SPECIAL EDITION: Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

How could I possibly let this day pass without doing a special entry on the Royal Wedding Dress? If you were anywhere as eager as I to see the reveal of Kate's wedding dress, the feeling at 5am EST on April 29th, 2011, evoked feelings similar to Christmas morning when you were say, about 6 years old.

After five months of anxiously awaiting this day, Kate Middleton gracefully step foot onto the steps of Westminster Abbey to reveal a white and ivory satin Alexander McQueen Wedding gown engineered by Sarah Burton.

Kate's 9ft train was designed to resemble a blooming flower composed of gentle white stain pleats originating at the waist, and making their way to the center back of the gown.

 

















There was much speculation whether Kate would be wearing a tiara or not. In this case, her "something borrowed" was the Queen's 1936 diamond Cartier Halo tiara.

"Something blue?"-  Kate had a piece of blue ribbon sewn into the dress’s lining.

"Something new?"- The bride's earrings were a gift from her parents. A pear-drop shaped earring with diamond-set oak leaves and a diamond acorn; a design based on the family’s new coat of arms.

Her veil was created from multiple layers of a lightweight, delicate ivory silk tulle with a hand-embroidered flower trim that fell just below her waist.

Her gown was made with Individual flowers hand-cut from lace and hand-sewn onto ivory silk tulle. There was also beautiful round button detailing on the lace sleeves and down the center back of the gown as echoed on braids maid and sister, Pippa Middleton's dress. 

The bride's shoes barely made an appearance from beneath her floor sweeping skirts but were nonetheless a couture work of art. They too were made by hand by the McQueen team. The closed-toe "court" shoes had about a two and a half inch high heel and was made from ivory duchesse satin embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace.

"I am delighted that the dress represents the best of British craftsmanship. Alexander McQueen's designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day." -Sarah Burton

Note: After the reveal of Sarah Burton's hand crafted Alexander McQueen wedding dress, she is currently one of the top contenders in line to become Dior's new Creative Director. 

Kate Middleton did not use a professional makeup artist for her big day, but did her own instead. A thicker line of black kohl around the eyes, subtle yet smokey. A rosy blush to accent her checks and a soft pink rose on her lips.

"The hair, half up and half down, is a great compromise. Curled very softly at the back and falling into ringlets, her impressive glossy mane is still part of the look."-Beauty expert Elsa Mcalonan

 

A lot of meaning and thought went behind the construction of Kate's wedding bouquet. The bouquet consisted of sweet william, as well as myrtle, lily-of-the-valley and hyacinth designed by Shane Connolly.

"As tradition dictates for royal weddings, the bride's bouquet contains a sprig of myrtle from the original myrtle bush planted by Queen Victoria at Osborne House, Isle of Wight in 1845.

Kate carefully chose her flowers for their significance to the Royal Family, the Middletons and the language of flowers.

Sweet William means gallantry, lily-of-the-valley means return of happiness, hyacinth symbolizes constancy of love, while myrtle is the emblem of marriage and love." - dailymail.co.uk

We wish Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge all the best in their new life together.

Temperley London

The Vault

 Alice Temperley was born in England on July 22nd, 1975 and grew up in Somerset. Temperley studied at London’s Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and obtained a Masters degree at the Royal College of Art in Fabric Technology and Print . Shortly after graduating, she established her luxury fashion label in partnership with her husband, Lars von Bennigsen in 2000. Temperley London's debut collection was launched at London Fashion week in 2000 and has been unstoppable ever since.

Temperley has won numerous prestigious awards including but not limited to: the Award for Innovation from Central Saint Martin’s, Glamour Magazine Designer of the Year Award, English Print Designer of the Year in 1999, and the Elle Magazine Young Designer of the Year Award.

The Valuables

Two key elements to help identify an iconic Temperley London design.

1. Timeless glamour

Spring 2011 Runway; style.com

2. " Hand-beading, embroidery, oversized stone and sequin embellishments"-TemperleyLondon.com

Fall 2010 Runway; style.com

Pre-Fall 2011 Runway; style.com

The Lock

What can we expect from Temperley London for Fall 2011?

Alice Templerly is celebrating a decade in the fashion industry. Her models stomped down the runway clad in cocktail gear and party frocks. Temperley's Fall 2011 runway theme, gathered inspiration from glamorous south-western saloon attire . Long leather gloves, thick leather belts, fringed hemlines paired with dotted tights and booties. The opening look consisted of a black caplet with a smoke, black and peach satin skirt that possessed a "sunset and spurs" type of print. Towards the end of the collection there was a parade of delicate and striking evening gowns that will surely be chosen to float upon many a red carpet.

Fall 2011 Runway, elle.com

The Key 

Alice Temperley's most exciting moment of 2011- The Royal Wedding!

