Folks, it’s officially 7 days till the big royal Will and Kate to-do. Now, I believe we all put on our trousers one leg at a time now matter how famous, or royal, you happen to be. But so much is happening in the world that has a negative impact – the earthquake in Tokyo, the worldwide economic meltdown, bitter politics here in the US – that I personally am glad that people with really no real job but to be royal and look good, are now getting married and it’s a Big Deal.
I want to see pomp, circumstance, and really pretty dresses. I’d like to get a glimpse of the wedding décor, the flowers, the cake. I want to see their first kiss as husband and wife at 4am and be able to tell my kids about it 20 years from now. It’s a fun, historic, sentimental distraction that frankly, I welcome.
What I like best about this whole scenario is that bride and groom are composed, well-behaved, and devilishly good looking. Will is a search and rescue pilot, did a year of toilet-scrubbing volunteer work before University, and is heavily involved in charity. He seems humble, devoted to his royal duty, and never has a thread out of place. Kate has legs that won’t quit, hasn’t been caught tumbling out of a limo a la Lohan, yet looks like she has a naughty side that won’t see the light of day press-wise – you just like knowing she could be well-chosen trouble every now and again. Otherwise, she’s all class. These are not annoying, pretentious trust fund babies, but mature young adults well-suited for each other.
Now that I have qualified my excitement for the to-do, on to the most important aspect of it all: The Dress.
The one thing I remember most from when I was (undisclosed)-years-old, watching Princess Di and Prince Charles’ wedding coverage in 1981, was her dress. The train was incredible. (Great video and discourse on her wedding dress and fashion in general here.) The designer said they wanted a crazy-long train, and even after Di was walking up the stairs to the ceremony, the train was still in the carriage! Go big, or go home.
A bow-tie-enhanced train for a summer wedding. Photo by Stephanie Yantz Photography.
Pundits are thinking the low-key, sleek Kate will go for something simple and chic. The latest word, after throwing around Sarah Burton for McQueen and a few other names, is Sophie Cranston of the Libelula Label is the woman with the biggest dress commission in the world. And yet…there has been a denial, and now it looks like the ball is in Burton’s court.
Cap sleeves, lace accents, a simple and flowing train. Photo by Karen Leah Photography.
Whether or not she creates a modern, or romantic, or demure or edgy dress, I just hope the train is LONG. Again, we need drama; we need extravagance – just a touch of flamboyance. If Shy Di could pull it off, Confident Kate certainly can. If you want to get the scoop about Diana’s dress directly from the designer herself, catch this special on TLC next week. It’s full of Di wedding dish!)
Still going......
Rumor has it that Burton has held secret meetings, and that Kate herself requested a 10-foot train. Atta girl!
(One thing that can be counted on, the dress will be white or ivory. In fact, the white wedding dress became the fashion after England’s very own Queen Victoria showed up at the altar in a white lace wedding dress. Before then, wedding dresses were pretty much every color of the rainbow. And weddings weren’t the crazy affairs you see now – people were too busy worrying about, you know, washing their clothes on a scrubboard and making sure they can eat next week. Can you imagine debating over your flowers when you didn’t even have running water? )