Review of The Royal Wedding Gown 2018
Image source: Stylecaster
On the day of the Royal Wedding, TrinidadWeddings.com “live” tweeted to our fans from 4:30am (you can still follow the tweets at #TWReportsRoyalWedding).
After Meghan Markle’s dismount from the Rolls Royce, it was evident though, that Twitter was divided. One Twitter camp hailed the gown as “beautiful, demure and sophisticated,” whilst the other camp expressed that it as “boring and the biggest ant-climax of the year.”
The gown – bare of embroidery, embellishment or lace and designed by Brit, Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, was certainly a departure from the vision most of us have of the “fairy tale” gown (cue Princess Diana’s voluminous gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel in 1981).
Meghan’s “fit and flare” gown was made of double-bonded silk and comprised six panels. Up top, it featured a bateau-neckline and three-quarter length sleeves. The gown’s veil spanned 16 feet, with the only noticeable details being its embroidery, which represented the national flowers of all 53 Commonwealth countries. Meghan wore a diamond and platinum bandeau tiara on loan from Queen Elizabeth, which had previously belonged to Queen Mary. Her stud earrings and bracelet were both by Cartier.
Although the design of the gown was a collaborative one, with Ms. Markle having met with the Designer at least seven or eight times, Royal tradition has it that the Queen must provide final approval and so, she would have given Meghan her nod of approval from the very early stages of design.
Many fashion critics have said that the gown’s neckline is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy gown in the 1957 movie “Funny Face,” or have even said that it has some 1970s nostalgia in the design.
At TrinidadWeddings.com, we loved the gown for its powerful statement of the non-conformist “modern bride.” We believe it reflected her personal style perfectly and demonstrated her consistent preference for structure and refinement. Devoid of lace, (which has been the staple on the past few royal wedding gowns), we believe that this gown has brought about a refreshing change to Royal wedding fashion.
However, we would have loved to see a hint of something personally meaningful to Meghan and Harry – for example, a jeweled brooch to one side that could have been a family heirloom – perhaps her mother’s or one borrowed from the Princess Diana collection?
Our only critique of the gown was with the fit. The simpler a gown is; the fit has to be to perfection. At certain angles, Meghan’s gown appeared to be ill-fitting at the bust, waistline and sleeves.
Regardless of public opinion, the new Duchess of Sussex, has no doubt kept to what is trending in mainstream bridal for Fall 2018, which sees gowns with cleaner silhouettes and a more minimalistic design aesthetic.
