Kate Middleton has managed to keep her dress a secret for months now and so today, when she walked down the aisle in a lace gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, hearts around the world likely skipped a beat.
Alexander McQueen, British designer and fashion icon, committed suicide last year. Since the tragedy, Sarah Burton has taken over the label. The dress serves as a tribute to the late designers life and although the gown is no as daring as some of McQueen’s previous pieces, Burton’s design is excellent in capturing the artistic flare that is always notable in McQueen’s work.
The detail of the dress is rich in British history in many ways. Kate used British fabrics, like hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace to create handcrafted flowers that were placed onto silk tulle. Details of the dress included the national flowers of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland (roses, shamrocks, daffodils and thistle). The train, nearly nine feet long, was not quite as long as Princess Diana’s, but nonetheless reminiscent of her walk down the aisle.
The satin bodice that narrowed at the waist combined with the padding at the hips is very reminiscent of Alexander McQueen who was notable for using the Victorian era as a source of inspiration.
Kate’s veil is quite simple! It is composed of ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers. It is held in place by a Cartier halo tiara, a family heirloom that Queen Elizabeth II lent to Kate for the special day. The Queen received the tiara in 1936 as a present on her eighteenth birthday.
Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Lacroix, Peter Copping of Nina Ricci,Valentino and Tory Burch have all commented on the similarity of Kate’s dress to the 1947 dress Queen Elizabeth wore and the 1956 dress Grace Kelly wore. The gown was timeless, regal and modern all at once.
What Did the Bridal Party Wear?
The bridal party wore white dresses that had similarities to Kate’s dress. Although this seems unconventional for most of us living in Canada and the U.S, it is common in some parts of the UK for the bridal party to wear white, and it is likely that their dresses will serve as more subtle replica’s of the bride’s gown. We saw this same trend almost thirty years ago at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Kate’s sister and maid of honor Pippa Middleton wore a form fitting white Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown. Pippa’s dress had the same button detail and lace trim as Kate’s. Immediately after the ceremony, tabloids have been commenting on Pippa's figure flattering dress outshining Kate's. What do you think?
The four young bridesmaids also wore dresses that were reminiscent of Kate’s. Nicki Macfarlane designed custom ballerina dresses with similar fabric to the brides. They gowns also had the same organza button detail, but differed with the use of gold sashes that formed bows at the back.
