It's hard to think of an item of clothing that comes with more emotional subtext than the white dress. For generations, an ivory gown has been synonymous with marriage, symbolising the antiquated ideal of female virginal innocence that a woman ‘should’ present on her wedding day. It’s a visual embodiment of purity: an angelic state that, in reality, very few can actually relate to.
But on the SS24 catwalks, an alternative narrative unfolded; a slew of white garments found a fresh context at shows from Aaron Esh and Balenciaga to Chopova Lowena and Loewe. This new take on the white dress came imbued with a fresh spirit, rejecting archaic signifiers and ushering in a welcome feeling of renewal that felt more reflective of the modern woman. And it’s why I, an unmarried, un-fiancéed woman, whose wardrobe is largely made up of black-on-black, am willing to finally say ‘yes’ to The Big White Dress.
Now is as good a time as any for the white dress to expand its horizons. After all, fewer marriages are taking place (the percent-age of over-16s in England and Wales who are wed or in a civil partnership has fallen below 50%). And, for those who do choose to tie the knot, the traditional ivory-tulle look no longer has the same appeal. Like modern marriage, weddings today tend not to follow tradition so closely, with couples defining their own rules; a bride is increasingly likely to choose a dress (if it’s a dress at all) that tells a more personal story.
‘White is one of the most powerful and empowering neutrals,’says 16Arlington co-founder and creative director Marco Capaldo, one of the designers leading the renaissance by giving white looks a headline slot at his SS24 show. ‘If you think about [the shade] in a different context, then a canvas is white, a gallery wall is white. White enables beauty and the same thing happens when it’s applied to clothing.’
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Capaldo’s iteration for SS24 came with a focus on silhouette, be it fit to the figure or with a pannier-style waist, and white dresses offered up a gearshift in the AW24 collection, too.
‘Wearing white is a bold, confident move, but it’s not in anyway gaudy,’ he adds. Here, in Capaldo’s hands, the shade becomes something more complex and representative of the comprehensive 16Arlington woman. ‘There’s something about white that really feeds into the duality of 16Arlington. We’re constantly playing with these juxtapositions and tensions, and white is as equally clinical and sterile as it is sensual and alluring. White is a really phenomenal palate cleanser.’
It’s Capaldo’s description of a ‘palate cleanser’ that feels particularly apposite right now; a breath of fresh air, sartorially. And, thanks to the diversity of white dresses shown in the spring/summer 2024 collections, the garment got the expansive treatment. When I think about how I’ll do the white dress, options suddenly abound. Maybe it’ll be Chopova Lowena’s broderie-gone-punk, or Bottega Veneta’s collared shift. I enjoyed the belted options at Ferragamo and could, even, maybe, be tempted to attempt Gucci’s itsy-bitsy mini-dresses. Róisín Pierce’s take is great and girlish, as are Simone Rocha’s corsage-laden gowns.
For as much as white dresses have their bridal reputation, they also have the reputation for being immaculate. White shows everything, from the slightest stain to that missed, unironed crease, which is another reason I have avoided it in general, hiding behind the camouflage of black or the concealment of a busy print. I will always spill the spaghetti, but maybe that’s OK now. These white dresses are for living in, with feet on the ground and a splash of Merlot here and there.
The quiet power of a white frock is perhaps most apparent when lit by Hollywood’s spotlight. More Best Actress Oscars have been won in white than any other shade, including Michelle Yeoh in Dior in 2023. Where the loud and ostentatious, the gimmicky and the glamorous can fill column inches, opting for a white gown on a red carpet is a winning formula understood by Hollywood’s greatest heroines and a new generation of stars.
On carpets and catwalks alike, frosted shades are the go-to for those who want to make an impact quietly, rather than shouting of their sartorial prowess. ‘To me, white is the purest colour and often can make more of an impact as a sort of breather among all the fuss,’ says Nell Kalonji, an editorial and celebrity stylist who works with Shygirl, Yasmin Finney and Sophie Wilde.
Kalonji regularly turns to white for her clients’ award-show moments. ‘It would be a very limiting attitude to think of white as only being bridal, whatever “bridal” means these days,’ she says. ‘I wanted them to stand out, but for the look to feel pure and not too loud,’ she adds, of Shygirl’s Ferragamo and Wilde’s 16Arlington outfits. ‘I wanted the looks to feel easy at first sight, but focus on the details. The 16Arlington look Sophie wore to the AACTAs is the perfect example. It’s a simple dress, but it’s embroidered with large latex palettes. It’s elegant and feels effortless, but still fun and complex.’
What Kalonji describes here is something more representative of the modern woman. She doesn’t have to be pure and virginal, as a white dress once indicated, but is expansive and ever-changing. She’s knowing and self-assured, complex and detailed. Heck, maybe she’s even a bit messy. And even if she does want to wear white on her wedding day, with the average age of a bride in the UK now being about 33 years old, she has lived a life too.
When I think about my wedding dress, should I choose that day to ever come, I may wear white, like my mum, my grandma, my great-grandma. But I won’t wait until then, intimidated or embarrassed, to embrace the shade. White is no longer for one day, only rendered in tulle with a matching veil and a virtuous reputation, but for all of life’s eventualities.
The May issue of ELLE UK is out on newsstands on April 3.
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