How Australian designer Rachel Gilbert is defining the modern bride

Rachel Gilbert just really gets the modern bride. Not only aesthetically – though the Australian designer’s sleek and sculptural approach to bridal certainly does appeal to countless women searching for the perfect wedding gown – but practically, too. “For me, as a designer, I’m all about the foundation and construction, and fit is the foundation of every design,” says Gilbert. “Everything has got inner corsets, so you’re supported – you don’t need to wear a bra.” Simply put, these are the sort of dresses – envisioned specifically from a woman’s perspective – that make the wearer feel good. It’s an enchanting proposition for one of the biggest fashion moments in a women’s life.

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While bridal has always been an integral part to Gilbert’s business, she describes her approach as “a fashion brand that does bridal”. These are not your traditional princess gowns, but rather Gilbert’s signature design language – structured silhouettes marked by clever draping and considered, hand-done embellishments – rendered in shades of white. To double down on the notion of the modern bride, she caters to the entire bridal experience (who has just one look these days, anyway?), offering demure suiting and high-necked sculptural frocks for the civil ceremony and slinky mini dresses adorned with feathers and crystals for the party. “We’re really focusing on the party moment,” says Gilbert “The beaded mini dresses are really strong for us and what our brides are really gravitating towards.” Many of her non-white gowns, meanwhile, have become go-tos both for wedding guests and bridal parties.

This runaway bridal success coincides with a major moment in the Rachel Gilbert universe. Though the brand’s core values have remained the same since it was founded in 2007 (namely, timeless occasion wear with an emphasis on construction and silhouette – sound familiar?), this year it underwent, as Gilbert calls it, a “facelift”. “We’re bringing it back to the authenticity of who we are and how we do business and letting customers in on that journey,” says Gilbert.

The brand’s new direction is most evident in the visual content. In lieu of sterile studio images, Gilbert has been shooting her frocks in far flung locations; a natural choice given that the designer is often inspired by travel when conceiving her designs. “I have a persona in mind, and I do think about where is she going, what is she doing,” says Gilbert of her process. “What’s the weather like that time of year? I really get into her shoes and try to connect with the customer and what she’s needing.” By way of example, she points to a recently-shot campaign at the decadent NIHI resort in Indonesia. “They have wild horses that run up and down the beach,” she days. “When you’re on an island and you’re going out for dinner and you’ve got big earrings and the cape gowns… I feel like going into summer, and European summer, that’s kind of where our minds are at.”

Gilbert’s approach certainly resonates, not only with brides but with a certain celebrity clientele. Jessica Alba recently attended a Cannes gala in a strapless crepe column gown with a hand-draped bust. Meanwhile, Kristin Davis turned up at the And Just Like That season 3 premiere in the hand-embellished Francesca gown, which takes some 200 hours to complete. “We’re rushing to restock it,” sats Gilbert of the best-selling gown. “The signups have gone through the roof – the anticipation for that dress is pretty wild.”

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Meanwhile, for brides still searching for the perfect dress, Gilbert has a new silhouette, Adeline, launching in July. Rendered in silk wool, it hits all the notes of a signature Gilbert creation. “The corset and the drama of it, without it being too over the top – it’s quite clean and chic,” she says. “It’s one of my favourite pieces this year.” She predicts that this sort of gown (which just so happens to align with Scandinavian minimalism, come to think of it) is the future of bridal: a modern construction that could conceivably be worn again (dyed, even) beyond one’s wedding day.

While Gilbert has dressed countless women on their big day, her first bridal client was herself. It was an exercise that changed her view on bridal, informing her approach to this day. “There’s nothing like a woman getting married – it’s so personal,” she says, noting that her own dress was more princess-like than the dresses she designs today. “Going through that experience myself and knowing that connection, it changed my perspective on what the bride needs and what she’s thinking about.” She needs extraordinary construction, and a dress to feel good in.