How the Wedding Dress Got So Slutty

Forget teenagers and the G train — the thing that’s really falling into a state of disarray these days is our wedding attire. Yep, we’re slut-shaming bridal gowns now. Their hems are too short, their hues too saturated, and their price tags too cheap. We’re looking at you, H&M — how can you expect “’till deal do us part” when you’re giving away your special parts (erm, that embellished neckline) in exchange for $99 and a damn good, probably quite drunken, time?
Wedding Dresses 1775-2014, a new exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, offers a panorama of fashion over the last two centuries. via nearly 100 gowns on display. They range from antique society dresses and chaste Victorian whites to Gwen Stefani’s pink-drenched Dior confection, making pit stops at wartime ’40s and the ’60s sexual revolution. Other designers include Charles Frederick Worth, Norman Hartnell, Charles James, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Vera Wang. But it inadvertently, as Fast Company points out, delves into the deeper implications of the dress’ moral dissolution.
It’s unlikely that the Victoria and Albert Museum’s intention was to slut-shame our gowns, but the exhibition is cast into a new light as an increasing number of fast fashion brands offer affordable gowns for the betrothed 20-something without loaded parents to bankroll the wedding. Or who just want to dig into cake and champagne without fear of soiling $10,000 of tulle. Reformation also recently launched a collection of eight gown styles ranging from ivory silk wedding dresses ($518 to $588) to bridesmaids dresses ($198 to $368) and they look as good for post-marriage brunching as they do for walking down the aisle.
Here’s a timeline of our favorite exhibition trends and their accompanying gowns, with some less traditional developments thrown in for good measure. This is 2014, dammit, and our dresses can be as lose as they damn well like. (If you even intend to get married, that is — we’re totally here for the cat lady gown too.)
1848: The White Wedding
Brides didn’t always wear white, and not because they weren’t virgins. Queen Victoria proved quite the sartorial trailblazer when she wed Prince Albert in white back in 1840, and white satin soon caught on as nothing more than a status symbol. This flouncy frock worn by Henrietta Woodcock at her 1848 marriage to John Bell is testament to the fact that white’s not easy to keep clean, especially when you couldn’t just drop something off at the dry cleaners. (The conservator allocated 25 hours for the wet cleaning of the lace overdress of this particular one, and it’s looking good.) Maybe gowns were never virginal to begin with?
1933: Hollywood Takes Hold

Acclaimed society beauty and gossip columnist favorite Margaret Whigham wed Charles Sweeny in a decadent gown that took its inspiration from Hollywood. Designed by Norman Hartnell, it is made from ivory satin, and appliquéd with orange blossoms, outlined with faux pearls and bugle beads. But the most batshit impressive design feature is its integral train, which is 3.70 metres long, 2 metres wide, and embellished with beading and tulle. The video below shows this also makes it a bitch to transport.

Dianna Agron is angelic in white peasant dress

Dianna Agron looked angelic in white while attending a wildlife fundraising event on Saturday.
The 28-year-old actress donned a long white peasant dress in chiffon fabric as she supported the Elephant Crisis Fund Gala in Malibu, Los Angeles.
The Glee star draped a white faux-fur shrug over her shoulders for a luxurious effect, and sported beige close-toed flats with white stitching.
Dreamy: Dianna Agron looked angelic in white while attending a wildlife fundraising event on Saturday
She highlighted her features with shimmering pinkish eye shadow, mascara, and pink lip gloss.
The Glee star wore her shoulder-length platinum blonde hair very straight with a side part.
She smiled demurely while posing before a shimmering pool of water surrounded by a wall of shrubbery and plenty of cacti.
Dianna attended the fundraising event at the luxury La Villa Contenta estate to benefit the Elephant Crisis Fund, co-hosted by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and Mark Wahlberg.
The beautiful blonde, along with stars such as Elizabeth Moss and Barbara Streisand, got to enjoy a farm to table feast and African-inspired cocktails, as well as a DJ, live entertainment, and a live auction with lavish prizes such a 10-day safari from travel company, ROAR AFRICA.
A single ticket cost $750. Gold donor status (including four premium tickets) cost $10,000, and platinum donor status (including eight premium tickets and VIP cocktail hour) cost $20,000.
The event aims to help save the elephants, with an estimated 35,000 lost each year to poachers driven by the ivory trade, according to the event’s website.
Meanwhile, Dianna can be seen in the upcoming 2014 drama, Zipper, about a family man who has it all, but risks losing everything because of his obsessive temptation when it comes to other women.

