We are back with some wedding-related tidbits, beginning with The Dress.
We didn’t have time in Saturday or Tuesday’s post for some of the additional detail about Meghan’s dress and wanted to share them with you.
Sketches of the dress were released Sunday by Clare Waight Keller and Givenchy.
A view from the side.
If wondering where the designer, Clare Waight Keller, was on Saturday, this photo answers the question.
She is quoted in this Us story.
It was an important part of the moment when she walked out of the car, was for me to really be there and make the veil absolutely perfect,” Keller revealed. “I knew the dress as she went up the steps would make this beautiful line. With the veil being so long, I wanted just to make it absolutely spectacular. So I handed it to the two boys and they did an amazing job.
That was really Meghan’s idea,” she continued. “They were adorable two boys and they did a fantastic job, I have to say. It was important that they placed themselves in the right spot.
Those two boys are twins Brian and John Mulroney.
The seven-year-olds are Jessica Mulroney’s sons; she is one of Meghan’s closest friends, as well as a bridal stylist.
You may recall the veil is decorated with 53 floral designs representing the 53 Commonwealth countries. Two additional designs were included; the Wintersweet flower that grows in front of Meghan and Harry’s Nottingham Cottage home; the California Poppy from Meghan’s home state.
The veil was made from silk tulle; silk threads and organza were used to create the hand-embroidered flowers. More from Women’s Wear Daily:
Each flower was worked flat, in three dimensions, to create a unique and delicate design. The palace said the workers spent hundreds of hours meticulously sewing and washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine.
How did Meghan and the designer connect? She was one of many on a list of names put together by Jessica Mulroney. More from an exclusive Harper’s Bazaar’s story by Omid Scobie:
Clare Waight Keller had earlier in 2017 been appointed the first female artistic director at the house of Givenchy—a brand Markle had been a fan of for many years. While a French couture house may not have been the most obvious choice, Keller ticked the most important box—a Birmingham-born Brit who could fly the flag for British fashion at the most-watched royal wedding ever.
Meghan’s initial meeting with the designer was in London before Christmas. In mid-January Meghan told Ms. Waight Keller she was the designer she wanted to make her dress.
During Keller’s second meeting with Markle and Mulroney on January 11, Markle told the designer she chose her to create the dress—a secret Keller would have to keep from everyone—even her own family—until the wedding day.
“It was an extraordinary moment when she told me,” says Keller. “It was an incredible thing to be part of, such an historic moment, and to have the opportunity to work with her—it was a wonderful way to start the collaboration with her.”
In the following weeks, sketches went back and forth between Markle and Keller, with the pair establishing a fast friendship through texts, phone calls and brief meetings.
More from the Bazaar piece:
In mid-February, Markle secretly visited Keller at a property in South West London, where the designer keeps an archive of designs and pieces from her work with Chloé and Pringle of Scotland, sketches and catalogues from the House of Givenchy and an array of fabric samples and archival runway looks. Markle arrived in a discreet-looking town car and walked in without security or an assistant for the nearly two-hour meeting.
The behind-the-scenes story is a great read; you can see it in its entirety by clicking here. You can hear the designer speaking about the dress and working with Meghan in this video.
Clare Waight Keller, who designed Meghan Markle’s wedding dress, said it was an “enormous honour” to have been given one of fashion’s most coveted jobs ahead of the royal wedding.
Read more: https://t.co/m8I1guQK7Q pic.twitter.com/42LQR7RNHP
— ITV News (@itvnews) May 20, 2018
How did Harry like the dress?
This Telegraph story has the answer :
Prince Harry thanked Meghan Markle’s wedding dress designer for her role in making his bride look “absolutely stunning”, she has disclosed.
Birmingham-born Clare Waight Keller revealed the new Duke of Sussex spoke to her after the ceremony in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Sunday.
“He came straight up to me and he said ‘oh my God, thank you, she looks absolutely stunning’,” she said.
We also know a little more about the second dress worn by the bride on Saturday, the Stella McCartney design.
A Women’s Wear Daily’s story includes a sketch of the Stella McCartney dress worn Saturday night.
The dress is described as being made of silk crepe de chine in lily-white. More from the Stella McCartney site:
The unique gown features a delicate high neck that seamlessly drapes to a scooped back, creating an elegant, refined and effortlessly feminine silhouette. Sumptuous layers of pristine fabric gently gather at the gown’s base to unfurl and ripple.
The page on the site includes a statement from the designer:
I am so proud and honored to have been chosen by the Duchess of Sussex to make her evening gown and represent British design,” said McCartney. “It has truly been one of the most humbling moments of my career and I am so proud of all the team on this stunning sunny royal day.
