Meghan Markle, 41, kept the world on their toes in 2018 in anticipation of her wedding dress to marry Prince Harry.
It was announced she had chosen the French luxury fashion label Givenchy, despite rumours that she’d selected Ralph & Russo, Burberry, or Oscar de la Renta as the designer of her wedding dress.
Why did Meghan choose Givenchy to create the most anticipated wedding dress of 2018?
In 2017, Meghan first encountered Givenchy’s artistic director, Clare Waight Keller. The fashion house’s first-ever female artistic director, Ms Waight Keller, was appointed that year.
As a staunch advocate for gender equality and as an ardent feminist, Meghan’s decision to publicly endorse a female designer did not come as a surprise.
But the dress’s simple style was also part of the reason Meghan chose to wear Givenchy on the day she married Harry.
Meghan praised Ms Waight Keller’s artistic talent and praised her for her “elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring and relaxed demeanour,” according to Kensington Palace.
Ms Waight Keller and Meghan worked together to produce a simple design.
Despite the gown’s seeming simplicity in comparison to past royal wedding gowns, it was the result of many hours of painstaking, thorough craftsmanship.
For the dress, Ms Waight Keller created a double bonded silk cady material in pure white that gave it a matted, contemporary look.
Given that Meghan has worn clothing with comparable necklines during other official engagements, it was not surprising when she showed up wearing a dress with a bateau neckline.
Caroline Arthur, a designer of high-end wedding gowns, thought the bride’s slightly loose-fitting dress was unique.
Mrs Arthur said: “I’d describe the skirt shape as a tulip, so it’s not exactly fitted on the hips, but it’s slightly closer on the hips down to midway between your hip and your knee and at that point, it then flares out.
“If you look at the back of the dress the seamlines are absolutely beautiful, you always need darting or a vertical seam at the back of the dress in order to get it to fit really nicely,” she told The Independent.
There was speculation Meghan would wear something by a British designer to honour her new family.
Others, however, thought that since she spent so much time in Toronto while filming Suits, she may choose a Canadian designer.
But the royal bride found the sleek Givenchy style and Ms Waight Keller’s creativity to be the ideal choice.
