Wedding Wednesday: Queen Elizabeth's Gown

A wee while ago, reader Lea emailed me with a suggestion for a new blog feature: Wedding Wednesdays. Say what?!? Combining my love for royal weddings and my love for slightly cheesy days-of-the-week themed posts?! Reader Lea is a genius. Like Einstein, but with better hair. Let's do this thing:

We might as well kick off our new feature with one of the most famous royal wedding gowns of all time, that of Queen Elizabeth II.

HRH Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947 in Westminster Abbey. I think you could call this wedding the beginning of what we know now as Royal Wedding Fever. Post-war Britain needed a pick-me-up, and their pretty, dutiful young Princess stepped up.

The bride selected court dressmaker Norman Hartnell for the design duties, as she would continue to do for decades to come. Hartnell's inspiration for the gown was Botticelli's Primavera (above left), which symbolizes the coming of Spring - certainly a metaphor for England's rebirth after the war. The result (his sketch, above right) was a rather intricate and dreamy creation in ivory duchesse satin that was both extravagant and yet somehow fitting for the austere times.

Just like everyone else in the country, Princess Elizabeth had to fund her gown with clothing ration coupons. Unlike everyone else, she was allowed 200 extra coupons by the government. Famously, people sent in their own coupons to help the Princess out (these were sent back with a note of thanks, since it was illegal for her to use them). In another sign of the times, the public had to be reassured that the silkworms used to create the gown came from China, rather than enemy countries such as Italy and Japan.

The gown was heavily embroidered with thousands of seed pearls (flown in from the United States), silver thread, crystals, and tulle appliqués. I do wonder how much this gown weighed, with all this going on. Amongst all this embroidery, you can be pretty much assured all your symbolic bases were covered.

The train was silk tulle embroidered in a star pattern that extended 13 foot back from the bride's shoulders. The silk tulle veil was shorter than the train, leaving the embroidery to be the star of the show. The overall effect is quite diaphanous, like a halo of tulle surrounding the bride.

The bride accessorized with sandals in ivory duchesse satin fastened with a silver buckle ornamented with yet more pearls. Her bridal bouquet was made of white orchids (and the traditional sprig of myrtle) and was sent back to the Abbey the day after the wedding to rest on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as was tradition to do. In one of the many  hitches experienced by the bride on her wedding day, her bouquet was temporarily lost until someone remembered it was in a refrigerator.

The shorter of her two pearl necklaces was the 'Queen Anne' necklace, said to have belonged to Anne, the last Stuart Queen. The longer 'Queen Caroline' necklace was said to have belonged to the wife of King George II. Both were left to the Crown by Queen Victoria and were given to Elizabeth as a wedding present by her father, King George VI. In another mishap, both were left on display with the rest of the gifts at St. James Palace and had to be fetched through the crowds. They were returned to Buckingham Palace with minutes to spare before the bride's departure. Her earrings were a 20th birthday present from Queen Mary, who had inherited them from her mother.

The diamond fringe tiara was lent to the Queen on her wedding day by her mother (and will be detailed further in tomorrow's tiara discussion). And in yet another wedding day oops, the frame of the gem broke as the bride was putting it on and had to be quickly repaired. She must be an awfully calm person, the Queen: that's a lot of important mishaps to take on one's wedding day.

This dress has far more detailing on it than is usually my taste, but somehow I've always liked it. Unlike some gowns that suit their times but get swept away by the changing current of the trends, I think this one stands strong. You know it was the ultimate dress for the time, and for the Princess, and sometimes that's all that matters.

And you? Is this a favorite or yours - or not?

Photos: Getty Images/Central Press/Hulton Archives/Berty Hardy/Picture Post/JA Hampton/Topical Press Agency

Wedding Wednesday: Queen Elizabeth's Gown

A wee while ago, reader Lea emailed me with a suggestion for a new blog feature: Wedding Wednesdays. Say what?!? Combining my love for royal weddings and my love for slightly cheesy days-of-the-week themed posts?! Reader Lea is a genius. Like Einstein, but with better hair. Let's do this thing:

We might as well kick off our new feature with one of the most famous royal wedding gowns of all time, that of Queen Elizabeth II.

