Which wedding dress styles are brides choosing, and what does that suggest for 2027? This report examines what brides bought, described and searched for, using second-hand listings and Google suggestions rather than designers’ predictions. The listings and suggestions cover the German-speaking market: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Changes over time come from a separate international resale platform. The USA, Australia and Britain together account for 91 in 100 sales there; we do not know each country’s share.
The findings at a glance
A-line silhouettes dominate the German-language listings, while the international figures show changes in necklines and construction.
- In German-language resale listings, about two in three dresses with an identified silhouette are A-line.
- In German-language resale listings, princess silhouettes are almost three times as common in the highest-priced group as in the lower-priced group.
- In German-language resale listings with an identifiable surface, lace outnumbers smooth fabrics by roughly three to one.
- The share of strapless dresses in international resale rose from 33.8 in 100 in August–December 2024 to 40.2 in January–August 2026.
- Sweetheart necklines appeared on 24.7 in 100 internationally resold dresses in January–August 2026, against 22.6 for V-necklines.
- The German search “brautkleid trends 2027” (wedding dress trends 2027) ranked first among Google suggestions analysed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Sources: German-language listings from the previous 24 months, collected 23 August 2026; international resales comparing August–December 2024 with January–August 2026; Google suggestions from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, August 2026.
Which silhouettes appear most often?
A-line accounts for 66.5% of identified silhouettes in the German-language listings. Entries describing a style or occasion were excluded: boho and civil ceremony do not describe a cut.
| Silhouette | Share |
|---|---|
| A-line | 66.5% |
| Princess | 18.9% |
| Fit and flare | 7.3% |
| Mermaid | 5.0% |
| Empire | 1.4% |
| Straight (sheath) | 0.8% |
Source: German-language listings with a silhouette recorded, excluding style and occasion labels; previous 24 months, collected 23 August 2026.
How often dresses with an A-line silhouette appear shows what other brides chose. To find what suits you, try it alongside a mermaid silhouette.
How does silhouette vary by price?
Princess silhouettes are more common among the highest-priced dresses: 35.6%, compared with 12.3% in the lower-priced group. This is a comparison between groups, not growth over time.
| Silhouette | Lower-priced | Middle | Highest-priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-line | 74.6% | 65.4% | 45.4% |
| Princess | 12.3% | 20.2% | 35.6% |
| Fit and flare | 5.8% | 8.5% | 11.6% |
| Mermaid | 4.0% | 4.5% | 7.0% |
| Empire | 2.1% | 1.0% | 0.1% |
| Straight (sheath) | 1.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Source: German-language listings, previous 24 months, collected 23 August 2026. Groups are based on the price when new, as given in each listing: the lower-priced, middle and highest-priced groups account for 42, 44 and 14 in 100 listings that state a price.
Although dresses with a princess silhouette are more frequent at the highest prices, A-line remains the most common silhouette in every group.
Lace or a smooth surface?
Lace predominates among dresses already bought and offered for resale, while simplicity ranks higher in Pinterest inspiration. Of 2,261 German-language listings with an identifiable dominant surface, 1,596 were lace, 502 smooth and 163 mixed: 71, 22 and 7 in 100 respectively.
In Pinterest image search, the topic of a simple dress ranked first and lace eleventh. Looking at simple, pared-back dresses and dresses featuring lace side by side can help you explore that difference for yourself.
Smooth surfaces do not become more frequent with price: their share stays within 18–26 in 100. Embellishments appear in 18 in 100 descriptions in the lowest price band and 30 in the highest. These comparisons use six narrower price bands, separate from the three groups above.
Sources: German-language listings from the previous 24 months, collected 23 August 2026; Pinterest topics, August 2026.
How do sellers describe their dresses?
Romantic language is the most common style reference, appearing in 15.8% of descriptions. Style is recorded separately from silhouette, and a description can belong to several groups.
| Style in the description | Share of descriptions |
|---|---|
| Romantic | 15.8% |
| Classic | 9.4% |
| Boho | 7.9% |
| Modern | 7.1% |
| Sexy | 6.5% |
| Ornate | 2.9% |
| Glamour | 2.1% |
| Vintage | 1.5% |
| Beach | 1.1% |
Source: 4,933 sellers’ descriptions in German-language listings; previous 24 months, collected 23 August 2026. Shares do not add up to 100% because categories overlap.
Boho styles remain prominent in search and among lower-priced dresses, but appear less often among the highest-priced. Boho language occurs in 9.9% and 3.4% of descriptions in those groups respectively; the corresponding figures for glamour are 1.1% and 6.2%.
What is changing in international resale?
Strapless dresses, sweetheart necklines and lace-up corsets have become more frequent in the international dataset, while V-necklines and fully open backs have become less frequent.
| Feature | 2024, August–December | 2025 | 2026, January–August |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strapless | 33.8 | 35.8 | 40.2 |
| Half-covered back | 22.1 | 21.8 | 25.8 |
| Sweetheart neckline | 21.5 | 23.0 | 24.7 |
| Mikado | 0.8 | 1.4 | 3.8 |
| Lace-up back corset | 5.4 | 7.0 | 8.2 |
| Princess silhouette | 11.2 | 11.9 | 13.7 |
| Lace | 27.1 | 27.2 | 27.9 |
| Satin | 15.1 | 16.4 | 15.4 |
| Crepe | 14.1 | 13.4 | 12.5 |
| Silk, as described by the seller | 13.1 | 12.2 | 10.5 |
| Thin straps | 18.4 | 16.5 | 15.4 |
| Fully open back | 18.3 | 16.7 | 14.7 |
| V-neckline | 27.7 | 25.8 | 22.6 |
Source: 44,547 dated sales on an international resale platform, August 2024–August 2026. Figures are per 100 dresses sold in each period; 44,547 is the total for the whole period, not per year. The dataset is mainly from the USA, Australia and Britain.
