The Magazine ANTIQUES attends Tanner Fletcher’s Vintage-Inspired Spring/Summer 2027 Bridal Runway Show.
There’s more budding in New York City this time of year than magnolia, forsythia, and dogwood. It’s romance. Love is in the air—a seasonal trope, yes—but spring also marks the timely arrival of New York Bridal Fashion Week (NYBFW). I was in town for a quick trip after being invited to attend Tanner Fletcher’s latest wedding runway show, and it turned out I didn’t need to go to Broadway to get a theatrical fix partnered with a fabulous dose of fashion.
Around the stroke of 5:30 p.m., a line stretched down Park Avenue, stemming from the church steps. Guests clustered outside the doors of St. Bartholomew’s Church—or St. Bart’s—patiently waiting, yet visibly eager. A few wore Tanner Fletcher originals or inspired looks: a sheer “Pussybow” blouse, a puffy-sleeved brocade dress, bows in hair and on shoes—and I wore a beanie atop a 1950s black birdcage veil, dotted with velvet bows, I found at a local vintage store back home that felt on brand. The beanie kept the veil from blowing away as sweet breezes chartered across the wind-swept city. A quiet show of allegiance and admiration from Tanner Fletcher’s many lovers.
When the church doors opened, the crowd rushed in (or did their best to, as proof of invite was needed to enter). Inside, seats were quickly taken—parishioners of fashion settling into place, craning for a view. The formal invitation, sent over email, promised a “theatrical performance.” During Tanner Fletcher’s first bridal runway show, partnered with Etsy, a real couple was legally married. The question lingered: what will the design duo do next?
Tanner Fletcher’s Spring/Summer 2027 bridal collection, titled Happily Ever After, delivered a script-driven runway show, choreographed alongside a petit ballet divided into three acts, showcasing various styles: ceremony, suiting, and eveningwear. “Storytelling has always been at the core of how we present our work. A runway on its own can feel limiting, but when you frame it as a performance, it becomes something people can really connect to,” says Fletcher Kasell.
If you’re a ’90s child like me, you likely remember watching Walt Disney’s 1950 animated feature Cinderella on VHS—rewound, replayed, and repeated. The closing scene is hard to forget: bells toll with glee; Cinderella is a vision in white, with bluebird friends flapping their wings to keep her veil afloat. She loses her glass slipper (again) in the process of running down the steps, giddy, with her Prince Charming (yes, that is his name) toward their gilded carriage. This time, our once-misfortunate protagonist is now a princess (yes, queen!). Rice hails from above, and a kiss framed by the carriage’s back window seals the couple’s fate, transitioning into the final page in the storybook with the line, “and they lived happily ever after.”
Seventy-six years later, similar romantic storylines ring true—even with reality television shows like Love is Blind and Too Hot to Handle, helping people find their happy endings. This type of “classic” fairy tale and archetypal love story still exists; the molds are broken, restored, and newly rendered. For Tanner Fletcher’s current bridal collection, the age-old story of Cinderella was retold with a modern twist. “We were thinking about love in a more modern, inclusive way, while still holding onto the emotional weight and romance of traditional storytelling,” the couple notes. Here, Prince Charming finds his Prince Charming.
“We were thinking about love in a more modern, inclusive way, while still holding onto the emotional weight and romance of traditional storytelling.”
At The Magazine ANTIQUES, we often say what’s old is new(s). Weddings have long operated on that premise: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue—a Victorian rhyme that has outlived the sixpence once tucked into a bride’s shoe.
Inside the church, a recorded narrator’s voice billowed from above. The space was washed in saturated, jewel-toned light—ruby, sapphire, citrine—intensifying the effects of stained glass cast upon the models and guests. The story: a prince, unsuccessful in love, hosts a ball. Suitors arrive one by one, outfitted in none other than Tanner Fletcher. But instead of a glass slipper, the prince’s one true love accidentally leaves a petal-pink brocade suit jacket behind following a magical evening of dancing, courtship, and canoodling. Tanner Fletcher didn’t just deliver a live runway show—they gave us a love story where the clothing carried the narrative forward.
