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| Kate Middleton's wedding gown designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen |
All of the anticipation and debate was completely worth it. The moment Kate Middleton’s amazing Alexander McQueen dress was revealed it was apparent she made an incredibly appropriate choice. My choice of the word “appropriate” was completely intentional. Her choice of design, as well as designer, was befitting the occasion on several levels.
Let’s start with the design of the dress. The lace detailing and Queen Anne neckline are timeless. They echo that of another commoner turned Princess, Grace Kelly. The silhouette, however, is modern and architectural. Take a look at the bustle in the back. Its sharp pleats are a contemporary twist on the billowy bustles of traditional wedding gowns.
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| Sarah Burton after the Spring 2011 Alexander McQueen Runway show |
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| Bustle detail of Kate's dress |
Not to mention, it fits her like a glove! The dress is truly couture in every sense of the word. This press release from the Official Royal Website explains the amount of work that went into the creation of Kate’s dress. Every detail, from the customized combination of flowers used to create the lace motifs, to the foam at her hips that gives the skirt (and her frame) that extra oomph was made by hand. Workers from the Royal School of Needlework in London washed their hands every thirty minutes as not to sully the white threads. They also changed the needles they worked with every three hours to ensure the tips were optimally sharp. The incredible amount of individualized detail made this dress uniquely Kate’s. At the same time these small nuances gave a subtle nod to the tradition and heritage of the entire Kingdom. Burton said of the dress “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.” And that she did. The dress may not be incredibly fashion forward, but it is perfectly understated, perfectly elegant, perfectly unique, and perfectly appropriate.
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| The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge |
While “appropriate” is usually the last word associated with the house of Alexander McQueen it is completely relevant to Kate's choice in designer. In the official press release it is stated that “Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing.” While Alexander started the house’s reputation as master of bespoke English tailoring, (more on this in Part II) Burton carries on the legacy with able hands.
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| a young Sarah Burton |
Like many other British fashion powerhouses (including McQueen himself) Sarah Burton attended Central St. Martins School where she studied print fashion. In her third year at the school (1996) Burton became an intern at Alexander McQueen. She kept close ties with the fashion house and began full time work for the label after her graduation in 1997. She instantly became a personal assistant to McQueen, and by 2000 she was the head of womenswear. Being McQueen’s protégé did not come without challenges. Conquering these challenges took Sarah Burton’s talent to the next level, and prepared her to take over as Creative Director of the Alexander McQueen brand after his untimely death in 2010.
Sarah's delicate hand and exquisite tailoring honed under McQueen can be seen in the flawlessly fitted bridesmaid dress of Pippa Middleton. It is also visibly present in the reception dress the newly titled Duchess of Cambridge wore later in the day. The angora sweater Kate pairs with the dress reflects Burton's affinity for ethereal textures and offers a distinct contrast to the clean lines of the heavy satin dress.
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| Kate Middleton's reception dress |
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| Pippa Middleton's bridesmaid dress by Sarah Burton |
If Pippa's dress looks familiar, that’s because you probably saw an earlier version of the dress in red on Cameron Diaz at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards.
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| Pippa Middleton Cameron Diaz |
Sarah Burton is no stranger to designing for royalty. In fact, it was a wedding dress she designed for Sara Buys that caught Kate's eye. Sarah Buys is the fashion journalist wife of Tom Parker Bowles, the son of Prince Charles' wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
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| Sara Buys in her wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton |
Nor is Burton a stranger to having important political figures wear her creations. Michelle Obama wore this red gown at the State Dinner in January 2011.
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| Michelle Obama in Alexander McQueen |
Sarah is also not impervious to the rumor mill. She spent months dodging rumors that she was designing the dress for the Royal Wedding. We all know now that she is great at keeping secrets. Also this month Sarah's name has been dropped by several sources as a contender to replace John Galliano after his epic fallout as Creative Director of Christian Dior. After all the publicity and the amazingly accomplished year Sarah Burton has had, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a shoe-in for the position. Whether or not she would take it is a different story. Something tells me her heart is with McQueen. After all, fashion critic Tim Blanks said “she isn't channeling the McQueen DNA, she is the McQueen DNA.”
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