George Boyle
Kate Middleton's wedding dress has gone down in history as one of the most iconic. Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the dress featured a dramatic train that stretched for almost nine feet. The dress, which was on display at Buckingham Palace, broke royal records and sparked a trend for copycat gowns. But how did it come to be and what inspired its design?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Designer | Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen |
| Length of the train | 270 cm or 110 inches, nearly 9 feet long |
| Fabric | Ivory and white satin gazar, silk tulle, English and French Chantilly lace, gazar and organza |
| Style | Long-sleeve V-neck gown with Victorian corsetry, floral motifs, and a semi-bustle at the back |
| Inspiration | Traditional workmanship, technical construction, and a mix of edgy fashion and tradition |
| "Something blue" | A blue ribbon sewn into the interior of the dress |
| Tiara | The Queen's Cartier Halo Tiara, also known as the Cartier Scroll Tiara |
| Bouquet | Myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, hyacinth, and sweet William |
| Date | April 29, 2011 |
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What You'll Learn
- Kate Middleton's wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
- The dress featured a long-sleeved V-neck design with lace overlay
- It was crafted using traditional Carrickmacross lace techniques
- The train was nearly 9 feet long, with 58 buttons
- The dress was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry
Kate Middleton's wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
The dress was made using French Chantilly lace and English Cluny lace throughout the bodice, skirt, and underskirt. The lace was not specially commissioned but was instead chosen from stock patterns. The majority of the dress was made using Solstiss lace, specifically the skirt and train. The dress also featured a long, full skirt, with a fitted white V-neck and long lace sleeves. The back of the dress had 58 buttons made of gazar and organza. The train of the dress was 270 cm (110 inches) or 2.7 meters long, although one source places it at 2 meters, 70 centimeters. While this made for a dramatic entrance into Westminster Abbey, it was short compared to Princess Diana's train, which measured 25 feet in length.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore a second dress, also designed by Sarah Burton, for the evening wedding reception at Buckingham Palace. This was a white strapless satin gown with detailing around the waist, paired with a white shrug. Burton also designed the maid of honour dress for Pippa Middleton, made of an ivory, satin-based crepe with buttons and lace trims that matched the bride's gown.
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The dress featured a long-sleeved V-neck design with lace overlay
The wedding dress of Catherine, Princess of Wales, was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dress featured a long-sleeved V-neck design with a lace overlay, made from English and French Chantilly lace. The lace bodice, with a narrow waist and slight padding at the hips, exemplifies the traditional techniques of Victorian corsetry—a McQueen signature. The dress also incorporated floral motifs, cut from machine-made lace, which were then appliquéd onto silk net (tulle). The gown was designed to pay tribute to the United Kingdom, with the floral motifs commemorating the four national flowers: the English rose, Welsh daffodil, Irish shamrock, and Scottish thistle.
The dress was well-received by fashion experts, who noted that the design was largely traditional and inspired by dresses from the 1950s. The lace bodice of Middleton's dress, in particular, drew comparisons to the gown worn by Grace Kelly for her marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, in 1956. The choice of the label and the style of the dress was praised as a clever mix of edgy fashion and tradition, with references to Grace Kelly and Queen Elizabeth's dresses, but in a simpler, more modern way.
The Princess of Wales' wedding dress has sparked a trend for long-sleeved gowns, with celebrity brides such as Nicky Hilton also opting for a long-sleeved, lace Valentino gown. The dress has been credited with influencing bridal style in the years following the royal wedding, with its combination of tradition and modernity setting a new direction for wedding fashion.
The gown also featured a nearly nine-foot-long train, which was arranged carefully by her sister, Pippa Middleton, as she stepped out of the car at Westminster Abbey. The train was appliquéd using Ireland's 19th-century Carrickmacross lace-making technique and featured 58 gazar and organza-covered buttons, fastened by Rouleau loops. The bottom of the dress was designed to resemble an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and intricate pleats.
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It was crafted using traditional Carrickmacross lace techniques
The wedding dress of Catherine Middleton, now the Princess of Wales, was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dress was designed to pay tribute to the United Kingdom through its lace embroidery. The lace used in the dress was influenced by traditional Carrickmacross lace techniques.
