Royal Fashion Minute: Belgium Edition--Helene d'Udekem d'Acoz And Nicolas Janssen Wedding In Bastogne Belgium

Royal Fashion Minute: Belgium Edition--Helene d'Udekem d'Acoz And Nicolas Janssen Wedding In Bastogne Belgium

Countess Bride...

Bride-and-Groom Perfect: Countess Helene d'Udekem d'Acoz, sister of Princess Mathilde of Belgium and Baron Nicolas Janssen

This past Saturday, there was another royal wedding--well, let's just say "Sub-Royal" but Royal nonetheless. Countess Helene d'Udekem d'Acoz, sister of Princess Mathilde of Belgium and Baron Nicolas Janssen got married at the Eglise Saint Pierre in Bastogne Belgium.

The bride wore a very traditional ivory fit-to-flare Princess Seamed gown with embroidered lace overlay, v-neckline and slight fluttery cap-length sleeves. Her veil was lace--the choice of Royals. Simple pearl earrings finished off her Bridal Look.

Princess Mathilde of Belgium and Prince Philippe of Belgium--Duke of Brabant and Heir to the Belgium Throne were in attendance of course. Princess Mathilde wore a chic off-the-shoulder nude sheath dress with lace applique while her gray-haired Prince was in his traditional "Morning Suit".

Anna Maria Komorowska, Mother of the Bride--and Princess Mathilde--looked très elegant in a light gray suit and stunning hat. Anna Maria is a Polish Noblewoman--her family--the Komoroskis--were members of Polish Aristocracy, darlings...One doubt and just take a look at the Vintage diamond necklace of hers!!! Priceless.

Baroness Therese Bracht and Charles Antoine Janssen: They were some of the most superb-looking guests at the wedding. Love that dress and especially that Fascinator she is wearing. And let's just say that I bet those pearls are HERS!! Worth EVERY Euro!!! J'Adore his Boutonniere!!! (given to all the "A-List" Male Guests)

Queen Fabiola of Belgium: Madrid Spain-born HM Queen Fabiola of Belgium attended--also in a light gray suit, matching tie-neck blouse, pashmina and printed stockings (girl's got style!). To finish her ensemble, she chose a Chanel quilted purse and gray heels. At almost 83 years old, she is still "working" the heels!!! Interesting to note that even though 60% of the Belgium population speak Dutch/Flemish, she has a difficult time with that language...

THE WEDDING DRESS: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wears Sara Burton Alexander McQueen Wedding Gown

THE WEDDING DRESS: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wears Sara Burton Alexander McQueen Wedding Gown

The Best Kept Secret Is Revealed...

Earlier today, Catherine Middleton became Duchess of Cambridge as well as a Princess when she married Prince William at Westminster Abbey in THE WEDDING of the Century!!! Of course, even though I was filming all day doing a "secret" project, and came home at 11PM, I stayed up until 4AM (that's when my body--and eyes--gave out) to watch it LIVE. There was no other way! As everyone else who was watching, I was waiting to see THE DRESS! And finally, the best kept secret in the World was revealed:
Miss Catherine Middleton’s--now Duchess of Cambridge--Wedding Dress was designed by Sarah Burton, Head Designer for the House of Alexander McQueen.What a coup for her and the British House of McQueen!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! It was elegant, classic, very 1950's with a strong nod to Grace Kelly's Helen Rose-designed gown when she wed Prince Rainer of Monaco.

Here are the notes from the Official Press Release:

Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing. Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.

The dress epitomizes timeless British craftsmanship by drawing together talented and skilled workmanship from across the United Kingdom . The dress design pays tribute to the Arts and Crafts tradition, which advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often Romantic styles of decoration. Ms Burton’s design draws on this heritage, additionally giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive, contemporary and feminine character.

The Veil: Made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil is held in place by a Cartier Halo Tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen.

TIARA DISH: The Halo Tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother-seen above) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday.

THE GOWN: Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace was used throughout the bodice and skirt, as well as the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same color. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.

The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The train measures two meters 70 centimeters (about 110 inches) from the waist. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.

It seems to be a tradition for Royal Wedding Gowns to include TONS of lace, whether in the veil--or somewhere in the gown. It's very "Royal Mantilla-esque". I loved how exquisitely fitted the gown was (surprised how she could breath in that corset) but then the skirt section had a "hint" of a Ball Gown but not too "Disney Princess" like. She looked Picture Perfect!! Everyone expected her to go more fitted or closer to the body, choosing softer more "liquid" fabrications (Kate loves a draped jersey dress as we know!) but for this--her Royal Wedding--she went for a more structured, architectural almost--gown in a stiffer fabrications. But yet, it wasn't overwhelming and "Princess Diana-over-the-top" grand.

Her sister's, Philippa Middleton, dress was also designed and created by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. It is of a heavy, ivory satin-based crepe, with a cowl front and with the same button detail and lace trims as the Bride’s dress.

And was clearly inspired by this dress from the Alexander McQueen Fall 2009 Collection.