HRH Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947 in Westminster Abbey. I think you could call this wedding the beginning of what we know now as Royal Wedding Fever. Post-war Britain needed a pick-me-up, and their pretty, dutiful young Princess stepped up.

The bride selected court dressmaker Norman Hartnell for the design duties, as she would continue to do for decades to come. Hartnell's inspiration for the gown was Botticelli's Primavera (above left), which symbolizes the coming of Spring - certainly a metaphor for England's rebirth after the war. The result (his sketch, above right) was a rather intricate and dreamy creation in ivory duchesse satin that was both extravagant and yet somehow fitting for the austere times.

Just like everyone else in the country, Princess Elizabeth had to fund her gown with clothing ration coupons. Unlike everyone else, she was allowed 200 extra coupons by the government. Famously, people sent in their own coupons to help the Princess out (these were sent back with a note of thanks, since it was illegal for her to use them). In another sign of the times, the public had to be reassured that the silkworms used to create the gown came from China, rather than enemy countries such as Italy and Japan.

The gown was heavily embroidered with thousands of seed pearls (flown in from the United States), silver thread, crystals, and tulle appliqués. I do wonder how much this gown weighed, with all this going on. Amongst all this embroidery, you can be pretty much assured all your symbolic bases were covered.

The train was silk tulle embroidered in a star pattern that extended 13 foot back from the bride's shoulders. The silk tulle veil was shorter than the train, leaving the embroidery to be the star of the show. The overall effect is quite diaphanous, like a halo of tulle surrounding the bride.

The bride accessorized with sandals in ivory duchesse satin fastened with a silver buckle ornamented with yet more pearls. Her bridal bouquet was made of white orchids (and the traditional sprig of myrtle) and was sent back to the Abbey the day after the wedding to rest on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as was tradition to do. In one of the many  hitches experienced by the bride on her wedding day, her bouquet was temporarily lost until someone remembered it was in a refrigerator.

The shorter of her two pearl necklaces was the 'Queen Anne' necklace, said to have belonged to Anne, the last Stuart Queen. The longer 'Queen Caroline' necklace was said to have belonged to the wife of King George II. Both were left to the Crown by Queen Victoria and were given to Elizabeth as a wedding present by her father, King George VI. In another mishap, both were left on display with the rest of the gifts at St. James Palace and had to be fetched through the crowds. They were returned to Buckingham Palace with minutes to spare before the bride's departure. Her earrings were a 20th birthday present from Queen Mary, who had inherited them from her mother.

The diamond fringe tiara was lent to the Queen on her wedding day by her mother (and will be detailed further in tomorrow's tiara discussion). And in yet another wedding day oops, the frame of the gem broke as the bride was putting it on and had to be quickly repaired. She must be an awfully calm person, the Queen: that's a lot of important mishaps to take on one's wedding day.

This dress has far more detailing on it than is usually my taste, but somehow I've always liked it. Unlike some gowns that suit their times but get swept away by the changing current of the trends, I think this one stands strong. You know it was the ultimate dress for the time, and for the Princess, and sometimes that's all that matters.

And you? Is this a favorite or yours - or not?

Photos: Getty Images/Central Press/Hulton Archives/Berty Hardy/Picture Post/JA Hampton/Topical Press Agency

Top 10 Best Royal Wedding Dresses: #6. HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

HRH Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones

May 6, 1960

The media has a fondness for dividing the heirs to the throne into types, don't they?  One is good, and one is bad.  We’re made to believe that Prince William is well-behaved (well, for the most part), while Prince Harry is a wild child, reluctant to grow up.  In the early 1980s, Prince Charles was supposed to be the consummate family man, while Prince Andrew was ‘Randy Andy’.  Take it back a generation further, and Princess (then Queen) Elizabeth was careful and dutiful, while her younger sister Princess Margaret Rose was reckless and disobedient.  To an extent, these stereotypes could be true; but the thing is, you’ll never know if they started out true, or if the players grew into the roles they were assigned.

