6 Hacks to Finding the Perfect Wedding Dress — Straight From a Bridal Designer

Updated on May 9, 2016 at 7:00 AM

There was plenty to enjoy about Barcelona Bridal Week, from touring the Pronovias atelier to watching the brand's runway show stacked with major It models. But it wasn't until I sat down with French designer Hervé Moreau that I understood the intricacies of creating not just any dress, but a wedding dress. Hervé kept his head down in the days leading up to his 2017 debut, staying awake all hours just to finalize details with his seamstresses, attend casting calls with his direct team, and shoot the final lookbook.

But when I talked with him hours before he revealed his new collection, he was more relaxed and certainly excited. Through a translator, Hervé revealed the secret to finding a perfect gown and teased his upcoming model lineup, which included Irina Shayk. "This is the second time she's with us," he said with a grin. "She's worked with Pronovias many times before. But as [my] icon, the second time." But the surprises don't end there. Read on to find six takeaways from one of the most talented bridal designers around. They just might change the vision you have for your own special day.

Choose a Universally Flattering Silhouette

"I think the most important thing is to have the waist visible or very defined. Starting from there, you can have a large skirt and train, or not."

Trends Come and Go, So Be Careful With Them

"Right now, I don't like balloon sleeves [as a bridal trend]. But maybe I will do that one day. I think it was Coco Chanel who said, 'I know what I don't like today.' So what I'm doing today absolutely equates to who I am today. What I will do tomorrow . . . of course today maybe I don't like it, because I'm not there yet."

Passing Down Your Wedding Dress Is Definitely a "Do"

"I love it. Even if you transform it, you are sharing part of it and transferring part of it, so that's very nice. There is a touch of sensitivity which I like very much."

It's Important to Have Classic Icons

"The pictures we have in our stores [of icons like Jackie Kennedy and Kate Middleton] I would say they amount to all time. For example, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. That dress. The way it defines her body. It's very much universal."

Lace Will Always Be Lovely

"Lace is very important for Pronovias. This year more than 50 percent of our gowns have lace, and I'm very happy to have gone back to lace. What I really like about working with lace is that I start by restructuring it, or undoing it, and I create something new — embossing designs with just the impressions of it. I destroy it then place it. It's not to use the full lace, it's to play with the lace and have something more modern."

The 1 Color to Wear on Your Wedding Day — Other Than White

"Red. Because I think red is very French. Also, very British. Back at the time when they did the royal weddings, it was very interesting."