Photo: Fairchild Archive

In the unlikely event that a Chanel customer wishes to stage her wedding aboard a commercial airplane, Karl Lagerfeld has her dress at the ready. The designer presented his couture collection this week inside a specially built airplane cabin, where an exclusive flock of guests enjoyed pre-flight cocktails before a crew of couture-clad flight attendants walked the runway.

As is tradition in haute couture, the finale look of the show featured Lagerfeld's musings for his bride, who this season donned a glittering, neo-mod wedding dress with a cropped tulle train. The design's elongated drop waist and neat slash pockets infused much of the collection, which also featured 150 shades of blue—from midnight to cornflower to electric cobalt—and immaculate embroidery that in many cases took the place of fabric.

Despite its '60s air-hostess roots, the collection shaped a look for Spring 2012 that's more futuristic than retro—so if you expect to see this dress make a mile-high wedding cameo on ABC's Pan Am, don't. Follow the jump to see similar wedding looks from Anne Bowen, Ines di Santo, and Tara Keely. —Phillip B. Crook

Photos: Fairchild Archive

Take a cue from these Hollywood starlets who re-imagined their favorite runway looks for a night out on town.

Camilla Belle (above) couldn't have looked prettier in a silk organza Carolina Herrera gown. We're calling this color "Zingy Yellow" and anticipating we'll see a lot more of it as the weather gets warmer. Open-toe shoes in a neutral shade paired with pink lips and a simple ponytail helped Belle keep the "zing factor" under control.

Photos: Fairchild Archive

Kirsten Dunst dazzled us in a dramatic Valentino gown (above) with sheer sleeves and embroidered floral detail. Her emerald green clutch hardly went unnoticed. We love the way this color adds a bit of glamour to everything it touches.

Photos: Fairchild Archive

Rachel Blison (above) schooled us in the art of wearing feathers by emphasizing one focal point: that amazing Chanel frock. Her accessories were clean and crisp, not chorus-girl. —Anne-Marie Scali

Bridget Bardot's refined elegance (and oodles of sex appeal) inspired designer Romona Keveza's Fall 2012 collection, which showed a slew body-conscious silhouettes cut from artisan fabrics and accented with bold color. "My collection is all about whispering elegance rather than shouting opulence," Keveza told us at her New York runway show. "This collecition particularly is all about refined luxury." See the entire Fall 2012 Romona Keveza collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

What's Kenneth Pool designer Amsale Aberra's take on feathers? "Feather is in trend right now in ready-to-wear, so I used it in bridal, but it still has to look like a wedding dress." And color? "I like to use color, but color that a bride can actually wear." No matter the trend, Aberra consistently delivers the drama and opulence that's synonymous with a Kenneth Pool bride, who this season featured tulle, taffeta, and organza, with pops of texture and ostrich feather accents. See the entire Fall 2012 Rivini collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

Inspired by the work of 19th-century Parisian portraitist Giovanni Boldini, Rivini designer Rita Vinieris sought to evoke a painterly feel with her Fall 2012 collection. She referenced Boldini's bold strokes of color by using a palette of soft pinks and rich purples and reinterpreted the movement in his painting "Scena Galante" through transparent fabrics and layers of mohair. See the entire Fall 2012 Rivini collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

For Fall 2012, designer Reem Acra played with new ways to swathe her bride in translucent, sheer fabrics—the most notable of which was a lace pattern laser-cut into organza and tulle. "It's something new, something unheard of before," Acra told us at her New York Bridal Fashion Week show. "For me, it's about changing the lace idea." See the entire Fall 2012 Reem Acra collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

Anna Maier / Ulla-Maija designer Charles Bunstine channeled a mood between moods for his latest collection, creating looks for a bride caught between soft sensuality and opulent haute couture. "I see girls all the time split right in the middle and they're like, 'How do I want to feel?'" Bunstine told us backstage at his show. "It's nice when you can give them both dimensions." See the entire Fall 2012 Anna Maier / Ulla-Maija collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

