First Stop Bridal, Next Stop Eveningwear
What should an elegant bride wear after her wedding ceremony? Rani Totman thinks it should be something just as beautiful as her bridal dress.
Totman, best known as the designer of bridalwear line St. Pucchi, unveiled the second collection of Rani Totman Evening on Jan. 6 at her boutique in the Westwood section of Los Angeles.
The 39-piece collection marks Totman’s move into a market separate from bridal, which makes up the majority of her business. It also marks the designer’s wish that California women would pay more attention to glamour.
“Where is that sophisticated look?” Totman asked at the fashion show. “Women mostly wear jeans and jackets here. What happened to gowns?”
Totman garnered media attention when actress Lisa Kudrow wore the designer’s lilac-colored wedding dress in the 2004 finale of hit television series “Friends.”
For her second eveningwear collection, Totman said she took inspiration from the classic Hollywood glamour of stars such as Audrey Hepburn as well as from French couture.
The spirit of Hepburn could be seen in Totman’s silk dinner suit, made up of a strapless embroidered dress and a shawl collar.
For Gallic elegance, there was Totman’s ivoryand- silver silk strapless gown detailed with beaded and embroidered leaves. The designer also experimented with baroque style by putting ostrich plumes on a platinum one-shoulder silk gown.
But Totman did not ignore her roots. The show finale was a wedding dress that made a statement with a 10-by-10-foot train.
—Andrew Asch
