Thrifty brides fitted for style in used gowns
By Jennifer Johnson
Staff Reporter
Call ii unromantic, call it clueless,
call it cheap, but why would anyone
buy a $1,000 wedding dress when
there are incredible relics from the
past on sale in Lincoln for as little as
$15?
There’s a million things to do with
$1,000. One can pay rent, pay the
bills or, on the frivolous side, buy that
collector Elvis plate.
Yes, the bride is the princess of
that special day, the attention-grab
ber, the charmer; but why wear some
thing that costs more than the
Volkswagen Bug in the driveway?
Second-hand wedding dresses
aren’t for everyone. For some, money
is no object, and Mom would rather
drink a jar of Dippity-Do than see her,
daughter march down the isle in a
used dress.
It would be kind of cool to wear
someone else’s dress. Just think,
someone else confessed her undying
love to the man of her dreams in the
very same dress — are they still
married? Is she dead? And if she is,
will she haunt you on your honey
moon?
There are a variety of second-hand
wedding dresses available in Lincoln.
People seek out used gowns for a
variety of reasons, salespeople said,
but the most unique was for the pur
pose of recycling, according to one
store owner.
“Many people do believe in recy
cling, and they believe in recycling of
all types of resources,” said Jan Gauger,
owner of One More Time.
Gauger has a large selection of
dresses that she sells on consignment
at her store on 850 N. 27lh St. There
is a separate room for wedding gowns
with a “boutique" feel to it. Red walls,
lace fans and white carpeting create a
similar atmosphere to a store that
sells new dresses.
Prices range from $85 to $500, and
Gauger said that she has seasonal,
consistent business. There is no
“average” customer, but they do tend
to be young, she said.
Gauger said there is a lot of inter
est in the gowns because new dresses
are so expensive.
“And for the price of a rental,” she
said, “you can own one of our dresses.”
People also come to the store when
they can’t find the style they want in
a new dress, she said.
And styles abound at this store.
Currently, customers can choose from
Victorian, pretty-prom-girl, vintage
1940s and ’50s, “Dynasty” mega
shoulders and styles with or without
Madonna’s virgin lace.
Dresses are shown by appointment
at One More Time to assure that there
is a staff person available to help
customers with gowns, Gauger said.
The store also carries current-style
and vintage tuxedos, but not in such
large quantities, she said.
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Left, a silk wedding gown with rose sleeves, a godet-shaped skirt and a chapel-length
train and a matching headpiece. Right, a black fichu bridesmaid dress with a fortuni
neckline.
Fashions focus on mature bride
By Cindy Kimbrough
Staff Reporter
Fashions for this wedding sea
son will cater to the more mature
bride and allow the wedding to be
more individualized.
A lot of attendants and brides
are more mature, in their late 20s
or early 30s, and don’t want a
“cutesy” dress, said Joyce Jacobs,
owner and manager of J’Marie’s
Bridal Shoppe, 1409 N. 66lh St.
Double-duty dresses, which can
be worn to more than just the
wedding, are available at a number
of shops, she said.
Sandy Rowson, owner of Sassi’s,
2530 O St., said the cocktail-suit
look is in style for attendants and
mothers. The dresses are very for
mal and can be worn long for the
wedding and then shortened later
to wear to other occasions.
Jacobs said lace, sequins and
pearls are still very popular in
wedding dresses, but some brides
want something less ornate. Some
popular new dresses don’t have the
decoration, she said.
Features such as elongated waist
lines, mermaid dresses, and long
cathedral trains still are popular,
she said.
Taffeta, satins and silk are the
main fabrics in wedding gowns
and atlcndart dresses, but fabrics
such as voile, a sheerer cotton, arc
making a comeback, she said.
Rowscn said she thought this
was the year of the neckline. Por
trait necklines with a collar look, a
renaissance neckline that is squared
and stands up from the dress and
the cowl with a draped look are
some of many that are being em
phasized in everything from wed
ding gowns to mothers’ dresses.
“The neckline is important be
cause it brings emphasis to the
bride’s face,” she said.
The dominant colors of the sea
son continue to be black and white,
but iridescent colors and jewel
colors, such as emerald and royal
blue, are also very common, both
William Lauar/DaHy Nebraskan
Left, a taffeta wedding gown with an open neckline,
bouffant skirt and cathedral train, from the llissa Roman
tique collection; a cathedral-length headpiece from Pris
cilla of Boston. Right, a shantung bridesmaid dress with
a scalloped wrapped shoulder sheath.
Rowson and Jacobs said.
Rowson said navy also seemed
to be picking up in popularity.
For the summer, Rowson said,
she thought chintz prints and more
vivid colors would be the trend.
Jeff Brehm, general manager of
Holway Rent-A-Tux at 1228 P St.,
said grooms were sticking with the
basic black and white tuxedo, but
changing the fashion makes it more
individualized.
He said pinstripes and subtle
stripes give a little bit of variation
from the basic black.
Kevin Miller, general manager
of Ben Simon’s Formal Wear, 220
S. 19th St., said couples are play
ing with wedding colors rather
ors.
He said they stick to blacks in
tuxedos, but arc using more color
patterns in ties and cummerbunds,
cummerbunds.
Brehm said colored vests also
add individualism to the wedding.
Fashion printed vests are becom
ing popular as well.
In the last two to three years,
tuxedos have become more varied
with waistcoats and double-breasted
collars, he said.
Miller said the shawl collar,
which has a rounded lapel, is coming
back in as well as lower notches in
the jacket collars and lower but
tonholes. Wider shoulders and
pleated pants arc also common, he
said.