Finesse. Danielle Frankel AW25

April 14, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

I said it once, I will say again: Danielle Frankel is the contemporary maestra of bridalwear. Her designs are so exquisitely crafted and majestic in execution that you will inevitably desire to wear one of her dresses not only on that most special day, but on many other occasions. Dominated by bold, architectural, Art Deco shapes and Erté-inspired forms, the latest collection stuns with incredible construction and finesse.

Take the micro-pleated dress that swishes and swirls around the body, like flowing water. Except this isn’t a styling trick; the micro-pleats in the dress are actually hundreds of micro-bones holding the shape. Then, there’s the hand-painted silk chiffon made in collaboration with a French artist who moved in to Frankel’s New York atelier for a few weeks and created a breath-taking, impressionistic floral gown in dark green as well as the hand-painted organza cocoon worn by Kristen McMenamy in the lookbook.

Frankel makes all of her dresses in Manhattan’s Garment District, and she has a talented group of designers in her atelier that can rival any haute couture house. The finale gown, also modeled by McMenamy, is made of 100,000 petals which took the atelier four months to sew by hand. Somehow, it looks effortless – just like any truly great couture garment.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Ethereal. Danielle Frankel AW23

April 16, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

The world of Danielle Frankel‘s bridal-wear redefines that whole fashion category, making it feel truly a dream. A wedding dress coming from Frankel’s atelier is a chef’s kiss. Just take a look at her latest offering. The opening look of the New York-based designer’s autumn-winter 2023 collection is a sleeveless dress featuring a silk wool twill bodice with an architectural mock neck, and corset-like details that wrap around the waist to meet a hand-cut lace-decorated linen organza skirt with an exaggerated tulip shape that falls to the ankle. It is light as air, and accessorized with an oversized straw hat decorated with hundreds of tiny flowers. The look is simultaneously evocative of another time while being grounded in the now. “I like to look back a lot more than what’s going on currently,” the designer said. “I was looking at a lot of the New Look; Dior, Balenciaga, and that era where you had these really dramatic silhouettes – but we’re making a contemporary version of that.” She nailed it – it’s rare to see such brilliant takes on the fashion history classics today. Frankel’s designs radiate with refinement, but also with an eternally youthful spirit: many of the looks consisted of mini-dresses worn over ankle-grazing skirts (perhaps to ensure these pieces get to be worn long after their walk down the aisle). A shiny silk wool spaghetti-strap mini dress with Chantilly lace appliqué at the hem and a matching maxi skirt worn with a silk cashmere mock neck sweater, its sleeves scrunched up to make way for dramatic opera-length gloves, recalled that favorite ’90s combo of a baby tee worn underneath a vintage satin slip dress, only more elegant. There was also a bit of the ’90s in a spaghetti strap column dress covered in Chantilly lace and ivory organza strips whose hand-frayed edges gave the impression of a very delicate fur. These looks are bridal because they are white, and delicate, and formal; but they could just as well be part of an everyday-wardrobe if they were made in other colors or fabrics. A boxy matte silk wool men’s tuxedo was another modern addition. Elsewhere, pieces made from genuine baroque pearls embroidered unto transparent sequins were simultaneously opulent and minimalist. So, who’s planning a wedding this year?!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Mirror Palais Girl

April 6, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mirror Palais is a sultry-slash-sustainable pre-order brand founded in 2019 by Marcelo Gaia. After working for almost a decade as a stylist, Gaia decided to create his own label – with the mission to celebrate the confident women who inspire him. His sumptuous collections feel like a nod to vintage silhouettes – think John Galliano’s 1990s bias-cut silk dreses – updated to fit the needs of the modern woman. The brand made an astounding impression on the industry with its New York Fashion Week show back in September, playing with several themes such as concealment and revelation. Born to immigrant parents from Brazil, Gaia’s years of youth consisted of humble beginnings, and a strict household. Among many brands, Mirror Palais is especially praised for its true celebration of Spanish culture as opposed to the appropriation of it. Gaia designs pieces with inspiration such as the Latino tradition of wearing white for good luck, the Huipil for its ruffles and silhouette, and the use of lace typically seen in a Mantilla. Overall, Mirror Palais is an amazing celebration of the female form and Spanish culture, designing timeless and unique pieces. Every Mirror Palais garment is designed and made in New York with the intention of bringing fair wages and craftsmanship to the forefront of the fashion conversation. So, when you buy Mirror Palais, you’re supporting a modicum of the garment district ecosystem. Here’s the brand’s latest diaphanous bridal collection…

Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Images via Mirror Palais’ website.
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Big Feelings. Danielle Frankel AW22

April 3, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

I’m not into bridewear, but there’s one designer in this field that I always pay attention to. It’s been a year since Danielle Frankel, a go-to designer for fashion-forward brides, unveiled a new collection. Not a long time in terms of creative productivity, but a considerable hiatus by the standards of the fashion calendar. “When you’re talking about an evergreen product, you don’t need a collection every six months,” Frankel says. “These collections take so much to produce, and because the business is growing at the same time, we have to wedge in when we’re doing the development.” There’s certainly no shortage of clientele. Though she designs ready-to-wear as well as bridal, the latter is her bread-and-butter. She developed many of her brand signatures this season, including corsetry, bubble hems, and silk-wool pleated gowns. But everything is a bit bigger than 2021 collection‘s streamlined and sculptural offerings. “There’s a lot of the same DNA that you see in our work, but I wanted something a little bit more grand this season,” Frankel says. “Before we were known for those effortless, simple, cool styles, but for me it’s important to go bigger and move it forward.” Inspired by 1950s Vogue fashion illustrations, mid-century elegance, and surrealism, her new collection is photographed in a deliberately hazy way. Though this method of photography obscures the fine details of the clothing, it underscores the feelings Danielle hopes to evoke. That said, her designs tend to reveal themselves on the human form. The Leith gown, for instance, has a showstopping corseted bust that projects off the body and open back, but the pleats at the waist may just be the special detail that convinces the customer that this is the one. Hirsch also introduced several styles with Watteau drapes at the back, offering a more low-key kind of drama than the Leith does, while still delivering mid-century glamour. Aside from the fact that the most classic ballgown silhouette is hand-painted and hand-fringed in shades of brown, many of the tops Hirsch designed feel like true ready-to-wear. Paired with wide-leg trousers, the two bandeaus made to look like flowers are festive and relaxed.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

The Great Beauty. Danielle Frankel AW21

March 22, 2021 | Design & Culture by Ed

The topic of bridal-wear might be a dull for some (like me!), but the moment I’ve discovered Danielle Frankel, I instantly changed my mind. Danielle Hirsch, the designer, made her mark as a bridal designer, yet her autumn-winter 2021 collection is a hybrid between a wedding gowns line-up and fabulous eveningwear. Many of her clients gravitate toward the idea of remixed bridal looks, choosing slinky slip dresses and silk separates. Moreover, Hirsch noticed that women are rewearing their pared-back, yet elegant wedding looks beyond the altar. So, the designer’s transition to ready-to-wear is a natural one, even though the body-skimming white dresses with Hirsch’s signature flourishes certainly look like they’re made for getting married in. Also in that vein is a standout column dress with sheer sleeves and exaggerated shoulders created with layered lace flowers. One of the best “ready-to-wear” pieces is a royal blue dress with a pleated waist that gives the body a severe and beautiful whittled effect. The neckline opens up to reveal a slight décolletage, and further flows into sculpted, voluminous shoulders. Hirsch will always have her bridal clients, but she definitely feels the ground in less ceremonial (and equally entrance-making) garments.