To say that I am excited today of all days, is a real understatement…I am unglued and can barely walk in a straight line – not down to alcohol either…I think the modern expression is to say ‘Im truly gassed’… lol
In a recent exclusive interview with a well-known royal correspondent over at the Express Newspaper, we discussed all things style, fashion and wedding dresses worn by Royals in the past and current age.
As an avid lover of classic timeless style, I merely stated a fact that I had grown up surrounded by Princess Margaret’s personal style which was adored and copied by all of my aunts as they considered her amongst the most fashionable of Royal with sass, style and guts to simply be who she was. If there is one thing people of the Caribbean love more than food, it is fashion!
I never could quite understand their ability to hoard cuttings; quite literally jam packed into their little square handbags, the mobile equivalent of a filing cabinet housing their collections of photos torn from newspapers, magazines, pattern books etc. If you were mindless enough to leave out a copy of Vogue magazine lying around and they liked it, they would decimate it!
They loved Princess Margaret. In fact, any style that she wore, they would be out there the following Saturday night with their reworking and interpretation for all to admire – I mean, they were the belle of the ball and everyone knew it.
Even though at the time and ever since, critics have stated Princess Margaret’s Wedding Dress was considered at the time far too simple – in a similar way to that of Megan’s choice of style for her dream wedding. But, if you happen to know even the slightest thing about dressmaking and design, Princess Margaret’s dress was far from simple. It was everything but simple. Designed and hand crafted by British Fashion Designer, the late Norman Hartnell, the design was clean, unclutterd and exceptionally luxuriously with quite possibly 45 - 60 meters of silk organza alone.
Princess Beatrice’s Repurposed Wedding Dress
The original gown designed by Norman Hartnell for the late Queen Elizabeth II. The exquisite ivory dress is made from Peau De Soie taffeta, and is trimmed with ivory Duchess satin. Featuring organza sleeves, diamanté adornments, and a checkered, geometric bodice.
Princess Beatrice on the other hand, absolutely broke the mold when it came to her choice of gown. Though it may seem strange, we must remember the context in which her wedding took place 17th July 2020 at a time when weddings were cancelled, gathering were not permitted and the world was sitting in their back gardens awaiting further guidance from the then government. Like most couples who had to cancel their big day they had just one thing in mind and that was that Love Cannot Be Cancelled.
Speaking as a Wedding Dress Designer, the decision to go raid her Grandmothers closet with sheer genius and out-of-the-box thinking. Her choice of dress seemed so naturally too that I cannot imagine her wearing anything else. In fact, the final reinterpretation was modern yet timeless, elegant, and exquisitely flattering for Princess Beatrice’s warm bubbly personality and body shape. Just studying the details of the finished gown, it is evident that she made good use of the resources she had to the extent of preserving the intricate detailing, which no one in their right mind would criticize in any way.
Lady Kitty Spencer’s Wedding Dress Style
British model and muse for International Fashion Brand Dolce and Gabbana, Lady Kitty Spencer's wedding attire quite literally brings the drama back to the Royal family and I loved, loved, loved every single dress that she wore. The detailing, the accessories…I expected nothing less and she certainly did not disappoint. In fact, she took the statement “Go Bold or Go Home” to a whole new level.
"Unlike any other royal wedding before her Lady Kitty's bridal trousseau consisted of not just two wedding dresses but five luxurious, swoon-worthy handcrafted beauties in total"
So maybe you think five wedding dresses is a little over the top. But consider this. What if you were a lockdown bride who spent 18 months unable to have contact with family and friends across the globe amidst the unsurety that that period in time afforded the entire industry, wouldnt you want to live your best life too - if given half a chance? And that is exactly what the modern bride is doing. In fact, the trend for multiple wedding dresses is growing in popularity among post pandemic brides. I mean, with the long wait and all they have had to endure, the wedding needs to last as long as possible for them don’t you think.. XOXO
The full interview with the press is available via this link HERE and I would love to hear your thoughts especially if I have inspired you and you have questions? Please feel free to get in touch via the contact page HERE.
Or perhaps, you just want to hear more on the Lady Kitty Spencer’s Wedding Day trousseau in my next post, all you need to do is leave me a <3 below.
Cynthia Grafton-Holt Couture is highly respected wedding dress designer with over 35 years’ experience in the art of British Bridal Couture. Cynthia creates one-of-a-kind bespoke designs from her London Atelier in Wembley London. As well as desiging bespoke gowns, we have helped many brides remodel and redesign their dream dresses - see link below.
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