Watters is always known for pushing the envelope, and this season was no exception. The company debuted all three of their lines including their namesake Watters, Willowby, and Wtoo. Building on their own ahead of the curve DNA, the company had something to offer every type of bride.
The namesake Watters line was all about love and lace, with classic romantic details including gorgeous veils with appliqués. During Bridal Week, there is, of course, so much emphasis put on the gowns, often details like the veil are ignored, but Watters didn’t miss a beat. And like many brands this season Watters also included plus-size models, with 67 percent of women in the US being a size 12 and beyond, it is important that they court that customer.
Willowby, on the other hand, continues to play the role of the much younger sister to Watters in design aesthetic and demographic. For its spring 2020 collection, a portion of the gowns were a bit outside the traditional realm of bridal in some ways, with sheer embroidered overlays that projected as subtle sensuality and the absence of princess gowns.
That said; the Willowby customer is a different kind of bride; one who dances to the beat of her own drum. It isn’t too often that you see an A-line wedding dress with a halter neckline and a key-hole cutout bodice.
Wtoo was less cohesive than it was in past seasons, with looks going from traditional princess gowns to crop-top wedding dresses. Nevertheless, the collection still played to the fantasy aspect of the wedding day with whimsical floral details and tiered tulle dresses. Classic details, like lace embroidery, contrasted with the more contemporary details of deep V-necklines. The Wtoo girl isn’t afraid to be a little sexier than your classic bride, and she loves a good revealing neckline.
Watters, as a bridal brand, is gathering steam and more market dominance in its appeal to a variety of bridal customers. One of the most difficult challenges for a bridal brand is the creation of garments that can have market appeal to wide range of bridal customers. In spite of this challenge, Watters continues to successfully pull this exacting feat off. That in itself continues to be their greatest strength.—Kristopher Fraser
Image credits
- watters-bridal-fall-20192.jpg — Editorial image.
- collages2086.jpg — Editorial image.
- willowby-fall-2019.jpg — Editorial image.
- collages2087.jpg — Editorial image.
- wtoo-bridal-fall-2019.jpg — Editorial image.
- collages2088.jpg — Editorial image.
- willowby-fall-20191.jpg — Editorial image.
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