She can also be seen in the 2014 thriller, A Conspiracy On Jekyll Island, about an ex-Wall Street guy who attempts to shut down a cyber-attack that could throw off the entire U.S. economy.

Clearly Emily Blunt the Hitting the Los Angeles streets in pants

We all have those days.
Clearly Emily Blunt did not feel like getting out of bed on Wednesday, hitting the Los Angeles streets in pants that looked far more like sleepwear than day attire.
But who could blame the 31-year-old for wanting a few extra minutes of sleep, as she probably does not get a lot at the moment having a two-month-old baby at home to care for.
Casual Wednesday: Emily Blunt did not feel like dressing up in Los Angeles, California
The Devil Wears Prada star, who is married to actor John Krasinski, gave first to their first child, Hazel, on February 16.
So it was no wonder, the British beauty was skipping getting all dressed up as she dashed around running a few errands with without her young daughter.
For her child-free day, the star wore her pyjama-inspired maroon and white spot pants, which also featured blue stripes down the sides, along with a chambray shirt and a pair of lace-up platform tan wedge sneakers.
Keeping things even more casual, the first time mom wore little makeup and pulled back her golden hair into a messy bun.
As if becoming a mother was not time consuming enough, the actress is about to be even busier soon with numerous films in the works
Emily is reportedly currently in talks to star in Sicario, alongside Benicio Del Toro.
The crime drama will be directed by French-Canadian Denis Villeneuve, who most recently helmed Enemy and Prisoners, both of which starred Jake Gyllenhaal.
She will also star as The Baker's Wife in the fantasy film Into The Woods, in which Meryl Streep's The Witch teaches important lessons to characters from an array of popular children's stories - including Cinderella (played by Anna Kendrick), The Wolf (Johnny Depp) and Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy).
The movie, which will see her reunited with Prada co-star Streep, is set to premiere this Christmas.
Meanwhile, on March 25, viewers got their first glimpse of the actress in full action woman mode in the trailer for sci-fi flick Edge Of Tomorrow, which hits cinemas on June 6.
Emily teams up with Tom Cruise in the high-energy film set in the future, which sees the pair do battle with aliens as she trains Tom's character with the necessary methods to defeat them.

Making things a little more challenging, Tom's character is forced to live his last day alive over and over again when he's caught in a time loop.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a bright green Catherine Walker coat-dress

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a bright green Catherine Walker coat-dress when she and Prince William visited Australia's National Arboretum this morning.
Kate was heard to say the outfit was making her "very hot" in the bright sunshine in Canberra.
She looked elegant as ever as she and Prince William planted a tree and chatted to schoolchildren during the visit.
The couple spoke to the youngsters about conservation projects during their 30-minute tour of the arboretum with its gardens, outdoor sculptures, amphitheatre, cafe, visitor centre and children's playground.
On arrival Kate and William were met by Ms Katy Gallagher MLA, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, who escorted them to Village Centre where they signed the Visitors book.
Then they went to the window to look at the stunning view - which included a sighting of Government House where George is staying.
The couple then planted an English Oak tree with the help of six-year-old twins Oliver and Sebastian Lye.
Sebastian has Down's Syndrome and also has a vision impairment and is hearing impaired - and wears glasses and hearing aids.
Sebastian recently received a little legend award from Gai Brodtmann for children achieving whilst dealing with adversity.
Their mother Moira Lye has had an ongoing battle with cancer over many years.
After Oliver and Sebastian watered the tree, Kate and William met selected school children who were involved with conservation projects and told Lillian Rowland, 15, from Alfred Deakin High School about their recycling habits.
She said: "We discussed what our school was doing towards being more sustainable.
"They were very interested.
"Kate said they were fanatical about recycling and when they have friends over if they put things in the wrong bin they will take it out and move it.
"Then the couple watched children play in the nearby play area before joining in, following them into little huts.
William spent several minutes in one hut and came out laughing: "Sorry, I got distracted."
Afterwards the couple met with some of the 50 members of the public who had won a ballot to be at the event.
New parents Daniel and Janice Spackman, both 36, were there with six week old Elsie.
Kate went over to them and said: "Congratulations, she's gorgeous."
Daniel said: "William asked is she sleeping well.
"I said 'I think she's a bit disappointed George isn't here today'.
"William said it's probably a good thing George didn't come.
"His hands and feet tend to fly everywhere with other babies."
Kate also spoke to Karen Vey, 39, who was with her son Harry, 10. They gave Kate children's book 'Where's the green sheep?'.
Karen said: "She said we were very lucky to have this beautiful weather, I
said I'm quite hot.
"She said she was very hot and I said 'you would be in that outfit."
Following the devastating 2003 bushfires in Canberra, the ACT Government dedicated an area of burnt-out pine forest west of the city as the site for
an innovative new national arboretum.
A national design competition was held for the new arboretum and in 2005 the winners were announced - Taylor Cullity Lethlean Landscape Architects and
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects with their '100 forests and 100 gardens' joint proposal.
Their winning concept focused on the establishment of 100 forests of rare, threatened and symbolic trees from Australia and around the world.
The master plan for the site included a mosaic of gardens, outdoor sculptures, amphitheatre, cafe, visitor centre, bonsai and penjing pavilion, children's playground, pavilion and a spacious outdoor events space.
Designed by Taylor Cullity Lethlean Landscape Architects, Pod Playground uses the idea of seeds as the beginning of life in the forest.
Pod Playground houses giant acorns floating in the sky and enormous banksia
cones nestled on the ground. A large net fort, nest swings, music-making
instruments and a musical bridge offer creative learning experiences.

