THE Dress

The ROYAL WEDDING is upon us! Only one more day left before Kate Middleton becomes Princess Catherine (please don't ask me why I care so much).

She may have Diana's ring, but one thing this bride will NOT share with the late princess is wedding dress taste. Kate will no doubt continue in her streak of elegance  with 

• Classic colors (think white or ivory) 
• Traditional silhouettes (A-line or ball gown) 
• Little of the frills, fluff and ruffles (simple--less is more!), and above all 
• MODESTY (yes...sleeves!). 

After all, she is getting married in the most famous Church ever and in front of a bazillion and a half people; aside from past pretense and social etiquette dictating against otherwise, a wardrobe malfunction would be the last thing this bride needs on her wedding day.

To get a feel for what her dress may look like, let's take a look at some of the royal weddings of the past:

The Gold Standard: Grace Kelly

The I-Will-Hate-This-Decision-In-The Future: Princess Diana

The Regal Lady: Queen Elizabeth

The Modern Princess: Ivanka Trump

Shut up--she's realty royalty. That counts.

So here are some elements that Kate will definitely draw from. 

Westminster Abbey is HUGE. She is going to need a dress that will not only be a statement piece that will go down in the history of wedding dresses, but also something that will fill that aisle. Not to mention she will want to accentuate her teeny-tiny waist (yes, envy), so something like this gown may be just up her alley. Classic, modest, enough lace to qualify her for feminine, and almost no sign that she has a torso whatsoever (just like Grace Kelly)

Justin Alexander

Something else that Kate may look to do is add some texture to her dress. Diana went wrong here by thinking that adding more volume to the dress will make it more extravagant (plus it was the 80's--womp womp). All you really need though is to add a little bit of some texture to the fabric while still maintaining its simplicity (like Queen Elizabeth).

Adding texture is simple with beading, draping, layering, rouching and gathering. While I don't think she will get as heavy as some of these, check out the lower halves of these dresses:

Marchesa

Lazaro

Carolina Herrera

An oft neglected part of the dress is the neckline. Most bides just slap a sweetheart neckline on there and call it a wedding day, but with the royals, there has always been something noticeable about that most alluring part of the dress. Modestly will play a role, and expect a hint of dazzle to come in this most focal part of the dress (like Ivanka Trump).

See how the lace and jewels play the most seductive roles in these dresses (while still being modest!)

Vera Wang

Eugenia

Kate will no doubt exude royal elegance, and I think her simple styles and knack for putting on a show just by walking in to a room is all this bride needs. Now, as for the last part of the dress--the TRAIN--who really knows. Diana's train was 25 feet long--can  you say overkill? My gut tells me Kitty Kate's train will be subtle (if she has one at all).

Here are some other details she may try and pull off, but above all SIMPLICITY!

Lace:

Justin Alexander

Over-the-Top Ball Gown:
Essence of Australia

Jewels and Draping:
Priscilla of Boston

Now, of course, I could be totally wrong (and probably am), but whatever Princess Catherine chooses, I have no doubt she will look stellar. I also have no doubt that there will be imitations Princess Kate Wedding dresses available THE NEXT DAY. 

Enjoy the wedding! MAZAL TOV!

D