Dress Diary: Traditional Bridal Attire

During the traditional ceremony and the reception, the bride and groom and the bridal party go through a number of elaborate costume changes. Usually the costumes are rented from a Cambodian dress maker. Some brides have up to 10 dress changes. I will have 4 dress changes in total due to time constraint and my lack of enthusiasm with playing dress up.
I've decided to have a traditional dress made to greet the guest at the receiving line. After scouring the internet in search of the purrrfect dress, I've narrowed down my choices to two dresses. My first pick is a lovely plum color with a gold pattern print. It's a one shoulder with a lace overlay in a very traditional design.

The second dress is also a one shoulder but has a more modern and sophisticated design, the clean lines and soft chiffon fabric makes it look more Greco-Roman than Cambodian. It has small lace detailing and a "bling" belt as an accessory. I might change the color of the dress to a blush pink.

The simplicity and modern feel of the dresses is a bit of a contrast with the more dramatic and intricately designed Khmer bridal costumes I will be wearing at the ceremonies. These dresses are adorn with so many details! The vibrant colors, richness of the silks and bejeweled embroidery are dazzling! It would make any Khmer bride feel like a princess. However, I find most of the special occasion dresses to be too busy and sometimes downright tacky looking. The clash of colors is enough to make me cringe. I hope future Cambodian fashion designers can create more simplistic designs that will create beautiful and elegant dresses.

Disclaimer: The images featured on this blog post are THAI dresses and THAI models. Just in case there should be any cultural confusion between Cambodian and Thai style traditional dresses. However, I feel because traditional Thai fashion is inherently Khmer, I choose to post them as Khmer dresses too. These styles are available in Cambodia and are sold as Cambodian dresses, not Thai. Unfortunately, the popularity of Thai has overshadow much of what is Cambodian and so the internet is reflective of that. Simply put - there are just more sites dedicated to Thai traditional fashion. I have found many Cambodian dresses but not so many traditional formal dresses that I like. The reason being is that Thai designs are more simple and sophisticated while the current fashion trend in Cambodia offers a host of dresses that are a hot mess. Aside from Cambodian bridal wear, I found most of the Cambodian formal fashion to look downright tacky. Luckily, there is a new crop of Cambodian fashion designers that have taken a fresh and modern perspective while still staying true to their roots.

The Fashion Pack

- yes, this site is a Thai site but features Cambodian designers. Go figure right?

I am aware of the ethnocentrism and cultural sensitivities between Cambodian and Thai people. Two neighboring countries that are em-blazed in not only a cultural war but territorial disputes over land and land marks (Preah Vihear). So I should have made it clear when I labeled the post "Traditional Khmer Dresses". I have made the changes to be more "politically correct". However, please keep in mind that my blog is an expression of my views and should not be taken as the wikipedia guide of things Cambodian. If any offense was taken, please refrain from reading my blog. Thanks!