On May 19,2018 the entire world tuned in to see the marriage of Harry and Meghan. They also tuned to see what the new Duchess to be would be wearing as it was a long-guarded secret from the world. When she appeared at St. George’s Chapel the world finally saw the fruits of months of labor. The gown was designed by newly appointed Claire Waight Keller of Givenchy. She is the first female designer to be at the helm of Givenchy as it has always been men in the position. Keller is known for having held positions at Calvin Klein, Gucci, and even Chloé. It was made of a fabric purely designed exclusively for Markle’s gown. It is a double bonded silk fabric with a slight luster in diamond white. Her veil was a silk/organza combo at a whopping 16 feet and featured a floral pattern that represented the 53 different types of flowers from all 53 countries of the Commonwealth. She completed the look with a tiara on loan from the queen which was Queen Mary’s diamond Bandeau tiara. I also should mention the gold wedding band that she will wear is made from Welsh gold and was a gift from the queen herself. The bouquet that she carried had a lovely tribute to Prince Harry’s late mother Lady Diana as she had ‘Forget Me Nots’ mixed in.
The second gown of the evening that Markle changed into was a while Stella McCartney stunner in also diamond white. McCartney was the chosen designer for Markle’s reception gown in which she created a should bearing mock halter gown in Silk crepe. Prince Harry as well made a change for the couple’s reception at Frogmore House. He changed into a tradition black smoking jacket made of black velvet, black tuxedo pant finished with a black bow tie.
While most of us fashion junkies tuned in strictly for the wedding gown, phenomenal fascinators and hats I definitely must say I was expecting to be let down by the wedding gown. I must also report that I was correct in the expectation of being let down. I had this issue in both this wedding and William and Kate’s wedding back in 2011. My issue back in 2011 was that seeing that Middleton had selected Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen to design her wedding gown I was expecting much more of an elaborate gown and for that matter much more of a stylish gown. Thankfully on this gown, the fit was phenomenal and showed off Kate’s beautiful figure. However, I cannot say the same for Markle. Now before anyone gets terribly upset there are two things that bother me in particular about this gown. 1) This is an Haute Couture gown from a legendary label such as Givenchy and the fit is TERRIBLE. The top half of the gown does her figure no favors. The bottom half of the gown is beautiful, classic and minimalistic much to Markle’s personal taste which I would expect no less. 2) You are marrying into a family that is always in the public eye and you’ve spent your time in the public eye alone; why on earth wouldn’t you pick something to be visually interesting on the gown that makes It memorable? I say this with the notion that this is a gown that will forever be photographed and in wedding albums. I will say though it definitely put into perspective Middleton’s dress in which I have actually found a new appreciation for that gown and actually like that one much more in comparison to this one.
After the disappointment, I experienced I was hesitant to even go look at social media as to what she had chosen for the reception. To my surprise, this Stella McCartney gown was an absolute stunner! I fell in love with it even though it was SIMPLE. However, I must say the fit and silhouette of this gown gave me some serious dress envy. It flattered her shape wonderfully and was a gown that she could go and dance the evening away with her new husband. I think perhaps the reason I liked this gown much more was that it also seemed much more age-appropriate and stylish but yet classic which is very much her style. The first gown seemed to age her at least 15 years which in my opinion is a shame because she’s a beautiful woman.
Regardless of my analysis, I would like to wish the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex congratulations on finding their forever together and wish them nothing but the best. If you haven’t had a chance I recommend you check out video footage of Prince Harry’s expression when he first laid eyes on his bride upon her entrance in the church. I would love to hear everyone’s personal thoughts about both gowns. Did you like both gowns or did you dislike them? Anything you’d change?
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