By Alex Y. Vergara
Avid royal watchers didn’t have the slightest clue who Meghan Markle would wear to her altar date with Prince Harry. In the end, she chose to wear a Givenchy to one of the most important events in her adult life. As far as optics and symbolisms go, she couldn’t have picked a better designer to collaborate with.
Givenchy may be a respected French fashion house, but its new artistic director, Claire Waight Keller, like Meghan’s groom, also happens to be British. She’s also the first woman to head the house.
What observers did get right is Meghan’s preference for a more “modern” bridal dress, presumably one devoid of excessive froufrou and beadwork. True enough, what we saw was an impeccably tailored, fused and lined silk frock with a minimal train and without a single Swarovski bead sewn to it. Designer and bride reportedly first met sometime in January, which means, they had less than four months to fashion a royal bridal outfit, which usually takes six to eight months to finish.
Not only was Meghan’s wedding dress modern, with visual flourishes confined to the classic boat neckline a la Audrey Hepburn (she was once Hubert de Givenchy’s muse, after all) and 10-feet long veil made of silk tulle and embroidered with flowers representing the 53 Commonwealth nations and her beloved California, it also reflected perhaps her no nonsense personality as well as her desire to help bring the centuries-old monarchy closer to the British people and more up to date with the 21st century.
Her wedding dress may be a picture of elegance and simplicity, but a CNN commentator estimated that it probably cost somewhere “north of $100,000.”
Our crystal ball is telling us that Sabrina necklines—derived from the 1950s Audrey-starrer “Sabrina”—and three-quarter sleeves will be big next season. Expect knockoffs of the dress at a fraction of the cost, of course, to start flooding the market as early as next week.
And, oh, let’s not forget the diamond-studded bandeau tiara she wore with her veil. On loan from Queen Elizabeth II, the tiara once adorned the head of Queen Mary, wife of King George V, during an event in the 1930s.
Meanwhile, here’s how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s A-list guests, true-blue royalty or otherwise, looked on their way to witness the wedding of the year.
Amal Clooney, in a goldenrod dress by Stella McCartney, could have worn a trash bag to Windsor, as one CNN commentator so aptly put it, and still manage to emerge glamorous and on top of everybody’s list. It was also pretty sweet of her to help Meghan navigate her way through London during her first few months in the city by sharing with her such essentials as the best hairdresser in town. She’s such a sweetie!
Oprah Winfrey, who’s presumably richer than the bride and could even rival the groom’s bank account, opted to go dainty chic in a baby pink Stella McCartney tiered dress with lace trims. No fascinator for this proud African-American woman. Instead, like what most decent ladies in America prefer, she wore a “proper” hat to church.
Victoria Beckham, wearing her own midnight blue dress with dangling sleeves, has mastered the pouting routine down pat. In lieu of a happy color, she opts for something dramatic for day.
Perhaps not wanting to steal the thunder from the bride, Kate Middleton does an Astrid Teo, the fashion-forward character in Kevin Kwan’s novel “Crazy Rich Asians,” by wearing a cream Alexander McQueen coat dress she had already previously worn on two occasions, one of which was her son George’s christening. Atta, girl, Kate!
Accused by not a few sundry observers of trying to eclipse sister Kate Middleton during her wedding to Prince William in 2011, then bridesmaid Pippa Middleton has probably learned her lesson. This time, she downplayed her look but still managed to look fashionable in a printed dress by off-the-rack UK brand The Fold.
Doria Ragland, mother of the bride, may not be a member of royalty or even British aristocracy, but she managed to look regal in a mint green ensemble with white embroidery by American fashion house Oscar dela Renta.
Tennis superstar Serena Williams, in a figure-flattering blush dress by Versace, must have learned from fellow American George Clooney on how to make a proper entrance. The best accessory one could wear during these high-profile events is an attractive spouse!
Finally, after looking like a pair of circus performers during Prince William and Kate’s wedding seven years ago, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice wisely cleaned up by opting for a more subdued look, from their fascinators to their dresses, down to their hair and makeup. They weren’t exactly two of the best dressed women on most people’s lists, but their more recent looks were certainly an improvement to their universally panned 2011 appearance. They’re learning!
