Catherine Middleton's Wedding Dress

[mrswhitham]

Absolutely fabulous!

 

[princess carmen]

They are two different dresses the wedding dress has lace detailing on the bottom.

 

[EmpressRouge]

Is every gown that has a lace bodice and sleeves supposed to be a copy of Grace Kelly's gown?

Personally, I consider a Grace Kelly-style gown is one with a lace overlay sleeves and illusion neckline AND a nipped waist like Catherine's and flowers into a ballgown. Therefore, I consider Marie-Chantal of Greece (not exactly lace on the bodice but echos of lace), Marie of Denmark (drop waist but definitely ballgown and I think the most similar to Catherine's dress) and Isabella Orsini (of Ligne) are Grace-esque; Claire of Belgium and Anita of Orange-Nassau are not because they have more A-line silhouette.

That said, I think Catherine's was most successful because she has the most similar body type to Grace: tall, slender, hourglass figure with a small waist but without being overly curvy. I liked that Catherine's had (what looks to be) her signature V-neckline, very sexy and modern. Using pleats to give the skirt structure instead of going to a true ballgown made the dress more "accessible"; that silhouette would work well on a number of different body types.

 

[charlottestreasures]

Her wedding dress is a work of art and is timeless.
Reminded me of the 50's and Queen Elizabeth's dress.

 

[SillyYun]

saw an article on the gowns..it is indeed detachable and a bodice top and skirt..the top bodice are the same
So the day gown was really indeed laces attached, skirt detached..and evening, remove all and just slip on a skirt!
Kate sticks to winning formula with evening McQueen creation | UK news | The Guardian

its really a brilliant idea..

A bodice, historically, is an article of clothing for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist. In modern usage it typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century.

 

[Sister Morphine]

All the hoopla and overwhelming coverage made the dress a let down for me. I expected something beautiful and showstopping. Her dress was pretty. No where close to Princess Grace. Grace's dress is forever show-stopping and the best royal dress of all time.

Kate's will be forgettable IMO. She made a pretty bride and looked pretty but her overall look isn't one I think will flash in memory 20 years from now as a gorgeous bride.

I expected the guests to be more dressed up. I think I had Victoria's wedding from last year on the brain so I expected the guests to be decked out in gowns and looking their royal best and stuff and not hats and suits looking like Easter service.

Everyone looked so normal. I could have sworn I've seen that yellow suit on the queen before. I just expected everyone to look different than just any old day/event because this was a royal wedding. But is that a British thing? Suits for the wedding over gowns and stuff?

All British royal weddings have had morning dress as the dress code. Morning suits/military uniform for gentlemen, suits/day dresses and hats for ladies. That's the way they do things, and it's silly to expect them to copy what other royal families choose to do for their weddings.

 

[Sister Morphine]

Also, I really liked the way Catherine's veil was placed, with it falling over her head like that. I thought it was very ethereal.

 

[KristineML]

saw an article on the gowns..it is indeed detachable and a bodice top and skirt..the top bodice are the same
So the day gown was really indeed laces attached, skirt detached..and evening, remove all and just slip on a skirt!
Kate sticks to winning formula with evening McQueen creation | UK news | The Guardian

its really a brilliant idea..

A bodice, historically, is an article of clothing for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist. In modern usage it typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century.

It says right in that article that it's a second dress. It just mirror's the style of the ceremony dress. I still don't know if the evening dress is two pieces though.

 

[SillyYun]

another article on the skirt Kate's Dress: Designers re-create the look for commoners - NorthJersey.com
apparently Skirt: The fact that Sarah Burton used a circle skirt that was a nod to tradition and a Victorian look that dates back to Queen Victoria.

im off to bed now! have fun everyone!
nice chatting!

 

[Mia_mae]

love this one!
It looks like she left the Abbey as a Queen
http://img2.timeinc.net/instyle/images/2011/wrn/042911-dress-17-383.jpg

 

[Mia_mae]

IMHO, a meew dress is what I have saw before in some other Royal Weddings. A big train does not make for a beautiful dress! Bleh it is roles and roles of the same fabric!
Give me lace and embroilment over that any time of the week!

 

[nascarlucy]

Loved the wedding dress. The train was just right.

 

[spratsmum]

Commenting on the hand sewing of the lace on Catherine's weddding dress - my own wedding dress had a lace bodice and I remember being told at the time that the lace is always oversewn on bridal gowns so that the design of the lace stands out

 

[Sister Morphine]

The lace on the bottom of the skirt of her gown was done according to an old Irish technique dating to 1820. It's very precise, and very strict. They had to wash their hands every 30 minutes and change needles to make sure they were always clean and sharp.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Personally, I consider a Grace Kelly-style gown is one with a lace overlay sleeves and illusion neckline AND a nipped waist like Catherine's and flowers into a ballgown. Therefore, I consider Marie-Chantal of Greece (not exactly lace on the bodice but echos of lace), Marie of Denmark (drop waist but definitely ballgown and I think the most similar to Catherine's dress) and Isabella Orsini (of Ligne) are Grace-esque; Claire of Belgium and Anita of Orange-Nassau are not because they have more A-line silhouette.