These are not German-speaking market figures or separate findings for Britain or the USA. Resale follows the original purchase with a delay. Dresses resold in 2026 were generally bought in boutiques during 2023–2025, so the figures show trends that have already taken hold. The share of mikado dresses rose from 0.8 to 3.8 in 100: almost fivefold, yet still only a few dresses in every hundred. “Silk” reflects the seller’s description, not verified fibre content.
How common are detachable details?
Detachable trains, sleeves, straps or skirts appear in 183 of the 4,933 German-language descriptions. They occur in 2.7% of descriptions of lower-priced dresses, 4.1% in the middle group and 6.3% in the highest-priced group.
They let a bride wear one look for the ceremony and another for the reception and dancing. A mention in a listing does not show whether the bride actually changed her look.
Source: German-language listings from the previous 24 months, collected 23 August 2026; features identified in sellers’ descriptions.
What are brides in German-speaking countries asking Google?
In Google suggestions from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, questions about what suits you rank high alongside silhouette names. This selection keeps the original German wording and positions.
| Position | Original German phrase | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | brautkleid trends 2027 | wedding dress trends 2027 |
| 3 | welches brautkleid passt zu mir | which wedding dress is right for me |
| 4 | welches brautkleid für welche figur | which wedding dress for which body shape |
| 7 | brautkleid a linie | A-line wedding dress |
| 8 | brautkleid prinzessin | princess wedding dress |
| 9 | brautkleid a linie prinzessin unterschied | difference between A-line and princess wedding dresses |
| 12 | brautkleid boho | boho wedding dress |
| 15 | brautkleid mit ärmeln | wedding dress with sleeves |
| 24 | brautkleid elegant schlicht | elegant, simple wedding dress |
| 30 | brautkleid korsett a linie | A-line wedding dress with a corset |
| 44 | meerjungfrau brautkleid mit abnehmbaren rock | mermaid wedding dress with a detachable skirt |
Source: Google suggestions, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, August 2026. Selected phrases only; positions are not search volumes.
Many of these searches ask not for a silhouette by name but for an answer to which wedding dress suits me. Mikado and silk barely appear among search topics, although mikado is becoming more frequent in international resale. Search suggestions and resales describe different things.
What does DAMA expect for 2027–2028?
DAMA’s highest-confidence expectations are continued growth in corset construction, stable lace and no growth in satin. These are interpretations of the data, rather than measured results for future seasons.
- High confidence: corset construction gains further ground, including among lower-priced dresses; lace remains a stable foundation; satin does not grow.
- Medium confidence: princess silhouettes gain further share, mikado grows from a very small base, and V-necklines continue to give way to sweetheart shapes.
- No forecast: when strapless dresses will reach their peak.
How was the research conducted?
German-speaking market data and international resale data were analysed separately. Silhouettes, styles, lace, detachable details and Google suggestions concern Germany, Austria and Switzerland; the international source supplies the changes over time.
| Source | Coverage | Period and geography |
|---|---|---|
| German-language second-hand wedding dress listings | 6,385 listings; 5,765 with a stated price when new; 5,370 with a silhouette field filled in before cleaning | Previous 24 months; collected 23 August 2026; Germany, Austria and Switzerland, mainly Germany |
| Sellers’ descriptions | 4,933 descriptions, with relevant subsets for style, surface and detachable details | Same German-language listings; previous 24 months; collected 23 August 2026 |
| International wedding dress resale platform | 49,999 sold dresses; 44,547 with a sale date | August 2024–August 2026; USA, Australia and Britain together account for 91 in 100 sales |
| Google suggestions | 11,320 suggestions; 3,336 distinct phrases | August 2026; Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| Topics from image search | August 2026 |
Each row identifies its own period and coverage. The silhouette field count is before cleaning and is not the denominator for the silhouette percentages.
The international source combines markets: 91 in 100 sales are from the USA, Australia and Britain together, with no country breakdown available. This study does not provide separate findings for Britain or the USA.
Resale gives greater visibility to expensive dresses and purchases their owners regret. The least expensive dresses rarely reach resale, so the findings show proportions within these datasets rather than the size of the whole market. Austria and Switzerland are less represented than Germany.
Google suggestions collected separately in those countries were almost identical because suggestions follow language. They cannot establish differences between countries or numbers of searches. Styles and fabrics were identified from sellers’ words, so one description can fall into several categories. The datasets were not combined into a single sample.
How to cite this report
You may use the figures and tables with a source credit and a link to the report.
Source: DAMA Couture, Wedding dress trends 2027, October 2026, https://damacouture.com/blogs/bridal-journal/wedding-dress-trends-2027 (also at https://damacouture.co.uk/blogs/bridal-journal/wedding-dress-trends-2027). Questions about the data: hello@damacouture.pl.
What does this mean for your fitting?
Trying a silhouette on is the best way to judge it for yourself. Use the figures as a starting point, then compare your favourite shapes at a partner boutique and notice how you feel wearing them.
About DAMA Couture
DAMA Couture creates wedding dresses in its Warsaw atelier. DAMA dresses can be tried on and bought at 280 partner boutiques in 25 countries. Dresses are priced at €1,900–4,500 in partner boutiques (£1,600–3,800 at UK boutiques). The boutique sets the price of each dress.