Monday 2 May 2011

More Analysis Needed

There is something about a wedding, especially a wedding like the one on Friday, (I'm sure it needs no formal mention!) which makes it a cracking good talking point. The dress and outfits analysis, the behaviour of the guests and the emotion of it all.

Of course not being privy to the Abbey, Buck Palace or any of the parties then I've been mainly chatting in general about it all as witnessed on the Mall and off the telly - especially the outfits.

Without doubt Catherine's dress was perfection itself. It was a triumph of mood and design. There is no escaping the referencing to Helen Rose the MGM costume designer who made Grace Kelly's dress for her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco. But it is of course a fresh, modern perspective and to draw inspiration from the similarity of marrying into royalty is no bad thing. It is entirely useful to reference an idea to create something new.



When it comes to the guests then the top 3 after the bride and groom plus best man and maid of honour plus the little bridesmaids and pageboys - then Mrs Middleton, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen all scored a big yes. There were a few other outfits that get a nod for decency according to occasion and quite a few that were askew. Stupid things like wrong shoes, hat with dress Princess Eugenie, Beatrice and fashion princess Victoria Beckham. One could argue that Princess Eugenie's dress was pretty awful, but the pictures don't always tell the truth. In the flesh the material and colour of Vivienne Westwood dress was gorgeous. True the hat and shoes were no no's, ditto hat for Beatrice and then sorry VB but those shoes were the wrong choice for the event.

But what is a wedding without the frock f*%^ ups. And then there is always the star aside from the bride. Catherine can rest assured it was her day, she shone but her younger sister Pippa did emerge as a the only other interesting female. Without a doubt Pippa stole the badge of style icon. In fairness Pippa's dress was a wonderful call from both Catherine and Sarah Burton. Catherine would have bound to have decided and agreed the design from the McQueen collection. I do say this with a slight hidden agenda as my wedding dresses as designed by me was very similar - I had a cowl neck. Although due to post baby weight (petit garcon was 10 months old when we ...you know!) I was no where near as svelte as Pippa.



moi & petit garcon on my wedding day

It isn't just the dress she wore for the wedding, but her evening gown by Alice Temperley and then her post wedding event leaving hotel outfit of Zara jacket with white jeans, flats (although I'm not a fan of Tory Burch shoes) and an exceedingly useful bag. I think she does it all with ease and an effortless British style which is part Sloane/trendy Urban and European. Pippa could be that well groomed girl in Paris, Milan or Madrid who makes you envious of her ease.


Pippa's style is a great antidote to the ubiquitous Moss/Chang/Palermo touting fashion pics. Again I'm not entirely convinced that this is style setting. After all it is safe, but it is a stylish option for those who don't want the muso, trendy baggage of London fashion. It is a wise style choice to take a lead from someone less caught up in trend and more concerned with elegance and poise. It saves us all from being totally dominated by Parisian chic as well!

16 comments:

  1. and what about Mrs Clegg? can't remember her name)

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  2. Hi there!! Yes, amazing dresses by Sarah Burton, both Kate and Pippa looked stunning from start to finish and they are both well groomed, chic young ladies-a credit to the Royals.

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  3. I agree- Kate shone and that was to be expected but Pippa was a stunner! Her bridesmaid dress would stand alone as a wedding gown for a smaller wedding, and her other outfits radiated confidence and style too. My sister hit the nail on the head though, she quipped 'wonderful dress, but it's HER that makes it fabulous...' one to watch? I will be keeping an eye out in future!

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  4. All the Middletons looked wonderful. I thought VB's dress was ok but her shoes looked like she should be winding her heel round a pole. And Becks had a bit of a look of David Brent about him - albeit more handsome - I think it was the hair

    Despite the pasting SamCam got I really liked her dress, the colour was great on her but she should definitely have worn something on her head, maybe matching the pashmina. (Incidentally she should have worn it rather than holding it screwed up in her hand).

    If you have a moment, I'd love your thoughts on my most recent post - is Galliano a yay or a nay these days?

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  5. "petit garcon was 10 months old when we ...you know!" -- ha ha....so cute!

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  6. Re-thinking about the dynamics of the Middleton sisters it was very telling for Kate to let Pippa be dressed so well as a matron of honour....even I didn't get away being put in a polyester number by my best friend!

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  7. What I loved most about the bridal gown was the fact that it was classic and understated enough that it didn't upstage the Duchesse as Princess Diana's dress did.

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  8. Dear Kate, what a beautiful picture of you and PG! xx

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  9. I agree with all your insights. Sad the wedding is over. xxx

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  10. I agree with Christina, that picture of you and the Petit Garcon is beautiful. xxx

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  11. That picture of you and the baby is beautiful!

    Agree with everything you say re Teh Big Day on Friday.

    if Pippa doesn't win rear of the year for some of those shots of her walking down the aisle, there is no justice!

    Ali x

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  12. Ooh I've been so looking forward to your thoughts on the dresses. I've seen a bit of criticism of Catherine for not being daring enough with her dress but really, her own style seems to be quite classic and even if it wasn't, it's hardly an appropriate occasion to bust out an avant garde design, is it?

    I think it's really nice to see someone like Pippa getting positive press coverage for dressing stylishly and nicely. I know the word nice isn't often much of a compliment but I'm so sick of people being praised as fashion icons when they just look a mess.

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  13. Alex - 'nice' is much under rated these days!

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  14. Wonderful post and photo. He is so cute at all ages!

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  15. What a great post, have been away working with no access to blogs. I do like what Pippa wore and she did wear it well.

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