May 21, 2024
Transcending Trends: Presenting Anne Barge Spring 2025
Transcending Trends: Presenting Anne Barge Spring 2025
In 2025, expect to see brides draped in hand-beaded jacquard fabrics and regal duchess satin as they walk down the aisle in the latest Anne Barge bridal designs. Classic silhouettes are adorned with intricate lace details, delicate embroidery and fresh, forward-thinking design elements.
The Spring 2025 collections for Anne Barge and Blue Willow were unveiled during New York Bridal Fashion Week in April. The gowns were effortlessly sophisticated and romantically modern with an emphasis on fine craftsmanship. Shawne Jacobs, Creative Director of Anne Barge Bridal, captured the essence of American beauty with her latest creations.
Step into Shawne Jacobs’ creative process to learn more about her inspiration and see how she brought Anne Barge Spring 2025 to life.
Drawing Inspiration
Textiles
The first step in creating a new collection is choosing fabrics. Samples come in from the far corners of the world, including France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Taiwan, Japan, and China. As you’ll see throughout the spring collections, Shawne is particularly drawn to jacquards and laces, which provide both structure and a dreamy daintiness in her designs.
“When working with lace, I find it reminiscent of solving a puzzle, with endless design possibilities. Jacquards, on the other hand, provide the structure I adore. This allows for intriguing seams, while their floral patterns add a romantic and dreamy touch to the designs. The embossed patterns make jacquard gowns stand out in a sea of white.”
Shawne slowly starts to pull from her “fabric wall” to build a mood board for the collection, which often includes embroideries, laces, jacquards, and sketches of inspiring silhouettes.
Trends
She also looks at the trends and styles on the rise in ready-to-wear fashion. Much like all fashion, bridal fashion trends are cyclical, often reviving forgotten waistlines or skirt shapes.
For this collection, Shawne was thrilled to see that drop waist silhouettes were finally returning to prominence after years of the natural waistline defining bridal fashion. She places her own twist on drop and basque waists, creating both interesting visuals and timeless elegance.
On the Monde gown, Shawne reimagined the traditional drop waist so that the bodice cascades into the skirt rather than coming to a point. This creates the flattering dropped waist silhouette that brides love in a style suited to the modern bride.
Of course, popular culture influences fashion, and Shawne also drew inspiration from period pieces that have recently reignited interest in corsetry. The corset, historically used to create dramatic body shapes, is no longer an undergarment but rather a style of its own.
The Sully gown’s corset bodice flatters the waist before cascades of draped silk draw your eye to the flowing skirt. The addition of the Sully topper creates a keyhole neckline in matching lace.
A Complete Bridal Look
Shawne is always crafting a narrative around her designs with the intention to tell a bride’s story through her style. Beyond the gowns of the Spring 2025 collection, you’ll find signature pieces that brides can use to create a custom look from head to toe.
The new collection includes veils, toppers, belts, gloves and other accessories in matching fabrics that allow brides to create a cohesive look, or introduce an elegant variation from ceremony to reception. The tiny bow on the Monde belt adds a dainty touch to a dramatic ball gown, while the opera-length Dauphine gloves elevate the look for the ultimate black tie formality.
“I love to design a variety of accessories that allow dresses to take on a new personality. By adding a belt or a veil, our brides feel like they’re creating a custom look.”
Statement accessories offer brides the opportunity to put their personal touch on a gown without a full customization. For example, the Monde gown can be paired with a shoulder-length veil that embodies a nostalgic 1950s aesthetic, or brides can opt for the Copeland cathedral-length veil to create a look inspired by traditional Spanish weddings.
Spring 2025 also includes nontraditional accessories that incorporate Anne Barge motifs that brides can carry throughout the engagement season. In collaboration with the Bella Rosa Collection, we created a clutch handbag featuring the same embroidered appliques as the Dauphine gown. Shawne loves the idea of a bride carrying the clutch to her rehearsal dinner as a secret nod to her gown for the next day.
Designing for the All-American Bride
Since taking the helm at Anne Barge, Shawne Jacobs has continued the tradition of creating designs inspired by quintessential American romance and glamor. As you parse through recent collections, you’ll notice that each one is inspired by a small enclave of American culture and beauty, with gowns named after local landmarks and families.
In Spring 2025, the laces and basque waists transport you to the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. The gowns draw on classic Southern motifs with a hint of the eccentricity that makes New Orleans such a fascinating cultural center. The Peter & Paul Hotel in New Orleans felt like a fitting venue to photograph the collection, perfectly encapsulating the opulence, regality, and flair that defines this collection.
As always, the Spring 2025 collection embraces modernity and fashion forward details without losing sight of the traditional silhouettes and classic elements that characterize Anne Barge. Our brides are drawn to timeless elegance, knowing that the grace and understated luxury of their look will stand the test of time.
The Spring 2025 collections for both Anne Barge and Blue Willow will be available at trunk shows and bridal retailers beginning in November 2024, and we look forward to seeing our radiant brides wearing them down the aisle.
To explore presently available Anne Barge designs, visit one of our upcoming trunk shows.