Catherine Middleton's Wedding Dress

[nascarlucy]

I'm not a big fan of lace, but liked the lace on Catherine's wedding dress. The wedding dress fit her body perfectly and the train wasn't too long.

I saw some footage of Princess Diana getting out of the car/carriage with her wedding dress. She seemed to have a some difficulty as did Sarah Ferguson. All the layers on the wedding dress (never thought about this until you see what Diana wore and what Catherine wore) Catherine didn't seem to have much difficulty at all getting out of the car (she didn't have the long train that the other two women had). The gown and the flowers were made to fit Catherine.

 

[chelly]

I don't think she had the amount of fabric and skirt as the other two had either. I think if Catherine tried on Diana's dress she would really disappear.

 

[abcdxyz]

I like you! This dress though was purely Kate. I can see why the comparisons "like Grace" "Like whatsherface" and "like this House of Design" and of course people are going to see that... there's only so much you CAN do with a wedding gown.

The ONLY comparison I've NOT heard I think is that she was attired in a fashion similar to a traditional Betazoid wedding.

As long as she doesn't look like one of the York girls!

ITA--OK, it's a long white dress with a big skirt and some lace on it. How different can it really be? Sarah Burton's latest collection with the weird skirts and all--that's not what Catherine or anyone else really wants to wear. Normal people want to look nice, especially on their wedding day.

 

[Sister Morphine]

I don't think it's necessarily fair to say that "normal" people want to look nice, thereby making it sound like someone who would want to wear a more avant-garde design is "abnormal." If that was Catherine's style, and she had been known for wearing fashions like that, I'm sure Sarah Burton would have made a more McQueen-like wedding dress for her. However because Catherine has always favored a clean, simple, elegant style.....her wedding dress was made to match that.

It's not a factor of normal people vs. abnormal people, but what looks best on you and what compliments your style. You can look nice in a crazy, out of control dress the same as you can look nice in a dress similar to Catherine's.

 

[Sister Morphine]

Oh, and yes, MAJOR MISTAKE on the BBC's part not to show her father lifting the veil. I saw a still photo of the moment and though I hate the symbolism (bride as chattel, being "given") it looked very sweet. Did Earl Spencer do that for Diana? I can't remember...

For one thing, a veil has nothing to do with the bride being "chattel." It actually was originally a symbol of a virgin bride, though nowadays a lot of women virgins or no, wear a veil because it looks good. Also, reference the biblical story of Rachel and Leah to understand the symbolism behind of "lifting the veil." It's basically making sure your intended wife is really the woman standing next to you!

I don't know who else it was (I think it might have been you) who suggested that the term "blusher" is "sexist", but that's really just totally silly. It's called a blusher because it covers the face, it has nothing to do with sexism or viewing women as property or any of that other gobbledygook.

White dresses, white gloves, veils.....they all used to be symbols of a bride being a virgin, although nowadays since women aren't required to be virgins on their wedding day to insure that all children born of the union for the purposes of inheritance come from that father, most women wear them just as fashion.

 

[Charlotte1976]

I started reading this thread a couple of hours ago and I gotta say, I am soooo sick of reading how the dress is like Grace Kelley's. It is in a small way, just the upper part, but the skirt is nothing like Grace's. It has a different shape, one has embroidery, one does not, one opens in the back, showing a lacy underskirt, one does not, one has the look of a beautiful flower, with petals about to open, one does not, etc, etc. IMHO it looks more like Maria's from "The Sound of Music".
BUT it is not any of those dresses. This one is Catherine, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge's and no one's else. By the way, I thought it was breathtaking!! Mostly because she is in it.

The Grace comparisons are both a good and bad thing but more bad. It's kind of sad that seeing her in her dress the automatic first impression was of seeing it on someone else. As in not original. People seem to think that her being original would have been outlandish and not appropriate but original is classy as well.

Grace's dress was original when she wore it. I thought Maxima's dress was quite original because I know I haven't seen a neckline like that since my winter slight scoop neck sweaters. But never on a dress.

