Telling a bride in a wedding dress with a plunging neckline, garter-revealing slit skirt or lace-trimmed corset that she looks like a princess might be kind, but it’s inaccurate. And no, adding a tiara won’t make a difference.
“It’s regal to wear something more covered up,” says designer Stephanie Caltabiano of Sant Elia in Sydney.
The royal wedding of Princess Iman Bint Abdullah II in Dior and Jameel Alexander Thermiotis took place on March 12, 2023 in Amman, Jordan. Credit:Getty
This month Princess Iman bint Abdullah of Jordan drove the point home at the Beit al Urdun Palace in Amman, wearing a floor-length Christian Dior haute couture dress with long sleeves, A-line skirt, square neckline and high lace collar, with a tiara from Chaumet, for her wedding to financier Jameel Alexander Thermiotis.
Covering up might be expected from a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, according to the Royal Hashemite Court website, but also it’s part of a global princess push.
“We have more brides wanting to look regal,” bridal designer Steven Khalil says. “Kate Middleton is a big part of this change in direction. People would like to be classic but conservative. It can be quite fashionable to be more modest.”
The refined boat neck, silk cady dress by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy worn by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on her wedding day in 2018 didn’t have quite the same pull. “Kate’s was more memorable than Meghan’s wedding dress,” Khalil says. “People didn’t understand the simplicity of that one. Kate’s was a far more memorable moment.”
It will be 12 years next month since the debut of Princess Catherine’s full-skirted wedding dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, with lace sleeves and a high collar. Surely, the Kate Effect is fading?
“Trends move much more slowly in the bridal world,” Caltabiano says. “The timing of the influence is not as fast as in mainstream fashion. Brides see something and hold on to the idea until their wedding day.”
“Strangely we are seeing a resurgence of clients coming in for these Grace Kelly high-collar styles. Two years ago, these women would have been asking for a glittering, beaded dress.”
London, London, Paris: Prince William and Princess Catherine in Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton on their wedding day, April 29, 2011; Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in Givenchy on their wedding day, May 19, 2018; Paris Hilton and Carter Ruem on their wedding day, November 11, 2021.Credit:AP, Getty
The princess push is not confined to palaces. Khalil points to the popularity of reality star Paris Hilton’s conservative Oscar de la Renta wedding dress, with long sleeves and 20 layers of tulle worn above a crinoline petticoat.
“I loved Princess Grace Kelly and always thought about how she was so elegant and iconic, and I knew I wanted to be elegant like her when I walked down the aisle,” Hilton captioned a post on Instagram following her 2021 nuptials.
To join Hilton in the great cover-up brides are trading extreme embellishment for sculptural fabrics such as duchesse satin and silk mikado.
“We are moving away from the beading and too much detail,” Khalil says. “We tend to get the more sophisticated and elegant brides seeking simpler fabrics that can be worked into beautiful silhouettes.”
Sydney-based influencer and pharmacist Sana Sayed says the covered-up approach is spreading beyond weddings into the broader community. Sayed champions modest dressing in everyday life, which she refined as a hijab-wearing member of the Afghan community.
“I think modesty is not just a religious type of thing,” Sayed says. “It’s now fashionable and to me, it looks great. People are choosing modest outfits to feel more comfortable and empowered.”
With a large following in the Middle East, Sayed says that Princess Iman’s mother, Queen Rania of Jordan, has exerted a stronger influence of fashion up until now.
“I had to look up Princess Iman, but I think that she looks beautiful. That is how I want to be on my wedding day.”
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