The Role of Alexander McQueen Designs in the Princess of Wales’s Wardrobe

Today, we take an in-depth look at the role Alexander McQueen designs have played in the Princess of Wales’s working wardrobe, but first, some news: the Princess returned to work yesterday, holding an Early Years meeting at Windsor Castle. More from The Telegraph’s coverage. 

The Princess of Wales has returned to work for the first time since starting cancer treatment with a meeting about her early childhood project.

Catherine appeared in the Court Circular, the official record of the Royal family’s activities, for a meeting at Windsor Castle as she begins easing back into “a handful” of engagements over the coming months.

She is understood to have been joined by members of her team at the Centre for Early Childhood, as well as Kensington Palace staff.

It is the first meeting noted in the Court Circular this year since the Princess withdrew from public life, first for major abdominal surgery and then for chemotherapy.

That is good news, indeed. (There are no photos from yesterday’s meeting.)

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On the roster of “go-to designers” for the Princess of Wales, the House of McQueen was always at the top of the list. The Princess clearly had a superb working relationship with the brand and its creative director, Sarah Burton. The first manifestation of that relationship was evident in the wedding gown created for the nuptials of then-Kate Middleton and Prince William.

Over the years, Ms. Burton’s creations have played a pivotal role in the Princess’s wardrobe—more from The Guardian’s coverage.

Burton had been in her role just a year when she made the royal wedding dress, which had a rapturous reception among the public and fashion critics, putting Burton in the spotlight and transforming the perception of the Alexander McQueen name from a brand mired in tragedy, which counted gothic skull-print scarves as its best seller, into a house of femininity, craftsmanship and British luxury.

And from The Standard’s coverage of Ms. Burton’s departure from the label. 

Despite being so early in her tenure, Burton’s work on Kate’s wedding dress, which featured a delicate V neckline, plenty of lace, and a nine-foot train, may go down as her magnum opus. In 2011, when the UK first laid eyes on Kate in her dress, it stunned a whole nation into believing they could pull off lace sleeves. Now, according to Google search data, Kate’s wedding dress still receives an average of 16,480 estimated monthly searches, even in 2023.

Shortly after the royal wedding, Burton reflected upon her decision to become creative director of Alexander McQueen, telling Vogue: “I definitely considered not taking this job. I was at such a loss, he was such a huge part of my life, my every day. I could finish his sentences but I didn’t know that I could begin anything, and that terrified me.” Then, referencing Kate’s dress, she added: “Out of such terrible, tragic times and from under this dark cloud came that dress.”

Below, Sarah Burton is seen making final adjustments to the gown and veil at the 2011 wedding.

We learn more in this Telegraph story by Caroline Leaper. 

Burton had worked under the label’s founder, Lee McQueen, for more than 14 years before his untimely death in February 2010, and was appointed as his successor that May. She is credited for successfully continuing his design legacy, adapting the house’s darkly romantic codes to suit a new generation of fans – including bringing in the Princess as a star client.   

Below, the Duchess of Cambridge wearing the second gown designed by Sarah Burton for her wedding in 2011. Ms. Burton was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 2012 for her services to the fashion industry.

Last September’s announcement of Ms. Burton’s departure from Alexander McQueen sent shock waves through the fashion world and a tremor or two among those following British royal fashion. One need only look at McQueen designs worn by the Princess of Wales and the occasions for which they were worn to recognize the impact Sarah Burton and the brand had on her wardrobe. Below, the three Alexander McQueen ensembles worn by the Duchess of Cambridge for her children’s christenings.

We return to Jess Carter-Morely’s Guardian story. 

At Burton’s last collection for McQueen, presented at Paris fashion week as she said goodbye to a brand to which she has dedicated her entire 26-year career, there was not a dry eye in the house. Burton dedicated the show “to the memory of Lee Alexander McQueen, whose wish was always to empower women, and to the passion, talent and loyalty of my team”. 

Her departure from McQueen raises the question of whether she will continue in the unofficial role of go-to designer for the now Princess of Wales, a relationship that has strengthened during the 12 years since the royal wedding, with Burton creating looks for many key occasions, including a black coat dress worn to the Queen’s funeral.

The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte both wore Alexander McQueen designs for the King’s coronation in May 2023.

You can better see the gown in this group photo. 

Designs by the brand were seen at many somber occasions. Here are three Remembrance Sunday looks. From left to right, the Military Jacket worn in 2018, the Velvet Trim Coat Double-Breasted Coat seen in 2015, and on the right, the Flared Wool Coat worn in 2014.

The Princess of Wales chose three Alexander McQueen designs when posing for a series of official photo portraits marking her 40th birthday in 2022.

Designs from the House of McQueen were part of many Trooping the Colour ceremonies. 

Sarah Burton’s deft skills were evident in formalwear designs worn by the Princess. Below, the gold and ivory evening gown for the Duchess of Cambridge’s first state dinner in Malaysia during the 2012 Jubilee tour and the lavender dress seen at the 2011 Los Angeles BAFTA gala. 

Both styles were repurposed for second wearings. We saw the gold and ivory design again at the 2020 BAFTA Awards and the lavender dress at the 2021 EarthShot Awards. 