She could have been a bit more original yet still stayed true to herself and classy.

I think Kate is probably very sweet albeit a bit bland and again people think when someone says bland they want someone outlandish but that's not true. A little spirit is still nice and classy.

Looking at the dress more the details are coming out but I've always hated that in clothes. Where on the surface at first glance it's eh but to REALLY like it you have to get a magnifying glass and get down low and see the detailing. It should be obvious and things to have to be flashing like Vegas to be obvious. You shouldn't have to bring up the small details unseen at first glance to fall in love with it.

I don't get designers running out to make Kate wannabe dresses. I could SWEAR that dress is in every store. The overall look is a done before which is why the Grace, Mary of Denmark, Marie-Chantal, etc similarities come about.


I love the symbolism of the bouquet but it just seemed like an afterthought. It should have been a bit bigger. It seemed more like a bridesmaid bouquet over a bride. A nice, average 12" bouquet would have been nice. For the size it was it was as if it wasn't even really needed.

 

[Jacknch]

I don't think it's necessarily fair to say that "normal" people want to look nice, thereby making it sound like someone who would want to wear a more avant-garde design is "abnormal." If that was Catherine's style, and she had been known for wearing fashions like that, I'm sure Sarah Burton would have made a more McQueen-like wedding dress for her. However because Catherine has always favored a clean, simple, elegant style.....her wedding dress was made to match that.

It's not a factor of normal people vs. abnormal people, but what looks best on you and what compliments your style. You can look nice in a crazy, out of control dress the same as you can look nice in a dress similar to Catherine's.

I agree with Sister Morphine! The dress had to fit with Catherine's overall style which is indeed clean, simple and elegant. It is testimony to Sarah Burton's skills that she was able to use various McQueen construction methods and styles and interpret them into something that suits Catherine and is suitable for a royal wedding.

 

[Frideswide]

White dresses, white gloves, veils.....they all used to be symbols of a bride being a virgin.

Actually blue is the colour that symbolises purity, which is why the Virgin Mary is traditionally depicted wearing blue.

I'm sure everyone is aware that white wedding dresses only became fashionable from 1840 when Queen Victoria was married in a white dress. Prior to that, women wore the best that they could afford in any colours they chose; the poorest girls (who would be in the majority!) simply wore their Sunday best dresses.

By the way, what is a blusher? I've never heard the word before, except as a cosmetic (what used to be called rouge).

 

[Sister Morphine]

Actually blue is the colour that symbolises purity, which is why the Virgin Mary is traditionally depicted wearing blue.

I'm sure everyone is aware that white wedding dresses only became fashionable from 1840 when Queen Victoria was married in a white dress. Prior to that, women wore the best that they could afford in any colours they chose; the poorest girls (who would be in the majority!) simply wore their Sunday best dresses.

By the way, what is a blusher? I've never heard the word before, except as a cosmetic (what used to be called rouge).

I understand that blue is the color of purity, and I also know about Queen Victoria making the white wedding dress en vogue. However what I was saying is that the idea of a bride wearing a stark white dress and a veil was meant to symbolize that she was a virgin. It was at one time, obviously after the 1840s, considered scandalous for a bride to get dressed in something other than white, because that was taken as a sign that she was not a virgin, and that was an embarrassment to her family. Thankfully we've passed those times.

Also, I mentioned what a blusher was in the post that you quoted. It's right there in the 2nd paragraph, second line. A blusher is a veil or part of the veil that covers the bride's face. It can either be long like Catherine's, or a short piece of netting attached to a small headband or fascinator.

 

[Frideswide]

Thank you. I thought it probably referred to the veil, but your post didn't say so explicitly. As I said, I've never heard the expression before, and thought it might possibly be some other kind of accessory.

I don't know who else it was (I think it might have been you) who suggested that the term "blusher" is "sexist", but that's really just totally silly. It's called a blusher because it covers the face, it has nothing to do with sexism or viewing women as property or any of that other gobbledygook.

