JLM Couture showcased four designer bridal collections in New York during Bridal Fashion Week on Tuesday, April 15, with a wide range of the latest styles in both wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses from Alvina Valenta, Tara Keely, Jim Hjelm and Lazaro.

Key looks for all four collections included trumpet and A-line silhouettes, strapless gowns, sweetheart and V-necklines. For bridesmaids, figure flattering empire/baby doll dresses were also a popular choice for the designers, and Jim Hjelm, Alvina Valenta and Lazaro all offered the choice of black for a bridesmaid gown that can be re-purposed, an increasingly hot trend for wedding parties.

Alvina Valenta, designed by Victoria McMillan, focused mostly on strapless trumpet gowns with sweep trains and unusual bodices, like a petal effect or with pleating. Chantilly or white alencon lace finished many hemlines and necklines.

Singapore-born Edric Woo, who designs the Tara Keely collection, cites Paris couture houses of the 1940s and 1950s as inspiration, and his dresses were the most formal of the bunch, with silk and Duchess satin trumpet gowns at the core of the collection. One dress, however, an ivory silk charmeuse sheath had an easy, graceful flow that could work at any destination wedding, or look lovely in a garden setting.

Jim Hjelm, a collection designed by Francesca Pitera, featured dresses that would be especially figure-flattering for bride and bridesmaid, such as baby dolls or A-line dresses for bridesmaids or ruching on the bodice and middle section for the bride. Lace bolero jackets completed some of the dresses, offering a simple way to cover up the shoulders of a strapless gown during a wedding ceremony.

For Cuban-born Lazaro, who had one of the strongest and most elegant collections, it was all about the delicate beading and embroidery. For his Spring 2009 collection, some gowns were embellished with Art Deco patterned embroidery, while embroidered net gowns recalled vintage glamour.

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