from FarFetch blog
Wedding Fever
Unless you’ve spent the past few months living under a rock you may have noticed there’s going to be a big wedding in London on April 29th. Understatement of the century. Seemingly the whole Western world, and particularly England, have been gripped by such wedding fever that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was the single most important event in the universe to have happened ever. It has temporarily taken over from the Olympics as the national obsession.
The bunting is literally flying out of John Lewis, both British Vogue and Sunday Times Style dedicated entire issues to the Royal Wedding and when it comes to who will be the designer of the hallowed dress, well, let’s just say that such suspense has not been experienced since Who Shot JR?
And whilst here at farfetch.com we’re as pleased as the next person to be given a day off in the sunshine (please!) and an excuse to drink in the afternoon, it has to be said that we’re kind of more excited about the Summer nuptials of Kate Moss and Jamie Hince (can you imagine that party???!)
But it would be churlish not to get involved at all so we’ve decided to celebrate with our favourite wedding dresses ever. No doubt Middleton, the latest object of pop culture’s affections, and her special day attire will go down in the history books, but as these ladies prove, she has some awfully tough acts to follow…
Brigitte Bardot
Given that Bardot was the original sex kitten she was hardly going to get married in your typical demure gown, but her adorable gingham dress when she married French actor Jacques Charrier was more modest than you’d expect from such a bombshell, with its high neckline and girlish pattern. But the dress’ nipped-in waist and bold, untraditional colour (it was pink) kept it quirky, and it remains a really interesting choice even today, when pretty much anything goes.
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (or CBK to her hoards of worshipping Park Avenue Princesses) was the American equivalent of Princess Diana. A beautiful, stylish blonde who won the heart of John F Kennedy Jr (the closest the country ever came to a crown prince), she was an aspirational role model and fashion icon to a nation of women, who, like Diana died tragically early in an accident (in a plane piloted by her husband, who also died). Unlike Diana, her wedding dress was the epitome of understated elegance and taste, a simple ivory slip dress that skimmed that body perfectly.
Bianca Jagger
It wasn’t the white tuxedo that most people think, but there’s something even cooler about Yves Saint Laurent customising his trademark Le Smoking into a chic white skirt suit for you, as he did for Jagger for her wedding to one of the world’s premier rock stars. Her attire has since spawned thousands of copies, from brides hoping to channel her effortless, laid-back approach to the big day.
Plum Sykes
Sarah Burton, head designer at Alexander McQueen is the current bookies favourite to be the designer behind the Middleton dress, and if she is indeed doing it, Middleton deserves far more sartorial respect than we thought, particularly if the label’s previous wedding gowns are anything to go by. When author and Vogue contributor Plum Sykes got hitched, the late designer himself created her dress, and admirably for a man so associated with the avant-garde, refused point blank to make a ‘trendy’ piece, as she requested, stating that your wedding wear needs to be timeless, and as the only day in your life when you can totally get away with wearing a 25 foot train, you simply have to have one. The result was exquisite, and yet more proof that McQueen was no one-trick pony when it came to genius design.
Grace Kelly
As the world-famous movie star who married the Prince of Monaco, Grace Kelly’s wedding was met with a level of hysteria that rivalled that of our own Royal nuptials. The entire thing played out like a fairy-tale, and fittingly, her elaborate dress was made by a team at MGM studios headed by Helen Rose, who created the costumes for some of the dreamiest musicals on the big screen. Given the buzz around the wedding and the state importance of the occasion, Kelly could have gone much more ostentatious with the dress, but instead it looks even more timeless for it’s simple shape, leaving all the drama to the intricate, elaborate beading and lace.
Gwen Stefani
With a reputation as a fashion maverick, the pressure was on Gwen to pull something totally individual out of the bag when she wed Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, and she more than delivered in her pink dip-dyed Dior gown, custom made by John Galliano (pre-scandal of course) and now residing in London’s V&A Museum. Pink wasn’t the obvious choice for the singer of a band that flits between post-grunge and ska pop but the directional shape of the dress gave it edge, and Gwen looked radiantly beautiful.
