I was squealing and gasping the entire time. So many thrilling moments! When William and Harry departed Clarence House, when the Queen showed up in sunny yellow, when all those gorgeous Philip Treacy hats paraded outside the Abbey, when I saw those trees in the Abbey, when Pippa showed up (I though for a moment she was Kate), when Kate finally appeared, when she met William at the altar, when I saw all those magnificent horses and the cavalry, etc etc. Of course I clapped most during the kisses at Buckingham Palace! Love it love it love it!
Anyway, I think I'm one of the very few underwhelmed with Catherine's dress. Underwhelmed and disappointed. It's a lovely dress and she looked absolutely amazing in it but... it's not the Alexander McQueen the fashion world remembers.
I'm not dissing it, okay? Like I said, it's a gorgeous dress--simple, elegant, lovely. But those are adjectives you don't really use to describe a McQueen. McQueen is--rather, was--the rock star of the fashion world. He's known for his bold, out-of-this-world, outrageous, sexy, controversial, shocking, theatrical, lavish, rebellious, fantastical, edgy, avant-garde designs.
I honestly could not imagine classic, elegant, sophisticated Kate wearing a McQueen! Just look at his designs as worn by the Great Cate Blanchett:
When I heard the rumors that Sarah Burton for Alexender McQueen might be the lucky designer, I got so excited. William and Kate are known to be a modern couple but even I didn't expect they'd be that modern. Here's the bridal dresses from his last collection:
I was sooo excited to see if Catherine will actually be able to pull off a McQueen! Well, turns out Sarah Burton designed a very Kate Middleton dress for the new duchess. Compare her wedding gown with those dresses up there. Not even close. There's nothing McQueen about Catherine's dress at all.
When I saw Catherine in her gown, I said, "Oh, it's gorgeous! She looks lovely!" And then I got sad because that beautiful gown just emphasized the fact that a true design genius is dead and gone.
However, I figured that Catherine chose the design house of McQueen because he was one of the most celebrated British designers of all time. But if she had actually worn something outrageous, well, that just wouldn't get the approval of two billion people who want their princesses to wear fairy-tale gowns, not cutting-edge fashion!
So great choice, Catherine! You wore something very British and were able to marry tradition with modernity. You've proven to be a master at compromise. So very you and William!
* * * * * * *
See what other designers have to say:
Top designers Lagerfeld, Givenchy and Lacroix give their verdict
San Francisco's top wedding designers weigh in
And what Preview editor-in-chief Pauline Juan has to say:
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For the official wedding photos (so breathtakingly beautiful! The one with the kids is my favorite!), click here.
Great post! So true about the dress not looking like an Alexander McQueen. Still, it's very elegant and Kate really looked beautiful. The last collection looks divine and the dresses Cate Blanchett wore looks fantastic on her! :) -Dawn
ReplyDeleteHonestly if Kate had chosen any of the dresses you posted, i could very well imagine her looking back in horror at her wedding pictures 20 years from now. Those designs, while edgy now, will look incredibly dated in the future. People were fawning over Diana's dress at first, but now I dont think any bride would want to be married in a dress similar to Diana's.
ReplyDeleteThe dresses that stand the test of time are more memorable like Grace Kelly's, Carolyn Bessette's and now, Kate's. :)
Melvel, true, but picking McQueen then showing up in a classic design is like going to a U2 concert and then they sang Beethoven throughout. It's great of course but totally not expected.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm... While it is true that the dress doesn't scream "McQueen", I think it's right that it shouldn't. It should scream "Kate", just as any wedding dress should be a reflection mainly of the bride's aesthetic, translated by the designer, not the other way around... Basically, the implication seems to be (especially from your U2-Beethoven) that she shouldn't have chosen McQueen if she was going for a traditional gown anyway (that had some small but obvious couture touches, by the way). But she didn't go to McQueen because she loved the designer's trademark Armadillo shoes and skull scarves. She went to McQueen because of the quality of craftmanship that goes into a garment, the marrying of the traditional and modern. And looking at it from that point of view, I don't think anyone can deny that it was a marriage made in heaven (McQueen and Kate, not William and Kate, but of course them, too).
ReplyDeleteI think her reasons for choosing Sarah Burton didn't have anything to do with McQueen's style or designs, it was more symbolic than anything else (she had to choose a young Brit designer)
ReplyDeleteBtw, i really love your blog! We have similar taste in clothes and shoes and bags LOL
Katrina, kindly read my last two paragraphs. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMelvel, I agree. Please read my last two paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for reading my blog and congratulations on your great taste! =)
My first thought upon seeing it was, "Princess Grace." The second was, "That's a McQueen?" I thought she kind of played i safe, but I agree with you that it was the smart thing to do!
ReplyDeleteYes, of course I read the last two paragraphs, thank you very much. I'd like to think that I read things in full first, before giving my opinion about it. And I still won't change what I said. The reasons we both gave for the Duchess choosing McQueen still differ.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd just like to add, the Duchess would never have worn anything cutting-edge in the first place, even if she chose McQueen (or Vivienne Westwood or pre-semitic rant John Galliano). She dresses well enough, I suppose, but her taste was (and I suppose never will be) cutting edge or high-fashion. Even industry experts who were hoping for McQueen knew she wasn't going to choose a gown with prints or padded hips.
Katrina, again, read my last two paragraphs and you will realize that I completely agree with you. I have no argument with you. There is no need to get upset. It's just a dress.
ReplyDelete