Royal Wedding guests: Style queens and court jesters
Saucers on foreheads. Polka dots. Too many tanned, Twiglet limbs. A metallic grey palette echoing the livery on the planes that performed the flypast.
But on the whole the female guests at the Royal Wedding were a colourful, spectacular, reverential bunch.
It was almost as if everyone wanted to do the couple justice. There was very little that shouted fashion, nothing too overtly showy if you discount Victoria Beckhams get-up.
Unlike Dianas wedding, when the shoulder pads, short skirt suits and batwing sleeves worn by the guests looked out of date within a year, this is one wedding where we will not be cringeing when we look back.
Fashion winners
Winners: Carole Middleton (left) chose a pale blue Catherine Walker wool crepe coat-dress over a matching silk dress. Her Jane Corbett hat was dramatic, but we could still see her proud face. Very flattering. The Queen was so cheerful in a primrose dress and coat by Angela Kelly. Never mind the fashionistas: she has been colour-blocking for decades. Camilla (right) wore a lovely hand-embroidered Anna Valentine champagne silk dress and duck egg blue coat. Jimmy Choo and Philip Treacy had been busy again
Winners: Pippa Middleton (left) was statuesque in a cowl-necked gown in ivory satin crepe by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, with details echoing the bridal gown. Lady Sophie of Wessex (right) chose this season's key colour, nude, for her Bruce Oldfieldsuit, Jimmy Choo shoes and Jane Taylor hat
Getting it right: Lady Sophie Windsor (left) was the most beautiful wedding guest in a cocktail dress and coat by Giorgio Armani Prive, with exaggerated shoulders and graphic hat. Princess Michael of Kent (right) looked amazing in a Sophia Loren picture hat, Andrea Odicini teal skirt suit and Vanessa Noel shoes dyed to match. Love the white gloves
Perfect: The petite Princess ! Letizia of Spain (left) judged her outfit perfectly: a pale pink bandage dress by Felipe Varela teamed with matching shoes and a charming cloche hat. Singer Joss Stone (right) plumped for head-to-toe pink from High Street store Hobbs. Love the peep-toes, tamed hair and unmatched hat
While a hatless Samantha Cameron was too creased and informal, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie) provided the cabaret, only the Speakers wife, Sally Bercow, committed an unforgivable faux pas: sweaty, pillowy, porridgey cleavage.
This was a great day for fashion, andyou can guarantee that nude stilettos will be selling out the length and breadth of Britain.
And every bride this summer will wish that she had chosen demure ivory lace in which to marry her prince.
More...
- Here comes the McQueen: Kate Middleton marries her Prince in stunning design by Sarah Burton
- Sister-of-the-bride Pippa looks picture-perfect in elegant white Temperley gown
- Now here's the showbiz royalty... Victoria goes for minimalistic navy for Royal Wedding while David looks sharp in black suit
- ANNE SHOOTER: Wow, what a dress
- Carole Middleton is every inch the Royal mother of the bride in sky blue dress after ditching specially-designed ou! tfit at late minute
- The Royal arrivals: The Queen leads the way in a bright yellow outfit as the Windsors arrive at Westminster Abbey
Brightcolours and top-to-toe shades were the order of the day, as WestminsterAbbey was lit up with vibrant tones of teal, coral, cobalt and pink.
Among the first to arrive was on-off girlfriend of Prince Harry, ChelsyDavy, who arrived wearing an aqua green Alberta Ferretti skirt and off-the-shoulder jacket with a bow at the back, one of two outfits she had made for her by the Italian design house for the day.
Her taupe lace hat was made for her by milliner Victoria Grant.
For the evening party, Miss Davy is said to have chosen an asymmetric midnight-blue satin gown.
Followingclosely behind - and in an almost identical tone to that of Chelsy - Samantha Cameron arrived on the PM's arm, hitting the right note with her vivid teal silk sheath dress with elaboratepleats, designed by British fashion house Burberry.
Fashion losers
Wrong choices: Autumn Kelly, the wife of Peter Phillips, was overwhelmed by her coatdress by Sassi Holford, made f! rom what looked like upholstery fabric, and her over-fussy hat. Victoria Beckham in funereal black was a little too tanned and try-hard - her own-label dress, too high Louboutins and far too much make-up
Oh dear: Princess Eugenie wore a blue Vivienne Westwood pouffy dress with a too-busy bodice Philip Treacy did the pointy hat while her sister Beatrice chose a nude Valentino couture coat that was spoiled by an outrageous Treacy hat. Both wore Jimmy Choo shoes and, for a change, attempted to hide their knees
Controversial: Sally Bercow lived up to her reputation as a woman with dubious taste in a lace dress displaying too much cleavage
Samantha Camerons ruched green shot silk Burberry dress was let down by the fact she did not wear a hat, merely a spangled grip. And her hair was a little messy
Tara Palmer Tomkinsons royal blue Deborah Milner dress (left) was flattering. But she must have hoped her Philip Treacy hat would obscure her nose. It didnt. Miriam Clegg (right) shouted Ole! in polka dots by Miguel Palacio, flowers in her hair and a Carmen Miranda head wrap. She was in High Street accessories Zara and LK Bennett so it seems that her husband is making cuts at home, too
The demure shoulders, high slash-cut neckline and on-the-knee length perfectly followed protocol for a guest at the royal nuptials, as well as SamCam'sposition as so-called First Lady of Britain.
