Hair Flair
By Nola Sarkisian-Miller - CTW Features | posted on September 16, 2011 at 9:43am
Accessory options for brides saying no to the veil
Think feathers are for the birds? Think again.
Brides-to-be are cottoning to the fact that a little plumage is a nice alternative to veils.
Chic feathered headpieces were on view at Romona Keveza’s Fall 2010 collection. Other non-veil options – such as dimensional flowers, pearly brooches and headbands – are among the latest hair adornments framing down-dos, chignons and side-swept tresses as brides shy away from covering their heads in tulle and lace.
“Brides are drifting away from veils,” says Sara Mack, manager of operations at Destiny’s Bride, a boutique in Scottsdale, Ariz., which carries accessories by Toni Federici and Renee Pawele Bride. “Brides are doing more with their hair, embracing softer looks, and these hair accessories are a perfect complement. “
Mack adds that brides tend to pick more understated pieces. Not over-the-top numbers like the feathered headpiece Sarah Jessica Parker’s character wore in her attempt at matrimony in the “Sex and the City” movie two years ago. Feather flower looks with rhinestone center sprays are popular, she says, along with oversized organza flowers in silk white that can resemble flora from a gardenia to a dahlia.
Hair brooches, designed with Swarovski crystals and pearls, lend an air of vintage elegance to a bride. She can fasten one in the back if her hair is worn up or clip it on the side.
The delicate nature of the accessory means a bride can wear it with a veil, if need be.
“Lots of girls will wear the brooch and a veil as a compromise to their mothers,” says Cheryl DeSimone, a sales representative at Clarissa Bridal in Walnut Creek, Calif. “Mothers do love those veils.”
For a hint of shine and a mood of romance, brides are choosing to wear multiple sparkly hairpins or dainty headbands embellished with a small bow or tiny crystals, says Kirstin Martin, owner of Smitten, a wedding boutique in Chicago.
Prices for such hair finery can range from $40 to $50 for feathered combs and hairpins, $100 to $200 for headbands and $200 to $300 for intricate floral styles. The upside for brides is that unlike a veil, they can wear their purchases again after the wedding for a night out or to a party.
The key is to select something that fits in with the bride’s personality and not what may be a trend. “When you look back at those pictures 10 years from now, you don’t want to say, ‘What was I thinking?’” Martin says.
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