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A few quick items:
Meghan continued a tradition started in 1923 by the Queen Mother.
Her bouquet was placed on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey.
Also, there is now a Duchess of Sussex page on the Royal Family website.
And the Kensington Palace social media pages now feature an avatar of the four young royals.
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A note for our readers in the EU, as well as anyone receiving umpteen emails titled “Privacy Notice” or something akin to that. The flurry is driven by companies trying to be compliant with the new GDPR regulations going into effect in Europe. GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. More from USA Today:
Almost everybody who uses an online service or app that handles their data has been getting a flood of emails advising of privacy-policy changes
And it’s not the U.S. behind the tech industry’s recent flurry of updates. Instead, the European Union has been driving these changes with a sweeping set of privacy rules that will go into effect May 25 — and which are also yielding benefits on this side of the Atlantic.
The reason we’re talking about laws that have nothing to do with Meghan? Because the law applies to any online site with EU-based users. That includes WMW. Beginning tomorrow our EU readers will see little pop-up windows on some links that take you out of the site. A few have kind of goofy wording, starting with “What Meghan Wore Needs Your Help.” (We always need help, lol!) The pop-ups will ask if you consent to the use of cookies, similar to notices we have all seen when visiting some websites. We also have an updated privacy policy on the site.
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We’ll leave you with this video from last Saturday.
Celebrating a job well done, troops return to barracks after playing their part in the #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/ae003Cixbn
— British Army (@BritishArmy) May 21, 2018
NancyRHM says
I haven’t changed my mind since last weekend; the gown was stunning. Radical simplicity usually isn’t my favorite style, but somehow it was perfect on Meghan, and beautifully set off that incredible veil. It was both classic and modern, and in my opinion, will stand the test of time.
Thank you for the photos of the veil detail. I hope at some point photos of all of the embroidery will be made available, so we can see each of the 55 flowers.
Tessa says
On Stella McCartney’s Instagram she has the sketches as brief “insta-videos” as if they are being drawn in front of you. Fun to check out. The drape of the fabric on the evening gown was exquisite.
And regarding the photo-bombing Mulroney, I’m glad it was awe — at the time I thought he was yawning! Thank you Susan for the quality of your sites. I always come here because I know I’ll find grace, dignity, and respect regarding Meghan and Kate. Like ElizMo I’m going through withdrawal and it’s tempting to poke on every made-up scrap of information you can find out there. I know I can trust WKW, WKKW, and WMW for reliable info! Can’t wait for WMKW !!!!
ElizaMo says
Thanks for the Instagram tip! And I second comments about this site, there’s always more quality research and a much better atmosphere. It makes me appreciate the blessing of good moderating when I see bust-ups elsewhere
ElizaMo says
Thanks so much for this post, I’ve been suffering royal wedding withdrawal symptoms all week. I love seeing the sketches and how the wedding train and dress were intended to complement each other and it’s great to have quotes from the designer. I really appreciate your embroidery close-ups as well and all the background about the work on the train. I remember the half-hour washing routine from Kate’s gown.
I was equally delighted when Stella McCartney released her sketches as I had been wishing we could have known more about how deep the halterneck went at the back. Looks like it was well within the bounds of royal modesty, I’m never sure with McCartney as sometimes she likes to add a bold touch. I loved seeing the photos in Hello magazine this week which showed me more of the details of the gathered fabric going into the halterneck at Meghan’s throat. It was neatly ruched at either side of her throat to keep the chest fabric smooth.
Bonnie says
Thanks Susan, for the additional information. The dress didn’t wow me as it was so understated and plain, but the veil was a work of art, that I certainly appreciated. I think the veil would attract people to see it alone, if it goes on display. I was surprised to see in the close up of the bouquet, that it looks to be tied with a strip of rag. If I were the florist I would have opted for some lovely satin ribbon.
Regarding the page boys who held the veil: yes, they are Jessica’s twin sons, Brian and John and the little bridesmaid, not wearing a ring of flowers on her head, is her daughter, Ivy. They are the grandchildren of Brian Mulroney, a former Prime Minister for Canada. The children’s father, Ben, is a host of a couple of Canadian TV shows. The other morning, Ben was commenting on the photo that went viral of son, Brian breaking into a broad smile, as they started down the aisle. Apparently he’d never heard a trumpet before and that is what brought the response of delight. As a Canadian we are proud that three of the ten children were from our country.
Bella says
She looked beautiful. The dress didn’t. It looked like undergarment. I kept wondering if she forgot to put upper fancy layer on top of the dress. I was also wondering if the tablecloths at the reception was made form same fabric :). Veil was gourgeous. And tiara was so Meghan in it’s simplicity. She looked stunning. Love wins over how dress looks any time.