The dress the whole fashion industry is saying "yes" to

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The dress the whole fashion industry is saying 'yes' to

A look at Pippa Middleton's dream wedding ensemble

By Sujata Assomull

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Published: Fri 2 Jun 2017, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Fri 2 Jun 2017, 2:00 AM

Bang in the middle of the Cannes Film Festival and just two weeks after the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Gala, the dress that took everyone's breath away was one that walked down the aisle in Berkshire, an English county to the west of London. I am talking about Pippa Middleton's wedding dress. It was simply faultless, fit for a princess - and while she may not be a real princess, she is almost royal. As the wife of 41-year-old financier James Spencer Matthews, she will one day become Lady Glen Affric, as Matthews will inherit the Scottish title of Laird of Glen Affric from his father.
Pippa proved she is worthy of this title: every detail of this wedding was just spot-on. From the vintage black-and-gray Jaguar car she drove to the wedding in with her father Michael Middleton, to her "something old" - the diamond earrings she had previously worn to her sister Kate's very royal wedding.
Her dress was designed by Giles Deacon, who is often referred to as an "English Eccentric". The choice of designer was not a complete surprise as he was spotted leaving the Middleton home late last year, but since he is known for his more avant garde take on fashion, no one knew what to expect. The dress was modern yet traditional. It was the sort of dress that reminded you of Princess Grace and Audrey Hepburn, yet seemed so au courant. Cap sleeves and a high neckline ensured she was a demure bride, while a heart-shaped scooped cut-out at the back added a feel of fun. Made of handmade cotton lace with hand appliqué and corset details, there were no visible seams. A tulle underskirt and cathedral length veil ensured she looked like she just stepped out of a fairytale book.
Handmade in England, the dress needed a team of 15 to 20 to work on it at Giles Deacon's studio. She complemented the look with a custom-made tiara by Robinson Pelham, and bespoke ivory Manolo Blahnik pumps. Truly a quintessentially British bride!
Her sister, Duchess Catherine of Cambridge - Kate Middleton - opted to stick to the designer of her own wedding, Alexander McQueen, and wore a pale peach satin dress that was pretty but quite ordinary; it seemed she did not want to upstage the bride. But we think even if the Duchess had chosen something that was more of a statement, it would have been hard to steal the thunder from this bride.

The man behind the dress: who is Giles Deacon?
The 47-year-old is considered to be one of England's most talented fashion designers and was previously head designer at Bottega Veneta. A graduate of London's prestigious Central St Martins, the muse for his ready-to-wear collection was 'Pac-Man'. He has dressed Sarah Jessica Parker, Cate Blanchett and Queen Rania of Jordan for important events and is known for his out-of-the-box take on fashion that always has a feel of quirk. He is one half of a truly Brit power couple as his girlfriend is Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie.
Giles has had designer collaborations with high street brands such as New Look. Last year, he announced he was now only going to focus on couture, and could not ask for better way to launch his atelier than by designing Pippa Middleton's wedding dress.

The lowdown
. It is rumoured to have cost 40,000 pounds (about Dh190,000).
. Designer Giles Deacon's inspiration for the flowing skirt is from the ballroom dancing scene in Luchino Visconti's 1963 film The Leopard.
. The lace on the dress is bespoke and made of cotton; pearls were hand-embroidered onto the creation.
. British Vogue called the dress, a "beautifully old-school, classically chic number".
sujata @khaleejtimes.com


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