"It seems to come to me in a dream or in a weekend—it just happens very quickly," Monique Lhuillier told us of her inspiration for the Fall 2012 collection. Though similar in silhouette and style to past collections, the lineup of gowns walking the runway this time around made a sexier statement with sheer corsets and high slits. "There was a lot more sensuality," Lhuillier said. "There was a lot more skin showing." See the entire Fall 2012 Monique Lhuillier collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

If you thought the sparkle of a Swarvoski crystal solely belonged to the Kenneth Pool bride, you thought wrong. "Even the Christos girl likes some shimmer," designer Amsale Aberra told us backstage at her show for Christos—the one line from Aberra's three that is more typically associated with flowing laces and soft silhouettes. This time around, Aberra turned up the volume to present a bride that, while still young and fresh, commands a little more attention. See the entire Fall 2012 Christos collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

"I want to show the beauty of a woman," designer Ines Di Santo told us backstage at her Fall 2012 runway show. Di Santo presented gowns this season enlivened with her signature volt of glamour and drama, only this time inspired by celebrity red carpet looks. The flash of a paparazzi bulb seems a fitting complement, after all, to the Italian designer's cant-tear-your-eyes-away aesthetic. See the entire Ines Di Santo collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

Photo: Conde Nast Digital Studio

I must admit, I'm a tough sell when it comes to ball gowns. I often find them too precious or cutesy and end up gravitating to something more streamlined and sophisticated. But when done right, a designer is able to capture the best of both worlds—and that's exactly what Amsale did with this dreamy confection. The gown's structured bodice balances out the soft tulled skirt, while the jeweled neckline adds just the right amount of bling to keep things interesting. This gown has black-tie wedding written all over it.

Browse the complete Amsale collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery or click here to find a bridal salon near you. —Stephanie Davila

Fresh off the runway from Claire Pettibone's New York Bridal Fashion Week show, we chatted with the designer about her fancifully feminine, French country-inspired collection. New to the line this season were romantic toiles and prints, as well as high-low hemlines, one of Fall 2012's hottest trends. See the entire Claire Pettibone collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

Photo: John Aquino

Dramatic eyes. Dark, stained lips reminiscent of Hollywood glamour. Subtle, natural makeup and softly tousled tresses—the runways of New York Bridal Fashion Week were an incubator of beauty ideas to translate into your wedding day look. At Reem Acra, the natural makeup made a stunning contrast to the oversize statement headbands, while at Romona Keveza the models (above) were whisked back to the Bridget Bardot-stamped '60s with modern interpretations of the retro beehive hairstyle and eyes lined in black and lacquered with mascara. See the full slideshow of runway looks for more styling ideas from the likes of Marchesa, Badgley Mischka, and Monique Lhuillier.

For more beauty inspiration, browse our gallery of hairstyle and beauty ideas or visit our local vendor listings to find a hairstylist or makeup artist near you.

We headed backstage at New York Bridal Fashion Week to talk with designers about their Fall 2012 collections—and first up was industry mogul Amsale Aberra, who showed her signature streamlined silhouettes alongside structured ball gowns and geometric necklines. See the entire Fall 2012 Amsale collection in our Wedding Dresses gallery, and watch more runway footage from this season on our Videos page. —Phillip B. Crook

Photo: Conde Nast Digital Archive; illustration: courtesy of the designer

Each bridal season, we ask some of our favorite designers to sketch one gown that best represents the feel, fit, and forward-thinking aesthetic of the rest of the collection. Then, after the actual gowns have walked the runway, we compare those sketched designs with their bridal realities. Designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka successfully channeled the work of Italian futurist sculptor Umberto Boccioni with this strapless taffeta gown, for example, saying, "We love the gown's unique silhouette and volume. The beading at the neckline is super chic and adds a vintage touch to a modern gown." See how other designers brought their sketches to fruition in the full slideshow, and be sure to check out the rest of our coverage from New York Bridal Fashion Week Fall 2012 on our New Dresses page. —Phillip B. Crook