Oscar de la Renta's Peter Copping On His First Bridal Collection & The Importance of Bustiers

When Oscar de la Renta passed away last fall, the torch for his eponymous fashion house was passed to Peter Copping, who was named Creative Director. On Saturday, Copping debuted the 2016 Oscar de la Renta Bridal Collection—his first foray into bridal—that bridged the sophisticated designs the brand is recognized for with a modern, youthfulness that caters to the younger de la Renta customer. “This was my first bridal collection, and not every house does a bridal collection, but obviously it’s very important for Oscar de la Renta,” Copping tells Yahoo Style. “I think it very much goes with the heritage of the brand so I really wanted to keep that tradition going. Unfortunately, Oscar didn’t have much time to give me any advice and I regret that obviously.”

The 23 looks—not including the three white and ivory frocks worn by adorable flower girls—ranged from minidresses to tiered, tulle ball gowns encrusted with sparkling crystals. “I really wanted to make an offer of a good broad range of dresses for this collection, and a good fit for all sorts of brides for different occasions, because not everyone is looking for the same thing,” says Copping.

Keeping this in mind, the designer created looks that brides could wear for each wedding weekend event, from the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony, reception and after party. Copping also kept in mind the range of destinations where brides could wear the 2016 gowns. “There were some short options, some long column gowns just in lace, that I thought were more for a beach wedding, and then there was a full on princess gown as well.”

“I think the short minis are good for the rehearsal dinner, or maybe the bride doesn’t want a big gown at the end of the night, and she wants something she can really party in,” Copping says, explaining the range of silhouettes and styles.

To stay true to the brand’s aesthetic, the designer turned to the Fall 2015 ready-to-wear collection for inspiration. “Some of the pieces were really a continuation of the fall show, including some of the fabric manipulation and silhouettes. I think it worked well because it shows consistency, and I think a bridal collection has to be on par with the fashion show as well, especially from a house like Oscar de la Renta,” he says. “It was important for me that it was given as much detail as we did the fashion show.”

So what did he enjoy most about working in bridal? The bustiers, and the details he crafted to make them more interesting. “I gave the bustiers quite a lot of attention in the fashion show and it was something I wanted to continue with here. I thought we can do better than doing the most basic banal bustier top, so some of them were draped and folded and had interesting cuts. There was a lot of attention in the detailing.”

And speaking of detailing, brides who do what something traditional with a hint of skin, will find lower and more open backs, as well as sheer, lace gowns that reveal both your toned legs and fabulous shoes beneath.

“I think brides want to look pretty and refined, but they want a little sexiness in there as well, so that’s why I think there was room for some of the open backs and the workmanship with lace that reveals the skin.”

The 2016 Oscar de la Renta Bridal Collection will be in bridal salons this Fall.

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