Least Favourite Royal Wedding Dress

[LauraMCS]

Mabel's dress was just so weird...I think I have now developed a phobia to bows.....

Whenever I see a picture of Mabel's dress, I can't help but picture her in a scene from the movie "The Birds". Instead of Tippi Hedren being attacked by a flock of evil birds, Mabel gets attacked by 248 deranged bows on her way to the church.

 

[Alexandria]

Whenever I see a picture of Mabel's dress, I can't help but picture her in a scene from the movie "The Birds". Instead of Tippi Hedren being attacked by a flock of evil birds, Mabel gets attacked by 248 deranged bows on her way to the church.

A very funny comparison LauraMCS!

In defence of Mabel (maybe I am the only one!), I think the neckline, cut and shape of her dress was very nice. It was just all those bows that made her dress so over the top. Maybe if there had only been 148 bows it would've been better!

If Mabel, Viktor & Rolf wanted a memorable dress however they certainly got it! More than a year and a half later everyone's still talking about what an interesting dress it was!

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

Mabel's gown will go down in TRF history as the most puzzling design for a wedding gown All Hail to our Lady of the Bows!

Lol, yes it will be. Mabel's dress was, to me, very unfortunate maybe that is why JF wasn't smiling; it was simply the shock and horror of it all.

 

[Infanta Paulette]

I thought I posted this before but i dont see my post in here hmm.

Well I think Princess Sayako looked terrible at her wedding. The dress is very ill fitting. Not flattering at all.

 

[LauraMCS]

A very funny comparison LauraMCS!

In defence of Mabel (maybe I am the only one!), I think the neckline, cut and shape of her dress was very nice. It was just all those bows that made her dress so over the top. Maybe if there had only been 148 bows it would've been better!

If Mabel, Viktor & Rolf wanted a memorable dress however they certainly got it! More than a year and a half later everyone's still talking about what an interesting dress it was!

I absolutely agree with you about the dress in general. With (many) fewer bows the dress would have been beautiful. I thought the cut and neckline was perfect and very flattering on her.

I think Mabel and V&R have a good thing going in terms of their designer/client relationship. They obviously "get" her style and she is a very loyal client to them.

 

[Meredith]

We'll certainly have to agree to disagree, because if this is ugly, I don't know what is beautiful anymore.

Letizia's choice was perfect, she was poised and elegant and her dress did not look frumpy, the hairstyle flattered her - softened her strong features, and her makeup was gorgeous.

Together with Mathilde, Cristina, Claire and Maxima, this is one of my favorite wedding gowns. And she looked radiant in her wedding day.

Corbis & Diario de Navarra

 

[Elspeth]

Well, Mabel's dress was certainly different; I was really amazed to see a royal bride in a getup like that.

However, I still prefer it to Annette's dress. Annette's dress was too much for her, it didn't fit, it was too short, it was rumpled, and the veil was overpowering. She was completely lost inside that dress, and it wasn't a bit flattering. I think the least we could expect from a royal bride is to have a dress that fits, not one that looks as though it's trying to engulf its wearer and take over.

 

[pdas1201]

Please remember to credit the source for your images, else they will be deleted without notice.

 

[melissajames]

If Mabel, Viktor & Rolf wanted a memorable dress however they certainly got it!

Yes, it is like one of the those really bad adverts that you remember for the rest of your life...negative marketing!!!

 

[pinklady1991]

My four favorites were Maxima, Anita van Eijck (the most recent Dutch wedding), and Mary. I did like Letizia's but I thought the collar was a little much for the simplicity of the dress...but she carried it off brilliantly. I could never do the same.

 

[mgrant]

Whenever I see a picture of Mabel's dress, I can't help but picture her in a scene from the movie "The Birds". Instead of Tippi Hedren being attacked by a flock of evil birds, Mabel gets attacked by 248 deranged bows on her way to the church.

LauraMCS, I'm laughing so hard at your message I have tears rolling down my face!!!!

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

Well, Mabel's dress was certainly different; I was really amazed to see a royal bride in a getup like that.

However, I still prefer it to Annette's dress. Annette's dress was too much for her, it didn't fit, it was too short, it was rumpled, and the veil was overpowering. She was completely lost inside that dress, and it wasn't a bit flattering. I think the least we could expect from a royal bride is to have a dress that fits, not one that looks as though it's trying to engulf its wearer and take over.

I can't find the thread about Annette's wedding, Elspeth, do you have any pics so I know what you are talking about?

 

[Alexandria]

I can't find the thread about Annette's wedding, Elspeth, do you have any pics so I know what you are talking about?

You can see Princess Annette's dress in this post from our June newsletter or this thread on Princess Annette and Prince Bernhard Jr.'s wedding.

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

Thank you very much.

I can now see why some find Annette's dress ill-fitting. The cut is awful especially at her feet. It seems that they sewed it together in one hour. The veil is not a good choice either. It's too bad, she's quite beautiful.

 

[princess olga]

LauraMCS, I'm laughing so hard at your message I have tears rolling down my face!!!!

Now, now.

