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The wedding dress of the century
Words Jade Johnson
It was the dress of every little girl’s dream. A moment in which magic was truly made where an emerging 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer graced the isle of St Paul's Cathedral July 29th, 1981. With over 600,000 people outside the church and throughout the surrounding streets trying to catch a glimpse of the magic in addition to the 3500 guests sat inside and approximately 750 million tuned in globally to witness future style icon, Princess Diana, marry Prince Charles.
‘Most closely guarded secret in fashion history’
In an effort to support the UK fashion industry, young upcoming and local designers, David and Elizabeth Emmanuel were commissioned by Princess Diana to design and create the royal wedding dress. David Emmanuel later goes onto explain in interviews that Lady Diana simply called the designers and booked an appointment like any other bride would do…except this time it was to be fit for a true princess. It should be noted that the designer couple had previously created a striking black strapless gown which caught the eye of numerous media outlets, giving the nickname ‘Daring Di’.
David and Elizabeth worked alongside the princess to-be for months to create what would later become known as the ‘most closely guarded secret in the fashion industry’ protecting the secrecy of the design by disposing of sketches and only releasing official designs to the press on the morning of the wedding. In the event that the designs were leaked early, they had even created a back-up look. Let’s talk about the dress, a silk taffeta ballgown with a gently scooped modest neckline, signature 80’s oversized shoulders and 3 quarter length puffy sleeves. The gown featured details such as bows and antique lace around the bodice, collar and sleeves and was adorned with 10,000 pearls and sequins which extended through to the phenomenal 25ft train. For the skirt of the dress, the shape was upheld with the use of tulle petticoats which sparked a wave of full and voluptuous gowns throughout the bridal market.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue
In keeping with tradition, Princess Diana had sentimental elements added to her gown and utilised family heirlooms to accessories as part of her overall bridal look. Antique lace from Queen Mary was used for her something old, a blue-ribbon bow was sewn inside the dress for her something blue, her tiara was her something borrowed from the Spencer family collection and finally for the craftsmanship of the gown, British spun silk from silkworms, created the fabric for her something new.
Finishing touches
In addition to the custom one-of-a-kind gown, the Emmanuel’s also designed a matching umbrella for Princess Diana in the event it rained. Fortunately, this did not come into fruition as it is said that the fabric for the umbrella was so light it would not have done the Princess much use! The wedding shoes took a total of 6 months to be handmade by cobbler Clive Shilton who was under the instruction of ensuring that the heel height was to be short enough so that the 5ft 10 Princess would not tower over her husband to be. Clive then encrusted the silk and lace slippers with matching pearls and sequins and in true trend setting fashion, Princess Diana had requested for custom initials to be incorporated into the design. Finally, we cannot forget about the veil which reached an impressive 153 yards in length.
Whilst we hear of all the minor mishaps that may have occurred on the day of the wedding such as perfume spilling on the dress or the fabric wrinkling, for this young bride I believe it is safe to say, she walked in on a lady and came out as a Princess.
Experience the magic
For the first time in 25 years, Princess Diana’s wedding dress has been made available for viewing at Kensington Palace as part of the ‘Royal Style in The Making’ exhibition till 2nd January 2022. This exhibition is perfect for those who love historical fashion providing the opportunity for the public to learn in depth about the process and construction behind many royal masterpieces and get an exclusive look at some never-before-seen archived couture pieces. However, for many, it is the opportunity to relive their childhood dreams and for others it may create new dreams and continue to inspire wedding dresses of the future.
Source: vogue.com