Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue — of the four traditional elements of bridal custom, perhaps the last remains the most mysterious. Daalarna’s new Something Blue bridal collection places this motif at its very centre.
The Something Blue collection brings together more than two decades of Daalarna’s couture heritage with the dreamlike self-image of the contemporary bride.
In recent collections such as Breathe, Serenity, and Promise, Anita Benes explored different shades of minimalism — clean lines, delicate structures, and a modern kind of romance. While this visual language remains one of Daalarna’s defining signatures, Something Blue reveals another dimension of the brand.
One of the starting points for the collection was the world of 18th-century Rococo — a period that carried both the elegance and the playful spirit of aristocratic culture. For Anita Benes, however, this era was not a historical referenceto be reconstructed literally, but rather an atmosphere.
The visual language of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette became an important source of inspiration during the design process. One of the film’s most iconic gestures — the unexpected appearance of modern objects among historical costumes, such as a pair of Converse sneakers — reflects a sense of freedom that resonates strongly with the identity of today’s bride.
Members of Daalarna’s younger creative team associated this same mood more closely with the world of Bridgerton, which beautifully illustrates how romantic historical inspiration continues to live on across multiple eras within contemporary visual culture.
The inspiration for the Something Blue collection began with the Rococo period, which feels very close to me personally, and with the visual universe of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. It represents a particularly delicate, art-driven wayof seeing.
During the design process, however, very different associations emerged within the team — from contemporary series to classical literary atmospheres. In the end, this diversity shaped a new shared visual world.” — says Anita Benes, designer of Daalarna
One of the central questions behind the Something Blue collection was this:
what does a wedding mean today for Generation Z?
Often, the answer is simple: it is a story.
A day in which the bride becomes the protagonist of her own film.
Perhaps this is why historical inspirations return again and again to contemporary bridal fashion — not out of nostalgia, but because they help create a dreamlike space in which celebration can truly feel distinct from everyday life. For Daalarna, this idea has always been essential.
Since the very beginning, one of the brand’s defining values has been the individually designed bridal gown, created personally for each bride in the Budapest atelier. The Something Blue collection connects this sense of individuality with a romantic language of visual storytelling.
- “Something new” reflects the perspective of the contemporary bride and the creative freedom through which a wedding dressis imagined today.
- “Something borrowed” speaks to shared inspiration — the collaborative atelier process through which generations influence one another.
- “Something old” represents Daalarna’s more than twenty-year history and archive — elements of which also reappear during the campaign shoot. These include a Daalarna corset created in 2009 and adorned with Swarovski crystals, as well as a timeless mini dress from the 2012 collection, which has been brought back to life as part of the Something Blue collection.”
And finally, “something blue.”
The motif that gives the collection its title is not only a reference to a beloved wedding tradition, but also to a deeper cultural meaning. In the world of historical dress, shades of blue long signified rarity and social distinction. It is no coincidence that the colour plays such an important role in historical screen worlds such as Bridgerton: it evokes purity, constancy, and emotional fidelity all at once. Within European wedding tradition, these associations gradually shaped “something blue” into an intimate, often hidden detail of the bridal look. The Something Blue collection reinterprets this heritage for today.
Jewellery has always played a defining role in historical dress, which is why it was important for Daalarna to pair the collection with accessories chosen with equal intention. For the campaign shoot, the brand collaborated with the Polish jewellery house W.KRUK, whose history spans more than 180 years.
Originally founded as a family jewellery workshop, W.KRUK has grown into an internationally present brand while preserving craftsmanship as a core element of its identity. Each year, the house presents several original collections that offer inspiration across generations and occasions alike. This made it easy for the Daalarna team to select pieces that harmonised naturally with the atmosphere of the Something Blue collection: pearls, zirconia jewellery, blue gemstones, and laboratory-grown diamonds subtly reinforced its romantic, cinematic mood.
The Something Blue campaign was once again photographed at Daalarna Garden — a place that serves both as a creative atelier and an inspirational retreat for the brand.
This countryside setting offers a rare sense of freedom, allowing the team to create a complete visual universe. The campaign’s set design was developed together with the team of Egy Csipet Torta, while live butterflies from Motobutterfly further enhanced the cinematic atmosphere that became one of the defining moods of the collection. Accessories designed specifically for the collection — gloves, veils, belts, and boleros — strengthen the costume-like, filmic world that shapes the identity of Something Blue.
These gowns are more than wedding dresses. They are carriers of personal stories.
Couture pieces that bring together Daalarna’s craftsmanship, visual sensitivity, and more than two decades of experience with the once-in-a-lifetime dream that every bride makes her own.
Bridal dresses: Benes Anita – Daalarna / Video: Radván Lilla / Model: Zita Dobár – Attractive Models / Voice actor: Ildikó Hámori / Venue: Daalarna Garden.
Featured partner: W.KRUK
Collaborating partner: Egy Csipet Torta, Motobutterfly.