I happen to agree about the bows on Mabel's dress, but I'm with Alexandria regarding the dress itself.

Seriously, if you 'think away' the bows, the cut and the fabric are just exquisite. If these bows hadn't happened to that gown, it would be one of my favorite bridal gowns of royal brides EVER.

Of course, needless to say, these bows just ruined it. But even WITH the bows, I agree that Annette's dress was way way worse.

 

[hania]

pls post annette dress I cant remember

 

[Maxie]

Here you go, Hania.
I think it's especially the veil that is horrific. The dress is a bit matronly (not my style) but the veil makes her look like she's on big wedding cake...



Picture of seegerpress.de

 

[melissajames]

Here you go, Hania.
I think it's especially the veil that is horrific. The dress is a bit matronly (not my style) but the veil makes her look like she's on big wedding cake...


Picture of seegerpress.de

The veil is quite big, but I think the dress is fine. Not the best I have seen ...and the style reminds me of Mathide's dress.

 

[Maxie]

And here's a better one, from ALP and originally posted by Mandy in the wedding thread of Bernhard and Annette, which can be found here



The fabric is weird too, it looks like it has to be ironed...
Such a shame, because she seems to be such a lovely person!

 

[pollyemma]

And here's a better one, from ALP and originally posted by Mandy in the wedding thread of Bernhard and Annette, which can be found here


The fabric is weird too, it looks like it has to be ironed...
Such a shame, because she seems to be such a lovely person!

yeah I agree. the fabric is so stiff. it doesnt help. i think the design is not very good. with the column skirt underneath the wider round one. if the underskirt were not so straight and tight the whole thing would move better.
the upperhalf of the dress is nice though.

 

[Maxie]

the upperhalf of the dress is nice though.

Yes, the neck line is actually quite nice, it really seems to fit Annette's sweet disposition...

 

[almab]

I went to the Princess Diana exhibit today. It is showing in Houston until Febrruary 5. It is hard to describe the wedding dress. It looks better to me in photographs. It is also hard to believe that such an important wedding had such an understated dress. It is very plain. The lace is beautiful but seems too narrow for the length of the train. It has some sparkle from the irricescent sequins sewn on the lace. Some are also sewn on the veil. But the sparkle wasn't enough to really make a showing.

It seems most everyone dislikes the dress. I read somewhere - don't know if it is true or not - that the designers fashioned the dress after Cinderella. That might be an urban rumor, but the dress does look like the one in Disney. I think she should have used more seasoned designers. She was very young and very in love when she chose the dress, and I think the design shows her young romantic taste at the time. One of the early dresses in the exhibit showed this same quality, the ruffles, bows, etc.

 

[pinklady1991]

She was very young and very in love when she chose the dress, and I think the design shows her young romantic taste at the time. One of the early dresses in the exhibit showed this same quality, the ruffles, bows, etc.

My apologies for the editing, Alma. I guess the did have a Cinderella quality to it -- I was 11 when Diana got married and I thought it was just exquisite. I saw right past the puff sleeves, the wrinkles, etc. Today, well, it's not my taste but it fit right in with the very early 80's and set the "more is more" trend that highlighted fashion, especially bridal dresses, at that time. Thank goodness, Vera Wang came along. I don't think there was a lot of sequins on the dress b/c it was a morning wedding...you'd probably want to steer away from glitz.

My biggest disappointment was Jackie Kennedy's wedding gown...it was fine from the waist up but I still have no idea what anyone was thinking with those god awful, enormous lace flowers on the skirt. It's so bad, you rarely see photos of it. I know a lot of time and energy and material went into it, but for a woman with such impeccable taste, it boggles the mind.

 

[princess olga]

I went to the Princess Diana exhibit today. It is showing in Houston until Febrruary 5. It is hard to describe the wedding dress. It looks better to me in photographs. It is also hard to believe that such an important wedding had such an understated dress. It is very plain. The lace is beautiful but seems too narrow for the length of the train. It has some sparkle from the irricescent sequins sewn on the lace. Some are also sewn on the veil. But the sparkle wasn't enough to really make a showing.

I believe you when you say it looks better in photographs. Even back in the eighties on her wedding day, watching it on tv as a ten year old, I thought it was just a <terrible> dress. Although I'm not sure I follow when you say it's "plain". I take it you mean that the fabric seemed a bit dull for some reason? I would agree with you on that! Also, I think what made the dress look acceptable at all was the fact it was worn by a girl with amazing charisma.

It seems most everyone dislikes the dress. I read somewhere - don't know if it is true or not - that the designers fashioned the dress after Cinderella. That might be an urban rumor, but the dress does look like the one in Disney.

wow, never thought about it that way, but you are right, there's an uncanny resemblance!

I think she should have used more seasoned designers.

I agree in this particular case, as I've never really agreed with most designs the Emmanuels did.
But on the other hand, some indeed more seasoned designers have from time to time turned out equally terrible royal bridal gowns. (Even if they're off the hook because they lean too much to what the ignorant royal bride desperately wants)

Cases in point:

Valentino: yes he designed that gorgeous dress for Maxima, but remember, he also was responsible for Marie Chantal's hodge-podge, "yes-we're-trying-to-channel-grace-kelly-here"-over the top gown..