William and Harry, Dashing in Uniforms: Prince William wore a Scarlet Irish Guard Uniform to signify his honorary rank in the Irish Guards. Prince Harry--the Best Man--wore the uniform of the Captain of the Household Cavalry featured aiguillettes (ornamental braided cord), a cross-belt, and gold waist belt with sword slings--bot no sword, thank you very much!

The Pages and Bridesmaids:

The Page Boys wore uniforms combining a Guards’ Red Tunic with gold piping, featuring Irish shamrocks on the collars and buttons arranged in fours, denoting the Irish – or Fourth – Regiment of Foot Guards. The buttons feature the Harp of Ireland surmounted by the Crown Imperial. The breeches are ivory and are worn with white stockings and black buckle shoes. SOOO cute!!!

The Bridesmaids’ dresses were created using the same fabrics as the Bride’s dress (silk satin gazar). The ballerina-length, full, box pleated skirt gives the dresses a sculptural quality. They have all been hand-finished with delicate English Cluny lace, which is visible under the skirts, and FOUR layers of netting/tulle underskirt (to make the skirt stand out). The puff sleeves and neckline are trimmed with the same English lace as the Bride’s underskirt. The backs have been finished with the same button detail. As a special memento, the Bridesmaid’s name and the date of the wedding have been hand-embroidered onto the lining of each dress.

What an amazing display of Pageantry! Not a single missed step! Congrats to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

Royal Wedding Gowns: A Look Back Through The Years!

Royal Wedding Gowns: A Look Back Through The Years!

Wedding Couture

In honor of Friday's Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine "Kate" Middleton, I have decided to do a posting on all the wonderful Royal Weddings of the past and, of course, what they wore! I hope you enjoy seeing all the wonderful ensembles as much as I did...plus I included a little Couture Dish!

Grace of Monaco: Helen Rose

Prince Rainer and Grace of Monaco--in a Helen Rose (an MGM Costume Designer) gown. Edith Head--Hollywood Costume Designer for the A-List of the time (and of Kelly) was reportedly saddened to not have been picked, for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. COUTURE DISH: The gown was worked on by six seamstress at MGM and 30 million people around the world watched it. The gown has remained THE SYMBOL--and ruler-- of what a "Royal Wedding Gown" should be. Elegant, timeless, classic, serene, and above all, royal. Guests of the wedding included actresses Gloria Swanson and Eva Gardner, the Agha Khan, and many others.

Princess Caroline: Christian Dior Haute Couture by Marc Bohan

Their eldest daughter, Princess Caroline wore Christian Dior Haute Couture by then House Designer, Marc Bohan, when she married Commoner--and French Playboy--Philipe Junot, in 1978. The gown featured a high neck, scalloped edge embroidered gown, bishop sleeves and blouson top. I especially remember (I was VERY YOUNG!) how modern she looked with ringlets of flowers--a la Princess Leia--in her hair--as opposed to wearing a tiara or crown.

Queen Elizabeth: Norman Hartnell

Queen Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth of York) and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh (then Prince of Greece and Denmark--he's actually German and Danish but born in Greece). Her wedding gown was designed by British designer Norman Hartnell. COUTURE DISH: The Queen Mother had specifically asked that Hartnell should use an unusually rich, lustrous stiff satin which was made at Lullington Castle. The satin was ideal for the train, but Hartnell thought that the dress required a more supple material of a similar tone. He ordered the similar fabric from the Scottish firm of Winterthur. Difficulties arose when rivals put about the rumor that the Scottish satin was made from "enemy silk worms", either from Italy or possibly Japan. A telephone call to the town where Winterthur was based, settled the scandal. Mr. Hartnell was assured the silk worms were from Nationalist China and were not "enemy silk worms". Good to know...

Princess Diana: Elizabeth Emanuel

Continuing with the Brits: Prince Charles and Diana in 1981: Her gown was designed by British designer Elizabeth Emanuel is iconic, of course, especially for its infamous 25 foot (wrinkled) silk taffeta train. COUTURE DISH: The entire gown--including the train and veil--were comprised of (wait for it), 275 total yards. The gown epitomized the excess that were to be the 80's.

Princess Anne: Maureen Baker

Another gown I loved was the one Princess Anne (only daughter of Queen Elizabeth) wore when she wed then-Lieutenant Mark Phillips (he was soooo handsome!!) in 1973. The gown was inspired from the Medieval and Tudor styles. It was very "Lady Macbeth Gets Married".

The gown--designed by Maureen Baker, head designer for Susan Small--featured Trumpet sleeves that hid inner Bishop Sleeves (FIERCE!), as you can see above. COUTURE DISH: Fifteen women worked on the dress and each worked on a different section, and they didn't know what the final outcome would look like--this was done for fear that the design would be "leaked" to the press by one of these girls.

Wallis Simpson: Mainbocher

Of course, when speaking of Wedding Couture, we can't leave out the Mainbocher gown worn by Wallis Simpson when she married Edward, Duke of Windsor (also Prince Edward, King Edward XIII of course) in 1937. This pale blue gown and hat--have gone down in history as the epitome of understated chic. The groom wore a Morning Suit, of course. There were only sixteen guests, not one a member of the royal family.

