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Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller, the first female artistic director of Givenchy. The dress was simple and structural, made of double-bonded silk cady with a bateau neckline, three-quarter sleeves, and just six seams. It was designed in collaboration with Markle, who wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent. The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers and required eight fittings. The veil, which featured flowers representing the countries of the Commonwealth, took 500 hours to create and was just as important as the dress itself.
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What You'll Learn
Meghan Markle's wedding dress designer, Clare Waight Keller
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy. Markle chose Waight Keller because she wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent who has served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses: Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and Givenchy.
Waight Keller is one of the most talented British designers, according to British Vogue's editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful. The dress is said to have cost $265,000 and took 3,900 hours to design, with eight fittings and five months of clandestine communication between the designer and Markle. The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers.
The gown was an off-the-shoulder, pure white silk dress with a boat neck, long sleeves, and a 16-foot-long veil. It featured a "timeless minimal elegance," according to a Kensington Palace announcement, with a modern and playful twist. The design was guided by "purity and simplicity," according to Waight Keller, who also noted that Markle wanted her dress to reflect her personal style. The dress was also inspired by Hollywood and American royalty, with references to Audrey Hepburn and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
The veil was embroidered with flowers representing the countries of the Commonwealth, as well as the California poppy and wintersweet, reflecting Markle's personal life and interests. The veil took longer to create than the dress itself, with embroiderers spending 500 hours on its completion.
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The dress' simple design
Meghan Markle's wedding dress, designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, was a simple, structural, pure white silk cady gown. The dress featured a bateau neckline, three-quarter-length off-the-shoulder sleeves, and just six seams. Markle chose Waight Keller for her "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour", and the designer scoured fabric mills across Europe to develop a double-bonded silk cady for a soft matte, but gracefully luminous effect. The dress was constructed with a contoured silhouette, culminating in a majestic 16-foot-long train, intensified with a triple-silk organza underskirt.
The dress was an unexpected choice, departing from the usual royal wedding style, with no lace, embroidery, or other decorations. It was also noted that the dress was quite simple, with some critics describing it as "boring" and "ill-fitting". However, others found it "beautiful" and "stunning". The dress was designed in collaboration with Markle, who wanted a modern, elegant, and timeless look. The design process involved eight fittings and five months of clandestine communication.
Waight Keller became the first female artistic director of the historic French fashion house Givenchy in 2017. Markle chose to work with her to highlight the success of a leading British talent and because she wanted her wedding dress to be designed by a woman. The two women established a fast friendship through texts, phone calls, and brief meetings, with sketches going back and forth between them.
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The veil's intricate embroidery
The veil, an enormous 16-foot-long veil made from five-metre-long silk tulle, was the result of 3,900 hours of intricate embroidery work. The embroiderers spent 500 hours on the veil, washing their hands every 30 minutes to ensure it remained immaculate until the wedding day. The veil was designed to represent the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country, united in one spectacular composition. It featured two of Meghan Markle's favourite flowers: wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), which grows outside Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, and the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), from her home state of California. The veil also included individual flowers representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, reflecting Markle and Prince Harry's interest in the work of the Commonwealth.
The veil was held in place by Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, loaned to Markle by the Queen. The tiara was made of diamonds and platinum, and was complemented by Cartier earrings and a bracelet by the French jeweller. The veil's embroidery was created using silk threads and organza, with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers. The veil's length was criticised and mocked by some, with an internet meme comparing it to a CVS receipt. However, others, like Emma Meek, the head of the luxury bridal boutique Miss Bush, considered it a "spectacular composition" and a "meaningful decoration".
The veil was designed by Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of the fashion house Givenchy, who also designed Markle's wedding dress. Markle chose Waight Keller because she admired the designer's elegant aesthetic and "relaxed demeanour". The designer scoured fabric mills across Europe to develop the perfect fabric for the dress and veil, ultimately opting for a double-bonded silk cady for a soft matte, yet luminous effect. The veil's embroidery, like the rest of the wedding ensemble, was kept a closely guarded secret until the big day, adding to the anticipation and intrigue surrounding the royal wedding.
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Comparisons to other royal wedding dresses
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The dress was pure white with an off-the-shoulder neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves. The gown's six seams constructed a contoured silhouette, culminating in a 16-foot-long train. The veil, which was longer in the making than the dress, featured hand-embroidered flowers representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, along with Meghan's two favourite flowers.
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was compared to those of other royal brides, including Kate Middleton, Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice. Markle's dress was notably different from her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge's dress, which was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and featured lace, volume, and ruffles. Princess Eugenie, on the other hand, wore a custom Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos gown with long sleeves and a low back. Unlike Kate and Meghan, Eugenie chose not to wear a veil. Princess Beatrice wore a vintage gown on loan from Queen Elizabeth, designed by Norman Hartnell. This was a break from recent royal weddings, where the dresses were custom-made.
Markle's dress was also compared to that of Angela Brown, who married Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein in 2000, and Mary Donaldson, who wedded Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark in 2004. Additionally, it was noted that Meghan's dress had similarities to a Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 film *Funny Face*. Some critics claimed that the dress was too similar to a design by Emilia Wickstead, while others drew comparisons to a dress worn by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
Overall, Meghan Markle's wedding dress stood out for its minimalist and contemporary design, a departure from the usual royal wedding style.
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The dress' mixed reviews
Meghan Markle's wedding dress, designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy, received mixed reviews from the public and fashion critics. Some admired the dress, with Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour describing it as "chic, grown-up and sophisticated". Elizabeth Emanuel, co-designer of Princess Diana's wedding gown, agreed, stating that the gown made a "really solid fashion statement". Edward Enninful, British Vogue's editor-in-chief at the time, also praised Waight Keller, calling the dress "beautiful".
However, others were less complimentary, with some describing the dress as "boring", "baggy", and "ill-fitting". Critics mocked the veil, comparing it to a "CVS receipt". Fashion experts noted that the silk cady fabric would have been difficult to move in if the dress had been more form-fitting.
The dress was also compared to those worn by other celebrities, including Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Angela Brown, Mary Donaldson, and Audrey Hepburn. Some critics noted similarities between Markle's dress and designs by Emilia Wickstead.
Despite the mixed reviews, the dress was certainly memorable, with an estimated 1.9 billion people tuning in to watch the royal nuptials.
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Frequently asked questions
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of Givenchy.
Meghan Markle chose Clare Waight Keller because she wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent. She also admired the designer's "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour".
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was inspired by Hollywood and American royalty. The dress featured a bateau neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves, reflecting the simplicity of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's wedding gown.
