The happy couple driving off, photo courtesy The Telegraph
Congratulations to the happy royal couple!
Everyone loves a pageant and today’s ceremonies certainly fall into that category. Even a hardened cynic can’t help but smile at the spectacle and extravagance of the day.
Now it’s time for the task of figuring out not what they wore – there are a million other sites for that, including The Telegraph – but why they wore it.
In truth, despite it making poor copy, I think almost everyone struck an appropriate and resolutely “on message” tone.
Carole Middleton, as mother of the bride, had perhaps the hardest job. Every considerate mother must appear calm and elegant while never appearing to be trying to upstage the bride. Her last-minute choice of a Catherine Walker dress was perfect for this purpose. Perhaps it is a trifle subtextually awkward that she was one of the late Diana’s favourite designers, but it nonetheless looked decidedly in tune with her role today. It is interesting to note she was initially meant to wear a different dress; I’m curious to know what aspects of that dress she disliked.
Pippa Middleton had to be pristine, yet unintimidating, as the maid-of-honour. Her deceptively simple white gown sent out all the right messages, with more than a whiff of vestal virgin about it. It lent her authority beyond her years, and a discreet sexuality, while still being superficially innocent.
Kate herself wore a Sarah Burton/Alexander McQueen wedding dress. In keeping with that house’s sense of humour, it was elegant with an underlying trace of cheekiness in using the lace and veil to evoke an almost nunnery image. Parallels with Grace Kelly and contrasts to Diana are already being drawn, but it was entirely in keeping with her intent to appear more relaxed than some previous royal brides, while still being traditional.
The men in ceremonial uniform generally looked correct, and most of those in morning dress were fine too. But men have fewer opportunities to send subversive messages on these sort of occasions, and to get it wrong. Most of the details are so prescribed that room for expression is limited. One might wonder why William chose that particular uniform to wear, from the range to which he is entitled, but I think that’s a fairly barren field to plough.
The only minor faux pas was David Beckham wearing his honour on the wrong lapel, which speaks more about the unexpectedly elevated position in the world he finds himself sometimes, than about any deliberate intent. There was some pre-wedding controversy as to whether Prime Minister David Cameron would wear a morning suit, although of course in the end he did. While it must have been tempting to send a calculated political message of “normality” by opting for a lounge suit, it would come across as both false and prideful (akin to Gordon Brown’s avoidance of formalwear at the annual Mansion House dinners). The morning suit was more in keeping with the occasion than a lounge suit would have been, although I feel compelled to note that the trousers could have been hemmed another inch and still offered a half-break. Perhaps that is his way of ceding to an everyman look, as those who’ve attended any wedding with the groom in a rented morning suit would attest… In any event, his wife Samantha also did her bit for appearing in touch with the High Street by wearing a (relatively) inexpensive Burberry dress and no hat. She still looked impressive.
Finally, leaving the main wedding party – and subtext – aside, I think my personal favourite outfit was Zara Phillips’ lovely silver dress. If I was feeling bitchy, I’d point out that Princess Eugenie chose an unfortunate silhouette, that Sally Bercow (the Speaker’s wife) showed too much flesh, and that Justine Thornton (Ed Miliband’s fiancee) looked totally out of her depth. But it’s a day of celebration, so I’ll stop there.
Although I do feel compelled to add, in Private Eye lookalike tradition, that Princess Beatrice has probably watched Conan the Barbarian a few too many times…