The playground is designed to create wonder, imagination and enchantment and to encourage activity and spontaneity in play.

That Is Not Kim Kardashian's Wedding Dress

As Kim Kardashian wedding fever sweeps the celeb-watching nation, it's no surprise that not every report is going to be 100-percent accurate when it comes to what the E! star and fiancé Kanye West are really planning for their big day.
So, for the record, the picture of Kim in what appears to be a wedding dress on the cover of the latest issue of In Touch Weekly is not a true-to-life photo, according to the bride-to-be herself.
And the other pic, of a woman's backside as she struggles to zip up a white dress, is not her in any way, shape or form!
In Touch Weekly
In Touch clarifies within its pages that the image on the cover is a "Photo recreation" of what supposedly happened to Kim at a fitting, but a reader wouldn't come across that note until he or she has reached the article inside.
Moreover, Kim already took to Twitter today to blast the latest round of wedding rumors, including the ones surrounding her dress.
"Seeing fake wedding dress pics of me. No one has seen my dress! Those photos are old or [Photoshopped]," she wrote. "That's its! Unless you hear it from us please don't believe nonsense!"
E! News was first to report that Kim had her wedding gown all picked out—and of course she isn't letting photos of herself wearing it or of the designer garment itself make the rounds!
She "beyond loves it," a source told us.

And so we shall all wait to see it. In the meantime, Kim's been doing plenty of actual dressing up in real life. She stunned in a blue Lanvin gown with a thigh-hight slit at Monday night's Met Gala, hosted by her and daughter North's new bestie Anna Wintour.

Kendall Jenner Rocks Topshop At Met Gala

Kendall Jenner looked stunning in a light pink Topshop gown for the 2014 Met Ball. We’re sure she’ll turn a few heads tonight. HollywoodLifers, do you love her structured mermaid style gown as much as we do?
Kendall Jenner caused jaws to drop when the reality star chose to wear a form-fitting light pink mermaid style gown to the 2014 Met Ball in New York City, May 5. Looking every bit the rising top model that she is, the 18-year-old beauty chose an elegant Topshop dress to show off her amazing body. Do you love Kendall’s Met Ball look?
Kendall Jenner: 2014 Met Ball Look
Kendall’s star is certainly on the rise in the modeling world, and after seeing the beauty in this Topshop gown we can totally see why! Showing off her amazing dress on her Instagram, the young fashionista looks elegant and all grown up.
Putting her slim figure on display, the young star chose to wear a light pink mermaid style gown with structured paneling and a flared skirt. Pairing her daring and flattering dress with the perfect number of accessories, Kendall opted for a jewel encrusted clutch, and diamond necklace to complete her look.
To compliment her voluminous skirt, Kendall’s hair is teased, and kept out of her face. The style also adds drama and keeps the focus of her look on her amazing dress. In the photo we can see Kendall posing with her hand on her hip and head tilted down. We can also see that the beauty is rocking her signature bold brow with a light smokey eye.
Kendall Jenner In TopShop At The 2014 Met Ball Galla
Kendall loves Topshop – and even sat front row at the designers London Fashion Week show back in February — so it is no surprise that the Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s star chose to wear the brand to the Ball.

