Bridal Fashion 2011: Understated Wedding Gowns

No flowers, bows, or ruffles. No crystals, sequins, embroidery, or lace. Whether your style is simple and elegant or modern and edgy, it’s your wedding and that’s the way it’s going to be. Luckily for you there are plenty of lovely wedding gowns for your taste, amid this season’s dizzying array of florals, flounces, beads and bows! The drape of the fabric and your own poise will speak for themselves. Here are some absolutely lovely, understated wedding gowns for 2011.

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All photos from Martha Stewart Weddings

Jewel by Priscilla of Boston, Spring 2011, priscillaofboston.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

J. Crew. Spring 2011, jcrew.com

Anne Bowen, Spring 2011, annebowen.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Monique Lhuillier, Spring 2011, moniquelhuillier.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

J. Crew, Spring 2011, jcrew.com

Douglas Hannant, Spring 2011, douglashannant.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Amsale, Spring 2011, 800-765-0170, amsale.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

J. Crew, Spring 2011, jcrew.com

Jenny Lee, Spring 2011, jennyleebridal.com, Photograph by firstVIEW.

Ines di Santo, Spring 2011, 866-899-INES, inesdisanto.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Oscar de la Renta, Spring 2011, oscardelarenta.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Anne Bowen, Spring 2011, annebowen.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Angel Sanchez, Spring 2011, 212-921-9827, angelsanchezusa.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Anne Barge, Spring 2011, 404-873-8070, annebarge.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Anne Barge, Spring 2011, 404-873-8070, annebarge.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

Douglas Hannant, Spring 2011, douglashannant.com. Photograph by firstVIEW.

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Sabatini White Women’s Summer Fashion 2011

Sabatini White Women’s Summer Fashion 2011

New York Fashion Week: Rising star Prabal Gurung needs to stay grounded

For some reason this season, Prabal Gurung was anointed the new kid to watch. When he staged his first runway show in the Tents on Saturday, everyone was there -- department store buyers, magazine editors, even a celeb or two.

Why? Who knows. Oprah's a fan, the designer has a quirky name (pronounced Praa-ball) and a cute face, he grew up in Katmandu, started his career in India, and was design director at Bill Blass for five years.

Sculpted coats and skirts in camel, black and white wool cashmere with curvilinear seams had a Blass feel to them, but a bit too much bulk, and the floating panels, peplums and double layers weren't incorporated well enough into the designs.

One-shouldered silk gazar dresses, distinguished by sculptural ruffles, didn't feel that special either.

The best look -- a motocross-inspired minidress that was a patchwork of metallic oxidized lace and wool faille. Too bad he didn't stay focused on that technique a little longer.

New York Fashion Week: Could Ohne Titel be the next Donna Karan

The most exciting thing I saw on the runway Saturday was the Ohne Titel collection. Bringing a new kind of cool to draped silk, velvet and washed leather separates by working them with athletic mesh and knit, designers Flora Gill and Alexa Adams challenged the boring vernacular of office suiting.

Could we be looking at the next Donna Karan?

The designers, who met at Parsons School of Design and have stints at Helmut Lang and Karl Lagerfeld between them, launched their line in 2011, and they have been on an upward trajectory ever since, garnering nominations and awards from the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation and the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

For fall, they worked in a palette of black, moss green, sand and pewter to create a number of separates that could find a place in any woman's wardrobe -- lean, asymmetrically cut soft leather and ribbed knit jackets, cropped shearlings, combo leather and knit leggings. Their version of the suit was a moss-colored silk blazer worn with silk pants that were slouchy up top, spiraling into ribbed knit at the bottom of the legs.

Although they cited the 19th century as inspiration, there was nothing retro about a techno collage, multicolored mesh dress, a sand leather and silk cowl neck top or a silk drawstring skirt with black leather front pouch pocket that brought motocross to mind.

After all, these are clothes for women on the move. And let's hope this is the collection that brings this label to a wider audience. In Los Angeles, Ohne Titel (German for "untitled") is stocked at Zainab and Satine.