This weekend saw
Zara Phillips looking utterly resplendent as she walked down the aisle to
Mike Tindall wearing a classic gown designed by the
Queen's own couturier,
Stewart Parvin.
The full-skirted beauty was adorned with a row of covered buttons and topped off with a cathedral-length (ie: to the floor) veil, plus her mother's Greek key tiara.
But it wasn’t just the bride’s frock that had us agog – oh no. In fact, there was more coiffed hair under fancy hats than a day at the races and given the choice of footwear, we’re assuming a strict ‘Nude Heels Only’ memo. Seriously, what has
K-Middy started?! Happily, there were several colourful splashes too, not to mention a satisfying absence of headpieces resembling parts of the female anatomy. Phewf! So from the likes of
Princess Bea to err, that Irish one from
The Saturdays and some lass from
Corrie (oh yes), let’s take a look at Zara’s wedding belles
We begin, of course, with
Kate Middleton. The
Duchess of Cambridge chose a brocade coat by
Jane Troughton in an understated,
Mother-
Middy-would-approve creamy tone to avoid upstaging the bride. How sweet. Plus, being a bona fide recessionista, this is another recycled number – not only did Kate wear it for the 2006 wedding of
Laura Parker Bowles but also for last May’s wedding of
Mel Nicholson and
Oli Baker. What's more, DoC accessorised the look with –
quelle surprise! – her trusty
LK Bennett shoes and matching clutch.
The hat, however, is entirely new and, sitting at a precariously jaunty angle, makes a more adventurous statement than we’re used to. Indeed, following on from
Beatrice’s pretzel-as-a-hat, Kate’s headgear has already garnered comparisons to a pringle –
how rude! But note the gorgeously feminine flowers on the under side and did we mention forehead fascinators are sooo OTM? Exactly.
As for the maven of bonkers wedding wear,
Bea continued her sartorial epiphany with a fabulous fitted jacket with flared peplum detail by
Angela Kelly over a matching dress covered in corsages and
Swarorski crystals. And proving just how far she’s come post hat-gate, Bea wisely opted for a subtle satellite dish-inspired hat. One Tweeter asked, ‘Is Beatrice helping Sky get close-up coverage
Bea’s sister
Eugenie also fared better than she did on 29th April. Her very safe chocolate-brown dress with an oyster-coloured fitted jacket guarantees she won't fall into Ugly Sisters territory again, but we can't help wondering if it's too frumpy for the 21-year-old
Oh, how we love
Camilla’s hat. Granted, it is a tad sprouty and pot-plant-esque, but the delicate feather-like detailing makes it an original and youthful creation, dontcha think? As for the tailored silk jacket, no prizes for guessing this one’s by
Anna Valentine, the same designer who made the
Duchess of Cornwall’s elegant outfit for
Wills and
Kate’s Big Day, as well as her own.
A refreshingly summery sight came courtesy of Coronation Street actress Katherine Kelly who swooshed into Canongate Kirk sporting cascading ruffles on a flowing neutral gown, polished off with a bold colour-popping, wide-brimmed hat and matching orange clutch. What a winner. And if you’re wondering why a (whisper it) CORRIE star is at a royal wedding, it’s because Katherine was a former classmate of the groom. So now you know.
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