A.F. Vandeforst's Runaway Brides Reimagined the Wedding Dress

Here Comes the Bride

Running a business is often compared to running a marriage, and nowhere is this analogy more apt than with Belgian designers An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx. Last year, the duo celebrated two decades of running their label A.F. Vandevorst — and two decades of marriage. To ring in the nuptials on the runway, Vandevorst and Arickx debuted a handful of looks that incorporated vintage wedding gowns they'd collected over the years; all (wedding) knotted around the tradition of passing down the dresses from mother to daughter.

Cut It Up

Not content to just send blushing brides down the catwalk (though there were a handful of those too), the all-white dresses were cut up and reworked as sweatshirts, mixed in with t-shirts, and paired with everything from spandex cycling shorts to studded satin trousers.

Thigh High

A pair of blinding white thigh high boots that stole the show and our hearts this season. Featuring an ornate mix of pearls and lace detailing, the bedazzled boots made an appearance throughout the show but looked best paired with an oversized silk hoodie with sensual lace inserts and the same pearl embroidery.

Bridegroom in Black

Wedding dresses weren't the only garment on Vandevorst and Arickx's work table for spring 2019. The couple also set their sights, and sewing machines, on groomsmen. In their warped wedding of tradition and disruption, they reimagined the classic tuxedo with an androgynous flair; sending single — and double-breasted — jackets down the runway paired with svelte, over-the-knee shoes.

Powder Keg

The beauty look of choice for Vandevorst's big, fat Belgian wedding was a slight, white powdering of the face. Whether it was meant to evoke memories of the infamous nose-powdering scene or not, it certainly made for a memorable moment at Milan Fashion Week.

Photos via Imaxtree