The PM's wife accessorised with a contrasting bright orange scar jewelled hairclip by Erdem and nude shoes, said to be from High Street store Aldo but, in a move some will no doubt deem controversial, the PM's wife left her head bare.
She was followed by David andVictoria Beckham, he in a bespoke Ralph Lauren morning s! uit, she in a navy creation from her own collection, paired with a pillbox hat by Philip Treacy and Christian Louboutin shoes customised for her by the designer himself.
A larger-than-usual platform had been added to Ms Beckham's shoes to reduce the effect of the 6in heels, enabling the pregnant star to wear the heels for the entirety of the long day.
For better or for worse, Tara Palmer Tomkinson stunned onlookers with her eye-catching blue outfit.
Perhaps taking her lead from the Queen, who is known for her matching top-to-toe outfits, Ms Palmer Tomkinson wore an off-the-shoulder sheath dress with jaunty blue Philip Treacy hat decorated with a matching bloom, elbow-length leather gloves and studded platform shoes, all in an identical shade.
Arrivingat the same time, singer Joss Stone - a close friend of William - attended wearing a coral sheath dress so vivid it was almost luminous with matching cropped jacket, matching shoes and a broad-brimmed straw hat adorned with delicate flowers.
Carole Middleton arrived at 10.30am sharp, wearing a simple elegant outfit in sky blue byCatherine Walker. The figure-skimming shift dress, worn with a hat by Berkshire-based Jane Corbett, was paired with a longer dress coat embellished with beautiful detail on the cuffs, very structuredwith a nipped-in waistline that emphasised her slim figure.
The quintessentially British label was a favourite of the late Princess ofWales and was the perfect choice for Ms Middleton, despite pale blue usually being the colour of choice for the Queen herself.
Accordingto protocol though, the mother of the bride is offered first choice of colour for her outfit, followed by the Queen and then Camilla - a point which may have bothered the Queen, who is known to favour pale blue for Royal weddings, having chosen the shade for five out of the eight previous Royal weddings. Whether or not she was fazed though, one will never know, and the Queen looked resplendent! in prim rose yellow.
Hat-free:PM David Cameron and wife Samantha, he in morning suit, she in a silk teal Burberry dress, accessorised with orange scarf and nude heels - noticeably lacking any form of headgear
Plunging: Earl Spencer's daughter Kitty reveals perhaps more than she bargained for as the overhead camera angle captures her cleavage in her daringly low-cut Victoria Beckham dress
Hats off: Fancy headgear was the name of the game for female guests at Westminster Abbey today, with pillbox, wide-brimmed beribboned styles and dramatic feathered fascinators making an appearance
Looking Posh: David Beckham in Ralph Lauren morning suit and Victoria in a navy design from her own AW11 collection with a Philip Treacy pillbox hat
Looking nervous as she entered the ch! urch, th emother-of-the bride stopped to shake hands with church dignitaries before beginning the long walk down the aisle.
Wedding planners had managed to conjure up an intimate atmosphere within the immense Abbey, creating an extraordinary avenue of 20ft tall summer maple trees that contrasted with the austere slabs of stone and the incredible height of the building.
Steppingon to the 300ft-long red carpet running the length of the Abbey, the first of the 1,850 guests filed quietly into the majestic Abbey just after 8am to take their place in the pews, athree hour wait ahead of them before the ceremony was to begin.
Amid the ever-growing crowd glimpses of vivid scarlet could be spotted as members of the Irish Guard, the regiment of which William is an honorary colonel, arrived wearing the red uniform which is said to be the one William has chosen to wear to say his vows.
The last time the Irish Guard suit was worn was in 1973 by Captain Mark Philips for his wedding to Princess Anne.
Hatsappeared to be big news at the Abbey, with almost every female guest wearing either a hat or fascinator.
Doubtlessly this was partly as a mark of religious respect for the venue, but also thanks to the fact that Britain has two world class milliners in Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones, both favoured by the royals and their guests.
Hats have enjoyed something of a revivalin the fashion crowd of late, and with Victoria Beckham setting the standard in her chic navy pillbox and Chelsy in her subtle grey lace fascinator, a expect a cornucopia of colourful headgear followed on.
Onewhose head that went unadorned though was that of Samantha Cameron. ThePM's wife made the controversial move of shunning either hat or fascinator.
Majestic: Scenes inside Westminster Abbey reveal 20ft trees reaching up to the high vaulted roof of the Abbey
Arrivals: Guests file into the Abbey, including a member of the Irish Royal Guards wearing the distinctive red uniform William is to wear to say his vows
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