Deborah Chan
Kate Middleton's wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dress was made in the UK and featured a long-sleeved V-neck design with a lace overlay and a nearly nine-foot-long train. The dress was first revealed when Middleton married Prince William at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, in London, England. The dress has since been exhibited at Buckingham Palace and has inspired bridal styles worldwide.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 April 2011 |
| Designer | Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen |
| Style | Long-sleeve V-neck gown with a lace overlay |
| Colour | White |
| Train length | 2.7 metres (8.8 feet) |
| Details | Handmade lace, floral motifs, gazar and organza-covered buttons, satin gazar arches and pleats, and "something blue" sewn into the interior |
| Cost | £250,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Kate Middleton's wedding dress designer
The world was swept up in the romance of the royal wedding when Kate Middleton married Prince William on 29 April 2011. The wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The Princess of Wales wore a fitted white V-neck gown with a long-sleeved lace overlay.
The British fashion house was chosen "for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing", according to a statement released by the Palace. Kate, now the Princess of Wales, wanted a wedding gown that combined "tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work".
The dress featured a bodice inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry, with a slight padding below the midsection. The ivory and white satin gazar skirt was designed to resemble an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The nearly nine-foot-long train was appliquéd using Ireland's 19th-century Carrickmacross lace-making technique.
The dress was kept a closely guarded secret until the wedding day. Burton said: "It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding dress, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. It was such an incredible honour to be asked, and I am so proud of what we and the Alexander McQueen team have created."
Kate also wore a second wedding dress, another design by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. The Duchess changed into a white strapless satin gown with a sweetheart neckline for the evening wedding reception at Buckingham Palace.
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The dress's craftsmanship and construction
The dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, with Burton noting that it was an "incredible honour" to be chosen and that she was "so proud" of the final creation. The dress was designed to pay tribute to the United Kingdom, with British lace embroidery featuring throughout.
The gown was a long-sleeve V-neck design with a fitted bodice and full skirt. The bodice was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry, with a slight padding below the midsection and a narrowing at the waist. The lace bodice also drew comparisons to the wedding dress of Grace Kelly, who married the Prince of Monaco in 1956. The skirt was made from layers of ivory and white satin gazar, with arches and pleats designed to resemble the opening of a flower. The train, which stretched nearly 9 feet, was appliquéd using Ireland's 19th-century Carrickmacross lace-making technique.
The lace for the dress was not specially commissioned but was instead chosen from stock patterns. Three companies produced lace for the dress: Sophie Hallette and Solstiss in France, and the Cluny Lace Company in the UK. The majority of the dress was made using Solstiss lace, specifically for the skirt and train. The lace motifs were cut out of large 19th-century machine-made lace and stitched to machine net.
The dress was covered in handmade lace, created by the Royal School of Needlework. The lace-making team included a 19-year-old lace-maker, and the process required the workers to wash their hands every thirty minutes and renew their needles every three hours to ensure the lace and thread remained pristine.
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The lace bodice and skirt
The bodice was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry, with a slight padding below the midsection and a narrowed waist. It drew comparisons to Grace Kelly's wedding dress in 1956 and was also likened to Princess Margaret's gown. The skirt was made of ivory and white satin gazar, designed to resemble an opening flower with arches and pleats. The train, nearly nine feet long, was appliquéd using the same Irish lace-making technique as the bodice.
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The dress's 'something blue'
The wedding dress of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Princess of Wales, was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The dress was a long-sleeve V-neck gown with a lengthy train that spanned nearly 9 feet, featuring handmade lace created by the Royal School of Needlework.
The dress's "something blue" was a blue ribbon sewn into the interior of the dress by Burton. This was in keeping with the Victorian wedding tradition, where brides would include "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue" in their wedding attire.
The "something blue" tradition is said to symbolise purity, love, and fidelity, and is intended to represent the bride's commitment to her new spouse. It is often said that the colour blue also wards off the "evil eye," bringing good luck and fortune to the bride and groom.
The "something blue" detail in Kate Middleton's wedding dress was a subtle and elegant touch, adding a personal and sentimental element to her highly anticipated and iconic gown.
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The dress's influence on wedding fashion
The wedding dress of Catherine, Princess of Wales, had a significant influence on wedding fashion. Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the dress was described by Mark Badgley of Badgley Mischka as "the kind of gown that will stand the test of time". Oscar de la Renta agreed, calling it "a very traditional dress for a very traditional wedding".
The dress was a long-sleeve V-neck gown with a fitted bodice and full skirt. The lace overlay and lengthy train were particularly notable features. The lace was created by the Royal School of Needlework, using the traditional Carrickmacross lace-making technique. The dress's combination of "tradition and modernity" inspired brides worldwide and set trends for wedding fashion in the years following the royal wedding.
The choice of long sleeves, for example, was seen as signalling "a big goodbye to strapless wedding gowns". The dress's lace bodice also drew comparisons with Grace Kelly's wedding dress, worn for her marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, in 1956. The Princess of Wales's gown was also compared to Princess Margaret's wedding dress.
The dress's timeless appeal was further demonstrated when, in 2021, over a decade after the royal wedding, Kate Middleton's look was named one of the most popular wedding dresses of the decade. The gown was exhibited at Buckingham Palace in 2011, attracting a record number of visitors and raising approximately £10 million for charity.
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Frequently asked questions
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 and a lengthy train. The bodice was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry, narrowing at the waist and padded slightly below the midsection. The ivory and white satin gazar skirt was designed to resemble the opening of a flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The lace overlay featured images of roses, thistles, daffodils, and shamrocks.
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 was made using Solstiss lace, specifically the skirt and train.
Kate Middleton's wedding dress paid tribute to the United Kingdom through its lace embroidery. The dress also drew inspiration from Grace Kelly's 1956 wedding gown when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