Other notable evening gowns include the lacy white style seen at the 2019 state dinner honoring the United States, the black velvet dress worn for the 2019 diplomatic reception, and the ruched blue design worn to the 2018 state banquet in honor of the Netherlands.

You see the broad range of formalwear styles by the brand in this montage: the one-shouldered gown worn to the 2019 BAFTAs, the cape-effect style worn for a 2018 black-tie dinner in Norway, and the Lilies of the Valley dress seen at the 2017 BAFTAs.  

Alexander McQueen designs also played a significant role on royal tours. Below, the white Broderie Anglaise suit worn in Singapore during the 2012 Jubilee Tour, the soft pink Wool Cashmere Peplum Dress seen in Australia in 2014, the blue Utility Coat seen in New Zealand in 2014 (see repeat wearings below), the separates worn in Mumbai at the start of the 2016 India and Bhutan tour, and the cocktail dress chosen for a 2017 reception at the British Embassy in Paris.  

Other tour looks include another Broderie Anglaise design worn during the 2016 Canada tour, the red maxi dress seen in Berlin in 2017 for a party at the British Ambassador’s residence, the dove grey suit worn to an Easter Sunday church service in Sydney, Australia (repeated in 2019), and the ivory Peplum Dress seen when the Cambridges arrived in Poland.  

But the Princess didn’t just rely on the house for formal occasions of state. Here, you see three tailored coats; all are double-breasted midi-length designs with padded shoulders, peak lapels, front pocket flaps, a fitted silhouette, and a defined waistline. On the left, the brown coat worn during the 2022 Boston trip; in the center, the green style seen when the Princess launched her “Shaping Us” campaign in Leeds in 2023; and on the right, the vibrant red design worn several times, including to a 2022 rugby match.

One of the most frequently repeated coats by the brand is the deep green design most recently seen on Christmas Day 2022. It was also worn for the launch of the royal train tour in December 2020, during a March 2020 visit to Galway, and at a January 2020 visit to Bradford, West Yorkshire, the first time it was noted. 

The blue Utility Coat has also been seen four times: the initial 2014 appearance at the Blenheim War Memorial in New Zealand, in June 2014 for D-Day 70th anniversary events at Normandy, at an RAF Air Cadets engagement in February 2016, and again at a 2019 ship-naming ceremony. 

The Princess chose vibrant red separates by Alexander McQueen when launching her Shaping Us campaign in January 2023. More recently, the Princess has looked to the label for its tailored separates.

Last week, we learned about Sarah Burton’s next position: she is the new creative director for Givenchy. In a statement on the Givenchy site, Ms.Burton noted, “It is a great honour to be joining the beautiful house of Givenchy, it is a jewel. I am so excited to be able to write the next chapter in the story of this iconic house and to bring to Givenchy my own vision, sensibility and beliefs.”

I can envision the Princess occasionally wearing a Givenchy design or two but don’t expect it to become part of her regular designer rotation. 

Alexander McQueen’s creative director is Dublin-born Seán McGirr. He has a Master of Arts in Fashion from Central Saint Martins, and his bio notes he was “Head of Ready-to-Wear at JW Anderson and previously held roles at Dries Van Noten, Uniqlo, Burberry, and Vogue Hommes Japan.” Below, you see Mr. McGirr and Lana del Rey at the 2024 Met Gala in May. 
Embed from Getty Images

More from this Vogue piece by Nicole Phelps. 

McGirr’s appointment sparked online sturm and drang — it was another man in another top design job, and this one particularly stinging because he was replacing the beloved Sarah Burton, who worked side by side with McQueen before his death. McGirr is respectful of Burton. “The vocabulary that McQueen put out there, that’s what Sarah was so amazing at; she carried that verve and amplified the codes.” 

Mr. McGirr’s second full collection will be shown at Paris Fashion Week on September 28.

Will the House of McQueen remain a “go-to” for the Princess of Wales? Below, the Princess in another Alexander McQueen design, a Black Watch tartan coat worn (from left to right) in 2019 for engagements in Dundee, Scotland in 2019, on Christmas Day 2013, and when it was first seen on St. Andrew’s Day in 2012 when Kate was visiting her old prep school.

Bethan Holt offers this insight in her Telegraph column. 

It was the beginning of a partnership between creative director and princess which would make the McQueen name synonymous with modern regal style. Burton created gowns for state banquets, power suits for daytime engagements and masterminded a series of Paolo Roversi portraits to commemorate Catherine’s 40th birthday. 

Whether the Princess will continue to commission McQueen remains to be seen – one of McGirr’s gem-encrusted power suits could be an interesting addition to her comeback wardrobe – but she always seemed to have more of an affinity with Burton herself. 

My guess is the Princess will continue to wear styles already in her wardrobe, especially the sleek suits we have seen in the last several years. But I think she will gravitate toward other designers, especially those also occupying spaces at the top of her favorite brands, like Catherine Walker, Jenny Packham, Emilia Wickstead, Erdem, and others.   

NOTE: The post originally included a Catherine Walker design, an error on my part. Thank you to Angelina for her comment alerting me to the error.