Pippa Middleton changed into an Alice Temperley emerald green, floor length gown  for the Reception of her sister, Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding.

"It was a wonderful opportunity and an honor to work with Ms. Pippa Middleton. She is a beautiful young woman, with such elegance and looked stunning at the reception", Temperley said.

Betsey Johnson

The Vault

Betsey Johnson beats to a drum of her own and it's a beautiful thing. How many designers let their models try to skateboard down the runway in stripper heels, open shows with celebrities (who are not known as typical runway models such as Kelly Osbourn), or do cartwheels at the end of their runway shows when they are over 60 years old?! 

This whimsical designer was born on August 10th, 1942 in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Johnson didn't study at any particular fashion institute but graduated from Pratt Institute and Syracuse University. She entered into the fashion industry by winning Mademoiselle magazine's "Guest Editor Contest." Not even a year later and she was already designing for a boutique in NYC by the name of Paraphernalia. A few decades later, after much experience designing under other labels and winning the Coty Award; Johnson decided it was time to create a brand of her own. In 1978, she formed a partnership with Chantal Bacon and started the Betsey Johnson label. After her creative juices burst and with much success in 2002, Johnson was welcomed into the Fashion Walk of Fame.

"As one journalist recently quoted, "If Betsey Johnson didn't exist, we would have to invent her, simply to remind ourselves that fashion can be fun. She's the original wild child and set to paint the town pink!""-BetseyJohnson.com

The Valuables 

Three key elements to help identify an iconic Betsey Johnson design.

1. Eccentric and fun, Fun, FUN!

Spring 2010 Runway; style.com

2. Colorful and bright

Spring 2011 Runway; style.com

3. References to dance wear - the "tutu" normally makes an appearance each season

Spring 2010 Runway; style.com

 

The Lock

What can we expect from Betsey Johnson for Fall 2011?

Nothing but FUN.


The Fall 2011 runway was used to launch Betsey Johnson's new line, Pink Patch. This lower-priced line featured a quirky Valentine's Day Theme starring prom-like dresses, neon printed leggings, and eccentric pairings of animal and cabbage rose prints.


Who were the models, you may be wondering? Those would be 50 of Betsey's employees and closest friends.

Fall 2011 Runway, style.com

The Key 

A TRUE SURVIVOR. 

google.com

Betsey Johnson is a survivor of breast cancer, who continues to support in finding a cure for the disease. She participates in fund raising events and designs items that have been auctioned off to raise funds for many charities.

In 2003, Johnson was asked by the CFDA to be an Honorary Chairperson for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer initiative.  In April of 2004, she was awarded the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) for her fight against Breast Cancer. In the Spring of 2004, she teamed up with the author of the book "Why I Wore Lipstick...to my Mastectomy,"by Geralyn Lucas and designed a t-shirt  which was sold in Betsey Johnson stores across the United States. Betsey Johnson continues to support the fight against breast cancer, each and every year. 

Proenza Schouler

The Vault

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough are the power duo behind the New York label, Proenza Schouler. The name "Proenza Schouler" was created by merging their mothers’ maiden names to form one name.

Hernandez and McCollough attended and met at Parsons School of Design. During their time at Parsons, Hernandz interned at Michael Kors and McCollough interned at Marc Jacobs. As their senior thesis, they chose to work together to create their first ever, complete collection. The first collection was a brilliant production and was bought in its entirety by Barneys New York.

Officially established in 2002, Proenza Schouler quickly became an renowned womenswear and accessories label. Almost immediately upon Proenza Schoulers' entrance into the fashion industry, they were already racking up prestigious awards such as the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2004 and the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award in 2007.

The Valuables 

Two key elements to help identify an iconic Proenza Schouler design.

1. "Lady-like cool" -American Vogue

Spring 2011 Runway, vogue.com

2. Well tailored, well stitched, perfect cuts and seams

Fall 2008 Runway, vogue.com

The Lock

What can we expect from Proenza Schouler for Fall 2011?

Hand painted and hand embroidered textiles inspired by Native American artwork. Color palette reflecting a warm desert sunset and earthen dyes, hues of deep scarlet and glowing orange to indigo and oasis blue.  The bodies of the garments tend to be more loose and relaxed then from seasons past. “The clothes and fabrics are super technical, so we wanted the silhouettes to be the opposite" - Lazaro Hernandez, Vogue.com.

Fall 2011 Runway, vogue.com

The Key 

Proenza Schouler for Target

style.com

Proenza Schouler are privileged to be one of the few great designers that have created capsule collections for Target. Debuting in February of 2007, Proenza Schouler created a fun, California-vibe collection in striking colors and interesting silhouettes. In my opinion, their high fashion style was not compromised for this mass market collection.

A few looks from the Proenza Schouler for Target Collections, target.com