Kate Wore My Wedding Gown - Kinda

And she wore her hair half-up half-down like I did. We both carried a dainty bouquet of small white flowers.

When I got married in November 2007 I thought it would be about a year and a half before the majority of brides stopped wearing strapless and started wearing long-sleeved lace designs. Years ago I worked in fashion forecasting and that's pretty much how long it takes for a bold shift in looks to take hold. But the strapless wedding gown kept going and going strong...until Friday.

Obviously Grace Kelly's 1956 gown, designed by Hollywood costume designer Helen Rose was the inspiration for both mine and Kate's. What's interesting is that we both changed the skirt. The bottom half of Kelly's dress was divine, but I felt it wouldn't suit me so I asked my dressmaker to add a slightly Edwardian style skirt based on a picture I'd found in a bridal magazine.

Sarah Burton and Kate decided on a fuller skirt shape with inverted pleats...and some phenomenally special Irish needlework completed under moonlight by Anne Boleyn's seamstresses in the sacred caverns of Hampton Court Palace.

I still prefer my skirt and believe it to match the spirit of the design, but Kate's was majestic and regal and hit the mark for such a momentous occasion.

Other major differences betwixt my gown and The Duchess's:

- Neckline: mine was buttoned up, not open V

- Waist: mine was cumberbun ruched

- Shade: mine was all ivory, not white and ivory

- Veil:  mine had a more orthodox richness like Kelly's except I wore my hair down at the back, not worn with a crown

- Cost: my gown cost $1,469 (or £705 - converted using Nov '07 rates) and was made by Carolyn Humphrey of Oklahoma City for little ole me, not untold cost and made by Sarah Burton, creative director at McQUEEN for the future Queen of England

Also on Kate's gown there was some bombdiggity bustle action, a kind of structured coattail which on closer inspection must have been part of the skirt. But it was the only bit on her gown, to me, that looked properly McQUEEN. Sculpted, a tad avant guard and sexy-fierce.

 I know I'm a bit of a braggadouche for writing this post, but I just feel a bit left out or something with everybody going apeshit over this dress because despite the differences mentioned and not mentioned above, when I first saw Kate and her father drive past us in Horse Guards Parade on Friday and even now studying the official photos, I see my dress.  

 

THE DRESS hullabalou is also interesting because to me it's quite a Catholic design. For several years before I even got engaged I knew I wanted Grace Kelly's gown. It was this picture that sparked it.

 

And this one.

I was just as irritatingly clandestine as Kate about my dress design ahead of our big day. Nobody outside my mother, father, sister, best friend and the dressmaker knew what it was like, even remotely.

One week before my wedding I showed my dear friend Sarah Bell, who in her very honest unhurtful way took one look at it on the hanger and said it was 'unique' or interesting or something like that.  That actually slightly scared me, in spite of how sure I was about it. What I'm saying is that it was different. A lot of guests loved my gown, but had never seen anything like it - and astonishingly didn't make the clear connection to Grace Kelly's gown, which was genuinely unique. As opposed to mine which was a copy of it with a twist. 

 

 

It makes me happy that Kate and I share the same bridal taste, despite her being dissed in the past for lacklustre fashion choices. In looks and temperament she's as lovely as they come.

I'll dive into the Official Royal Wedding Photo Album to prove it. This is a shot of the couple heading back inside the palace from the balcony after the famous kiss and fly by. My mom described it best, noticing how the Queen and the rest of them royals rushed back inside, but Kate lingered and took this one magnificent look back at the crowds.

Mom: "As if to say, I'm not leaving you, I'm just going inside for a bit but I will not forget you."

And Mamma is never wrong about women.

 

THE END

...

postscript

Above: Our own photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge going past us in Horse Guards Parade, and my husband Ben and I in the euphoric throngs along The Mall last Friday, 29 April 2011 

...

All photos of my wedding day were taken by

Charlotte Bromley-Davenport

&

All my wedding flowers were arranged by

Paul Johnstone of WILDBUNCH in Richmond

Comments

[michaelmcdonnell@cox.net]

We enjoyed reading this article .Very nice comparisons . You look more like Grace than Kate but you both did the dress justice.It must have been very enjoyable to be there and see the entire event. Mom has passed on tho Carolyn the contact to view the Article.Also Pat. The dreses look amazingly similar and the modifications seem to suit you both.

[Big Smoke Tavern]

I look like Grace Kelly in my wildest dreams and w/ a bloody good makeup artist...and not anymore. But thanks Dad, glad you enjoyed the post and hopefully Carolyn the Magnificent will too :)

[Keely]

Dear Colleen,

I hope it's okay to comment on this matter since it's so private. Searching for some inspiration for my own gown I just wanted to tell you, that I also enjoyed the article and really liked your dress. It looked very special, in particular the little details like the pearls on your left hand, the back of the skirt and the flowers on the veil were so beautyful. You and Kate both looked stunning!

All the best
Keely

[Big Smoke Tavern]

Hi Keely, what a lovely comment, thank you. The dress is very important and can set the tone for your whole wedding. Make sure you get the dress you want and feel comfortable in. The pearls across my hand are my rosary beads I was holding, my parents gave them to me for my first communion when I was 7yrs old. Enjoy this time ahead of your wedding and on the day savour every moment - it's over in a flash. Colleenx

[Keely]

Hi Colleen, thanks for your kind words, I will keep them in my mind :-)
I didn't realized that the pearls are rosary beads, they fit perfectly, especially when reading your parents gave them to you for your communion.

Take good care,
Kee x

[Kindra Leomiti]

Oh, yeah. Your gowns look the same, and they're both gorgeous. I envy you guys for witnessing the royal wedding. It must have been quite a charming experience.

[Big Smoke Tavern]

Thanks Kindra. It's nearly the one year anniversary of the Royal Wedding. Maybe after the Queen's diamond Jubilee this summer they'll have a baby!