Photo by Brian Callaway

BY MELISSA HECKSCHER >STAFF WRITER

 In "27 Dresses," Katherine Heigl plays the perennially single woman who's "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" and who has a closet full of unattractive, frilly frocks to prove it. It makes for an entertaining story line. But, in reality, bridesmaids dresses aren't as frumpy as the movies make them out to be.

In fact, experts say they've gotten to be downright - would you believe it? - stylish. Pretty, even.

"It's no longer the picture of the past where the bridesmaids walk down the aisle in a ball of fluff," said Renee Strauss, owner of Renee Strauss for the Bride, a 26-year-old bridal shop in Beverly Hills.

"That's such an old-fashioned reputation. Bridesmaids dresses are all designer now. Nowadays you see simple, streamlined, sexy, gorgeous dresses."

Strauss' store sells more than 500 styles of bridesmaid dresses as well as a full stock of wedding dresses, flower girl dresses, shoes and accessories. She said bridesmaids dresses have become classier because brides are thinking about weddings as more of a "production."

"At one time, it was all about vision and not the specific details," Strauss said. "Now it's completely production-oriented. When you put a wedding together, you're putting a production together."

Blame it on the celebrities. Ever since Prince Charles married Diana Spencer, the woman known thereafter as Princess Di, on July 29, 1981, American (and British) audiences have been enthralled with the hoopla of celebrity weddings.

"In the 1990s, when the culture of celebrity took hold, women in general became more sophisticated about style," said Millie Bratten, editor in chief of Brides magazine. "Bridal and bridesmaid designers began to respond to this and designed dresses that were church appropriate and fashionable."

Of course, fashionable as the dresses may be, there's always one caveat: A bridesmaid has to wear whatever the bride wants her to wear.

"No one outshines the bride," Bratten said. "You have to realize when you sign on to be a bridesmaid that you're not choosing the dress. Someone else is, and you just agree to that."

Which is why, said Judie Annozine, a 40-year-old Marina del Rey resident who has been a bridesmaid several (but not 27) times, a bridesmaid can't get too upset about her assigned wedding attire.

"It's not about you. If you're that upset about the dress that a friend picked for you, you have bigger problems than the dress," she said. "It's a costume. If you want a costume to be the same as clothes you would wear, you are crazy."

That said, Annozine said she's donned her share of bad bridesmaid dresses.

"I once was in a wedding where all the bridesmaids were wearing these apricot dresses," she said. "By the end of the night, the dress had ripped. All the bridesmaid dresses had ripped. But it was fun."

Ripping aside, she added, many dresses can be altered - even improved - after the wedding.

"I had one bridesmaid dress that was nice once I threw away the parasol," Annozine said. "I put some black trim on it and wore it to a prom. Then I wore it again a few years ago for New Year's."

Melissa Heckscher (310) 540-5511, Ext.329
melissa.heckscher@dailybreeze.com

HOW TO AVOID DRESS DISASTERS

>Start with the trickiest.
Figure out which of your bridesmaids has the most difficult figure to fit, then let her assist in the shopping.

>Pick a dress that can be shortened.
Choose a dress that is knee-length or longer so the dress can be altered, post-wedding.

>If you can, pay for the bridesmaid dresses.
She's already spending a lot to be there, especially if travel is involved.

>Give your bridesmaids two or three choices for the dress or dress style.
But don't give them too many options. "Too many choices creates stress," said Renee Strauss, owner of Beverly Hills bridal shop Renee Strauss for the Bride.

>Consider asymmetrical princess-style dresses.
According to Strauss, it's the style that "works on anyone."

>Choose your colors wisely.
Bright green may match the flower stems, but you may end up with a bridal party only Shrek would love. "Try jewel tones instead of the garish, bright, ruffly polyester we all think about when we think of bridesmaid dresses," said Millie Bratten, editor in chief of Brides magazine.

>Give the bridesmaids some leeway.
The bridal party doesn't have to look completely uniform. Give bridesmaids a color and fabric and let them pick out their own dress. "It will still look cohesive," Bratten said. "Same with hair - not everybody looks good with their hair up ... As best you can within your vision, let them be who they are. That makes everybody happiest and it actually makes for a much more interesting wedding party."

-- Melissa Heckscher