Piped trims traced seams like icing, studded with bright artificial cherries atop a cake. Powder blue appeared throughout the collection, and there was no shortage of bows. One look delivered a giant bow on the back of a suit jacket that extended onto the floor as a train. Opera gloves, veils, baby’s breath bouquets mixed with white roses—traditional markers of wedding attire, reworked. Full-sized ball gowns cascaded down the aisle, as did tapered silhouettes. It felt like everyone was on the edge of their seat in anticipation of the next look with their mouth slightly open—each look a divine display delicious enough to eat. Men wore dresses, and women wore suits. One standout accessory: a fascinator with two lovebirds nested at the crown, surrounded by flowers.
Those florals and sculptural details were not incidental. “We spent a lot of time looking at vintage millinery, especially how structure and softness can exist together,” Kasell says. Techniques like hand-forming, layering, and dimensional construction informed the latticework and embellishments throughout. “It wasn’t about replicating the past exactly, but about bringing that level of care and craftsmanship into something new.”
“We spent a lot of time looking at vintage millinery, especially how structure and softness can exist together.”
In place of typing up a Missed Connections post and publishing it to the internet, the love-struck prince invites everyone back to the castle in search of his love, eyeing guests one by one in search of the familiar face who stole his heart—and the body type that would perfectly fit the left-behind tailored jacket. Looks arrived in steady succession, suitors parading back down the aisle—silks, brocades, sheer chiffon, lace, ruffles, and sashes all in attendance again.
Designers Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell—partners in business and in life—stitch highly personal dimensions into their work. Recently engaged, the collection reflects that proximity. “It’s influenced everything” Kasell shares. “Going through the process ourselves has made it much more personal…It’s made us think beyond just the outfit and into the entire experience of a wedding.”
“Going through the process ourselves has made it much more personal…It’s made us think beyond just the outfit and into the entire experience of a wedding.”
The couple in their early thirties—cofounders (and now fiancés)—have a modern romance of their own, initially meeting via a Facebook roommate search, studying in Minnesota, and eventually moving to New York together to work for fashion brands before launching their own brand during the pandemic. Interiors came first, then clothing—but the crossover remains visible in their use of textiles and decorative references.
That worldview is rooted in a deep affinity for the past. “The obsession started before the brand, honestly.” “We were drawn to objects that felt lived in—things that carried a sense of history and personality. Antiques aren’t perfect, and that’s what makes them so compelling.” Antiques, in their view, are foundational: “They’re not just references… they give us a language to build a world that feels layered, emotional, and real.”
During the show, a limited-edition collection of wedding accessories was debuted in partnership with Etsy, offering satin bow bouffant veils, bowties, and digital DIY lace and ribbon wedding invitation templates (the same invite shared with runway guests) exclusively sold on Etsy. Each piece handmade in partnership with an independent seller, giving shoppers a new way to experience Tanner Fletcher while adding meaning to their weddings and emphasizing the handiwork of independent makers. That choice feels especially resonant now. “People are craving authenticity. Vintage offers something that feels more personal and less mass-produced…there’s a sense of permanence to it.”
That sensibility extends into the brand’s broader output. Tanner Fletcher’s website includes a “Vintage” section that functions like a highly curated digital antiques shop: crystal candelabras, needlepoint, and an ever-evolving mix of objects that feels both nostalgic and evocative. The antique and vintage objects for sale complement one another—and Tanner Fletcher fashion—partnered together to form intertwined lifestyle moments.
When the couple isn’t in the studio, they may be out adventuring and antiquing together. Their love of antiques provided the inspiration behind their iconic, oftentimes sold-out, embroidered “Gone Antiquing” T-shirt, tagged with stickers reading “fragile,” “sold,” and “sale price”—all badges of the hunt.
