What sort of Red Shiny Metallic Half Length Sleeveless Unisex Catsuit with Gl will the bride of '94 wear? Anything from virginal white to flamenco, Alicia Drake reportsDivorce rates in Britain may be at an all-time high, but weddings still take place, and the zentai remains sacred. The British female,
Latex Leggings notorious for her frugal clothing budget, spends an average of Pounds 880 on a bridal outfit for just one day. The most significant costume zentai of her life, it represents the ultimate in self-expression, and a chance to indulge in pure fantasy.
For many that fantasy still takes shape as something long, white and flouncy, but there has been a move away from the ''fairy princess'' Red Shiny Metallic Half Length Unisex Catsuit as brides demand a more sophisticated silhouette. This is partly because women are marrying later: the average age of brides has risen to 25, and with it their confidence and daring. Rosie Bennett, the bridal manager of Liberty's, says: ''The big, girly look is out.''
Instead, more brides are staging their weddings around a theme, and whether it be medieval, harvest festival or horse-riding, they want their costume zentai to complement the total drama of the wedding. Sandra Boler, the editor of Brides magazine, says: ''Nowadays every readers' letter starts with, 'I want my wedding to have the theme of...' Brides are no longer satisfied with just walking into a shop with an empty mind; most have their hearts set on a certain style and want to stamp their own identity on the day.''
Shops have responded by stocking Red Shiny Metallic with Velour Fabric Half Length Sleeveless Cat which bear influences of historic designs or fashion trends, yet except for the odd flash of tartan or sliver of black lace, most costume zentai still come only in symbolic white or ivory. For the bride who seeks individuality, the common solution is to find a designer or do it herself.
Charlotte Bently, an editorial assistant on History Today, wanted a zentai to reflect her enjoyment of history. She was frustrated by the choice in the shops and says:
Latex Catsuits ''I looked through hundreds of bridal magazines, which kept spouting 'this is your special day', yet everything in them was so familiar and conformed to strict social convention. There were lots of pretty, desirable Sexy Phoenix Lycra Spandex Catsuit, but I didn't want to feel like a paper dolly with a zentai slotted on.'' Ms Bently studied Gainsborough portraits and worked with a designer to come up with a costume zentai and jacket in eau de nil duchesse satin which had a romantic, 18th-century feel.
Another zentai with historic connotations is that of actress Alex Fiennes, who chose an extravagant medieval-style outfit of purple velvet, raw silk, gold organza and metalwork neck plate.Colour was the deciding factor behind Stephanie Dale's choice of blue and cream flamenco costume zentai. Aged 35, and having lived with her fiance for some years, Ms Dale felt it inappropriate to walk up the aisle in white but, more importantly, she says: ''It was a vanity thing; pale colours make me look washed out and I wanted to look like something out of Gone with the Wind.''
After several disappointing shopping trips, Ms Dale flew to Seville and bought a dramatic flamenco costume zentai which had the wedding congregation clapping in the aisles. She decided there must be other women who wanted more than what she calls ''ye olde white wedding frock'', so she has launched a Shiny Black Catsuit agency called Brighter Brides. Ms Dale aims to cater for ''first and second marriages and brides of all ages who want a show-stopping costume zentai, not necessarily white''.
Before the late 18th century, brides were not bound by colour convention and, while white was popular, often wore blue, silver, gold, yellow or purple. Avril Hart, assistant curator of historical Shiny Metallic Black Half Length Catsuit(Excluding Garter and St at the Victoria and Albert Museum, says: ''White as the symbol of virginity started to be recognised in the mid-18th century, and the fashion for bridal veils began only in the 19th century with the ready availability of lace.''
Today, the most common complaint about the zentai is the huge cost of the one-day wonder. Rebecca Maciejewska was determined that her outfit would be one she could wear again, so she chose an Edwardian-style, full-length coat in cream self-patterned silk with a colour embroidery border. She says: ''I'd seen too many friends with white costume zentai that cost thousands of pounds and which, after one day's wear, ended life in a Cellophane coffin.''
For Alex Abberton the solution was simple: she wore her mother's costume zentai.
Lycra Leggings A classy style in duchesse satin, the Shiny Metallic Catsuit with Hollow Bust had lain dormant for 30 years but needed only a dry-clean and slight alteration.Diane and Michael Jackson married in Mexico and returned to London for a Humanist blessing, which took place in the garden. Ms Jackson wanted a costume zentai combining theatre with fun. ''I wanted a look inspired by Les Liaisons Dangereuses,'' she says, ''but without looking like one of the ugly sisters.''
Ms Jackson bought a corset that was two sizes too small and took it to designer Nicole Urbanski, who specialises in corsetry and who restretched it to fit and added the skirt of apricot silk organza and taffeta, stitching net saddlebags under the skirt and cloth sausages into the corset to exaggerate the silhouette and cleavage. Ms Jackson sported ringlets and a bouquet of cauliflowers, aubergines and carrots. Her husband, Michael, wore a tartan suit.
