Last weekend, Prince Harry married actress Meghan Markle at a beautiful wedding in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Windsor England. The royal wedding was watched by millions around the world. The bride wore a simple yet elegant wedding dress from Givenchy Haute Couture and its Artistic Director, 47-year-old Clare Waight Keller. Last year, she became the first woman to hold that title at the famed French fashion house. Earlier this year, in mid-February Meghan Markle visited Waight Keller at a property in South West London for a two-hour secret meeting where Keller showed her archives of designs she did during her time at Chloe as well as catalogs/archives from the House of Givenchy, and that's how the wedding dress design began...


I thought it was a simple--if not quite "barren" gown, in terms of its lack of details, which actually surprised me. Initially, I just wanted "more". By that I didn't mean I wanted a gown fully embroidered with 50,000 crystals and big pouffy sleeves. I just expected maybe more architectural details, such as pleating or draping, especially at the top. But I do understand the impression such a simple "un-fussy" dress tells people; it's modern, and void of the "trappings" of what one would expect from a "Royal" wedding dress. In other words, Markle was transmitting a signal of "I am a Princess for the 21st Century". There have been examples of these "Clean, modern, un-fussy" wedding dresses from royals in recent years...



Wedding Dress Dish:
*The gown took a total of 3,900 hours of work with two small teams exclusively working on the dress at two separate locations.
*The dress was made at the Givenchy Haute Couture Atelier in Paris and the train was made at a secret workshop location in London.
*The workers had to sign nondisclosure agreements (of course!).
*The wedding gown cost an estimated $270,000; it's Haute Couture after all, meaning all hand-made.
*Made of double bonded silk cady with a soft matte luster in "pure white".
*The simple gown features only six seams.


Many people (who know their Fashion History) commented on the similarity of her gown to this...

The Veil:
Veil Dish:
*The 16-foot veil mas made of delicate silk tulle.
*The edges featured hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza representing the 53 Countries of the Commonwealth.
*Besides this flora and fauna, additional flowers were added, including the California Poppy as a nod to the bride's California heritage.
*The veil took 500 hours to make with workers having to wash their hands every 30 minutes so to not make the delicate fabric dirty.

The Tiara:
Tiara Dish:
Meghan Markle borrowed the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara from the Queen Elizabeth II jewels. The crown, made in 1932, was originally from Queen Mary (therefore the name) and featured diamonds set in platinum, and has a detachable brooch made of ten diamonds originally made in 1893. Queen Mary (photo above, left) passed it down to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and in the past, Princess Margaret, the Queen's sister (photo above, right) wore it to main events.

Best Dressed Guests:
Amal Clooney in Stella McCartney--Amal tops my list of Best Dressed Guests in this canary yellow colored dress from Stella McCartney. When they first showed her--with her hubby George--making her way to the Chapel, I couldn't control myself. All I kept thinking was "She SHUT IT DOWN!!" And she did it in this stylish fitted tea-length dress featuring a back exaggerated tie detail; fabulous from the front and back.

Serena Williams in Versace--Serana looked sexy-gorgeous in this blush pink Versace dress. The dress FIT HER PERFECTLY and featuring fabulous draped pleats at the neckline, torso, waist and diagonally on the skirt section. This was a LESSON Ladies and Gentlemen in how to create a dress that hits all the right figure notes: It creates an hourglass figure, showcasing a teeny tiny waist and perfectly balanced hips. It is Plastic Surgery...IN A DRESS! Bravo Serena and Bravo Versace.

Priyanka Chopra in Vivienne Westwood and Philip Treacy hat--Leave it to a former Miss World and top actress to show all the other ladies how one should look to a Royal Wedding. Priyanka looked chic, regal, above-it-all. And once again, this was an example of design that highlights a woman's figure to the limit and yet, still is giving Royal Wedding appropriateness.

Actress Sarah Rafferty in Lanvin--One of my favorites in terms of what the guests wore to the Royal Wedding, was this navy blue ensemble from Lanvin worn by actress Sarah Rafferty. This was elegance, class and refined style all rolled up into one dress. The tea length and fit were just right and I loved the delicate crystal detail as well. And those gathered silk gazar "balloon" sleeves were EVERYTHING!

Janina Gavankar wearing a 1930's vintage dress and 1940's hat from Western Costume House--I LOVED what Janina wore to the Royal Wedding the minute I saw it! She walked to the Chapel alongside Priyanka Chopra and I almost forgot Priyanka was there--only because she made such a distinct style impression with this coral colored draped dress with fringed shawl. On her Instagram, she said that it was a vintage 1930's dress from Western Costumes in North Hollywood. She also said that her stylist Niki Schwan tried to reach out to designers to dress Janina yet no one responded. Next Time Niki and Janina: DM me on Instagram!!

