Paulina Porizkova has spent much of her career modelling traditional white wedding gowns, making her own walk down the aisle all the more unexpected. Instead of embracing the classic bridal look she helped popularise throughout the 1980s, the supermodel chose a bespoke House of Gilles gown in what she described as a 'colour beyond colour', proving that modern bridal fashion is increasingly about personal expression rather than long-standing convention.
The 61-year-old's elegant Italian wedding has quickly become one of the year's most talked-about celebrity fashion moments, not because of extravagant embellishments or dramatic silhouettes, but because of a subtle design choice that challenged one of bridalwear's oldest traditions. Her custom-made gown demonstrated that a wedding dress does not need to be bright white to make a lasting impression.
A Couture Gown That Redefined Bridal Tradition
Porizkova married comedy writer Jeff Greenstein, 63, during an intimate ceremony at Villa Crespi in Orta San Giulio, Italy, on 3 July. While celebrity weddings often generate attention for lavish venues or star-studded guest lists, fashion enthusiasts were immediately drawn to her understated couture creation.
Designed by New York-based couture house House of Gilles, the gown was created by celebrated designer Gilles Mendel alongside his daughter, Chloe Mendel Corgan. The luxury atelier is renowned for producing handcrafted bridalwear that blends timeless elegance with contemporary craftsmanship, making it a fitting choice for a bride seeking something uniquely personal.
Rather than selecting traditional white or ivory, Porizkova envisioned a shade that resisted easy definition. The finished gown featured an ethereal pale neutral tone that shifted beautifully in changing light, appearing almost silver, pearl or soft mist depending on the setting.
Speaking to Vogue, she explained her creative vision.
'I wanted the colour to be sort of a not colour. Something ineffable and elusive, so you couldn't say 'she wore a yellow dress' or 'she wore a pink dress,' she said.
Why She Chose To Skip Bridal White
For Porizkova, the decision had little to do with rejecting the symbolism historically attached to white wedding dresses. Instead, it reflected her extraordinary modelling career.
During the 1980s, she became one of fashion's most recognisable faces, appearing on several Brides magazine covers and fronting Estée Lauder's iconic Beautiful fragrance campaign while dressed in traditional bridal white. After spending decades portraying brides for fashion campaigns, she wanted her own wedding look to feel authentic rather than familiar.
'I do this for a living,' she explained, suggesting that repeating the same bridal image simply no longer represented who she is today.
Inspired By Fashion And Hollywood Icons
The gown itself was carefully designed to balance structure with movement. Porizkova asked House of Gilles to create a dress that would 'move like water', resulting in a softly pleated silhouette with fluid layers that floated effortlessly as she walked. Its fitted bodice enhanced the romantic design while allowing the delicate fabric to remain the centrepiece.
Her inspiration came from two enduring fashion icons. Grace Kelly's elegant blue gown in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief influenced the timeless sophistication of the design, while Lauren Hutton's flowing Halston look at the 1975 Academy Awards inspired its understated glamour.
Porizkova completed the bridal ensemble with a matching House of Gilles veil and a coordinating fabric flower worn in her hair. Rather than layering on jewellery, she chose sentimental simplicity by wearing teardrop earrings gifted by her sons for her 60th birthday, allowing the craftsmanship of the couture gown to speak for itself.
Even Jeff Greenstein embraced bespoke tailoring for the occasion, commissioning a custom blue wool suit tailored specifically for his 6 ft 7 in frame. Together, the couple presented a coordinated yet modern interpretation of classic wedding style.
A Growing Trend In Modern Bridal Fashion
One guest reportedly described the bride's elusive gown colour as 'the colour of element' — a shade impossible to define, much like water itself. The unusual compliment perfectly captured Porizkova's vision of creating a dress that defied traditional colour labels.
Her bridal look also reflects a wider shift in modern bridal fashion, with designers increasingly embracing champagne, pearl, dove grey and other soft neutrals as more brides prioritise individuality over convention.
After decades of modelling classic white wedding gowns, Porizkova chose a bespoke House of Gilles creation that celebrated her own style rather than tradition. In doing so, she showed that today's most memorable bridal looks are defined not by colour, but by personal expression.
