Kate's wedding gown tribute to another princess bride: Grace Kelly

我們喜歡Grace Kelly。

在她 1956年的婚禮上，當她穿上她那襲貼滿複雜的花邊蕾絲高腰，長袖及有大長拖尾的婚紗時，她是如此的迷人和優雅。這是一個永恆的經典設計。難怪55年後，當凱特米德爾頓(Kate)現在選擇的婚紗時，都選擇在她的皇室婚禮上穿上同等經典的款式。在所有的元素當中，由法國蕾絲花邊製造商索菲哈雷(Sophie Hallette)製造的蕾絲就顯得相當重要。

凱特的服裝設計師莎拉伯頓(Sarah Burton) 選擇的索菲哈雷的蕾絲是獨家設計，設計於 1958年，用以製造的手工織機都已經超過100年。這個蕾絲的圖案由玫瑰花，水仙花和三葉草的特別精緻花卉圖案組成。每一塊蕾絲均由漢普頓宮英國皇家學院的的人員，使用源於1820年愛爾蘭卡里克馬克羅斯的花邊製作技術，從原來手工縫製的蕾絲人手刺繡在肩部，袖子和拖尾的絲質薄紗上。

即使是香奈兒(Chanel)的設計師卡爾拉格菲爾德(Karl Kagerfeld)也說，'這很漂亮，而且經典，並且和場地很配合，使人想起20世紀 50年代瑪麗蓮夢露和伊麗莎白女王的衣服...蕾絲花邊很漂亮，尤其是面紗和頭飾不太高，沒有過重的髮髻。它的拖尾長度是完美的。'

我們也喜歡凱特，這個新一代的公主。

We love Grace Kelly.

She is so charming and elegant when she was wearing her high-waisted gown with a  intricate lace appliqué bodice and sleeves in long and dramatic train at her wedding in 1956. It was a timeless look. No wonder even 55 years later now when Kate Middleton choose a dress that so resemble the classic look in her royal wedding. Among all the elements present in the dress, the lace from French lace maker Sophie Hallette completes the look.

The Sophie Hallette lace selected by Sarah Burton, Kate's dress designer, is an exclusive model designed in 1958 and was manufactured on artisanal looms that are more than 100 years old. The roses, daffodils and shamrocks of the particularly dainty floral motif were cut out from the original lace and hand-sewn onto the silk tulle of the decollete, sleeves and train by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace, using a Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originates from 1820's Ireland.

Even Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld said, 'It's very pretty, and relatively classic, but that goes with the decor, with a little touch of the 1950s that recalls Marilyn Monroe or Queen Elizabeth's dress... the lace is pretty, especially the embroidered veil and the tiara not too high, without too heavy a bun. It's ravishing and the length of the train is perfect.'

We love Kate, too.

Don O'Neill for Theia (Interview)

(from Trustyourstyle.com)

While working on my March/April column for Affluent Magazine, I recently came across the work of Don O'Neill, Irish born designer and Creative Director for THEIA. I thought you might love his bright spring collection as well as the new White Collection he's developed for non-traditional brides as much as I do, so I invited Don to stop by Trust Your Style to talk about his new Spring 2011 collection.

Born and raised in a small village in Ireland, much of Don's culture and upbringing have inspired his collection for THEIA. A dash of some good old fashioned “luck of the Irish” has helped to successfully launch the collection (it debuted in Fall 2009) during one of the harshest economic times in history and in less than 2 years since the launch, it's been sold in over 350 stores across the world and worn by top Hollywood celebs including Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.

mj: The collection is beautiful and so luxe. What was the inspiration for this collection?
don o'neill: The Spring 2011 collection was inspired by a pastel water color painting of Poppies. The soft colors were fresh and feminine, and originally inspired a dreamy ball gown that I created for Carrie Underwood at the 2010 ACM Awards. The gown was so inspiring that the Spring collection blossomed around it.

mj: How do you define beauty for a woman?
don: I define beauty as elegance wrapped around confidence. Confident women radiate beauty! Beauty cannot and should not be defined by fashion magazines and TV sitcoms. It is redefined over and over again by confident women, who continually make us see beauty in new ways.

mj: what does trusting your style mean to you?
don: Trusting your style means to trust your instincts and to wear what you believe you look good in and feel good in. Each of us are as unique as our finger prints, and with so many designers and stores offering so many choices, we now have the freedom to express ourselves however we chose. There is no wrong or right, (even if Joan Rivers believes otherwise).

With the wedding season just around the corner, some of these soft stunners could be the answer to a bride still searching for the perfect dress. The main collection is sold at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores and Neiman Marcus across the country.


Original articles by Mary Jo Matsumoto:
http://www.trustyourstyle.com/2011/01/don-oneill-for-theia.html