Friday, April 29, 2011

Wedding Gowns Fit for a Princess

I couldn't help but to write a little something about the Royal Wedding--how could I ignore such a momentous event?  Back in the day (we're talking the early 80s) when my mom was a mere tween, she stayed up until three in the morning to watch Princess Diana's wedding ceremony live, and then later, in 1986, she lost a bit of shut-eye over Prince Andrew's wedding. (Thank goodness for TiVo! Now we can even fast-forward  through commercials.) I was therefore excited to witness my first royal wedding and share that moment with my mummy.

After a few hours of being transported into a world of glorious pageantry and such exuberance (and patriotism...ah, the UK!) via our television screen, it was a bit depressing to find that I had fallen back into the real world, like Alice awaking from her fantastical dream about Wonderland, once the festivities had ended.

The most anticipated and exciting moment was seeing the bride and her gown. Seeing Kate Middleton step out of the automobile before Westminster Abbey made me think instantly of Grace Kelly's wedding gown. I then thought of all my favorite gowns from Hollywood that would make stunning wedding ensembles. Continue reading for pictures.

Catherine Middleton (2011)

Grace Kelly   
Grace Kelly and Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (1956)


Grace Kelly (1956)
Grace Kelly's beauty and... well, grace, for lack of a better word, was extraordinary. Her wedding gown spoke to her feminine and glamorous style, a style that launched her as a fashion icon in the 1950s and had already made her Hollywood royalty. Kate Middleton made a wise choice in emulating the actress's sumptuous and elegant lace gown.


Audrey Hepburn 
Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face" (1957)
I admire the crisp minimalism and sophisticated lines Audrey Hepburn's character Jo Stockton dons for a photo shoot in the musical  "Funny Face." It is the quintessential Audrey dress in its simplistic elegance and beautifully form-fitting silhouette. The little white bow atop her head and its unpretentious veil emphasize those doe-like eyes and her gamine innocence. Classic.

Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face" (1957)


Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady" (1964)


Audrey Hepburn from set of "My Fair Lady" (1964)
I remember watching "My Fair Lady" when I was about ten or eleven, but it wasn't until I revisited the film as an adult that I was struck by how stunning and regal Audrey Hepburn appears in her Embassy costume. Photos of the original Eliza Doolittle, Julie Andrews, in her Embassy gown, don't cut a candle to this. With her towering hair piled atop her head like a crown of curls adorned with a tear drop tiara and her beaded Edwardian gown whose gems glisten like drops of dew or fresh snow, Audrey Hepburn reminds me of a radiant snow queen in the purest essence of beauty. In my opinion, this would make the perfect, regal wedding ensemble.

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