Tanner Fletcher’s current ready-to-wear collection follows suit, giving major vintage vibes: slip dresses with an archival feel, hand-embroidered knits, floral appliqué, satin bows, a cameo-encrusted blazer, and a blue-and-white sweater reminiscent of Wedgwood jasperware.
The brand’s visibility has expanded well beyond its core audience. Celebrities including Bad Bunny and Ariana Grande have worn Tanner Fletcher on magazine and album covers as well as on red carpets—contexts that reinforce the label’s ability to translate its aesthetic across different stages without losing its original point of view.
Casting remains central to that point of view. Models of varying ages, genders, and body types walked the show, each styled with individuality. Their work embraces gender fluidity and a queer-positive perspective—loosening the corset-strings of traditional wedding attire by blurring the lines between menswear and womenswear—in favor of a more open, “non-label” approach where individuality leads.
Partnerships supported world-building. Etsy underscored craft and independent makers. Beauty nodded to Marie Antoinette thanks to Bobbi Brown. A custom score carried the show. Footwear, created with Larroudé, leaned into playful detailing—platforms adorned with rosettes, vines, and cherry-topped motifs for perfectly matched “sole” mates.
Weddings inspired by vintage traditions—once shorthand for a lace veil or borrowed accessory—have expanded into something more immersive. Heirloom garments are restored, secondhand sourcing is on the rise, and individuality leads. For Tanner Fletcher, it’s less about trend and more about expression. “Vintage references give you a starting point, but how you interpret them is what makes it feel modern.”
A modern bride—and groom—can have many looks. The fun, expressive nature of Happily Ever After shines through. The pieces that resonate most? “The ones that feel romantic but still have a point of view.” Cherry embellishments, florals, and a brocade dress with a cape among their favorites, all of which are keepsakes the designers hope wearers will pass down from generation to generation.
“At the end of the day, it’s just the two of us building something we believe in.“
Post-show, models happily posed for the cameras and struck up conversations while Tanner and Fletcher talked to their guests. They embraced friends, old and new, and took photographs with their families. For being such a big name in the fashion industry, the couple is remarkably down-to-earth, approachable, and kind. “At the end of the day, it’s just the two of us building something we believe in. That keeps things clear. We also try not to take everything too seriously. The playfulness is important, it keeps the work feeling alive.”
The unmistakable softness and romanticism seen in their work is something the couple embodies. “It comes from how we see the world. We’re drawn to beauty, to emotion, to things that feel a little bit nostalgic. […] In an industry that can sometimes feel very hard or fast, we’re more interested in slowing things down and creating something that people can feel. The softness isn’t accidental, it’s a choice.”
“The goal is to keep evolving, but always in a way that stays true to who we are.”
It’s clear that Tanner Fletcher has great talent and a lot of heart to give. I suspect people will be saying “I do” to their designs and the experiences they create that go above and beyond traditional fashion. At the front lines of what a modern antique-driven-and-vintage-influenced design world looks like, I see Tanner and Fletcher running down the aisle, leading the way. “The goal is to keep evolving, but always in a way that stays true to who we are,” says Kasell. For Tanner Fletcher, this isn’t The End.
P.S. Do you follow us?
Read up on The Magazine ANTIQUES’ latest and greatest Instagram content, including our Antique of The Day series, and follow Tanner Fletcher on Insta, too! Learn more about Tanner Fletcher and browse their current ready-to-wear and Happily Ever After collections along with their curation of vintage and antique objects on tannerfletcherstudios.com. Check out the exclusive wedding collab co-created by Tanner Fletcher and Etsy sellers on Etsy.com.
CHRISTINE HILDEBRAND is a Metro Detroit-based writer and photographer focused on street style photography and portraiture. She is The Magazine ANTIQUES’ managing editor and Flea Bite columnist—the magazine’s first-ever space dedicated to treasures found in unsuspecting places. When she’s not on assignment or antiquing, she can be found playing ball with her cocker spaniels Woodward and Bisou.
For future antique-related event coverage proposals, please email christine@themagazineantiques.com.
