Karen Willis Holmes delivers again. Her new Design Your Gown campaign offers bridal separate options that can be combined to create 91 different styles – with the option to be sewn together or worn as separates. See the entire D.Y.G. collection here and sign up for a Karen Willis Holmes Trunk Show at Masako Formals January 20-29, 2017.
The mermaid gown is one of the most classic bridal silhouettes, and while trends may come and go, the mermaid gown is forever.
There’s no one way to do a mermaid, but here’s a rundown of our 7 favorite mermaid bridal gowns – one for each of the seas!
A glamorous gown with fun movement through the skirt, this Lillian West Fall 2016 gown is a blank canvas for the mermaid bride.
Chantilly lace with lace illusion back, this gown is a beautiful, delicate, light-weight contemporary take on the traditional lace mermaid wedding dress.
Many consider bridal designer Sophia Tolli to be the queen of the mermaid gown, and Begonia is one of the dresses that earned her that title. With a lightly beaded lace bodice, a detachable rhinestone belt, and a scalloped lace hemline, this dress is perfection from top to bottom.
A modern interpretation of classic lace like only Justin Alexander can, this gown shimmers subtly from a layer of opal sequence laid under the lace applique.
The minimalist mermaid gown with immaculate design and construction, this silk crepe wedding dress can by styled up or left simple to celebrate less is more. Available with or without front slit.
While not a traditional mermaid silhouette with exaggerated flair at the thigh, we included this gown because it exudes the mermaid spirit – the beaded white sequence in the bodice evokes fish scales, and the skirt flairs into a flowing chiffon. We love this modern interpretation of the mermaid gown!
With embellished lace, a gorgeous illusion back, and a multi-layered organza skirt, Aprilia has all the elements of glamorous mermaid wedding gown.
There’s no doubt about it – low back wedding dresses are hot right now, and there are a lot of ways to do it. Check out a sampling of Masako Formals low back wedding gown options.
At Masako Formals we have seamstresses with decades of experience specific to bridal alterations and customizations.
Here are the alterations common with wedding dresses that we do most often in our store:
Bustle – the answer to what to do with your wedding train when it’s time to party. The bustle is the button or pearl and loop alteration that allows you to hang up the train onto the back of your dress.
Bust support – generally, bra free is the way to be. Sewn-in cups give you invisible, easy-breezy lift and support.
Change back closure – change a zipper into a corset back or vice versa.
Add custom straps, sleeves, or a belt – make a dress that no one else has! We can add capped sleeves or straps to give you more coverage and support.
Adjust the dress silhouette – love an A-line dress but wish it were more form-fitting? You can have it altered into a fit and flare or mermaid style dress.
Below, our bride adds custom off-the-shoulder lace sleeves and makes her A-line dress into a trumpeted silhouette.
When you are looking for the dress it’s helpful for be able to describe what you like and what you don’t. Here’s a list of common wedding dress silhouettes.
SILHOUETTES
A LINE – the most classic dress silhouette – fitted along the bust and then lets out at the natural waistline.
BALLGOWN – a version of the A Line, the ball gown lets out at the natural waistline or above the hips with a full-volume skirt, often created by layers of tulle.
EMPIRE – a dress fitted only at the bust, letting out into the skirt just below the bust.
SHEATH – a dress fitted through the hips and then lets out straight to the floor with little volume.
MERMAID – a dress fitted through the bust, waist, hips, and thighs, letting out just above, at, or below the knee.
TRUMPET – similar to but slightly more relaxed than the mermaid, the trumpet is fitted through bust, waist, and hips, until the skirt flares out along the high or mid thigh.
TEA LENGTH – a shortened ballgown dress that ends below the knee/ mid-calf.
HIGH-LOW – can refer to any silhouette dress where the front of the skirt is higher than the back.
Karen Willis Holmes is a boutique wedding designer from Australia, with an appreciation for what the modern mermaid wants in a wedding dress. White beading and sequin details, and varied arrangements of simple shell dresses and lace overlays, make her dresses uniquely jaw-dropping. For more pics see our Brand New! page or visit Karen Willis Holmes online. 
Jane White, designer of Palazzo bridal, is a humble genius. When it comes to the two most important aspects of a wedding dress – look and feel – her gowns score 11 out of a possible 10 on both counts. Here’s a peak into the deceiving “simplicity” that requires the highest level of precision, which she can execute because all her gowns are hand crafted locally outside of her Chicago home. We see a lot of dresses, but these ones almost made us cry. (Update: see our Ko’olau Ballrooms Palazzo photo shoot.)
New York designer Nicole Miller delivers all the grace and simplicity she’s famous for in her 2015 Bridal collections. What you’ll see from her Fall 2015 Bridal collection? – new plays on low back wedding dresses, some incredible work with illusion neck and backlines, and some fun short wedding dress styles.
Our bridal stylist Zoe Pili heads to New York City to check out the latest designer wedding dresses and pick new wedding dresses for our Honolulu shop. Join her on her trip!
NICOLE MILLER SPRING/FALL 2015
