Kate, the royal wedding, and the inspiration behind her wedding dress.

Congratulations to Kate & William! And bonus points for plumping for Alexander McQueen.

Source: BBC News

We love it, but it does remind us of someone else. The words Grace Kelly were used a lot in the initial reaction to the dress, but there is a very good reason for this:

Source: Vogue

There’s an excellent piece in The Guardian from Jessica Cartner-Morley about the impact of Kate’s dress, and we couln’t have put it better ourselves:

“The message of this wedding dress is clear. Kate looks every bit the princess, but nothing at all like Princess Diana. My fear before the wedding was that, in wanting to avoid the overblown, Dynasty-esque glamour of Diana, Kate would opt for safety and understatement. Instead, the slender lace sleeves and the glory of the swagged train, the piety of the neckline and the splendour of the chantilly lace all draw on the wedding dress of fashion’s favourite princess bride, Grace Kelly. With this dress, Kate has redrawn the order of princess succession. She has stepped out of Diana’s shadow, but by making a strong visual connection to Princess Grace, made a strong statement that she intends to look every inch the princess.”

It looks like Kate, who up until now has not scored high in the style-stakes, may well become our favourite contender for the fashion crown.