Something New : Today’s mothers of the brides are breaking the rules with form-fitting outfits made of elegant fabrics in bold colors.

It used to be a wedding tradition: The bride wore white and her mother wore pastel, usually in the form of a shapeless chiffon dress.

Today’s mothers of the brides, much like the brides themselves, are breaking all of the rules.

“They’re pretty dynamic and glamorous,” says Cheryl Chew, owner of Allusions--A Concept, a bridal and evening-wear store in Brea Mall.

No longer the dowdy members of the wedding party, mothers are showing up for the nuptials in outfits that have bold colors, elegant fabrics such as silks and metallic lames, and form-fitting silhouettes that show off their waists instead of hiding them in layers of fabric.

“In the past, fashion choices for moms used to be limited to pastels, puffed sleeves and chiffon skirts,” Chew says. “Now moms can choose sophisticated fabrics and styles.”

Mothers can get away with wearing Allusions’ long, beaded sheaths in vivid shades such as fuchsia, purple and royal blue that they once wore only for evening.

“We’ve even dressed some mothers in red,” Chew says.

Outfits like a hot pink raw silk bustier with a short bolero jacket and straight skirt at Beaujon Paris in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, would never have made it to the church in weddings of the past. Yet Beaujon Paris owner Rita Fuentes says today’s mothers of the brides--and mothers of the grooms--want more stylish dresses.

“Mothers want to be updated,” Fuentes says. “In the past, dresses would go straight into the closet the day after the wedding because the styling was very limited. It was a matronly look. The mother-of-the-bride dress showed no taste, no style. Now some of our mothers look like brides themselves.”

They are choosing elegant suits with jeweled jackets and straight skirts, romantic flowing silk dresses and beaded gowns.

“Before, the dresses would blend into the woodwork. Now there are a lot of bright” colors, Fuentes says. “You never used to see a mother of the bride in jewel tones.”

Lace was also forbidden to mothers for fear they would compete with the brides, Fuentes says. These days some mothers dress up in almost as much lace as the bride herself wears.

One suit at Beaujon Paris is made entirely of Alencon lace over nude satin, with the exception of a sheer organza shawl collar around an off-the-shoulder jacket. There’s also a pink tulle fingertip-length jacket with matching camisole and tea-length skirt lavishly trimmed with rhinestone-studded lace.

Fuentes has dresses for mothers who like to show off bare shoulders and for others who prefer more coverage. One compromise between the revealing and the modest: a silk taffeta easy wrap jacket in sheer mint with iridescent sequins that drapes over a stretchy “popcorn” knit dress in matching mint.

Many mothers choose tailored cocktail suits to wear to their children’s weddings. Fuentes carries suits made of pastel brocades and silks decorated with lace and beading. One suit comes in a powder blue brocade with iridescent sequins in abstract swirls around a shawl collar.

Beaujon Paris’ suits and dresses can be ordered in colors to coordinate with the wedding party, and most sell for about $500 to $700.

Mothers who have trouble finding an outfit in their size or color can also have the dress or suit custom-made at Stracci in Newport Beach.

“We’ve done a lot of mothers of the brides and they don’t want to look like mothers of the brides,” says Diane Wheeler, co-owner of Stracci.

“They’re very attractive women and they want to look as good as they can up there.”

Mothers can pick from styles and fabrics available at the couture salon and have the garments made to order. They can alter the length of the jacket, choose a full chiffon skirt instead of a straight one and make other design changes.

Stracci makes a lot of cocktail suits with expensive buttons and French piping for mothers.

“We don’t do a lot of froufrou,” Wheeler says.

The store has put many mothers in brocade jackets with tea-length chiffon skirts. One white and gold brocade jacket has a sweetheart neckline, gold piping and big jewel buttons; another suit comes in a Monet-style print of soft pastel flowers. Stracci’s outfits sell for about $1,200.

“The old ideas about what’s proper to wear at weddings have changed. In the past you never heard of weddings where bridesmaids wore black,” Wheeler says. “One woman wore brown to her daughter’s wedding. It looked great.”

Choosing the right outfit for a son or daughter’s wedding is a task requiring both style-sense and tact.

“Mom should be the second-best-dressed woman in attendance,” Chew says. “She needs to stand out on her own and yet complement the bridal party.”

Mothers should pick an outfit in a color that is in harmony with the bridesmaids’ dresses--although some might argue with even that small restriction.

“If all the members of the wedding party are in pink and the mother of the bride decides she only looks good in navy or purple, we’ll hasten to tell her that she’ll pop out in the photos,” Wheeler says.

With the more sophisticated wedding attire, Chew has heard from a few brides who say they are worried they will be out-dressed by their mothers.

“They don’t have to worry,” she says. “With her white dress and veil, nothing outshines a bride.”