Princess Margaret: Norman Hartnell

Then , there was the Fashionista and "Party Girl" Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Queen Elizabeth's sister) and her wedding to Anthony Armstrong-Jones. Her gown was designed and created by the house of Norman Hartnell--same designer who created her sister's wedding gown.This was also the first royal wedding ever televised, and was watched by over 300 million viewers worldwide!Empress/Shahbanu Soraya of Iran: Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent

I also absolutely LOVE the wedding gown worn by Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari (of German-Persian descent) , who would become Empress and Shahbanu Soraya of Iran when she married the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (his second marriage) in 1951. She wore a a custom gown designed by Yves Saint Laurent for the House of Christian Dior.

COUTURE DISH: The gown was a silver lame gown studded with pearls and marabou stork feathers (!). To finish the gown, there was a cropped shawl-collar jacket AND a full-length white mink cape which she removed for "let-me-sit-down-and-breathe" photos. Poor Soraya (who was rumored to always have been the Shah's love of his life) soon discovered she could not give him a male heir (she was infertile) and therefore, divorced seven years after their wedding, but was left with a nice you-can-live-forever-in-style bank account.

Queen Sofia of Spain: Jean Dessès

Next of note was Queen Sofia's (then Princess Sophia of Greece) Wedding Gown--designed by Egyptian-born of Greek descent fashion designer Jean Dessès--when she married the future King of Spain Juan Carlos in Athens Greece to much fanfare.

Marie Chantal of Greece: Valentino Haute Couture

Speaking of Greeks, here's Crown Prince Pavlos and his bride, Marie Chantal Miller. Marie Chantal is of US-Ecuadorian ancestry and Pavlos, the son of the exiled King of the Hellenes (Greece), Constantine II, is well, of Danish-German (and not so much Greek) descent. Constantine II is Queen Sofia's (see previous wedding gown pic) brother--yes, keep up!! By the way, the Bride's gown was from Valentino Haute Couture. Don't mess with them darlings!

Maria y Carmen Martinez-Bordiu: Cristobal Balenciaga

Now onto another fabulous Royal Wedding Gown of note. This gown is from Maria y Carmen Martinez-Bordiu y Franco when she wed Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cadiz and Grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1972. General Franco made him Duke of Anjou and making him a Royal Highness, thereby making her a Princess: Can you say "At-a Girl!" in Spanish?? Momma didn't raise a fool!
COUTURE DISH: Her gown was designed by Cristobal Balenciaga. The Spanish Couturier ended his business in 1968 but came out of "retirement" to design her gown. It featured 14 meters of Abraham silk, 20 silk thread spools, 10,000 pearls, and over 5,000 sequins. It also had the Bourbon "Fleur-de-lis" embroidered into the front of this one-of-a-kind Haute Couture hand-made gown.

The future Queen Noor of Jordan's wedding dress is notable for it's elegant simplicity. It was a blouson gown, with no crinoline, no petticoat, no tulle. This is how you do "restrained" and unfussy, but still beautiful.

Queen Rania of Jordan: Bruce Oldfield

At the opposite end, was Queen Rania of Jordan's wedding gown to King Abdullah II. Her gown was designed by British designer Bruce Oldfield (a name that has been thrown around as a possible candidate for Catherine Middleton's wedding dress designer) and not by a Middle Eastern designer, which was odd.

Princess Maxima of the Netherlands: Valentino Haute Couture

Moving on to the New Generation of Royals--and their Wedding COUTURE: A gorgeous Valentino Haute Couture creation can be seen on Princes Maxima of the Netherlands when she wed Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands. Maxima is from Argentina darlings, in case you weren't aware. South American girl done did good, as they say...The Netherlands will have an South American-born Queen sometime in the future.

Princess Mette-Marit of Norway: Ove Harder Finseth

Staying in Scandinavia: There was the wedding gown of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. Ove Harder Finseth was the designer. I loved this gown for its elegant simplicity. The shape was perfect for Mette-Marit's lean figure and again, as one of the "Next Generation Royals", I love that she chose to do without the Disneyland Princess Crinoline-and-Petticoat Ball Gown "Princes Diana" silhouette. Norwegians know how to give you "Directional Modern Brides" for sure!

Princess Letizia of Spain: Manuel Pertegaz

I also LOVED Princess Letizia of Spain's wedding gown when she married Crown Prince Felipe in 2004. It was designed by 93-year old (yes, 93!!) Spanish Designer Manuel Pertegaz. I'm sure his "staff" had a lot to do with this and he probably sat there and said "Si!" and "No!". Letizia’s beige Valencia silk wedding dress was graceful and Medieval in its silhouette. It featured long sleeves, a decorative stand-away collar, veil and skirt embroidered with flower-de-luce and ears of wheat. Her wedding dress was 4.6 meters long!!

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden: Par Engsheden

And last but not least in my Royal Wedding Couture Nick Verreos Hall of Fame, I have to include the gorgeous gown worn by Victoria Crown Princess of Sweden. The silk fit-and-flare gown was designed by Swedish designer Par Engsheden. Simple. Elegant. Sublime. The stunning crown and lace veil finish it off. THAT is a future Queen ladies and gentlemen.

Now....Which one was your FAVORITE Royal Wedding Gown???