Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress

Grace Kelly and Kate Middleton

Kate & Pippa Middleton

There has been a lot of speculation about what Kate Middleton's wedding dress was going to be, and to day, all was revealed. When she emerged from the hotel, we caught a glimpse of the dress as the train was bundled in behind her. On the car journey more was seen and I made a guess that it was Alice Temperley , judging by the light, romantic lace that you could see through the car window. I was desperate for it to be Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, but in an ealier interview it had been said that Sarah Burton was to dramatic and theatrical. I had googled frantically for Alice Temperley dresses and I had thought that I had found a near match to the dress. When the newsreader confirmed it was Sarah Burton, I was so happy. When she stepped out the car the dress took my breath away. The train was not to elaborate like Diana's, but a few embellishments on the bottom of the skirt just brought the dress together. The lace had been so intricately made using the finest skilled craftsmen in the country. The dress paid homage to the late Grace Kelly, clearly inspired by her iconic gown and has been praised by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Hubert de Givenchy.  Kate did not let us down, and congratulations to the couple!

Princess Diana & Bruce Oldfield

Diana, Bruce and Joan Collins

Designer Bruce Oldfield first made a big piece for Diana at a Banardo's Gala night in 1985. Joan Collins and Shirley Bassey were going to be there, so she asked Bruce to make her 'glamorous'. The dress was a pleated silk lamé number and looked great on her. Diana danced with the designer that night and even smuggled cigarettes in for him before a speech he had to make. Could they have been a perfect match? 

Diana At The Albert Hall

   For a long time after that, the Princess was spotted in a number of Oldfield outfits day and night. His trademark design for Diana was a deep V-shaped back cut out such as this gorgeous red dress worn to a ball at the Albert Hall. 

Inspired by the past...

Recently I have watched a TV adaptation on Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes'. The fashions of those times could not be more different than what is in fashion now, but certain elements have been used in ways that transform the old-fashioned look to a modern feel. A great example of this is the corset worn as outerwear in fabrics such as denim and velvet. Big skirts and thin waists were taken straight from the Victorian times and put into iconic looks in the 40s and 50s like Dior's New Look 1947.

50s dress

Victorian corseted dress

Denim Corset

Dior's New Look 1947

Paris, My Diary Part 3 of 3

Day 3 - 19:00 - French Time



The Glass Pyramids at Louvre



We had a great day today as well! We went to the Louvre and had to wait in a long queue for tickets, but we saw all the glass pyramids. In the Italian paintings we saw the Mona Lisa and some Bottecelli fresco paintings on plaster. There was also Monet, Delacroix and Canaletto. They were all amazing. But the best part of the day was seeing the 'Museé de mode et textile' which showed lots of contemporary designer collections from 1990 onwards. This included Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.

Day 4 - 17:45 - British Time

Just got on the train to Derby and I am sad the holiday is over. In St.Pancras International Mum bought a necklace from Fat Face and got me a London Postcard from Foyles.

My Favourite Holiday of my life yet :)