Choose vintage fashion for your nuptials by wearing hand-picked vintage Italian wedding dresses. The appreciation for vintage fashion, or so-called second-hand fashion, is emerging from all over the world. Brides are making this unconventional choice for their big day to make a significant change in the world.
As our planet is affected by overproduced clothes, choosing vintage fashion can reduce the impact and wastage. Every year, more than 300,000 tonnes of used dresses are either burned or buried (via Greenpeace). This impacts our environment, and we must let go of our shopping splurge. Therefore, choose vintage to make a huge difference for the planet and use what exists. Instead of shopping for brand new dresses, find vintage gowns for your wedding looks.
The search for all things “vintage” is in demand and is brought back by brands and designers for popularity. With designer brands like Elie Saab, Valentino, and Giuseppe Papini, you can easily lay your hands on popular and pristine vintage Italian wedding dresses. Moreover, the bridal industry in Italy is fast-growing as brides are showing interest in vintage wedding gowns for their vintage-style wedding.
Shop online or visit in-store second-hand vintage brands to choose your wedding dress from a host of options. While shopping online is now easier than ever, going around Italy for vintage stores can get you your dream wedding dress. So, contribute to this popular trend of vintage fashion and become environmentally responsible for your wedding day. Read our guide to know what to look for in your vintage Italian wedding dress.
What To Consider When Shopping For A Vintage Italian Wedding Dress?
When shopping for a vintage wedding dress, you need to think about certain things. After all, you can’t go wrong with your wedding gown. Vintage wedding dresses come with hefty tags and choosing the wrong dress can make you sad. So, we have done our own research to share some pro tips on how to choose the ideal vintage Italian wedding dress.
Take Time To Research About The Era
You might think fashion has evolved over the years since the 20th century. But it’s an understatement. The lengthy Edwardian skirts and corsets that have taken the shape of miniskirts and camouflage jackets of the 90s. That’s why if you are buying a vintage wedding dress, make sure of all the laid choices you have. Ask yourself if you want a 50s full-skirt look or a seductive flapper dress of 20s? Could an appealing long and full sleeved 70s work? You must try narrowing down your choices as to what exactly you want. According to that, search intently to make your final decision much easier.
Spend Time To Buy
There are brides who wish to walk right into the boutique to spend long hours choosing the right dress. They walk out with the most ideal one. So, it’s best if you can come with enough time on hand to choose your vintage wedding dress. Stay aware that you need to search a bit longer to have something set in your mind.
Check The Dress Sizing
Someone who has bought vintage dresses before might know about that change in sizing from the last fifty years or more. This means the 12 size from the 60s has perhaps become 8 or so. So, in such a case, it’s always better to buy a vintage dress after a trial. This is not possible with online retailers and you should send them your measurements to get the accurate dress.
Discover An Expert Tailor
Furthermore, prepare yourself to make alterations in your dress size or to add or remove some elements that you disliked. If you don’t know, Princess Beatrice who borrowed her grandmother’s gown has to alter the dress for her nuptials. She just planned to add hem to the satin and puffed sleeves.
Shop With An Open-mind
When purchasing a vintage Italian wedding dress, try going with an open mind. Some vintage dresses carry stories of their own that have lived many years, even before your birth. Just like vintage feels like a unique option to you, the stories attached to these vintage wedding dresses are just as special. You might not have imagined a dress like that and could end up receiving a wonderful surprise you have always dreamed of.
Like Molly Whitehall, got her dream vintage wedding dress from Mon Vintage, which has a unique story and charm in it. Although the dress had some imperfections, it was both sustainable and full of love for Molly.
Think About Non-bridal Outfits
Just because you are a bride, it does not mean that you have to be in the box.. By expanding your search everywhere for non-bridal outfits, you can find the perfect vintage dress for you. Research on different terms with eras and styles for a more successful search on the internet, rather than just looking “Italian vintage wedding dress”. Also, look for specific terms for styles like crochet, lace, eighties-style dresses, or designers like Nicole Milano and others. There’s something for every bride that could meet their expectations, styles, and necessities for weddings.
Mindful Of The Vintage Dress Fabric
Shopping in person means that you have a chance to check the fabric of your Italian vintage wedding dress. This makes it easy for you to run your hands on the fabric quality and the assemblance of the dress. However, buying a dress online makes it a tad bit difficult to know the quality. But it’s crucial to collect as many reviews as you can from the website and people who might have rented or bought dresses from them before.
