It was a picture perfect wedding. Tall trees lining the thousands-year-old Abbey. Classic, simple swept back hair. And of course, that dress.
Now that Kate has wed her prince, local experts weigh in on what royal trends we’ll all be racing to replicate.
The Dress: A nod to Grace Kelly
The rumours proved to be true. Kate stunned in a lacy Sarah Burton dress for Alexander McQueen with a 3-metre train. It was the perfect mix of the traditional and modern.
“I think it was the iconic royal wedding gown for today’s event,” said Andrea Anastasiou, fashion stylist and owner of White Toronto.
The dress was hand-stitched, using a 200-year-old carrickmacross lacemaking technique. The tiny narrow bodice gave Kate a beautiful modern silhouette, said Anastasiou, adding she thought the whole look was a nod to the dress Grace Kelly wore for her 1956 marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
Its base is ivory satin gazer which “Gives you a beautiful shape but it’s a very light fabric,” said Anastasiou. The stylist thinks we’ll be seeing a return to such beautiful full skirts.
The star of the regal affair, was, without question, the lace: On the collar and bodice treatment, as well as the sleeves itself.
As expected, for such a conservative setting, Kate was well covered. Anastasiou predicts sleeves will be making a comeback for brides as well.
“I think people want to have their modern princess moment and she really embodied that,” she said.
Within hours of the wedding, designers began showcasing similar designs. New-York based designer Romona Keveza has a strikingly similar gown in her Spring 2012 collection. It sells for $5,000.
Notable style mentions go to Kate’s younger sister, Pippa Middleton, who cut an enviable figure in a simple, sleek white cowl-necked silk dress, showing off her slender figure. Also designed by Burton, capped sleeves gave it a youthful look. Small, silk-covered buttons lined the back.
“Her bodice dress fit her like a glove,” said Anastasiou, adding she loved its 1940s inspiration.
In order to get that flawless, toned, tight figure the stylists thinks Pippa must have worn a shaping undergarment (much talk has already gone on about whether the pretty maid-of-honour wore underwear.) At White they recommend the slim cognito body shaper from Spanx.
Another nod goes to David and Victoria Beckham. The footballer arrived at Westminster Abbey in a Ralph Lauren grey suit and the pregnant fashionista in a midnight blue tunic of her own design and fascinator by Philip Treacy. Anastasiou loved his top hat. “I think that’s really going to inspire guys all over the world,” she said.
The Hair: Easy, elegant and “Very very princess”
Robert Gage of Robert Gage Salon in Toronto said Kate’s simple classic locks are easy for anyone to pull off.
Even if you don’t have the length, “Nowadays with so many extensions and little additions anyone could have hair like that.”
“This was very very princess,” he added.
The key to the look is structure. With both a veil and tiara: “You have to have something to hold it all together,” said Gage.
To get the look, Gage said Kate’s hairdresser, Richard Ward, would have first curled her hair, likely by setting it with large rollers. Then, he would have brushed the whole thing out and sectioned it into four sections. The two sides would then be pulled into a little ponytail, sitting on the hair going down the back. After, you would take the crown of hair, tease it, comb it and smooth it out. Next comes the veil and delicate Cartier “halo” tiara (lent to Kate by the Queen). And, lastly, the front would be set to one side.
One great thing about this simple “Very classic ... Basic English hairdressing” is that, for tonight’s reception, Kate can easily take her hair down — something Gage thinks she’ll likely do. The do was the perfect accoutrement to the diamond oak-leaf and acorn earrings, a play off her family’s coat of arms, that were given Kate by her parents Carole and Michael Middleton.
A tap goes to British socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson who wore “Sort of a very beautiful French roll without any height whatsoever and it came right out at the back,” said Gage, adding it’s a style he imagines women will want to replicate.
The Make Up: Do It Yourself
Often complimented on her glowing skin, Kate continued that natural look on her wedding day. Now the Duchess of Cambridge, she told aides that she “knows her own face” and had decided to do her own makeup, London’s Daily Mail reported.
Toronto-based makeup artist Jackie Gideon, said Kate’s look was classic, not trendy. “She stayed true to her classic style ... but slightly heightened and intensified for her wedding day.
To get the look, Gideon would start with black eyeliner close to the lash line. Kate likes to line her lids both top and bottom. Then, a soft pewter shadow on the top lid and a soft taupe in the crease. After, little bit of pearlescent oyster on the brow bone. And of course, waterproof black mascara.
On the apples of her cheeks, Kate applied a midtone rosy blush, giving “A healthy, rosy, radiant, romantic affect,” added Gideon. And on her lips, a soft rose shimmering gloss.
It’s not a difficult look to copy. The only tricky part is the precision needed for the liner under the eye.
The Headpieces: Fascinating fascinators and a sparkling tiara
A love for fascinators — those delicate, frivolous, headpieces — were popular, thanks to Kate Middleton, long before the royal wedding.
“Since we first got a glimpse of Kate and her love of the fascinator it’s just been on everybody’s mind,” said Barbara Atkin, vice-president fashion direction for Holt Renfrew. Before the wedding the retailer sold out of all their fascinators.
Atkins predicts hair ornamentation will be a big trend coming out of the royal wedding. “We saw so many beautiful ones,” she said, adding.
“I think we’re in a time where people want to be individuals. And there’s nothing more individual than having a fantastical fascinator create something visual for your personality.”
With prom season fast approaching, Atkin also predicts a rush of teenage girls looking for that perfect tiara, just like the Cartier “halo” tiara loaned to Kate by the Queen. The stunning piece of headgear was commissioned in 1936 by the Duke of York, who would become King George VI.
And for those less adventurous, ornamental headbands with bows or feathers.
“I think this whole idea of hair ornamentation is becoming so special and so much fun,” she said.
The Flowers: Lush and Organic
Phyllis Lill, owner of Yorkville’s Lilium watched the royal wedding with her daughter and partner Marilyn. Both are British-trained florists.
“What I loved was the use of foliages,” she said, pointing out the English field maple trees lining Westminster Abbey and adding it’s a great way to make a large space feel inviting. “It brought the country into the Abbey.”
Around the alter Lill noticed Solomon’s Seal, a green foliage with a little white bell shaped flower, and behind that very lush but loose looking white flowers.
“This is a trend we’ve seen happening in Europe and England. It shows a lot of respect for nature. A lot of younger couples getting married today really like that look. I think this is going to set more of trend,” she added.
As for Kate’s bouquet, it was made fittingly of sweet williams, in tribute to her prince, lily of the valley and myrtle (the bouquet contained a sprig of the herb used in the Queen’s 1947 wedding bouquet). Lill classifies it as a small cascade, saying it was a perfect fit.
“She’s quite petite and I think the bouquet was in proportion to her. It didn’t take away from the wonderful lace in the dress,” she said.
Lill also pointed out that the flowers, like the ones adorning the back of Pippa Middleton’s hair, will likely be in high demand following the royal wedding.
