Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding captivated the world. I was thinking of other famous weddings that have sparked the world’s imagination. One cannot venture much further than the wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer III of Monaco. The formal wedding gown was made of 278 metres of the finest materials and, at the time, was described as the most lavish ever worn by a bride.
Thirty-five persons, including milliners, beaders, sewists, hand embroiders, dyers and sketch artists, spent six weeks creating the formal wedding gown at a cost that would have been prohibitive if made by a private couturier.
The wedding dress was “simple and elegant”, long and white with a high neckline. The gown combined the ivory peau de soie and rose point lace. The long-sleeved bodice was reembroidered, so there were no seams. It was closed down the front with tiny lace buttons and fitted over a foundation of silk souffle of pale flesh tone.
The peau de soie overskirt was bell-shaped. It has no folds in the front, and the fullness in the back is laid in pleats at the waist, flaring out the bottom in a fan shape. The underskirt is described as a masterpiece of engineering.
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