We think that this dress is the perfect fit for Kendall and a great choice for the Met Ball. It is daring yet elegant, just like the budding fashionista! Tell us, is this your favorite look on Kendall?

Say yes to the dress, but no to the fake

Christine Stachurski said yes to the dress - and then the dress turned out to be a fake.
"You get this thing in the back of your mind that says it's probably too good to be true and I should have listened to it," says Stachurski, 37, of Fontana, California.
The bride-to-be, who is getting married on Saturday, had been duped in a way that is becoming more common as consumers order discount dresses for weddings, proms and other special occasions from web sites.
The dresses don't come cheap, so it's easy to understand the drive to find a bargain. The average wedding dress cost is now $1,281, according to a survey of 13,000 brides and grooms released in March by TheKnot.com. Dresses that cost upwards of $3,000 are not unusual, and prices can go far higher.
Those who want to pay less go can go to a well-established U.S. retailer with an online presence, like David's Bridal, or sites that sell used couture, including Tradesy.com, NearlyNewlywed.com and oncewed.com. You can also go to a well-regarded local consignment shop.
But many shoppers are falling prey to counterfeiters operating through foreign-owned websites. An estimated 600,000 dresses were illegally sold in the United States last year, according to the American Bridal and Prom Industry Association, a trade group.
Stachurski and her fiancé were in the bargain market because they wanted to keep their beach wedding a low-budget affair. When she found the perfect dress for $136, she felt lucky. It even arrived on time.
But once Stachurski opened the package, she found the dress was not only a wrinkled mess, but was also mis-sized, had raw edges, bunched up fabric and other obvious flaws. "As my fiancé said, 'It looked like a drunken monkey put it together with a stapler.'"
After the seller, a China-based website, told her they would accept a return if she would pay the $90 shipping charge, PayPal agreed to refund the transaction. Stachurski ended up just going to the mall and buying a casual dress off the rack. An email from Reuters asking the site to comment about the issues was not answered.
LOTS OF TEARS
Stories about brides scrambling after getting a counterfeit dress are common, says Steve Lang, chief executive officer of the bridal dress company Mon Cheri Llc and president of the American Bridal and Prom Industry Association. He often hears of broken-hearted brides and prom-goers, with tales not only of missed weddings or proms, but also people who have had their identities stolen and their credit ruined.
"A dress that sells for $2,500 you can order for $195 and you expect it to be the same? Horrific differences," Lang says.
The association has been aggressively pursuing the counterfeit sites, winning a court order earlier this year that halted about 1,100 foreign-based sites and froze nearly $1 million in PayPal transactions alone, Lang says.
The problem had been accelerating at a break-neck pace, says Roanna Rose, owner of TJ Formal in Joplin, Missouri, who has been monitoring the scam sites for the association. When she first started keeping track in 2011, she had a list of about 150 suspected scam sites. The list now totals more than 7,000.
Some are particularly enterprising, Rose says. One counterfeiting site even used photos of the inside of her very own store to appear legitimate, she says.
"I had a huge online business and it dwindled down to nothing," Rose says. "I blame the counterfeiters."
HOW TO SPOT A FAKE
Warning signs abound for dresses that are not real. Seeing a big discount on a name-brand dress, or promises of inexpensive custom orders, are the biggest warning signs. Wedding dress prices are largely controlled by the makers and distributors, industry officials say.
Before ordering, be sure the site or retailer is on a list of authorized sellers of the dress manufacturer, the bridal association recommends. Consumers can also check reviews posted to the Better Business Bureau site or to forums such as RipoffReport.com and SiteJabber.com.
Also, be sure of the origins of the site. Consumers have far more protection when buying from U.S. vendors. Nearly every site on the bridal association's watch list is based in China, says Rose.

But not everyone who buys a cheap dress online is getting scammed, Rose notes. She actually has had customers come to the store to ask to get measured so they could buy the cheap fake online.