 

[jeph213]

i was watching E! news today and heard the dress cost something like $420,000? that's ridiculous! i thought it was ok and like everyone reminded me of princess grace's. but the price tag... i thought it's silly. i didn't think it would cost that much when i first saw it and even praised that she opted for something simpler in light of the recent student protests until i heard about it today. now i don't even like the dress

 

[Catherine Helvin]

I loved Kate's wedding dress but I feel that the train could have been quite a bit longer as could her veil, which should have stayed down until all the formalities were over. I also think a few sequins on the lace wouldn't have gone amiss to add a little more sparkle and give it more of a 'wow factor'. I liked her hairstyle because I think updos are too severe and ageing. The bridesmaids could have had at least a little colour in their outfits.

 

[Jacknch]

I loved Kate's wedding dress but I feel that the train could have been quite a bit longer as could her veil, which should have stayed down until all the formalities were over. I also think a few sequins on the lace wouldn't have gone amiss to add a little more sparkle and give it more of a 'wow factor'. I liked her hairstyle because I think updos are too severe and ageing. The bridesmaids could have had at least a little colour in their outfits.

Initially I had imagined there would be a longer train and would have suggested another couple of feet or so, but the overall scale of the dress didn't require it and much longer would have rendered Pippa's role more difficult, as would a longer veil.

 

[Skippy]

i was watching E! news today and heard the dress cost something like $420,000? that's ridiculous! i thought it was ok and like everyone reminded me of princess grace's. but the price tag... i thought it's silly. i didn't think it would cost that much when i first saw it and even praised that she opted for something simpler in light of the recent student protests until i heard about it today. now i don't even like the dress

And who or what was E!'s source?

 

[EmpressRouge]

Access Hollywood predicted the dress to cost $50,000. I guess we'll never know. I remember hearing Marie-Chantal's Valentino wedding gown was in the $100,000-200,000 range.

 

[CrownPrincess5]

I loved Kate's wedding dress but I feel that the train could have been quite a bit longer as could her veil, which should have stayed down until all the formalities were over. I also think a few sequins on the lace wouldn't have gone amiss to add a little more sparkle and give it more of a 'wow factor'. I liked her hairstyle because I think updos are too severe and ageing. The bridesmaids could have had at least a little colour in their outfits.

I felt the same way.
The train was way too short and I thought the veil could've stayed over her face a bit longer. I thought Kate was going to go for the wow factor myself, but she missed that train. I think her theme was "be modest". Either that or she has no sense of style.

i was watching E! news today and heard the dress cost something like $420,000? that's ridiculous! i thought it was ok and like everyone reminded me of princess grace's. but the price tag... i thought it's silly. i didn't think it would cost that much when i first saw it and even praised that she opted for something simpler in light of the recent student protests until i heard about it today. now i don't even like the dress

McQueen is pricey but I'm not sure about half a million dollars. It's not like the dress had diamonds and crystals sewn into it. It's too simple to be worth that much... Kate got her eyes robbed out of her head if she paid that amount for that simple dress.

 

[MRSJ]

Access Hollywood predicted the dress to cost $50,000. I guess we'll never know.

Sounds more accurate......

i was watching E! news today and heard the dress cost something like $420,000? that's ridiculous!

Well some sources predict the Middleton' s ( who paid for both dresses as well as Pippas 2 and the hotel along with other stuff) only (ha only!) spent half a million so I doubt the full dres amount was that but as said we'll probably never know.....

 

[Sister Morphine]

Catherine's wedding dress was 40,000 GBP which is roughly $66,070.

 

[Island Princess]

Catherine's wedding dress was 40,000 GBP which is roughly $66,070.

Yes, I read the same figure...and Philippa's cost 20,000 GBP.

