THE DRESS:"IT'S THE greatest ka-ching moment of all time." So said CNN commentator Piers Morgan as he and the two billion viewers of the royal nuptials, not to mention wedding dress designers around the world, waited for news of who had made Catherine, the newly titled Duchess of Cambridge's gown.
The answer: Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
A classic gown with powerful echoes of the famous dress Grace Kelly wore to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco, the design consists of a lace overlay on a satin bodice and a skirt with a 2m 70cm train.
Other than French Chantilly lace combined with English Cluny lace, it was composed entirely of fabrics sourced in the United Kingdom, and embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
Clarence House said: “Miss Middleton [Catherine] wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen’s work.”
The choice was immediately applauded by the British fashion community.
Designer Bora Aksu said: “The dress was absolutely right, as Catherine looks straight out of a fairytale. The style is timeless and will look just as stunning in many, many years to come. A great honour to British fashion.” Designer Graeme Black said: “She is the Grace Kelly of our age. Britain loves the dress.”
Catherine’s decision will have immediate repercussions for Alexander McQueen, one of the smaller brands in the luxury group of conglomerate PPR.
Though famous within the fashion community for its dramatic catwalk shows, and the subject of worldwide coverage last year when its eponymous founder killed himself, McQueen is only just reaching the size at which it can advertise. Its first, small campaign was planned for this autumn/winter.
Antoine Belge, luxury analyst at HSBC, said: “For such a brand, [the royal wedding] is a tremendous opportunity to attract intense media coverage it could never have financially afforded otherwise.”
The selection of McQueen also places a national halo around the brand, which shows in Paris and is owned by a French group, confirming it as one of the pre-eminent British fashion names on the global stage, and suggesting the duchess may use her position to further the interests of the British fashion industry, much as Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Michelle Obama have done to promote French and US designers.
The house’s range was again demonstrated by the dress Burton designed for Philippa Middleton, maid of honour, a streamlined cap-sleeved long sheath in heavy crepe, with a draped cowl neck.
Finally, the dress also marks a very public coming-out for creative director Burton, an unknown until she assumed the design helm of the company last May after McQueen’s death.
Burton said: “It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding dress . . . 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.”
Burton has remained largely in the background since her appointment, quietly pushing the label’s aesthetic in a more feminine, gentle direction. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011)