Arts & Culture

I watched with fascination, along with two billion other people, the recent nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29 at Westminster Abbey.  One of the most dramatic moments, at least as far as fashion observers were concerned, was when Catherine Middleton emerged from her car, and her much-anticipated wedding dress was revealed to the world:

The wedding dress designer's name, kept secret until that very moment, was Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.  Prince William's mother, Lady Diana Spencer, had revealed her dress in a similarly dramatic fashion at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981.  However, the names of her designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel, were known ahead of Lady Diana's wedding to Prince Charles.  The designers have written a book about their famous wedding dress, A Dress for Diana.  The beautiful lace on Catherine Middleton's dress reminded me of the wedding dress of the actress Grace Kelly, who also married a prince.  For more glamorous wedding dresses, have a look at The Wedding Dress, which features many dresses by Oleg Cassini, one of Jacqueline Kennedy's favourite designers.  Click on all titles for more information.

I noticed the many fine details on Catherine Middleton's wedding dress, most noticeably the corsetry, typical of Alexander McQueen, and the fabric-covered buttons down the back.  Catherine Middleton's wedding shoes were custom-made by Sarah Burton.  You can go and see, for free, some royal shoes (Queen Victoria's silk slippers) right here in Toronto at The Bata Shoe Museum with the Sun Life Financial Museum and Arts Pass.

    
Holding Catherine Middleton's veil in place was a tiara made by Cartier in 1936, lent to her by the Queen.  If you liked her wedding bouquet, you can see examples of her florist's designs in Shane Connolly's Wedding Flowers and you might like to sample recipes from royal wedding cake baker Fiona Cairns' book, Bake & Decorate.