That said, I think Catherine's was most successful because she has the most similar body type to Grace: tall, slender, hourglass figure with a small waist but without being overly curvy. I liked that Catherine's had (what looks to be) her signature V-neckline, very sexy and modern. Using pleats to give the skirt structure instead of going to a true ballgown made the dress more "accessible"; that silhouette would work well on a number of different body types.

I think KM succeeded where Marie-Chantal Miller failed because she did not overdo it.

MC's gown had too much of everything and you ended up noticing nothing...except the fact that it overwhelmed the tiny bride. It had exquisite detailing and perfect craftmanship but all I saw was "Look people...I might be a commoner but my Daddy is RICH RICH RICH and this dress costs a fortune and I am marrying a Prince...yessiree!!"

With KM you noticed the craftmanship, but make no mistake..KATE was wearing that dress, it sure as hell wasn't wearing her. Her tiny waistline alone caused so much comment, and her carriage and posture only accentuated the design...lovely!

Sometimes, less really is more.

 

[jonc93]

I liked the idea behind her wedding dress but felt it needed a much longer train but that was her prerogative!

I loved the evening gown she looked stunningly beautiful!

 

[maryshawn]

Looking back at Catherine's history style-wise, I'd suspected she'd select something very much like Grace Kelly's iconic dress--and so she did. It also reminded me somewhat of the dress Julie Andrews wore for the marriage ceremony in "The Sound of Music." Interestingly, the friend I was watching with thought the dress exquisite, the bride lovely: The only area we disagreed on was the neckline. I liked it; she thought it accentuated Kate's weight loss and thus should have been closer to the neck.

As for the second gown, I swore it would be by Issa--but was wrong. Again. I liked it very much. Hope to see it sans angora sweater at some point. I did like the juxtaposition of the elegant gown and diamante with the ivory shrug. Reminded me of Sharon Stone's Academy Awards appearance pairing a gorgeous full skirt with a sweater set. Stunning, different...just like Kate today.

 

[Island Princess]

The dress was charming and suited Kate very well, however I feel an opportunity to influence rather than follow fashion was missed here. I feel Kate played everything very 'safe' and IMHO was sending a clear message that she won't court controversy or even push the boundaries a little.

The dress will always be compared to Grace Kelly's dress - for posterity - which is a shame. I feel too much already 'tried and tested' was followed here, and too much played down and made low key. It was a dress that would have looked lovely in Bucklebury Parish Church but the wedding wasn't being held there, it was at Westminster Abbey and she was marrying the future King of England.

To put that in context, I think of the hundreds of soldiers, policemen, news correspondents, members of the public etc who travelled the breadth of Britain and from overseas to be there - and the logistics of putting on a Royal Wedding in one of the world's busiest and biggest capital cities.

I hope as time goes on she finds the courage to express herself more uniquely and individually and embraces the opportunity to explore her own style with the cream of British design at her fingertips.

 

[maryshawn]

You make some excellent points, Island Princess! If this dress goes down in history as an updated version of Grace Kelly's, well, an opportunity has been missed. On a related note, I read today somewhere she either has been told or has the opportunity or made the decision to begin utilizing fashion stylists. In other words, up till now, Kate's been making all the decisions about her attire. P Diana had the help of Vogue's editors and staffers and several designers from the announcement of her engagement on. I wonder why Kate did not get the same assistance......And if she will utilize a stylist in the future.

PS Carole Middleton's Catherine Walker outfit was a lovely homage to P Diana. I was saddened to hear Catherine had died last year.

 

[Island Princess]

Carole Middleton looked like the perfect textbook Mother of the Bride and I was really touched to hear it was Catherine Walker - I wonder if Diana might have worn something similar if she had still been here?
Great news about the stylist/s - let's hope that they will push Kate a little wee way out of her comfort zone and get her making the most of her figure, youth and position.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I liked the idea behind her wedding dress but felt it needed a much longer train but that was her prerogative!

I loved the evening gown she looked stunningly beautiful!

I would have liked a longer veil and a fuller skirt, and her hair in an upsweep. But I quibble, because she was simply radiant the way she was.

I am still not sure if I like her evening gown yet or not...in some photos it looks stunning, in others I am not liking the fit of the bodice.....

 

[dazzling]

The lace on the bottom of skirt was really pretty & added a lot of elegance to the dress instead of it being plain.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/04/30/article-1382015-0BD6BDF000000578-682_634x958.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/04/29/article-1382015-0BD6BE3C00000578-13_306x950.jpg

I wasnt thrilled by the wedding dress but this is a major disappointment! A white dress with wool cardi to an evening reception? Good lord.

