What (or Who) Kate Middleton Might Wear

This is a post we hadn’t anticipated writing for some time yet, we didn’t expect to hear about the designer for Kate Middleton’s wedding gown until The Big Day. Silly me.

For those not entirely familiar with the saga, conventional wisdom has it that Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen had been selected for the task. But things changed yesterday when Yvonne Yorke wrote that the designer is none other than Sophie Cranston, perhaps best known to our readers for this look.

The Libelula Dulwich coat, worn by Miss Middleton in January. (For more on that look, it is discussed at length in this post.) From the Yvonne York article:

“Through my insider sources, I’ve heard who was designing Catherine’s wedding dress four months ago but kept it a secret in accordance with palace wishes…. everyone else was certain that Bruce Oldfield was the chosen designer. The relentless media speculation then moved on to a host of other names such as Alice Temperley, and even Victoria Beckham, before settling on front-runner Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.”

Below, a promotional graphic with Libelula dresses gives you an idea of Ms. Cranston’s design aesthetic.

In addition to ready-to-wear, Libellula offers bespoke wedding gowns.

More from Ms. Yorke’s HuffPo story:

“Since establishing Libelula in 2002, Cranston has gradually acquired a loyal and discerning clientele which includes Catherine and the Middleton ladies, as well as Emma Watson, Jerry Hall and writer Celia Warden who married fellow journalist Piers Morgan last year in a Libelula gown.

Here are two of the wedding dresses currently in the Libelula lookbook.

Many of the designer’s frocks are done in silk georgette and cut on the bias.

Additional design elements favored by Ms. Cranston, cap and waterfall sleeves; many dresses also feature a deep v-neck, as well as elaborate seaming under the bust.

Ms. Yorke is not the only individual to suggest Ms. Cranston might be selected as the designer, The Sun named her as one of five  likely choices for the commission.  (No, you are not hallucinating, The Sun superimposed Miss Middleton’s face into the image below.)

While admiring Ms. Cranston’s obvious talent in working with fabric cut on the bias for such beautiful draping, the designs seem too flighty, overly ruffled and fussy for Miss Middleton. And while many of us think of Ms. Cranstons designs as being similar to that black velvet coat, with its cleaner lines and more tailored appearance, that is not most representative of the designer’s work.

(BTW, for those fond of the Dulwich Coat, it is still available on the website.)