Written by Lauren Weeks
We had a lively conversation with Theia’s own Senior Director of Sales Alex Chase Souza to talk interstellar inspiration, the tricky intersection of tradition and novelty, and how the brand’s latest collection presents new innovative designs for the modern bride. Theia’s new showcase at New York Bridal Fashion Week for the Autumn 2023 season highlights a marriage of contemporary to customary, and shows us exactly why the established brand remains a powerful player in the bridal world year after year.
“We’re taking more risks this season,” Alex Chase Souza excitedly tells us right off the bat. As Senior Director of Sales for the established Theia bridal brand, there’s no one better to walk us through the latest collection for Autumn 2023 than Souza, who knows exactly what brides want most in their wedding dresses. In fact, this rightly confident bridal trends connoisseur has even fought against disagreements on his design team to get some trendy pieces produced that he felt would do well with the modern bride – including a stunning contemporary train veil with colourful novel floral appliques that immediately caught our eye the moment we walked into in the spacious showroom. Without feeling overdone, the whimsical veil’s dose of colour along with its natural theme felt fresh and a perfect complement to Theia’s signature crisp white slip dresses. Souza laughs, “nobody knows bridal like me!” but we have an inkling this lighthearted joke could also moonlight as a proudly earned proclamation.
The documented Theia brand identity aims for a modern novelty, while still remaining approachable for the everyday bride. This new collection debuted at New York Bridal Fashion Week this season features 13 gowns of varying shapes, alongside a new veil and contemporary cloak. There was a major focus on new ways and styles of draping, alongside the contemporary classics that we’ve come to expect from the brand as a part of this recognizable design identity. Modern beachy interpretations took centre stage, bringing us on a mental vacation trip with the bikini bride. In one gown with a front slit, Souza notes that this look was made with a destination wedding in mind, and refreshingly crafted just for the “I’ll just throw this in my suitcase!” low maintenance breezy girl. Another similarly easygoing gown he’s dubbed “the bikini slip dress” for its bandeau back and front cutouts in a slinky, silky fabrication. Considering bridal’s usual presumptuous atmosphere, this catering to the laissez-faire felt like an authentic breath of fresh air.
Not every look was as low-key, though. We were introduced to hand-drawn motifs and patterns custom for the brand in multiple designs, especially concentrated on the floral and nature themes typical for Theia. High quality craftsmanship is important to the brand, and has helped them keep their place as a frontrunner in bridal boutiques year over year. Hand drawn embroidered or textile motifs like these added a more personal touch to ready-to-wear. A new absolutely heavenly dove-inspired cloak is one such example, standing out as a way to add a trendy and interchangeably unique twist to a full wedding day look without committing to an over-the-top or nontraditional gown. The gown was much longer than the train of the dresses shown, allowing for major drama and versatility for wardrobe changes.
Heavenly and celestial themes dominated the collection alongside the aforementioned beachy tones. An equal half of the looks were inspired by Jupiter, the constellations, and other heavenly bodies. A “smattering of a constellation of sequins” met an adjustable tie back on one crowdpleaser gown with a full-body miniature daisy applique – “brides might be young, they might not be the best planners, they might need their dress in three days…that’s what we do. We meet those needs,” Souza explained. He designs with this girl in mind: through adjustable silhouettes like these, a bride can buy off the rack and be ready for her wedding day in no time rather than waiting for a seamstress to make the usual measurement adjustments after fittings.
Though many of Theia’s silhouettes skew on the slimmer side, lending themselves especially to these statement veils and accessories add-ons, the closing look of the presentation was more voluminous by far. Souza tells us, “I grew up on bridal ballgowns. It’s not the usual inherent Theia brand identity, but a ballgown can be made cool and fashion-forward.” This style is especially popular recently in the Eastern global market – and where their customers are making demands, Theia listens. However, this isn’t your standard sweet tulle look made for a storybook princess. Instead, the brand adds a twist with textured and striated organza fabrication, so it appears almost as a linen. “It’s not princessy or cupcake-reminiscent. It’s fashion,” Souza proclaims of the stylishly edgy interpretation.
On the exact opposite end of the silhouette spectrum, the brand also ventured even further into new territory and fabrics with a cutting-edge “Skims-inspired” shaping dress. The simple twisted gown in stretch knit fabric flatters the body in its smoothing fabric that accentuates all the right places, with Souza’s personal favourite touch of a watteau train in back for drama. With the recent rise of shapewear for the everyday and popularity of brands such as Skims and Spanx for daily wear, Theia is right on trend with integrating this technology and functionality into its occasionwear, negating the necessity of purchasing a separate shapewear piece for your special day dressing. Tying together these two ideas of tradition versus novelty is what the brand does best, perfectly exemplified in this sleek iteration.
New ideas and modern design is always a focus for Theia, who at its core keeps clients’ comfort and needs in mind. The brand even keeps a “Real Weddings” section on its site that showcases real, everyday Theia brides and their ceremonial stories. Those looking for an elegant traditional gown with a dash of contemporary design will find a beautiful match in Theia looks, as well as the inherent comfort and accessories versatility they might desire from reception to ceremony. “It’s not breaking any design rules, but the novelty makes it really fun,” states Souza of the latest collection. Designed with a variety of girls and their own unique needs in mind – from the breezy bikini bride, to the trendy fashionista, to the young bride eloping on the fly – each unique Theia look calls out specifically to an equally special story waiting to be told.
Writer: Laur Weeks @Laur.Weeks
Designer: Theia @TheiaCouture
Interviewed: Alex Chase Souza, Theia Senior Director of Sales @achasesouza