I dont know if other people dont see what I see but I find the bust awfully designed (to a lesser degree on the wedding dress as well). In some ankles it looks as the nipples are visible (I know they arent it at times it looks as if they were - quite unfortunate). The rest is plain and boring, the belt looked good on my barbie doll 20 years ago but in 2011 on a princess?

I dont get the McQueen hype at all, both dresses were pretty mediocre, sorry.

 

[CrownPrincess5]

Yes her nipples were showing. They should've had that covered. Unless it was the design of the dresses?

The bust is terribly designed. It looks like they messed up and had to do a quick sew. After this morning I realized Kate is very plain and simple...so I wasn't surprised by the second dress.

McQueen makes fabulous wedding gowns. Wedding gowns most people wouldn't dare to wear. I don't see McQueens handprint on the dresses. I see Sarah Burton's handprints. They should stop saying her dress is McQueen and start saying it's S.B.

 

[CrownPrincess5]

Her dress is starting to grow on me. The detail was beautiful and one thing I can say is she wore the dress, the dress didn't wear her.

Is there a closeup of the back of the dress?

 

[hriskataaa]

I loved the dress and the whole ceremony.It was very sophisticated,yet simple dress.It suited Kate,or should I say- The Duchess of Cambridge, very well as she has a natural beauty and that dress only helped to enhance it.She looked stunning and I love that dress and appearance far more than Diana's.
The dress really resembles a bit Grace Kelly's one,but I thin this can only be taken as a compliment

 

[Diarist]

The bodice was nice and I liked the neckline and sleeves ( Who was saying on this forum that it was too low cut? are you serious?)

It was me who said it was just a SHADE too low - but I am talking about a matter of degree. I have been out to the Newsagent's Store and bought EVERY single newspaper and having spent the last hour looking at the pictures, I stand by what I said about the bodice - it was cut just a FRACTION too low for a Formal Church Wedding; by convention - and I am the first to admit that people don't always follow convention now - the end 'point' of the 'V' is meant not to dip past a certain point on the line [i.e. cleavage] between the breasts. I also have to say that, looking closely at SOME of the photographs, [whether possibly it was due to the strong TV lighting accentuating things] you can see slightly more of what Catherine's 'figure' than perhaps you should, and I think that another layer of lining material might have helped here.

But I don't want to be seen to be too fussy; what I have said above is my opinion and it's just that, my opinion. Overall I liked the dress very much.

The general view of the British Press - that Catherine 'wore' the dress, rather than the dressing 'wearing' Catherine, is I think a very valid one - I remember how poor Diana was almost swamped by that fussy, creased dress. I am no fashion expert, but I also think that Catherine's dress won't 'date' so easily.

I just hope that they put it on display in the Court Dress Collection at Kensington Palace for a short while at some stage so that we can all have the opportunity to go and look at it. Vacations in the UK anyone?!

 

[susan alicia]

I would have preferred a lace veil with history but then she could not have worn the veil over her face which was lovely. Major mistake imo of the BBC editing people that they did not catch the moment she lifted the veil, there must have been a dozen camaras.

And with a serious lace veil she could not have had a lace bodice I think, too busy.

Re the bodice, my friends and I thought her bustline was a bit 50ties, like in Mad Men, too........ something

I think any dress with long lace sleeves is going to be said to be based off of Grace Kelly, no matter what.

I wish she had put just a little more oomph into this. The bouquet was so so small and did not match the grandness of the location. Just a few more blossoms would have been helpful.

I am most disappointed by her veil. One thing that I really love about royal weddings is that the brides wear these fantastic full length veils. I LOVED Victoria of Sweden's

full heirloom lace veil

. I was so disappointed that C's was so short. Anyone can just buy a tulle fingertip veil. It didn't make her seem very royal today.

Her lace top and sleeves were lovely

, and I like that she went medieval for the hair (very Katherine of Aragon to me), but I think there was too much hype beforehand that everyone was starting to expect something amazing and unique and it didn't happen.

AND TOO MUCH EYE MAKEUP!!

 

[susan alicia]

my unreserved opinion about her party dress is that it is simply awful. full stop. Very common

i noticed something on the evening and morning gown. I thought it wasnt detachable...and thought that theres laces at the bottom of the gown and might be different from the evening one. But I somehow noticed that shes actually wearing a top? and the skirt for the evening instead of the full piece?
If u look carefully, noticed that u can slightly see through the top at her waist area?

.


I must say that Sarah Burton is really terrific! She might even change the concept of wedding dresses for future! hiding it so well!

I'm just guessing hehe after some of u thought and suggested its same piece
but then looking at the hard works of sewing i think maybe its two gowns haha! the royals doesnt need to save on one gown!
i dont know!

 

[nascarlucy]

I liked Catherine's Wedding dress. It was very classy and timeless. I'm glad she didn't have a train 10 miles long. The length was just right.