Hi everyone,
Wow. What did you think of THE wedding? and most importantly THE DRESS!?
To sum it up, I would say elegant and stylish. Perfectly pitched and fashionably vintage. A statement dress but not OTT yet incredibly memorable. She really did look like a fairytale princess!
We had a little royal party of our own! My in-laws were down for the weekend so we sat round our TV (champers in hand) and had our own celebrations complete with tiaras and veils!
I was so excited about seeing the dress and I must say, we were not disappointed. I thought it was perfect! I had a hunch it maybe lace and was right! The sleeves were beautiful and I loved the detailing at the back of the skirt - very Alexander McQueen! Kate pitched it perfectly and I thought she was every inch the Princess (OK Duchess!) and her composure and poise was outstanding. With an estimated 2 billion people watching, she didn't look nervous at all.
So, more about that dress. Well, it was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. There had been rumours several months ago it would be her but nothing was confirmed and I must say, they did a good job keeping it so quiet! (it was only leaked a few hours before the wedding as press spotted her going into The Goring Hotel - identified by her shoes and coat!!)
It was an ivory satin and lace gown with deep V and high neck. The lace on the dress represented the four symbols of the United Kingdom, a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock, and was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. The train measured 2m 70cm (no-where near as long as Diana's but it was appropriate and practical!)
The lace motifs were pinned and applied with stab stitching every 2mm to 3mm around each lace motif and workers washed their hands every 30 minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine. The needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean.
Finally her 'something' borrowed was her Cartier "halo" tiara, lent to Kate by the Queen as it was her mothers and I think it looked fantastic. I loved how she secured the veil into the tiara (a little unusual) as this gave it a very regal and vintage look.
I could literally gush about the wedding and her look for hours as I thought it was just perfect. Absolutely loved her evening gown too (white satin gazar gown with diamante waist band and angora bolero cardigan) and fabulous 'Hollywood' hair! and we've not time to gush over Pippa's dress (so beautiful but unforgiving - you have to have an amazing figure to pull that one off like her!)
So how will it affect trends and business is what people keep asking? Well, I don't think most people will run out and want exact copies (well some people will!) but I can definitely see lace becoming even more popular and sleeves will certainly be demanded. Before Kate's dress, 'Vintage' was the big buzzword, 1950's elegance and style. I see this as most certainly underpinning those trends and will ensure it's here to stay for sometime.
A few pics from my collection to match some key trends and themes
Fabulous Pippa Middleton esq fitted silk dress by Charlotte Balbier 'Isabella'
Cherry by Charlotte Balbier. Pretty capped sleeves, deep V and lace.
Gorgeous lace strapped 'Alice' by Charlotte Balbier
Sweet Pea by Charlotte Balbier - a shorter style lace backed dress (totally gorgeous on!) and NEW IN!
Dabra by Blue by Enzoani - totally magical on. Lace bodice with diamante and pearl waist band with tulle skirt.
Delaware by Blue by Enzoani- fantastic satin dress with fitted bodice and full skirt. Oh so flattering!!
All dresses are in the boutique so call if you want to make an appointment to try one on.
Congratulations Kate and William. Mrs Jones wishes you all the happiness in the world!
Mrs Jones x
Pictures courtesy of bbc.co.uk and officialroyalwedding2011.org
