The Dress

This is a beautiful Chantilly ball gown that is one of Vera Wang's most unique creations. It is both high fashion and romantic.

Like the Shakespearean heroine from Hamlet she’s named for, Ophelia is a gown with a profound sense of drama. Every element in the dress tells a story, and prompts the imagination: Where has she come from? Where is she going? Ophelia is a narrative about motion. She’s in the process of unraveling, but in the best possible sense — the dress embodies a spirit of freedom that simply can’t be contained. She’s running through the forest, snagging her dress on fallen branches; she’s having the time of her life at a party, dancing so vigorously that she has to keep holding the pieces of her gown to keep from losing them.

Ophelia is very airy (and light weight) — you might even say messy - from the scattered bits of lace that cascade from the bodice throughout the skirt, to the utterly romantic ruched and shirred tulle of the skirt. The ruching is a particularly important technique for me this season, because of the way it reinforces that sense of unpredictability in the gown. Made of hex tulle, which is a little more substantial and crisp than regular tulle, it gives the dress a lot more volume and flare. And because the hex tulle is so structured, there isn’t any need for crinoline underneath. Instead, the volume comes from the way it's bustled and tacked the ruched pieces.

Four different kinds of lace are used in Ophelia, making the dress feel especially romantic. It’s in the bodice that you first notice it — Chantilly lace as a base with corded lace appliqué on top of that. Little cut edges of the lace peek up over the neckline. Two additional types of lace, rose and chrysanthemum, shoot off from the bodice and float down the skirt, almost creating a peplum effect. Then you have hints of crescent embroidery popping out, starting at the top of the skirt. It winds and weaves its way through the inside of the dress behind her legs, so you that you get these little glimpses of it when she walks towards you. There are so many finely rendered details.

The dress has been altered only in length, with the design proportionately shortened to fit the measurements, so that the design is intact.