“My aim is to design a wedding dress that makes the bride look beautiful, feel confident and relaxed, and improves her psychological state as well,” says Heba Idriss, a Jordanian fashion designer who has her own haute couture fashion house in Egypt. She graduated 20 years ago from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo and then earned a diploma in fashion design in Italy. Idriss' new collection of wedding dresses for this new year was inspired by mandala drawings and colours, though it was difficult to apply these to designing dresses. “Mandala drawings and colours have become a global trend for many women worldwide,” explains Idriss. “Many people, especially women, buy mandala colouring books to help them heal any inner conflicts and restore their inner peace and balance,” she adds. She uses joyful colours, handmade embroidery patterns, patchwork, prints and geometrical mandala designs on fabrics like tulle, satin and taffeta for her dresses. In her new designs for wedding dresses she has blended colours like beige and light rose and light green with off-white variations as well as white to satisfy all tastes. “Classic white will never go out of style,” she adds. As for the fabrics used in wedding dresses this year, Idriss says they will likely be the same in the winter or summer season. Gorgeous tiered dresses with three or more tiers are likely to be popular throughout the year, she says, along with beaded tiered dresses, tiered high-low dresses, and embellished tiered and tiered sheath dresses, all of which are likely to be popular in 2019. “Princess ballgowns and long trains are also prevailing trends in 2019,” she adds. “Puffy bridal gowns are still fashionable from two years ago, but I think they will fall back in 2019. They require more fabric, and that drives up the cost,” she comments. For smaller wedding parties, Idriss says that short-front and long-train dresses could be popular. As a general rule, if a bride is wearing a heavily embellished dress, she should wear a simple veil. If the dress is on the simple side, she may want to pick a veil with more lace, appliqué, or embroidery to add more detail, she says. A soft, plain, single-tier, floor-length veil cascading down the back can be very stylish, she says. It gives the bride an elegant look, and multi-tiered wedding veils are no longer in use, she adds. Long-length veils are also trending, and they can suit all brides. “It is also a perfect match for fully-detailed, heavily-embellished wedding gowns,” she says. For Nuria, a prominent Armenian fashion designer also working in Egypt, a romantic-style dress that has a sense of innocence, fancy and almost fairytale romance will be the trend in 2019 wedding dresses. Nuria has been working in Egypt for almost 11 years. “I want women to look feminine and show off their inner beauty. I want every bride to look like a princess in my designs,” she says. Nuria's new 2019 collection is called “Happiness”, and her inspiration came from the nature of her native Armenia. She uses the beauty and colours of natural objects like budding flowers, trees, birds and butterflies in her designs, which are a perfect mixture of simplicity, sophistication and the finest fabrics from Italy, Russia and Armenia. “I am fond of handmade embroidery. My designs are all handmade, high-quality and full of detail,” she comments. In her new wedding collection, Nuria uses a wide range of colours such as white, cream, beige, cappuccino, champagne, off-white mixed with tint of peach, gold, mint green and plain off-white. For fabrics, she uses tulle, satin, and chiffon, among others, sometimes embroidered with feathers, Swarovski crystals and gemstones. Thigh splits are also trendy in 2019. “I love splits, especially high up on a wedding dress. It gives a feminine, elegant look,” Nuria says. Though there are different styles of dress, her favourite has a wide décolleté neckline cut in a heart-shaped, deep V shape, and diamond and strapless, she adds. Trendsetting this year is the princess-cut dress, says Nuria. “It is so stylish. Tiaras are also fashionable as they go well with the princess style. Ruffles are à la mode as well,” she adds. Another feminine design is the use of tulle as a fabric embellished with intricate embroidery. “Its colour has to match the bride's skin tone to cover the back, neck, bust and arms,” Nuria says. “It gives a sophisticated tattoo-effect on the skin.” One-tier, long floor-length veils are also in this year, she adds. “There is a wide range of wedding veil styles, whether one or multi-layered depending mainly on the dress style and shape. Sometimes, the veil is slightly longer than the dress itself,” she adds. If the dress is heavily embroidered, Nuria prefers to adorn the veil with delicate beading and embroidery upwards and around the edges. “Veil lengths are from floor-length to three metres long, and they can be extended beyond the train of the gown,” she adds. Sleeves can also add drama to wedding dresses. “I love long sleeves that flare at the waist and feature embroidery. They are so fashionable,” Nuria says. She adds that mermaid or fishtail looks are not fashionable anymore, though they can still suit brides with perfect body shapes. Nuria design photo: Micheal Saweres 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Tips for new brides Jordanian fashion designer Heba Idriss gives her advice on the perfect wedding gown: - Choose a wedding dress that suits your skin tone. Off-white, rose and beige are good for fairer skin tones. Stay away from all-white dresses, which are the perfect choice for brides with darker skin tones. - Choose a dress that properly fits your body shape and both your height and weight. If the bride is short or curvy, a puffy dress isn't the right choice. A wedding gown with an empire waist (a higher waistline that cuts horizontally across the body below the bust) will give the illusion of extra height. - High-heeled shoes go perfectly with this dress cut. - The princess style goes well with all body shapes. A tall bride has no problem with most dress cuts, but a mermaid-style wedding dress is the best option for a tall and slender woman. - Don't wear a very close-fitting wedding dress, as you won't be able to walk, sit down, dance or even breathe properly if it is too tight. - Try to balance make-up, hairstyling, accessories and a veil to match the style of your wedding dress. Wear light or medium make-up. Avoid heavy make-up that can make you look older. - Consider feedback from trusted friends when shopping for a wedding dress and make-up. 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A dream wedding dress Armenian fashion designer Nuria explains how to choose the perfect wedding dress: - Choose a designer you like and trust who will guide you to the right choice on your big day as well as add more options to emphasise your best features and subtly disguise any problem areas. - The bride's beauty makes the dress and not the other way around. No matter how beautiful the dress is, it is you that should always shine.
