Kate Middleton chooses a Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen royal wedding dress fit for a queen to be.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress designer, Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.
Kate Middleton's had echoes of the dress Grace Kelly wore to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.
Kate Middleton wedding dress is Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
BY Hilary Alexander | 29 April 2011
Nearly 200 years of British royal history and the heritage of the Arts and Crafts tradition were incorporated into the wedding dress of the century which Sarah Burton created for Catherine Middleton 's marriage to Prince William today.
Its exquisite hand-embroidered and appliquéd lace, and emphasis on 'best of British' materials, recalled Queen Victoria's decision in 1840 that her bridal gown should promote the nation's skills, while the classic and graceful lines could have been inspired by both the modernist Princess Margaret, who in 1960 also married in Westminster Abbey, and the more romantic style of Princess Grace, whose wedding had taken place four years earlier. The latter reference could be also be seen as a very sensitive and sympathetic homage to Diana, Princess of Wales, who had had an instant rapport with the former Hollywood film star and saw her as a style icon.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress
When Catherine Middleton stepped out of the vintage Rolls Royce Phantom, she stepped straight the pages of fashion history,Bridal Gowns, finally revealing her wedding dress to a waiting world audience, estimated at around two billion people. She carried a small bouquet of flowers which bore a secret love message to her future husband.
The wedding dress was a model of sumptuous simplicity, perfectly suited to the sweet and serene style of the woman who is now Duchess of Cambridge and is destined to be the future Queen of England.
Sarah Burton profile
The design was fabulous, fashionable and fairytale, perfectly in tune with Ms Middleton's desire that it should combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Britain's most famous fashion label, established by the late Lee Alexander McQueen, in 1994.
It featured a strapless,Victorian-style corset, narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips - long a signature of the late couturier - underneath a high-necked, long-sleeved, sculpted bodice in intricate lacework, handmade by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace, and incorporating individual, hand-cut and embroidered flowers representing the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock. The English Cluny lace was handworked in the Carrickmacross tradition, which originated in Ireland in the 1820's, and was mixed with French Chantilly lace.
Kate Middleton:
The Royal School of Needlework worked closely with the Alexander McQueen atelier team, the hand-stitchers washing their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and changing the needles every three hours.The lace was also used to trim the skirt, as well as the veil, which was made in layers of ivory silk tulle, and the ivory duchesse satin shoes.
The main body of the dress was made in ivory and white satin gazar, using UK fabrics which had been specially sourced by Sarah Burton, with a long, full skirt designed to echo an opening flower, with soft pleats which unfolded to the floor, forming a Victorian-style semi-bustle at the back, and finishing in a short train measuring just under three metres.
Royal wedding dresses through the years in pictures
The designer, who had attempted to elude the Press in an outsized fur 'trapper' hat when arriving at the Goring Hotel, the Middleton family HQ, on Thursday afternoon, for the final fittings, was hands-on to the last. She helped arrange the train and veil, as Ms Middleton settled into the car for the journey to the abbey, and was even glimpsed arranging the train to perfection, as the bride and her father were greeted by the Dean of Westminster, before proceeding to the High Altar.
"It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton, to create her wedding dress, and I have enjoyed every minute of it," Sarah Burton said.
Kate Middleton and Diana, Princess of Wales: a tale of two style icons
"Wait 'til you see her," Prince Harry had whispered to his brother,bride dresses, after casting a quick look over his shoulder.
Ms. Middleton's veil of ivory silk tulle was held in place by a Cartier 'halo' tiara, loaned by the Queen. Made in 1936, it was given to her on her 18th birthday, by her mother. The bride's earrings, diamond-set oak leaves with a pavé diamond acorn in the centre, were inspired by the Middleton family's new coat of arms, and made by Robinson Pelham, to echo the tiara.
The bouquet spoke a message in the language of flowers. Designed by Shane Connolly, it featured blooms of significance to both families:Lily-of-the-valley - meaning return of happiness; Sweet William - for gallantry; hyacinth - for constancy of love; ivy - for fidelity, marriage, wedded love, friendship and affection; and myrtle - the emblem of marriage and love.
The myrtle stems sounded an echo through royal wedding history, and came came from the evergreen shrub planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, while another sprig was from a plant grown from the myrtle used in the Queen's wedding bouquet of 1947.
The gown worn by Miss Philippa Middleton, the maid of honour, and the bride's sister, was also designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, and was in heavy ivory, satin-based crepe, with a cowl front and with the same button detail and lace trim as the bridal gown.
The four young bridesmaids' dresses were designed especially to echo the bride's dress, and were hand-made by the children'swear designer, Nicky Macfarlane and her daughter, Charlotte Macfarlane.
The pages wore a uniform in the style of that worn by a Foot Guards officer at the time of the Regency (the 1820s), which drew its insignia from the Irish Guards, whose colonel is Prince William. They were designed in the royal household and made by Kashket and Partners, who also fitted Prince William's uniform for the royal wedding.
"You look beautiful", Prince William whispered as his bride reached his side.
Two billion royal wedding watchers around the world would agree.
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