Naeem Khan Spring ’18 Bridal

There’s something inimitably cool about the Naeem Khan brand. It’s in everything they do. Or maybe it’s in everything they don’t do. They don’t do bridal that makes us dig deep to find new ways to describe botanicals for Spring. They don’t create collections that have us unenthusiastically reaching for that bridal language we despise – words like elegant, glamorous, sweet, pretty. Yawn. They don’t tick off a list of silhouettes that have always worked for bridal commercially. Or conversely, when they go bold it stems from a pure place, it’s not contrived and gimmicky (like pieces we’ve seen sent down runways one too many times from some of the more commercial labels).

“Layers of delicately iridescent fabrics, intricate textures and decadent accents that hint at the story of each individual muse.”

What Naeem Khan serves up at NY Bridal Week each season reinvigorates our love for the industry. It reminds us why we do what we do. It deeply stirs our passion to show wedding celebrations through a fresh, inspired lens. There’s a distinct moment every single time we step backstage, where we’re reminded of the huge potential there lies in bridal to lose its stagnancy. To be approached in the same way any Ready To Wear or Couture show is, using fashion as a tool to express art, ideology, an abstract view – creative experimentation within a celebratory genre that begs for artful ideas. We’re strong believers that bridal should feel timeless and chic, but we’re often baffled and admittedly a little tired of seeing bridal conform to some kind of uniform that has no relevance to the type of women we are, and how we express that through the way we dress.

Talking to Naeem after the show, he’s quick to dismiss the idea that there’s any thread of continuity in his collections. Instead, he approaches each piece as an individual story to be told. And we’re mesmerized by the way he writes so poetically, with layers of delicately iridescent fabrics, intricate textures and decadent accents that hint at the story of each individual muse. Although there’s no distinct theme at play, what ties the collection together is a global infusion of artisanal techniques used to reflect the women that inspire Naeem. Women who posses an authentic spirit of bohemia, a blend of diversely different backgrounds marching together down the runway as the empowered, free-spirited women we are today.