The Fashion-Person Guide To Re-Wearing Your Bridesmaids Dresses

There are few items on the planet that are as hard to wear more than once as a wedding dress. But, that's no reason to sentence your best girlfriends to the same fate, and yet, so many brides choose frothy, fancy, this-is-a-bridesmaid's-dress bridesmaid dresses that are nearly impossible to wear again without looking like you got separated from the rest of the bridal party. But the creative minds at Rochas pulled together a very specific, on-point look that benefits the girl who's got a couple froufrou ones hiding in her closet.

Using safari shirts, layered slip dresses, long-sleeved tees, and colorful petticoats, Rochas turned out one of the more visually satisfying collections this season. It was a diaphanous, cotton-candy parade of elegantly off-kilter looks that were part '50s prom queen and part Belle Époque sexpot. Most of the looks require one cupcake-like dress of some sort to fulfill, and if you don't have a bridesmaid gown at the ready, a trip to the thrift shop (to pick up someone else's discard!) will set you up. The result is an altogether modern look for fancy occasions. Click through for the how-to.