editor@thestagsurrey.co.uk ARCHIVE

By Nisha and Christie Last month the world was witness to the beautiful and much awaited royal wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton. Whilst the buzz around the wedding started from the engagement announcement on November 16^th 2010, what everyone really wanted to know was what gown the bride would choose for her special day. The design and designer was of course top secret and kept under wraps until the day of the wedding, when it was revealed to the world… its designer being the wonderful Sarah Burton for Alexandra McQueen. Burton took over as creative director in May 2010 following the tragic death of Alexander McQueen and was quoted: “It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding dress, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. It was such an incredible honour to be asked, and I am so proud of what we and the Alexander McQueen team have created. I am delighted that the dress represents the best of British craftsmanship. Alexander McQueen's designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day". The verdict? Absolute perfection – it was an instant hit with fashion lovers everywhere. The dress was absolutely breathtaking, with Kate Middleton looking every bit the princess she now is. Working closely with Sarah Burton on the creation of her dress, Kate Middleton’s choice of McQueen is absolutely reflective of her innate fashion sense, her love of fashion and proves her to be a modern bride. The dress itself can be described as classic with modern twist. The shape and structure of the gown, the sweetheart neckline cut into a deep v shape and the cinched in waist, are all modern touches, whereas the ivory colour, French Chantilly lace, 2 metres long train and full skirt are all traditional. The dress was also reflective of Kate’s personality and style mantra, it was not over the top or ostentatious, but simply beautiful and elegant and totally embodies the Coco Chanel ethic that ‘less is more’. Her gown has been compared numerous times to that of fashion icon Princess and actress Grace Kelly, whose dress was also simple, beautiful and elegantly refined. Kate accessorised her gown very simply with earrings given to her as a gift from her parents on her wedding day and a special Cartier ‘halo’ tiara made in 1936 given to her by the Queen to hold her stunning tuille veil in place. The second ‘evening’ wedding dress was just as stunning and was again created by Sarah Burton. Kate stuck with the sweetheart neckline, ivory colour and full skirt from her wedding gown, translating the cut and shape of her dresses from day to night, however her second gown had a gorgeous embellished waist, perfect for the evening, and was without a train making it easier for her to move in. The dress was paired with a cropped mohair cardigan and her signature hair: tumbling waves. It has to be said that in their beautiful simplicity, both of Kate’s gowns are very accessible and without pretension. Kate Middleton’s wedding dress is set to become one of the most iconic wedding dresses of all time, it was simply sensational. Beauty Fact: We love that Kate Middleton did her own makeup for her wedding; she looked naturally beautiful and glowing with fresh faced, simple makeup. Designer Profile: Issa One of Kate Middleton’s favourite designers is Issa – an already famed design house with celebrities, that was thrust further into the fashion spotlight when Kate Middleton wore an Issa creation to announce her engagement. The dress was an instant sellout. Issa is a London based fashion company created by Brazilian born designer Daniella Issa Helayel, who says: “Issa is all about effortless glamour and our signature belted jersey dresses take you from work to cocktails whilst making women feel confident, comfortable and sexy.” Kate has often been criticised for her notably safe and simplistic fashion sense, however she seems to have found a style that is suited to both her personality and body shape. Kate seems to opt for meaningful details in her fashion choices like fabric, elegant cuts, cinched in waists and beautiful colours rather than lavish, over the top creations. The creations of Issa embody everything Kate seems to admire about fashion and whilst some may doubt her ‘safe’ options she is becoming somewhat of a fashion icon making numerous best dressed lists. Here are some of favourite Issa creations worn by Kate Middelton, including her beautiful sapphire blue engagement dress and our favourite understatedly sexy coral gown with plunging neckline: Favourite Looks: Guests at the wedding We couldn’t go without mentioning some of the fabulous guests at the wedding, who brought their fashion A-game, working some truly sensational creations. Pippa Middleton: looked absolutely stunning, almost stealing the show from her sister in a gorgeous figure hugging, satin-crepe dress with a cowl neck and button detail at the back from Alexander McQueen’s pre-Fall 2009 collection, again designed by the wonderful Sarah Burton. Interestingly Kate chose the same ivory colour for her sister, rather than a traditional, more colourful bridesmaid dress. Whilst this may be an unusual choice, we absolutely love it! The gown photographs amazingly and complements the colour palette and themes of the wedding perfectly, even having the same lace accents as the bride’s gown. Fashion Fact: Pippa’s dress is very similar to that of Cameron Diaz’s Alexander McQueen gown at the 2010 Golden Globes. The Beckhams: who are practically British royalty themselves, were of course invited to the wedding. Victoria Beckham has impeccable taste in fashion and we were excited to see what she would wear and she didn’t disappoint. Looking effortlessly chic and event appropriate, Victoria wore a dress from her own amazing Fall 2011 collection, which was navy blue and in a trapeze shape, an extremely flattering cut for her as she is pregnant. Her ensemble was topped off with a matching navy blue hat, custom made by hat designer to the stars Phillip Treacy and elegant clutch bag, again from her own collection. Credit has to be given to a woman who wears 6 inch Christian Louboutin heels whilst pregnant! What a true fashionista! David Beckham looked dapper in his 3 piece ensemble by Ralph Lauren and was just as sophisticated as his wife – they looked every inch like the perfect, fashionable couple they are! Princess Ameerah Al Tawil: Her entire couture outfit was custom made for the event by Lebanese fashion designer Zuhair Murad, famed for his lavish creations that are modern and slightly edgy. Although in the picture we can only see her overcoat, it is more than enough for us! The beautiful pale pink overcoat was satin/silk and had sewn on organza flowers. Matching shoes, clutch and hat completed the ensemble, with her gorgeous hair being swept over one shoulder. She looks amazing.