"A couturier must be an architect for design, a sculptor for shape, a painter for color, a musician for harmony, and a philosopher for temperance." ~ Cristobal Balenciaga

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

God Save McQueen!

via: Telegraph
Dear Readers,

I must preface this by saying, had Kate Middleton not made the right dress choice last Friday, this post would not exist.

Truth be told, up until last week, I wasn't very excited about the Royal Wedding.  But I started to get into it, and come Friday morning, after I saw the (correct) dress, I just couldn't help myself!  I got sucked in to the frenzy of monarchical madness!!  (You might not be able to tell, but I wrote this post with a British accent!)

For anyone who missed the wedding and wants to catch up, this is basically what happened (and I dare any wedding naysayers not to enjoy this!):





Ok, before we discuss Kate's dress, lets take a look at the best-(and worst-)dressed guests, shall we?

close-up - love the clutch
& turban/flower hat!
Miriam Gonzalez
I think she looks gorgeous!!!
Karen Gordon with Earl Spencer
such a dramatic/mysterious hat!
Charlene Wittstock & Prince Albert of Monaco
she's so pretty!

Princess Maxima of the Netherlands
Princess Letizia of Asturias
Lady Frederick Windsor
love the hat!
The Beckhams
I'll cut her some slack cuz she's preggers...
Mama Middleton looks great, but the Queen looks
like a stick of butter & Camilla...it's just bad.
Princesses Eugenie & Beatrice
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!? LOL






























































And here I am, pretending to have been invited to the festivities 
(in reality, I had to work that day, but at least I felt festive with my fascinator...)  ;)



Here's Kate's sister and Made of Honour, Pippa Middleton, also wearing Alexander McQueen:

I do like the buttons up the back tho
I'm just not a fan...it doesn't fit very well

And now, here comes the Bride Catherine Middleton!!!


via: Telegraph
Kate's ivory dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.  It featured hand-embroidered and appliquéd lace (both English Cluny lace and French Chantilly lace), handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, and uses British fabrics, harkening back to Queen Victoria's 1840 bridal gown which "promoted England's skills."  The floral lace represents the rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrock, and the dress itself is meant to echo an opening flower.  The sculpted, romantic style of Burton's design, with its strapless Victorian-style corset creating an hourglass figure, is reminiscent of the modernist Princess Margaret's 1960 wedding gown and, even more so, of Princess Grace of Monaco's 1956 wedding dress.  Perhaps the reference to Grace Kelly's dress was an homage to Princess Diana, as she greatly revered the Hollywood film star and saw her as a style icon.  Grace Kelly's wedding gown was designed by Helen Rose, the wardrobe designer at MGM.  It featured antique Valenciennes rose point lace, 25 yards of silk taffeta, and 98 yards of tulle!  Her veil was covered with appliquéd lace lovebirds and thousands of seed pearls.  (information via: Telegraph and Fashion Era)

via: A Girl's Guide to Home Life
via: Rice Cracker Love




via: Saweran
via: InOut Star
via: Lush Angel
















Here are some more shots of Will and Kate's Wedding Party...


images via: TelegraphOK! Magazine
Kaboodle

And here's what the Middleton sisters wore to the Wedding Reception...

Kate's Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen reception dress
I like her wedding dress much more, but this still suits her.
Pippa's reception dress by Alice Temperley
pretty colour, but again doesn't fit well...

And now, a brief history of wedding gowns...

Philippa of England was the first documented princess in history to wear a white wedding gown during a royal wedding ceremony, in 1406.  White did not become a popular colour option until 1840, after Queen Victoria's royal wedding.  (In the post-Victorian era, many people incorrectly assumed traditional white was chosen to symbolize virginity.)  After Victoria's official wedding portrait photograph was published, more and more brides chose white dresses for their wedding, in honour of the Queen's choice.  Throughout history, bridal gowns have reflected the bride's social status and the style of the times.  (information via: Wikipedia)





Some notable Royal Wedding gowns:
1840 - Queen Victoria

1922 - Princess Mary
1923 - Elizabeth, The Queen Mother


1934 - Princess Marina of Greece
1935 - Princess Alice

1937 - The Duchess of Windsor
1947 - Queen Elizabeth II

1963 - Princess Margaret
1963 - Princess Alexandra & The Duke of Kent
1973 - Princess Anne's Engagement Gown
she looks stunning here!

1973 - Princess Anne
1981 - Princess Diana

Other notable Celebrity Weddings:

1905 - Eleanor Roosevelt
1950 - Elizabeth Taylor's 1st wedding
very pretty
1953 - Jacqueline Kennedy
I love the detail on the hem!



1954 - Audrey Hepburn in Balmain
this '50s-style dress is adorable
1969 - Audrey Hepburn's
she went mod-mini for her 2nd wedding

1964 & 1975 - Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton (x2)
1994 - Celine Dion
intense.
2002 - Gwen Stefani in John Galliano
I love the touch of pink!
2005 - Dita Von Teese in Vivienne Westwood
beautiful


2005 - Melania Trump in John Galliano

2008 - Liz Hurley in Donatella Versace
2008 - Liz Hurley in Jenny Packham


2009 - Ivanka Trump in Vera Wang
2010 - Nicole Richie in Marchesa

Some of my favourite movie wedding moments:

Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night
so glamourous!
Gene Tierney in Razor's Edge
I think she looks gorgeous!!!

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Elizabeth Taylor in Father of the Bride (1950)

Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face

Rita Hayworth in You'll Never Get Rich

Robin Wright Penn in The Princess Bride

Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette

Jennifer Ehle in Pride and Prejudice

Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility

Gwyneth Paltrow in Emma

Emily Blunt in The Young Victoria

Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music

The Godfather
Katharine Ross in The Graduate


The Father of the Bride (1991)

Sarah Jessica Parker in Vivienne Westwood
Sex in the City

SJP again in Vera Wang

And here are some wedding photos from my own not-so-royal history:

c. 1907 - my Great-Great Aunt's wedding
I love their hats!
1912 - my Great-Grandmother's wedding
1917 - my other Great Grandmother's wedding


1946 - my Grandmother's wedding
Nana looks so cute :)

1980 - my Mother's wedding
she looks sweet in her "Juliet cap"

I hope you enjoyed my Royal Wedding debriefing!



cheerio!

Corinne

xoxo

1 comment:

  1. amazing post!! I love your best and worse dressed list! I agree! Love your royal wedding look as well. The fascinator is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete

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