Many people deemed the Melbourne businesswoman’s dress “inappropriate” because she wore a crop top to a friend’s wedding.
When Olivia Burrows Sutherland, a well-known bridal fashion blogger, asked her 73,000 followers for advice on what top to pair with a tiered maxi skirt, she sparked an online discussion on the unwritten standards of wedding attendance.
In the video, the 29-year-old co-founder of the multimillion-dollar e-commerce company My Glow 2 claimed that the sweltering heat forced her to forgo two long-sleeved gowns she had planned to wear.
She then put on the $525 rust-colored Zimmermann skirt to demonstrate how it looked with a black crop top with straps and a cream bandeau bra top, ultimately choosing the lighter choice.
Although Olivia was “in love” with her look, several people immediately flooded her comment section with unwelcome criticism, alleging the strapless top was “not wedding suited.”
“I didn’t expect the outfit to be so controversial, but I do know when it comes to weddings and wedding guest attire, everyone has an opinion,” Olivia told news.com.au of the backlash.
“But I love the overall balance of the summer look.
“Cocktail attire permits skin to be showing and as the volume and length of the skirt is extremely modest.
“I believe pairing it with a plain crop top, with my hair styled down providing extra coverage, maintains the appropriate balance and silhouette suitable for a wedding that has a ‘cocktail dress code’ in 37 degree heat.”
Olivia, who recently launched a new business called Olivia & Living where she captures “raw, behind-the-scenes content” for couples on their big day, said the bride and groom were happy with her outfit choice.
“I understand that this is not a traditional wedding guest look, however, fashion has evolved, and two-piece sets have become popular options for guests to wear to events,” she said.
“I actually chose to wear this look as I thought the matching top was too much for a wedding guest and I would rather pare back the look than be too formal at somebody else’s wedding.
“If there was a ‘black tie’ or ‘formal’ dress code, I would have of course worn a different top.”
Yet, many complained the top revealed “too much” skin and was “too close to white” despite her justification and more than 15 years of experience in the fashion industry.
Etiquette experts have long considered wearing white or a statement-making outfit to a wedding to be “poor form” since it “distracts from the bride” on her special day.
It’s frequently perceived as an intentional attempt to disrupt or ruin an important day.
“Skirt is gorgeous, don’t think the tops appropriate for a wedding sorry,” one wrote.
“Tops kinda look like under garments,” another said.
“Skirt is stunning. Tops no. They were disappointing,” one woman mused.
As another said she should have got the matching “cropped bodice” from Zimmermann, which retails for $475.
“Skirt is lovely, both tops look like you’re going to the gym, underwhelming really,” one particularly snarky comment read.
“The tops are a BIG NO,” someone else added.
Others however commended Olivia’s styling efforts, labelling the outfit “gorgeous” and “stunning”.
“At the end of the day, I know the bride, groom and the guests and I knew this would be perfectly OK, that’s all that matters,” Olivia told news.com.au.
“There were many guests in fitted, strapless looks and cut-out dresses. The bride looked magnificent, nobody looked twice at the guests, she was a vision.”
Olivia also noted that she only began to receive negative comments once her video was pushed onto TikTok’s For You Page.“Nobody I know has even mentioned it as being an issue,” she said.
“It was interesting; all of my initial comments from my followers were extremely positive but then when the video was pushed out to a viral audience, that’s when the controversial comments appeared.
“Two-piece sets are even worn by brides themselves these days. As long as you have good intentions and you feel comfortable within the environment you’re in, that’s all that matters.”
Olivia later shared a follow-up video showing off the final outfit, captioning the clip of her at the wedding: “A controversial wedding guest look apparently.”
“You look amazing,” one said.
“You look stunning and I think it’s perfect for a wedding!!!” another agreed.
While one declared: “You would look fabulous even in a potato sack.”