Whichever is the case, Princess Margaret played the role of the younger sister, consistently marching to the beat of her own drummer.  Margaret may have shared a wedding dress designer with her sister (Norman Hartnell), but she walked down the aisle in the polar opposite of her sister's traditional dress, sweeping in a whole new decade of royal style in her wake.  This was also the first royal wedding ever televised, and was watched by over 300 million viewers worldwide, so her effect on ushering in the sleek styles of the 1960s could very well have stretched far beyond the royal family.

White silk organza with a satin-bound silk tulle veil and not a stitch of embroidery in sight.  The whole design was made to accommodate the princess's short stature, including the tiara:

The Poltimore tiara, made in 1870 for Lady Poltimore, was bought at auction specially for Margaret.  Her hair was pumped up with a hair piece to combine with the tiara to add height to the pint-sized princess.  Tragically, her children sold the tiara after her death (specifically, I think Viscount Linley is the culprit behind this, though I'm not sure if that's a known fact), so we probably won’t ever see it again.  Boo.

This chic creation is typical 60's fashion, but its clean lines give it true sticking power, as demonstrated by Serena Stanhope during her 1993 wedding to Princess Margaret’s son David, Viscount Linley (this is her father pictured with her, not David).

 Psst....look closer.  

Serena's wearing another one of Princess Margaret's tiaras....

and it just might be my favorite tiara ever.

If you can take that much inspiration from a gown made in 1960 and apply it successfully to a gown three decades later, you’ve got yourself a successful design.  Certainly worthy of a place in the Top 10.

Click here to see all of the Top 10 dresses!

Photos: Rex Features/UPPA/Museum of London/Kensington Palace/Geoffrey Munn

Top 10 Best Royal Wedding Dresses: #6. HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

HRH Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones

May 6, 1960

The media has a fondness for dividing the heirs to the throne into types, don't they?  One is good, and one is bad.  We’re made to believe that Prince William is well-behaved (well, for the most part), while Prince Harry is a wild child, reluctant to grow up.  In the early 1980s, Prince Charles was supposed to be the consummate family man, while Prince Andrew was ‘Randy Andy’.  Take it back a generation further, and Princess (then Queen) Elizabeth was careful and dutiful, while her younger sister Princess Margaret Rose was reckless and disobedient.  To an extent, these stereotypes could be true; but the thing is, you’ll never know if they started out true, or if the players grew into the roles they were assigned.

Whichever is the case, Princess Margaret played the role of the younger sister, consistently marching to the beat of her own drummer.  Margaret may have shared a wedding dress designer with her sister (Norman Hartnell), but she walked down the aisle in the polar opposite of her sister's traditional dress, sweeping in a whole new decade of royal style in her wake.  This was also the first royal wedding ever televised, and was watched by over 300 million viewers worldwide, so her effect on ushering in the sleek styles of the 1960s could very well have stretched far beyond the royal family.

White silk organza with a satin-bound silk tulle veil and not a stitch of embroidery in sight.  The whole design was made to accommodate the princess's short stature, including the tiara:

The Poltimore tiara, made in 1870 for Lady Poltimore, was bought at auction specially for Margaret.  Her hair was pumped up with a hair piece to combine with the tiara to add height to the pint-sized princess.  Tragically, her children sold the tiara after her death (specifically, I think Viscount Linley is the culprit behind this, though I'm not sure if that's a known fact), so we probably won’t ever see it again.  Boo.

This chic creation is typical 60's fashion, but its clean lines give it true sticking power, as demonstrated by Serena Stanhope during her 1993 wedding to Princess Margaret’s son David, Viscount Linley (this is her father pictured with her, not David).

 Psst....look closer.  

Serena's wearing another one of Princess Margaret's tiaras....

and it just might be my favorite tiara ever.

If you can take that much inspiration from a gown made in 1960 and apply it successfully to a gown three decades later, you’ve got yourself a successful design.  Certainly worthy of a place in the Top 10.

Click here to see all of the Top 10 dresses!

Photos: Rex Features/UPPA/Museum of London/Kensington Palace/Geoffrey Munn