 

[Princess of Durham]

I love the dress and the veil. I thought the proportions were lovely and the way the dress fell as she walked was fabulous. It almost had a Tudor feel about the skirt ... absolutley fabulous all round. AND it suited her perfectly, elegant, simple, clean and classy. IMO, it was a triumph.

 

[Sister Morphine]

Yes, I read the same figure...and Philippa's cost 20,000 GBP.

Which if you're talking about custom-made dresses from a couture house, is not exorbitant at all.....and the family paid for it themselves.

 

[dazzling]

Catherine's wedding dress was 40,000 GBP which is roughly $66,070.

I wonder if the bride got a special price as she was getting 2 dresses (wedding + reception dress ) and 1 dress for the bridesmaid in total 3 dresses for the family. Since the lace was all handmade especially for Kate & the design was also made to order/measure, its a pretty reasonable price if you comapre it to other houses such as Dior which could easily start for a wedding dress at $90,000.-

 

[Lumutqueen]

Figures seem to be ranging i've read that the dress was £200,000 then £40,000 is the smallest figure i've seen.
I'm surprised at the cost, looks like Kate might have taken the economic situation into consideration after all.

 

[Sister Morphine]

I wonder if the bride got a special price as she was getting 2 dresses (wedding + reception dress ) and 1 dress for the bridesmaid in total 3 dresses for the family. Since the lace was all handmade especially for Kate & the design was also made to order/measure, its a pretty reasonable price if you compare it to other houses such as Dior which could easily start for a wedding dress at $90,000.-

That very well might be the case. For Sarah Burton and Alexander McQueen (the label), the cache of having designed a royal wedding dress would more than make up for the fact the bill wasn't as high as it otherwise would have been.

 

[grammas26]

She did keep the economy in mind--by contributing!!! Sheesh, some people will NEVER be happy. Just goes to prove you can't please all the people all the time.

 

[Lumutqueen]

You can never please everybody, what's the point in moaning about it? Sheesh.

 

[Frideswide]

Philippa's cost 20,000 GBP.

That is ludicrous if true. It was a fairly simple affair with not a great deal of material to it. How could that sort of price possibly be justified?

 

[chelly]

The name, the type of fabric, the labor etc.

 

[Skippy]

That is ludicrous if true. It was a fairly simple affair with not a great deal of material to it. How could that sort of price possibly be justified?

Looks are not the same as substance.

 

[MichaelG]

Now that the fuss has died down somwhat; can I add my opinion?

The dress was exactly what a girl like Catherine should have worn-A "commoner" (how I hate that word) being elevated to the status of a Duchess-it was a dress you might find in any country church-made different by the excellent tailoring, the stuff it was made from, and attention to detail-and that essentially, is the difference between a Simplicity pattern and a Couturier. It suited her, she looked lovely.
As far as the Grace Kelly likeness-it had a lace bodice-otherwise-not really. Helen Rose designed Grace Kelly's gown, and it is interesting to note that she also designed the dress for Elizabeth Taylor's wedding to Nicky Hilton, a couple of years earlier-lace bodice, tight sleeves, full silk skirt. very 1950's- and that to my mind is where she (H Rose) got the inspiration for G Kelly-but pared down for Kelly's taller more slender frame-and where the inspiration for the Royal dress came from-If you go to the Vogue Vintage pattern site for the 1950's you will see many, many designs that draw on that design of Christian Dior's "New Look"-made famous by the likes of Audrey Hepburn Lauren Bacall Grace Kelly(think "Dial M for Murder") and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, in the 50's, as well as the Dior house models. Perhaps that's what Sarah Burton wanted...A "New Look" for a new princess.
I hope that Catherine has put an end to the strapless bridal gown-so naff! so crude,so inappropriate.
I have heard she went from a size 10 to a size 6 in the last month or two-no wonder she looked tired and drawn-and the makeup for TV wouldn't have helped. Let's hope she rests and regains her "freshness" she is a very attractive young woman. He's a lucky fella-
And...Harry doesn't walk, he swaggers.....I guess I would too!!