Lady Kitty Spencer in Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda--Lady Kitty Spencer is Princess Diana's niece and daughter of her brother Charles Spencer. She wore this green A-line shaped dress from Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda, the Haute Couture arm of the Italian fashion house. The tea-length dress was GORGEOUS (as well as it should be since it was probably a $75,000 hand-sewn Alta Moda dress!) and one of my favorites, featuring a square neckline, 3/4 sleeves, a fitted waist and hand-painted flower print.

Sofia Wellesley in Valentino Red--Socialite and James Blunt's wife Sofia Wellesley was one of my Best Dressed Guests at the Royal Wedding in this stunning multi colored floral embroidered macrame dress from Valentino Red--one of the "lower" lines of the Italian house of Valentino And when I say "lower" line, I mean these dresses retail at about $2,000 as opposed to $12,000 for a Valentino. Whatever it cost, she looked beautiful, fashionable and oh-so-right for a Royal Wedding. And she also stood out in the gorgeous print.

Carey Mulligan in Erdem--Speaking of prints, actress Carey Mulligan wore this very pretty flower printed dress from Erdem. I loved everything about it--the tea-length, the flowers, the 1920's/1930's-like silhouette. If anyone wants to know what PRETTY looks like, look at the photo above.

And lastly...
Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer in Pamela Roland--Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer is the wife of Charles Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, wore this violet-hued dress-and-cape ensemble from Pamela Roland. While I get that some people might not be fans and may have found it a little too Cruella de Vil, I disagree COMPLETELY; She looked UBER stylish and quite fabulous! I loved the capelet, the violet color and that great hat!

On Saturday, Pierre Casiraghi, 27, married 29-year-old Beatrice Borromeo. Pierre is the youngest son of Caroline Princess of Hanover (oldest sister to Prince Albert of Monaco) and her first husband Stefano Casiraghi (who died in a powerboat racing accident in 1990). Beatrice and Pierre have been together for seven years...

WHO's WHO? 
*Beatrice is a member of the ancient aristocratic House of Borromeo--a family that has owned the Borromean Islands in Italy since the 16th century.
*She has done some modeling previously but in case you are wondering she really has no job. Hello!! She's a Borromeo socialite!
*And Pierre, well, his Wikipedia states that he's a "businessman" and is part owner of his uncle--Prince Albert's--construction company Engeco. So, yeah, he also doesn't really work. he loves sailing and going to parties. What else would you expect darlings?

Last month a "Royal Wedding" occurred to not much fanfare: the wedding of the second in line to the Monagesque throne, 29 year-old Andrea Casiraghi (Princess Caroline of Hanover's eldest son) and Tatiana Santo Domingo, heiress and socialite, in a Roman Catholic wedding in the village of Rougemont in Switzerland. Tatiana's father who passed away in 2009, was listed as the second richest man in Colombia by Forbes , and her mother is from Brazil.

Late last month, a royal wedding happened and naturally since I'm a "Royal Fan" and "Royal Fashionista Follower", I wanted to cover it here on my blog. In the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah II, HM Queen Rania and HM Queen Noor; HRH Princess Iman bint al Hussein got married to businessman Zaid Mirza on Friday, 22 March 2013.


Zaid Mirza comes from a prominent Jordanian family. He is the son of former Jordanian ambassador in Brazil Azmi Mirza. Zaid has great interest in martial arts and especially Brazilian jiu jitsu. He is CEO & Chairman of Desert Force (First Arabian Professional MMA Organization) and Founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Federation in Jordan.

Royal Wedding Couture


Yesterday was the Wedding of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg to Belgium-born Countess Stephanie de Lannoy. In my last post, I covered the night-before Gala Dinner so now, it's the WEDDING! The tiny Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was all-abuzz with Royal Wedding Fever over these last few days--if not weeks. The boyishly handsome and bearded Guillaume is the last remaining heir-to-the-throne to get married, amongst Euro Royals.


The royals of Europe are that continent's "Hollywood Stars". They really don't "rule" a nation per se, but are mainly there for the PR and to bring Tourism to their respective countries. And yes, they make lots of money for all the Euro tabloids.

So, let's get to the WEDDING and the brides Haute Couture, as well as the guests--with my "Nick Fashion Scores" (Scale of 1-10):

Le Gown: Princess Stephanie's gown was designed by Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab. During the previous night's Pre-Wedding Gala Dinner, LOTS of the royals (including the bride and the groom's Grand Duchess Mother) wore Elie Saab Couture. So, it was not a surprise when yesterday for her MOST IMPORTANT DAY, she wore Elie Saab. Count Jehan de Lannoy, her brother, accompanied her to the altar.



Princess Perfect: Stephanie in her Elie Saab Haute Couture Custom Wedding Gown--It took 3,200 hours for embroidery from a team of 15 people and 700 hours from a team of 10 seamstresses. The dress featured three-quarter sleeves, a bateau/boatneck neckline in the front and dipped in the back, and a belted waist above a full skirt and 13 foot train.

