It has arrived! The secret was kept well and we now know that it was indeed Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen who created the absolute vision that we saw today.
Date: 29 April 2011
Place: Westminster Abbey, London
Event: Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton)
Miss Middleton chose Sarah Burton, creative director of the Alexander McQueen fashion house, to create her wedding gown. The fashions of Burton (and McQueen) are known for being edgy and contemporary--not
exactly what we saw today, which is a good thing. It is believed that Kate first became interested in Burton's designs after seeing the
wedding of Sara Buys and Tom Parker Bowles.
Indeed, commentators have noted that the dress worn by Kate today does not scream "Sarah Burton," but rather it looks very much like Kate had a hand, or two, in the design process. Kate does have a degree in the history of art, so it would not be far-fetched to imagine her capable of the task.
The dress was made of silk gazar, the focal point of the dress being the lace appliqué bodice. (So, what you see is a dress with lace then sewn onto it. Look again at how much lace there is and imagine how much work that took!) The lace was created by the Royal School of Needlework in London. It is said that workers washed their hands every 30 minutes and changed needles every three hours to keep the dress crisp and clean.
The lace itself consisted of Chantilly and Cluny. It was made to include symbols of each of the four countries of the United Kingdom: rose (England), thistle (Scotland), daffodil (Wales), and shamrock (Northern Ireland). The "body" of the veil was made of silk tulle with the handmade lace painstakingly hand-sewn into the edges. The veil reached just beyond her waist.
The tiara was borrowed from the Queen's collection. It was created by Cartier (called the "halo" tiara) and purchased by the then Duke of York, later King George VI, for his wife--later known as the Queen Mother. The Queen received it for her 18th birthday from her parents. It suits Kate perfectly and complemented her dress and veil exquisitely.
The train was nine feet (270 cm) long, considerably shorter than
the last royal wedding dress train seen at Westminster. It traveled beautifully both in the Rolls Royce that carried her to the Abbey and in the landau that carried her to Buckingham Palace.
The dress was designed to look like a flower blooming--an upside-down flower, I would imagine. The dresses of the maid of honor and bridesmaids were made to echo the design of Kate's dress. More to come on the rest of the wedding party! (Stay tuned.)
The bridal bouquet was a small affair of lily of the valley, hyacinths, ivy, myrtle, and (my favorite) sweet William. It was created by florist Shane Connolly. Additionally, her earrings were created by jewelers Robinson Pelham to look like leaves made of diamonds. The earrings were a gift from her parents for her wedding day.
All in all, the royal wedding went smoothly and is being hailed a fashion success from virtually all corners. This little corner adds its approval, too! Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess--may they have a long, happy life together.
Stay tuned for more on the royal wedding and
honeymoon fashions in the coming weeks!
