Balenciaga 1968 and Chanel 2012

The couture shows, which just wrapped in Paris, presented one exquisitely-crafted staggeringly beautiful gown after another. But there’s piece in particular that has always held our fascination–the last look, traditionally a bridal look. (How stunning was Lindsey Wixson as Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel couture bride?)

So we decided to delve into the history a bit more. Why is the last look always reserved for the “couture bride”? How did that tradition come about?

We talked two fashion history professors: Beth Dincuff from Parsons the New School for Design and Carmela Spinelli, who is the chair of the fashion department at SCAD. Turns out the history of the “couture bride” is actually, interestingly, all mixed in with the origin of the white bridal gown itself–dating all the way back to the nineteenth century.

Here’s how the couture bride came to be–and why she’s not going anywhere.