It was a subtle tribute to the designer of her wedding dress: when the Princess of Wales discovered that Sarah Burton is stepping down as creative designer of Alexander McQueen this week, she put on a navy blue suit from the fashion label.
She has the suit – a blazer and cigarette pants – in several colors, including white, black and this summer’s ubiquitous color – Barbie pink, and also owns numerous gowns and coat dresses.
But it is Kate’s wedding dress that has become the calling card for the designer, who has been named Designer of the Year and awarded an OBE.
Kate is said to have chosen Sarah Burton to create the world’s most talked about dress after being impressed by the Alexander McQueen dress that fashion journalist Sara Buys wore to her wedding to the Queen’s son Tom Parker-Bowles in 2005.
“Miss Middleton chose the British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship,” the palace said in a statement at the time of the wedding.
Heir comes the bride! Kate looked stunning in her wedding dress on April 29, 2011
Kate is helped with her train by a footman as she and Prince William arrive at Buckingham Palace after the ceremony
This week, Kate opted for a blue Alexander McQueen suit during a royal engagement. And pictured right: designer Sarah Burton with her Officer of the British Empire (OBE) medal after an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace
“Miss Middleton chose the British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship,” the palace said in a statement at the time of the wedding
According to Burton, the dress was a 50/50 collaboration between the designer and the royal family, who are believed to have been inspired by the dress worn by the late actress Grace Kelly at her 1956 wedding to Prince Albert of Monaco.
Kate visited the ‘Grace Kelly – Style Icon’ exhibition about the Hollywood actress at the Victoria & Albert Museum the year before her wedding in 2011 and fashion experts noticed parallels between the two dresses.
The dress, which featured a Victorian-style corset that narrowed at the waist and was padded at the hips, beneath a lace bodice, was a closely guarded secret: the designer didn’t even tell her mother about it.
‘Even my mother called me and asked me: “You were going to tell me, weren’t you?”, the designer revealed afterwards.
Kate is said to have chosen Sarah Burton after being impressed by the Alexander McQueen dress that fashionista Sara Buys wore for her wedding to Tom Parker-Bowles in 2005.
Kate dazzled in her wedding dress in the beautiful Alexander McQueen dress
The back of the dress, which had a modest train of two meters and 70 centimeters, was finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons, finished with Rouleau loops.
The lace was made by the Royal School of Needlework, which cut individual flowers – the rose, thistle, daffodil and clover – from antique lace and applied them to ivory silk tulle.
Embroiderer Amanda Ewing, who was part of the team that made the dress, said: ‘We knew who the dress was for but it was very secret. We had hung net curtains, cleaners were not allowed into the room and the code on the door had been changed.’
The back of the dress, which had a modest train of two meters and 70 centimeters, was finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons finished with Rouleau loops
Kate visited the ‘Grace Kelly – Style Icon’ exhibition about the Hollywood actress at the Victoria & Albert Museum the year before her wedding in 2011, and fashion experts noticed parallels between the two dresses
Kate paired the dress with a 1936 Cartier Halo tiara loaned to her by the Queen – something lent her – and a pair of diamond earrings made by the jeweler Robinson Pelham – something new to her.
A gift from her parents, the earrings, which reflect the Middleton family crest, were shaped like oak leaves with a pavé diamond acorn in the center.
Her size five and a half wedding shoes were made from ivory duchesse satin and decorated with lace, and crafted by the Alexander McQueen team.
The late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld said at the time: ‘The dress is classic and fits very well into the Westminster decor. It almost reminds me of (Queen) Elizabeth’s wedding, the royal weddings in the 1950s.’
The dress is said to be inspired by the dress worn by the late actress Grace Kelly during her 1956 wedding to Prince Albert of Monaco.
Sarah Burton joined McQueen directly from Central St Martins College in 1997. The first question Lee (as McQueen was known) asked her was, “Do you believe in UFOs?”
Sadly, McQueen, who was her boss, friend and mentor, committed suicide in 2010 and Burton reluctantly took over.
- How to Dress Like a Princess: The Secrets of Kate’s Wardrobe is published by Splendid Publications for £12.99