The bunting is literally flying out of John Lewis, both British Vogue and Sunday Times Style dedicated entire issues to the Royal Wedding and when it comes to who will be the designer of the hallowed dress, well, let’s just say that such suspense has not been experienced since Who Shot JR?
And whilst here at farfetch.com we’re as pleased as the next person to be given a day off in the sunshine (please!) and an excuse to drink in the afternoon, it has to be said that we’re kind of more excited about the Summer nuptials of Kate Moss and Jamie Hince (can you imagine that party???!)
But it would be churlish not to get involved at all so we’ve decided to celebrate with our favourite wedding dresses ever. No doubt Middleton, the latest object of pop culture’s affections, and her special day attire will go down in the history books, but as these ladies prove, she has some awfully tough acts to follow…
Brigitte Bardot
Given that Bardot was the original sex kitten she was hardly going to get married in your typical demure gown, but her adorable gingham dress when she married French actor Jacques Charrier was more modest than you’d expect from such a bombshell, with its high neckline and girlish pattern. But the dress’ nipped-in waist and bold, untraditional colour (it was pink) kept it quirky, and it remains a really interesting choice even today, when pretty much anything goes.
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (or CBK to her hoards of worshipping Park Avenue Princesses) was the American equivalent of Princess Diana. A beautiful, stylish blonde who won the heart of John F Kennedy Jr (the closest the country ever came to a crown prince), she was an aspirational role model and fashion icon to a nation of women, who, like Diana died tragically early in an accident (in a plane piloted by her husband, who also died). Unlike Diana, her wedding dress was the epitome of understated elegance and taste, a simple ivory slip dress that skimmed that body perfectly.
Bianca Jagger
It wasn’t the white tuxedo that most people think, but there’s something even cooler about Yves Saint Laurent customising his trademark Le Smoking into a chic white skirt suit for you, as he did for Jagger for her wedding to one of the world’s premier rock stars. Her attire has since spawned thousands of copies, from brides hoping to channel her effortless, laid-back approach to the big day.
Plum Sykes
Sarah Burton, head designer at Alexander McQueen is the current bookies favourite to be the designer behind the Middleton dress, and if she is indeed doing it, Middleton deserves far more sartorial respect than we thought, particularly if the label’s previous wedding gowns are anything to go by. When author and Vogue contributor Plum Sykes got hitched, the late designer himself created her dress, and admirably for a man so associated with the avant-garde, refused point blank to make a ‘trendy’ piece, as she requested, stating that your wedding wear needs to be timeless, and as the only day in your life when you can totally get away with wearing a 25 foot train, you simply have to have one. The result was exquisite, and yet more proof that McQueen was no one-trick pony when it came to genius design.
Grace Kelly
As the world-famous movie star who married the Prince of Monaco, Grace Kelly’s wedding was met with a level of hysteria that rivalled that of our own Royal nuptials. The entire thing played out like a fairy-tale, and fittingly, her elaborate dress was made by a team at MGM studios headed by Helen Rose, who created the costumes for some of the dreamiest musicals on the big screen. Given the buzz around the wedding and the state importance of the occasion, Kelly could have gone much more ostentatious with the dress, but instead it looks even more timeless for it’s simple shape, leaving all the drama to the intricate, elaborate beading and lace.
Gwen Stefani
With a reputation as a fashion maverick, the pressure was on Gwen to pull something totally individual out of the bag when she wed Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, and she more than delivered in her pink dip-dyed Dior gown, custom made by John Galliano (pre-scandal of course) and now residing in London’s V&A Museum. Pink wasn’t the obvious choice for the singer of a band that flits between post-grunge and ska pop but the directional shape of the dress gave it edge, and Gwen looked radiantly beautiful.
