How Kourtney Kardashian Captured 2022’s Hottest Bridal Trend — Get The Look

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When Kourtney Kardashian married Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker in Portofino, Italy, this past weekend, it seems nearly every item of clothing in her gothic-inspired bridal wardrobe found itself trending in real-time.

Yet, amid all of her dramatic looks, the Poosh founder's black gowns — the midnight-colored corset dress she sported at her reception and the Dolce & Gabanna number she rocked earlier in the weekend — have proven particularly popular, seemingly adding more fuel to one of 2022's hottest bridal trends.

Over the past several years, black wedding dresses have emerged as a modern bridal mainstay. Touted for their effortlessly cool subversiveness and their re-wearability — a factor many traditional dresses conspicuously lack — dark colors have taken the world of weddings by storm. Beyond Kardashian, stars like Ellie Goulding, Selling Sunset's Christine Quinn and Chloë Sevigny have all opted to sport the gothic hue during their nuptials in recent years, choices that seemingly speak to a larger movement within the world of bridal fashion.

"This is by far our favorite trend and we are loving it," Laura McKeever, who is the senior manager of brand PR, philanthropy and communications at David's Bridal, recently told CNN Business. "Black gowns are chic and dramatic."

But David's Bridal isn't the only retailer getting in on the fun, according to Refinery 29. Labels like Maggie Sottero Zander and Markarian also started prominently featuring black dresses among their offerings. Meanwhile, brands like Honor and Monique Lhuillier dipped their toe into the trend as well, adding dark details to several of their gowns. Even legendary bridal designer Vera Wang recently gave this trend her stamp of approval, dubbing the look "sexy" in an interview with Harper's Bazaar.

"One year I did a black and nude lingerie-inspired collection because that's what all my girlfriends were wearing," Wang told the outlet last September. While Wang noted "a lot of people were shocked" at her decision to feature the gothic hue, telling her it was "depressing to have brides in black," the designer begged to differ, a sentiment she said only helped fuel the trend's popularity.

"I said, 'Not at all, it's sexy,'" she recalled. "Then of course a lot of brides embraced it."

But beyond Wang's influence, why exactly have black wedding gowns become so popular in recent years? The answer, McKeever said, comes down to the evolution of bridal traditions, a factor that has seemingly been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We started to see this in 2021 with couples wanting to throw traditional wedding rules out the window," she explained. As such, McKeever said "brides who've had to postpone their weddings because of the pandemic now want their special day to be unique," a desire they seemingly sport on their sleeves. "They want to wear want they want on their big day. They are picking unique venues, they're wearing sneakers and having food trucks at their wedding."

So, if you’re looking to add a bit of edge into your bridal look, don’t be afraid to embrace the dark side.

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