Carrie Underwood's Monique Lhuillier wedding gown: Is a Corset-Bra Bodice a Wedding Dress Do or Don't?

Carrie Underwood is now Carrie Fisher.

She and husband Mike Fisher were married last night, reportedly at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, Georgia, in front of 250 of the couple’s family and friends. Blah blah blah. I’ll skip to the important part–the wedding dress!–the bride wore a custom strapless exposed-boning corset Chantilly lace gown by Monique Lhuillier (similar to the gown pictured below that’s identified by the name “Augustine”) from the designer’s Spring 2011 Bridal collection. That’s right, Carrie Underwood’s dress is so fashion-forward it’s from the future.

image from MoniqueLhuillier.com, Spring 2010 Bridal Collection

No, I kid. Really, the exposed-boning corset gown, or the corset-bra look, has been growing in popularity over the past year or so, especially in bridal, and I think it’s going to be one of the top bridal couture trends for the rest of 2010 through 2011. Case it point: remember Miley Cyrus’ golden Jenny Packham gown from the Oscars?  Originally it was a bridal look from Packham’s Fall 2010 Bridal collection.

from Bridal to Red Carpet, the corset-bra bodice gown is making its entrance

As my man would put it, the corset-bra gown is a way for fashion-forward brides to “bring sexy back,” on their wedding day. Especially when paired with an A-line skirt and/or lace, like Carrie’s dress, or tulle, like Miley’s dress, the corset is a way for brides to make an elegant, traditional gown more modern, sexy, and edgy.

This look is not for everyone, and the style isn’t always successfully executed. I love the deconstructed look of the exposed corset structure, paired with the demure nature of the Chantilly lace, in Carrie’s gown. Lhuillier’s visible but delicate boning is feminine, and the 2-piece look of a separate bodice and skirt is fresh.

However,  I’m not so much a fan of the completely transparent corset tops with dominatrix-esque boning. Below is an example of a wedding gown by Pnina Tornai, who often features more risqué corset bodices in her designs.  I’m not a fan of the see-through bodice, or the styling of the skirt; the positioning of where the skirt meets the bodice is dropped below the natural waist and sort of wraps around the bride’s crotch. This gives the skirt the look of a frothy beach cover up or a towel that you’d tie around your hips when you’re in a swimsuit.

Designer Pnina Tornai's gowns often feature what I'll call "dramatic" corset bodices for the dramatic bride.

Basically, I’d shy away from this look because I don’t want to look like a wench on my wedding day. But, to each their own.

What do you think?

(P.S. What is Chantilly lace, you say? It’s a lace that takes its name from Chantilly, France, and it’s known for being intricately detailed, so much so that its use of a half-and-whole stitch as a fill can achieve the effect of light and shadow in the flower pattern of the material. Very pretty. Very expensive. Enough said.)

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