands warmed in fur muffs or mittens.
National outfits are an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Despite the fact that a lot of time has passed, national Russian costumes continue to interest modern fashionistas. And for most designers, Russian folk dress has become an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Of course, modern fashion trends are somewhat far from the original wedding costumes of Russian women, but they still have common decorative elements and cut features.
What dresses do designers offer brides?
Few of today's fashionistas would agree to wear kokoshniks and sundresses of the past. It is much more pleasant to choose designer wedding dresses in the Russian style. In addition, modern couturiers have done everything possible to preserve the delicate strings of the past in their creations, slightly embellishing them with completely new touches. For example, during fashion shows you can see spectacular outfits with a wide and long skirt on the floor or chic dresses in a semi-adjacent style.
As an option, you can choose dresses and sundresses A-shaped. In such outfits, any bride, as a rule, looks elegant and graceful. And most importantly, they are ideal for women with any type of figure. Recall that this style of clothing traditionally consists of a bodice and a long skirt, expanding from the waist zone.
What colors are used in the design?
In order for the Russian wedding dress to look as spectacular as possible, modern designers use a certain combination of colors. For example, among such models, predominantly white classic colors prevail in the bride’s clothes. However, a striking addition for them is embroidery or printed ornament in red or blue.
If the bride’s choice falls on a stylized outfit, then instead of the classic decoration she will have to put on a red sundress, complemented by a white blouse with sleeves-lanterns. It is noteworthy that this can be a fitted or flared style, or a dress a la "Natasha Rostova" (consists of a bodice and a fluffy skirt that begins to expand from the chest).
Among other colors that are used in Russian wedding suits, you can also find the following shades:
- sand;
- cream;
- blue and blue.
In the ornament, which abundantly covers the bride’s dress, there may be green, rowan, pink, bright lingonberry, yellow, silver and gold colors.
What fabrics are used?
To create wedding models of clothes in the Russian style, as a rule, natural materials are used. For this purpose, for example, cotton or linen. But since such fabrics that are light and pleasing to the body wrinkle strongly, very thin staples are often used instead.
By the way, it already contains viscose thread and cotton. He almost does not crease and drapes perfectly (creates the desired number of folds or shuttlecocks). Here are just wedding dresses in the Russian style, created from such material, are suitable only for summer weddings. This is due to the fact that cotton is sewn mainly for summer wedding sundresses and outfits. It is very light and suitable for creating any style of clothing. It can be white dresses with narrow or wide straps, flared skirts, fitted or semi-adjacent silhouette.
A few simple rules for creating the image of a Russian bride
Despite such a wide variety of models of wedding dresses made in the Russian style, there are a number of rules that should be followed when creating them. For example, a traditional wedding costume with national motifs should be made in a restrained style. This means that the models should not be supplemented with a too deep neckline or an overly frank cut.
If we talk about the length, then many fashion designers prefer not to focus on any one. Therefore, among their works you can see not only long dresses on the floor, but also medium-long models (mini styles are much less common) with fitted or semi-fitted silhouettes. They may contain shuttlecocks, stitching with lace, sleeves-lanterns and necessarily a folk ornament or printed pattern.
Wedding dresses in the Russian style: decor and decoration
The traditional wedding costume of a Russian woman, no doubt, should be bright and expressive. This effect can be achieved by decorating the fabric with a national ornament, for example, it should be a print or a beautiful embroidery (gold and color threads, ribbons). It is noteworthy that embroidery can be present in various places of the outfit, but most often on the sleeves, in the chest, waist and hem of the skirt.
What can I wear a wedding dress with?
Choosing wedding dresses in the Russian folk style, you should take care of additional accessories and shoes. For example, for a beautiful and long outfit, light ballet flats are suitable, for a dress of medium length (depending on its color scheme) - ankle boots. And, of course, the type of shoe directly depends on the time of year when the wedding takes place. In summer, these are sandals, in autumn - shoes, and in winter - neat shoes or boots.
Additionally, the outfit can be decorated with red beads or a string of white pearls. On the head you can wear a modern version of the kokoshnik, a wreath of artificial or natural flowers, or weave ribbons. And your long and luxurious braid will complete your look.
But most importantly, all accessories and the outfit itself must be combined, because without harmony you will not be able to achieve the desired effect. And subject to these simple nuances, you will become a real Russian bride in a traditional wedding dress.