In the description, they may mention chiffon, but it can turn polyester. Keeping this reason in mind, it is important that you ask your seller to confirm the material of the dress whether it’s chiffon silk and not polyester chiffon. Plus, asking about the lining type can help to pick the best wedding dress.
Shop For A Passed-down Vintage Wedding Dress
Without much hassle to find the perfect vintage Italian dress, you can think of considering passed-down veils. A passed-down veil can surprise everyone and most importantly your spouse on your big day. Nothing is perfect as these second-hand dresses are for Italian weddings.
Most of these dresses have lace that looks incredible and can be applied to another veil. As they are very old, a few brides might have to encounter holes in them. But a designer or tailor can help you to turn the dull look of these dresses, even the ones with holes, into new tulle veils for weddings.
Set Your Budget To Shop Your Vintage Italian Wedding Dress
After figuring out the aesthetic and style of your dream vintage wedding dress, the second most important task to do is to set the dress budget. This will actually help you narrow down your options and avoid tireless searching. Italian couture houses have various price ranges for different types of wedding dresses. Some pieces falling between €550 to €705 are casual and may resemble short party dresses. To acquire designer dresses, you must adjust your budget to €750 to €1,100.
Furthermore, a selection of pieces that you may consider vintage luxury are priced from €1,480 to €1,890 and such dresses are available from the famous designer Gene Shelley. Her prestigious 60s vintage Italian wedding dresses are top-notch with labels that Italian brides love the most. Some dresses that she has might not look very familiar to you in modern times.
Additionally, there is yet another set of pieces that goes beyond the last bracket, ranging from £2,205 to £5,355. Most of them are formal wedding dresses from the best designers in town with labels such as Oscar de la Renta, Azzedine Alaïa, Yves Saint Laurent, and others.
Where To Shop A Vintage Italian Wedding Dress Online?
Buying a vintage Italian wedding dress online can put you through difficulty as it requires complete trust. Choosing a reputable site can assure you of the quality and construction of the dress. There are a number of websites that offer authentic vintage wedding dresses for brides-to-be. Here we have tried to list all of them down for a great shopping experience.
Etsy
Etsy is a home for all the small brands but it is a nice place to hunt your vintage wedding dress. There are incredible sellers who sell vintage clothes for brides. Some of the well-known and trusted sellers to look for are Green Glamour Gowns, Harriet’s Frocks, Ramona Ramonas, Alba Vintage Studio, and Aece Curation.
Cambridge Vintage Bridal
For all the environment-conscious brides, this place is the one for you. They offer exquisite and curated pieces of vintage wedding dresses online. Their online shop has a wide range of collections like none. They are the supplier and inspiration for other designers and brands alike.
ReSee
The most chic online store to shop for your wedding dress is ReSee. As a vintage hub, ReSee presents its Paris-based Italian collection to its customers. All these pieces are worthy of Italian weddings and look similar to the ones you would get at a higher price from Chloe, Prada, or Celine.
Where To Shop A Vintage Italian Wedding Dress Offline?
Although after covid, many boutiques have closed, there are still small boutiques and stores who offer in-person browsing and fittings of vintage wedding dresses. Those shops are as follows.
Abigail’s Vintage Bridal
This bridal boutique of Rutland has more than 200 vintage Italian wedding dresses. Their stock is full of wedding dresses from the 1890s to the 1970s. Their consultation service is 1.5 hours long and you have the chance to choose their alteration service.
Bridal Reloved
For brides planning to have a luxurious Italian wedding, Bridal Reloved is a good choice for vintage Italian wedding dresses at a fraction of the cost. The brand has boutiques across different countries and offers pre-owned wedding dresses. Moreover, they have many displayed or sample pieces from famous names like Temperley, Stewart Parvin, and Jenny Packham.
Ashwell & Co.
This is formerly known as Heartfelt Vintage is situated in Bristol. They have a good collection of vintage Italian wedding dresses from 1900 to 1980s that also provides alteration service.
Jane Bouvis
Choose your pretty vintage wedding dress from Jane Bouvis who has stunning antique textiles and lace to them. This boutique located at the heart of Notting Hill is popular for their vintage lace wedding dresses. Also, you can choose from a variety of tulle to silk slips gowns. Moreover, they deal with ornate accessories that range from pearl crowns to detailed veils.
Final Thoughts
As a bride, we know you have planned many things for your wedding day. Among all of them, a wedding dress is an important part of your special day. Make it absolutely grand by choosing a vintage Italian wedding dress to spread your magic. The minute you wear the vintage dress, you will feel drawn towards it.
