This bridal wear goes on one leg at a time

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Brides are giving tradition a kick in the pants.

The fitted white pantsuit in which celebrities have strutted along red carpets recently is now marching down the wedding aisle. Worn typically by older and second-time brides or in civil or destination ceremonies, it's yet another example of how today's weddings continue to veer from yesterday's ballgown-clad conventions.

Whether a silvery blue sheath or lacy mini-dress, "people are getting married in just about anything these days," says Pamella DeVos, whose Pamella Roland label has trotted out white pantsuits for the four years she has been in business.

Telegraphing a vibe that's either sophisticated or sexy, casual or chic, trouser suits have turned up on the bridal runways of Richard Tyler, Saison Blanche and Pronovias. And non-bridal designers are offering suits that could translate into altar attire, such as the icy silk pantsuit unveiled two weeks ago at Rochas' Paris fashion show.

Modern Bride featured a pair of wedding pantsuits a few years ago: a tuxedo coat and corduroy trouser from Vera Wang and an ivory lace pantsuit with camisole top by Monique Lhuillier.

"I like to shake things up and stir things up," says Lhuillier, whose suit has been a "good seller" since she introduced a version of it four years ago.

This year, a Pamella Roland client in her late 30s said "I do" in a pearly beaded chiffon jacket and trousers in Palm Desert, Calif.

Then there's Court TV anchor Ashleigh Banfield, 38, who wore ivory silk palazzo pants, as well as a veil, to her wedding in Kenora, Ontario, in July 2004. "I thought they were sassy, and I tend to be a little sassy," Banfield says. The nuptials took place on an old wooden yacht; the 200 guests watching from across the water were unaware of Banfield's sartorial selection until she took a step. "Then there was this collective 'She's wearing pants!'" Banfield recalls.

The bespectacled broadcaster was being "a little bit of a pioneer" in opting for slacks over, say, a sheath, says Antonia van der Meer, editor in chief of Modern Bride. (The real pioneer is Bianca Jagger, who wed Mick in 1971 clad in a Yves Saint Laurent white pantsuit.) "There's so much freedom to do what you want to do and present yourself as you'd like to be presented."

But then there are practical issues: Banfield's wedding required her to hop from boat to boat, not a skirt-friendly maneuver. And for City Hall services, standard wedding wear might not feel so appropriate when a subway, rather than a limo, is your mode of transport.

The pantsuit isn't for every aisle or every body. But a bride who is "comfortable in herself and her sense of style can pull it off," says Kathleen Murray, senior editor of wedding website The Knot.

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