Carrickmacross lace is a type of appliqué lace that involves applying a sheer fabric onto a net ground. The excess fabric is then cut away, and the appliqué and net ground are further embellished with needle lace stitches. This type of lace is believed to have originated in the village of Donaghmoyne, near Carrickmacross in County Monaghan, Ireland, in the 1820s. It was promoted by Mrs Grey Porter, who brought samples of Italian appliqué lace back to her home in Ireland after her honeymoon in 1816. She recreated the Italian lace using simple tools such as fine needles, thread, fine cotton or organdy fabric, and lace-making scissors. Mrs Grey Porter then taught these techniques to others, and soon a whole new cottage industry was introduced. Carrickmacross lace proved to be commercially successful, and it was mostly sold to the wealthy. It provided a way for young women in rural Ireland to earn an income, even during times of famine and war.
The lace used in Kate Middleton's wedding dress was created using a modern take on traditional Carrickmacross lace techniques. The floral motifs were cut out of lengths of lace produced on large 19th-century machines and stitched to machine net. The lace was not specially commissioned for the dress but was chosen from stock patterns. The majority of the dress is made using Solstiss lace, specifically the skirt and train. The lace bodice, skirt, and underskirt trim of the dress were created using English and French Chantilly lace.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress featured a long train, which measured 270 cm (110 inches) or nearly 9 feet. The dress had a long, full skirt designed to echo an opening flower, with soft pleats that unfolded to the floor, forming a Victorian-style semi-bustle at the back and finishing in a short train. The dress was well-received by fashion experts, who noted that the design was largely traditional and inspired by dresses from the 1950s.
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The train was nearly 9 feet long, with 58 buttons
The wedding dress of Catherine Middleton, now known as the Princess of Wales, was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dress was a combination of "tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work," according to the Palace. The train of the dress was nearly 9 feet long, with intricate details that made the wedding gown iconic.
The train, which was appliquéd using Ireland's 19th-century Carrickmacross lace-making technique, stretched to a length of 270 cm or 110 inches, nearly 9 feet. The lace for the dress was produced by three companies: Sophie Hallette and Solstiss in France, and the Cluny Lace Company in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. The majority of the dress, including the skirt and train, was made using Solstiss lace. The style of machine lace is known as "English Cluny" and "Chantilly," but it is different from the older handmade bobbin laces with the same names.
The back of the dress featured 58 gazar and organza-covered buttons, fastened by rouleau loops. The bodice, skirt, and underskirt trim were created out of English and French Chantilly lace. The French Chantilly lace was the only fabric not sourced or supplied by a British company. The dress was designed with a Victorian-style semi-bustle at the back, with a long, full skirt that echoed an opening flower, and soft pleats that unfolded to the floor, finishing in a short train.
The train of Kate Middleton's wedding dress was nearly 9 feet long, with 58 buttons. The intricate lacework and the dramatic train made the dress stand out, and it quickly became one of the most famous royal wedding dresses in history. The dress sparked a trend for long-sleeved, lace gowns and inspired many celebrity copycats, including Nicky Hilton, Allison Williams, and Geri Halliwell.
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The dress was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry
Kate Middleton's wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dress was a long-sleeve V-neck gown with a fitted bodice, a long, full skirt, and a train that measured 270 cm (or 110 inches), though one source places it at 2 metres and 70 centimetres. The dress was made with ivory and white satin gazar, with English and French Chantilly lace details on the bodice, skirt, and underskirt trim. The dress was designed to combine tradition and modernity, reflecting the artistic vision of Alexander McQueen.
The tradition of corsetry has a long history, dating back to the sixteenth century in Europe. Originally, pairs of bodies or stays were made from layered fabrics like linen and silk, stiffened with whalebone. By the late 14th century, the term "corset" was used to refer to a "stiff supporting and constricting undergarment for the waist, worn chiefly by women to shape the figure". Corsets became highly popular in the Victorian era, with beautifully decorated corsets crafted by master artisans. However, by the early 20th century, following World War I, corsets began to decline in popularity as clothing styles became looser and simpler.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress paid tribute to the Victorian tradition of corsetry while also incorporating modern elements. The dress was well-received by fashion experts, who noted the clever mix of edgy fashion and tradition. The design of the dress, with its emphasis on the waist and full skirt, reflected the influence of the Victorian era on fashion and the evolution of the corset as a fashion staple.
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Frequently asked questions
Kate Middleton's wedding dress train was nearly 9 feet long, measuring 270 cm or 2 meters and 70 centimeters.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress train was nearly a third of the length of Princess Diana's train, which measured 25 feet in length.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress was designed to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen's work. The dress was also inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry, which is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen.