The Gown DISH: Masses of fabric went into this creation: 76 yards of silk crepe and tulle for the lining, plus another 33 yards of satin organza, 55 yards of Chantilly lace, and 44 yards of Calais lace. More silk tulle was used for the veil. The leafy pattern embellished all over the ensemble included 50,000 pearls, 80,000 crystals, and almost 11,000 yards of silver embroidery thread. This is why custom wedding gowns--for royals--can cost as much as a small house in LA! And you can guarantee this one above did.




Blue Flower Girls and Page Boys: Guillaume’s nephew Prince Gabriel plus a nephew and nieces of Stéphanie’s made up the orange and blue clad younger party. Orange and blue are the colors of the House of Nassau, so that is why they are wearing these colors. I think they look quite cute. Very Royal Wedding. Pages and Flower Girl ensemble scores: 10

The Veil and Tiara:

She wore a Lannoy family tiara, made of platinum and diamonds with a large inverted pear shape diamond in the high center. It was made by Althenloh of Brussels and was worn by Stéphanie’s sisters and sisters-in-law at their weddings. So, it is a family wedding tradition.

The Family and Royal Guest Red Carpet:



It was camel colored wool crepe with hand-sewn sequins and beading with pleating detail. Just so you know kids, a Chanel Haute Couture dress/suit ensemble like this can put you back about $30,000-$40,000, especially anything with sequins and hand-sewn oversized jewels.

Great Britain:


Spain:


Italy:


Sweden:


Denmark:

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Prince Consort Henrik--Queen Margrethe wore a purple long-sleeve suit featuring a very on-trend peplum, below-the-knee skirt, matching belt and matching hat. The pearls, diamond brooch, gray gloves and purse finish the look. She's ultra conservative and appropriate for a Queen, but the peplum tells me there's still a little "Fashion" in her still. But there's something about the whole outfit that looks a bit as if she had gone to a vintage store and found it. The princess seams on her upper torso are so Pattern Book 101. Now, Henrik, God bless him--first, look at his pooch. I love that his jacket fits him perfectly and obviously had to be custom made to fit his not-so-symmetrical body frame.
Queen Margrethe Score:  8.0
Prince Henrik Score: 8.9

Denmark 2.0-- Here are the "New/Young Blood" of Danish Royalty--Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (Margrethe's heir) and his wife, Australia-born Princess Mary--she chose a maroon dress/suit--again with the on-trend peplum detail, long sleeves, v-neck, at-the-knee pencil skirt--and that great hat. Not sure about this look for her however (minus the hat). The color is too dark and macabre and she looks as if she took no time in really trying to find anything semi-interesting to wear. He looks better--and definitely far more interesting- than she does.
Princess Mary Score: 8.0
Crown Prince Frederik Score: 9.8

Greece:

King Constantine II of Greece and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece--Both are always the definition of Style; they could give a lesson in it. Anne-Marie of Denmark wore a lovely boucle coat and matching-color pleated silk dress, belted with a bow-waist tie. She also gets sartorial "Nick Points" for her pill box hat as well.
Score: 9.8

Norway:

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway--The Queen wore a silvery/lilac suit. Nothing wrong with this ensemble. It's respectable, conservative and non-fashion threatening. It's a nice suit one could find in the "Mother-of-the-Bride" section a very upscale department store.
Score: 8.4 

Netherlands:

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands: Three words: You Go Girl. One of the wealthiest monarchs in the World (before Bernie Madoff took a lot of it away!), Queen Beatrix never dissapoints when it comes to her "red carpet" moments. She loves BIG hats, prints, ruffled sleeves...and color. For yesterday's Luxembourg Royal Wedding, she wore a lilac colored jacquard ensemble with a cascade neckline, oversized ruffled-hem sleeves and yes, a BIG OL' Hat. She looks like the fun Grandma who will join you at the bar for some extra whiskey...without even battling an eyelash. PS: loving her gold-toned Ferragamo shoes.
Score: 9.8

Fashion Diva Award Goes To: Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, here with her husband, Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange and Heir to the Dutch throne. Argentina-born Maxima has taken a lesson from her Mother-in-Law Queen Beatrix and has become a Fashion Plate in her own--sometimes outshining the Queen with some of her over-the-top getup's. For the wedding, she certainly wanted to make a statement. It's all very High-Fashion; the UBER tight high-waisted pencil skirt (above the knee--Mon Dieu!); the bell sleeves, the hat with oversized pheasant feathers; the stacked platform pumps.  
Score: 9.9

Morocco and Japan:

Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, Princess Consort to the King of Morocco wore a traditional Moroccan caftan or takchita, in a bright royal blue color with white embroidery.  I think she looked great and I especially love that she's representing her country as a "Style Ambassador" wearing something native to her country.
Score: 9.0
Crown Prince Nahurito of Japan: Nahurito wore a traditional tuxedo with tails--or "Morning Dress" suit. Well done.
Score: 9.5 



Click Below to Watch Video of the Royal Guest Red Carpet and Bride in her Wedding Gown Emerging from Her Limo: