Kate Middleton’s wedding dress: the verdict

First it was Bruce Oldfield, then Alice Temperley, then in a desperate struggle to ruffle a few wedding feathers, someone threw Vivienne Westwood into the mix.

But no, the design of what shall surely now be known as one of the greatest wedding dresses of all time fell to Alexander McQueen’s Creative Director Sarah Burton.

Channelling the softer side of the label which they have developed since Mr McQueen’s death, the joint collaboration between Kate Middleton and Ms Burton saw them draw inspiration from the dress worn by Grace Kelly in her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco, heavily focused on lace with a bodice beneath.

Very thoughtful, very traditional, very Kate and William.

The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace, and was custom made to include the four emblems of the United Kingdom: the rose, thistle, daffodil and the shamrock. Very thoughtful, very traditional, very Kate and William.

Fashion highs - and lows
Best dressed couple (besides the newlyweds): Predictable but fashionably necessary, David and Victoria Beckham. Perfect hat, perfect heels and David as the accessory. 

Couple who could have done better: David and Samantha Cameron. His boring blue tie and her simple Burberry dress. Lovely dress if you're going for lunch, not a wedding. What a missed opportunity to make a fashion statement. 

Biggest wedding fashion faux pas: Sally Bercow in a dangerously low-cut dress showing off far too much cleavage.

Most panto hat: Princess Beatrice's Philip Treacy hat. Not even a Beckham could have pulled that off. 

Most surprising outfit: Princess Anne in eccentric combination of brightly floral coat and electric purple dress.

Biggest "look at my fashion-forward-attention-seeking hat": Tara Palmer Tomkinson in electric blue Philip Treacy. 

Biggest disappointment: Chelsea Davy's Alberta Ferretti aqua two-piece suit. Nice colour, not a great fit. 

To keep the lace and threads pristine, the workers washed their hands every thirty minutes, and the needles were renewed every three hours to ensure they remained clean and sharp.

The dress, made of ivory and white satin gazar, had lace handcrafted to ensure all adorning flowers were of matching colour and style.

It is a dress that mixes Catherine’s modern but classic style with the traditionalism of royalty. The veil, made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, subtly dropped onto the long train, 2 metres and 70 cms long, which fell three steps down onto the Abbey steps.

Even though we may only have caught a glimpse of the shoes under that long skirt, they’re Alexander McQueen too, and made of ivory duchesse satin.

So whilst we always say God save the Queen, it would seem that now Kate craved McQueen.

Mhairi Montgomery is a freelance fashion stylist, who started her career on teen title Sugar magazine. She has styled fashion and celebrity shoots across the globe.

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