Wedding Bells

Well, the day that EVERYONE and their mom was waiting for arrived. That's right, FRIDAY!! Just kidding. It was of course the royal wedding. I know that it was history and all. But I'm sorry, I did not wake up at 4am to watch it.

I was SO SO SO happy when I heard that Kate's dress was designed by Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen.


Sarah absolutely deserved it. I think she is definitely one of the most talented designers in fashion right now. The way that she has carried on Lee McQueen's legacy while still making the brand hers has made me develop a LOT of respect for her. I think that it was a great moment for Britain (Burton being English and a St. Martin's graduate), a great moment for Alexander McQueen and, of course, a great moment for Sarah.

When I heard "Alexander McQueen," though, my mind immediately pictured some crazy, McQueenesque dress like one from her Fall collection, all of which are AMAZING:




So, needless to say, I was quite shocked...and a bit let down when I saw Kate's dress:


But honestly, I don't even know why I was expecting something crazy. The only person crazy enough to wear a dress like the ones I posted from her Fall collection is like Helena Bonham Carter...or me :p I realized that I was looking at Kate's dress from MY personal perspective of how I would want my dress. And really honestly, her dress is nothing like how I want mine to be (if I ever do the whole wedding thing).

But once I was able to just step back and look at it from an unbiased view, I fell in love with it. As I looked through all the pictures of it, I saw how absolutely ravishing Kate look. Not only did she look ravishing, she looked regal and downright ethereal. Kate is an incredibly graceful woman, and this dress just emphasized that grace. I absolutely love this picture of her with William because she looks so effortlessly beautiful. Her gown is simple and elegant, just like she is in everyday life.

Secretly, I was hoping that Kate would usher in a new era of fashion to the royal family and wear something more edgy and unique. But I realized that it wasn't about the dress. It was about HER. And her dress highlighted her beauty and grace without dominating it and distracting from it like Diana's dress (fairytale wedding dress fail...)


I thought that Kate's train was just the perfect length. It was enough to be exuberant and wowing, but not too much to make it look ridiculous. I also love how the skirt is pleated so that it expands and opens like a blooming flower.

This dress has proven to me even more just how amazing Sarah Burton is. I also must give props to Kate herself because she was heavily involved in the design of the dress. This dress shows the incredibly large breadth of talent that Sarah possesses. She can design dresses as wild and extravagent as the ones in her Fall collection, but then design something as simple and elegant as this wedding dress. She took a classic silhouette, but made it new with modern details. Not only that, she did still manage to bring in some elements of Alexander McQueen. The tight waist and the padded hips resemble Victorian corsetry, which is a signature of McQueen.

I also love that Sarah managed to include lace in the dress without making it look dowdy and old-fashioned. The lace on her veil and bodice was hand sew at the Royal School of Needlework, with individual flowers hand-cut from lace (in shapes of roses, thistle, daffodils and shamrocks). Basically it is as legit as lace will ever get.

EVERYONE was comparing Kate's dress to Grace Kelly's. It definitely has a strong resemblance to it. It is almost identical aside from Kate's more open neckline. Grace's dress was quite beautiful--and Grace wasn't too bad herself (;

It also reminded me of Elizabeth Taylor's dress...from one of her many weddings. Not sure which one. Elizabeth's also had that high, lace collar.

I was also reminded of Julie Andrew's dress in The Sound of Music.

My grandma's wedding dress also had long sleeves. I wonder if Kate's dress will usher in a new long sleeve wedding dress craze...

You know, I also LOVED Kate's sister Pippa's dress (also designed by Burton). I loved that it was white. I think the color and the silhouette complimented Kate's perfectly.


All in all, it was a slam dunk. Sarah Burton, you are amazing and I love you. Kate and Will, may you have a long and happy marriage!