Effie Kats’ mother, lawyer Mary McLeod, leading the way in the mother-of-the-bride fashion stakes

The old-fashioned, traditional coat dresses are no longer cutting it for stylish mums as one wedding designer says “social media has completely changed the game”.

Mary McLeod (right) at her fashion designer daughter Effie Kats‘ wedding. Picture: Jag Creative Studio

Once falling into the trap of dated and dowdy, mother-of-the-bride attire is having a modern makeover.

The old-fashioned, traditional coat dress in Easter-egg pastels, or matchy match dress pants and blouse, is no longer cutting it.

Elegant, professional mothers-of-the-bride, dubbed MOBS, who bring their own unique style are now governing how they look and there is nothing matronly about it.

Take fashion designer Effie Kats mother, lawyer Mary McLeod, who stunned at Saturday’s lavish socialite nuptials at the State Library of Victoria, wearing a stiff upturned collared tailored shirt, paired with a dramatic long black skirt.

McLeod’s stiff upturned collared tailored shirt, paired with a dramatic long black skirt. Picture: Jag Creative Studio

McLeod with her daughter Effie Kats. Picture: Jag Creative Studio

Made by homegrown wedding couturist Alin Le Kal, Kats told the Herald Sun she wanted to create a look for her mother that was “testament to her grace and strength.”

“Mum is such a strong, powerful woman,” Kats said. “I wanted a look that was testament to that.”

McLeod, 56, said she wanted a modern take on timeless elegance, achieving that and then some.

“I am a partner at the law firm MinterEllison, and my brief to Alin Le Kal was to create something that was not your typical mother of the bride look,” McLeod said.

The old school mother-of-the-bride look in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Wedding planner Valentina Seretis, from Styled By Valentina said there was a collective gasp in the room when McLeod walked into the room leading up to the nuptials.

“From the moment I met Effie’s Mother; Mary, we knew she wasn’t your average mother of the bride,” Serentis said.

“She oozed style and elegance; and of course with a powerhouse daughter like Effie and a talent like Alin Le’Kal putting her look together we knew her look would be something iconic,” Serentis said.

Wedding designer Le Kal said dressing the mother-of-the-bride or grooms has recently seen an evolution, with MOB clients at his South Yarra bridal boutique clear on the direction they now want.

“Social media has completely changed the game,” Le Kal said in between fittings.

Meghan Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland, on Markle’s wedding day. Picture: AFP

“Mother of the brides are now a lot more up-to-date with fashion styles than what they used to be.

“They really look after themselves and try and be healthy, everyone’s kind of looking hot,” he laughed.

“So they want to play around with that, with more modern, contemporary and chic looks.”

Le Kal said he wanted McLeod to give off “Jane Fonda red carpet vibes”.

“We took a more modern take on it, Mary is a lawyer and very stylish, she doesn’t need to try too hard to look expensive and luxurious.”

Old school etiquette has always decreed the mother-of-the-bride should never upstage the main event or wear black because it represents mourning.

Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, set the gold standard for mother-of-the-groom dressing last year when she stepped out to son Brooklyn’s extravagant wedding wearing a slinky silver slip dress and delicate spaghetti straps that she designed.

Victoria Beckham with husband David at Brooklyn Beckham's wedding.

The look took five days to create and was anything but dowdy.

Le Kal said steering away from black is now also a thing of the past.

“Black, it’s just not frowned upon as much anymore,” he said.

“Darker tones or metallic are becoming quite popular. It just depends on the client itself.

But it’s more about the aesthetic, less old school and more modern chic.”