Marc Bohan of Dior for Silvia of Sweden: let's not forget that at the time, in 1976, when Silvia commissioned the dress, Marc Bohan was <the> designer in haute couture/fashion land. He was the Karl Lagerfeld and Tom Ford of his day combined. And yet this mediocre-at-best dress.

Victor and Rolf for Mabel. Certainly, in 2003 V and R were already well-respected designers in the most snobby of PAris couture circles. And the dress could've been one of the best ever, if it wasn't for the fact they are said to have listened to Mabel a bit too much who insisted on that ocean of bows. (or they are just cowards who unfairly blamed that bow-fest on innocent Mabel)

Frans Molenaar. This Dutch designer had a virtual monopoly in the Netherlands regarding designing for the upper class set in that country. And then he made Annette's dress....what a disappointment!

So even a well-known designer is not always the best bet. It is a tricky thing for these royal brides. Because they have the financial means and the incentive to have a truly original bridal gown (as in, couture), they basically commision and decide on, a sketch made by the designer based on his views and the bride's wishes.
What you then often get is that the gown that looked so incredible on a sketch, is a less than stellar thing in real life once it's all said and done. In my opinion, MAry of Denmark's dress is such an example. Stellar designer, great great sketch of her gown. But then once it was actually sewn together, in my opinion the result was just less than excellent...or in any case it in my opinion didn't compare in gloriousness to the sketch!

 

[crisiñaki]

I agree with princess olga, for example Infanta Cristina chose an almost unkown Spanish designer (at the time) called Lorenzo Caprile instead of a bigger name and the results were awesome, the wedding dress was incredible because he knew her so he could channel her personality and make the best dress for her; the mistake that many commit is that "I'm gonna dress by Dior or Armani" and sometimes the designer's style is not what suits that person best even if is beautiful and carefully tailored; your wedding dress should be done in a special way not one more of many of the same style

 

[almab]

I enjoyed all of the comments. You are right Princess Olga - it isn't so much about seasoned designers but using a designer who knows the person ...
I also agree that Diana's charisma is what carried the whole thing off. At the time, and still do, thought the bridesmaids dresses were prettier than Diana's.

And Jackie Kennedy's dress was pretty gruesome, too. I believe she wanted a more contemporary design but bowed to her husband's desire for a traditional dress? I read that somewhere - there are so many stories out there that I always have some doubt about whatever is in print.

 

[ysbel]

Diana's dress was the result of an up and coming design team that wanted to make a statement with the world watching. The wedding was very good publicity for them.

Diana was young and didn't have a lot of say over a lot of the wedding proceedings so its understandable that she wanted to make her own statement with her dress.

But the dress was very unflattering to her body type. She was tall and big and there was too much girly tissue looking fabric around her. Later she favored more simple cuts.

I've only seen Jackie's dress from the waist up so it looked fine to me. Mary's dress, I thought, was perfect for her body type. It accented the straight lines of her figure without being too severe. I think the headdress carried it off. It was very unusual yet very flattering to her face.

 

[Marengo]

Victor and Rolf for Mabel. Certainly, in 2003 V and R were already well-respected designers in the most snobby of PAris couture circles. And the dress could've been one of the best ever, if it wasn't for the fact they are said to have listened to Mabel a bit too much who insisted on that ocean of bows. (or they are just cowards who unfairly blamed that bow-fest on innocent Mabel)

Frans Molenaar. This Dutch designer had a virtual monopoly in the Netherlands regarding designing for the upper class set in that country. And then he made Annette's dress....what a disappointment!

I actually had a (short) chat with Viktor -a strange man btw- some time ago and he told me it was Mabel idea to make it more extravagant & with the big bows. Maybe she thought of the motto 'dress to impress', which she certainly did. (I know it is bad tatse to go namesdropping, but I swear it is the only one who approaches 'famous' that I talked to in my life ).

Frans Molenaar was a disappointment indeed. It seemed he tried to make a bad copy of Marilene's dress, mixed with some other things. Wasn't Margriets outfit at the wedding of WA and Maxima created by him as well?

Do you know where Marilene got her dress from? I remember it was made in Brussels, but I do not know the designer.

 

[Zonk]

Looking at Letizia's dress....I can understand why some people find fault with it. The collar did it for me..but I think the designer used historical context when making the dress. If you look at pics of old Spanish princess (think Katherine of Aragon) that style was big back in the 16th century. I also think that the bridesmaid dresses (which I also didn't like) had the same theme as well.

 

[pollyemma]

Looking at Letizia's dress....I can understand why some people find fault with it. The collar did it for me..but I think the designer used historical context when making the dress. If you look at pics of old Spanish princess (think Katherine of Aragon) that style was big back in the 16th century. I also think that the bridesmaid dresses (which I also didn't like) had the same theme as well.

exactly! thats what i loved about it too. i thought it was wonderful that she went for a historcal motif.