Wedding stuff: No one wants to go broke being your bridesmaid

In addition to myself, about four friends of mine are planning weddings. The common theme among them all seems to be “budget chic.” Who wants to break the bank getting married? And who wants to be that annoying friend who expects the wedding party to go broke participating in The Big Day? I personally am not going the bridesmaid gown route, but I’ve been suggesting Two Birds to my newly engaged girlfriends. Ariane Goldman created the ingenious line after growing tired of shelling out money for bridesmaids dresses that were only going to end up buried in the back of her closet, never to be worn again. The concept is one silk jersey dress (inspired by Norma Kamali’s Infinity dress) that comes in two lengths (short and long) and can be worn 15 different ways (wrapped, knotted, twisted, you name it). The idea has gone over so well in the U.S. and Australia that Ariane is launching it in the UK this winter. That’s mostly because the dresses are pretty affordable as far as bridesmaids options go at €180 and is versatile enough to wear to whatever girls’ night, cocktail party, or office holiday fete you’ve got on your calendar. Bonus: The dresses don’t require any fittings.