Silk Fabric Guide
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Royal Wedding Dresses & How to Recreate the Look?
An overview of some historic royal wedding dresses, for those seeking to emulate the look. Providing suggestions for fabrics to create the same overall appearance. From Princess Elizabeth our late Queens embellished gown to Megan Markle’s understated elegance, this is a guide for anyone interested in royal wedding fashion.
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MEGHAN MARKLE
DESIGNER: CLAIRE WAIGHT KELLER | DATE: 19TH MAY 2018
Meghan kept her wedding dress very simple. There was no embellishment or lace, creating a timeless piece. The dress was made from a double bonded silk cady which the designer helped create, chosen because of its sculptural properties. The veil was 16.5 feet long and made from silk tulle with hand embroidered flowers representing all 53 countries of the Commonwealth.
Get the look: Double Faced Satin Silk White & Silk Tulle Ivory (Soft)
CATHERINE MIDDLETON
DESIGNER: SARAH BURTON | DATE: 29TH APRIL 2011
The now Princess of Wales wanted to combine the traditional with the more modern for her wedding dress. The stunning dress was made of a satin gazar with lace appliqued onto tulle. The lace applique was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework and all of the fabrics with the exception of the french chantilly lace, were sourced by UK companies. The train was nearly 9 feet long, quite short by royal standards.
Get the look: Satin Silk Heavy White (Crepe backed) & Silk Tulle Ivory (Soft)
SARAH FERGUSON
DESIGNER: LINDA CIERACH | DATE: 23RD JULY 1986
Sarah Ferguson wore an Ivory Duchess Satin Silk gown for her big day. The dress was typical 80’s fashion and was inspired by that most famous wedding dress – Princess Diana’s. The gown had large three-quarter length puffed sleeves and a 17-foot train. The dress was heavily beaded including the initials A & S sewn in silver beads on the train.
Get the look: Duchess Satin Ivory
LADY DIANA SPENCER
DESIGNER: DAVID AND ELIZABETH EMMANUEL | DATE: 29TH JULY 1981
The most famous wedding dress of all. The dress was designed knowing that it would have to go down as one of the most dramatic dresses in history. Made of silk taffeta with a net petticoat. The train was an incredible 25 feet long which accounted for the creases in the dress (it had to be squeezed into the glass coach). The dress was hand embroidered with pearls and sequins and chosen as one of the “Most Influential British Royal Wedding Dresses of All Time” by Time magazine in 2018.
Get the look: Habotai Silk Heavy No.10 White, Nylon Net Amelie White (GB2429/B) & Nylon Net Amelie Ivory
PRINCESS ANNE
DESIGNER: MAUREEN BAKER AT SUSAN SMALL | DATE: 14TH NOVEMBER 1973
When Princess Anne married Mark Phillips on her brother’s 25th birthday she chose a dress which was very much in keeping with fashion at the time. The dress had a Tudor style high neck, pin-tucked bodice, trumpet sleeves and a 7-foot train. The dress was made of white silk satin with pearls woven into the dress using silver thread.
Get the look: Satin Silk QP54 White & Satin Silk Pavona White
PRINCESS MARGARET
DESIGNER: NORMAN HARTNELL | DATE: 6TH MAY 1960
Margaret was definitely a fashionista and her wedding dress did not disappoint. As it was the first Royal wedding to be televised, there was a lot of pressure to wear the perfect dress. Margaret wanted her dress to be classic so not to take away from her beautiful frame. The dress had long sleeves with a voluminous skirt and a small train. The skirt alone consisted of 30 metres of fabric. The dress was mostly made of organza silk.
Get the look: Organza Silk Ivory & Organza Silk White
PRINCESS ELIZABETH, OUR LATE QUEEN ELIZABETH II
DESIGNER: NORMAN HARTNELL | DATE: 20TH NOVEMBER 1947
Our late Queen’s dress was actually paid for with ration coupons due to the recent second world war. Many women from all over the country posted their own coupons for the Queen to use, she of course returned them all along with thank you notes. The dress was made from Ivory Silk Satin and was embellished with crystals and 10,000 seed pearls. It was embroidered with motifs of scattered flowers as was the silk tulle veil. The neckline was heart shaped, the sleeves full length, and it had a magnificent 15 foot train. It took a team of 350 to make this amazing gown.
Get the look: Duchess Satin Ivory & Silk Tulle Ivory (Soft)