LIFESTYLE

We persuaded two Bristol dress designers to sketch us their ideas for the wedding frock of the year. Anna Britten sizes them up.

You may not be holding a street party. You may not be tuning into the sight of a gurning, fawning Fearne Cotton clutching a mic outside Westminster Abbey. You may, indeed, have bought one of those Royal Wedding Sick Bags. And yet… there’s one thing at which even the most hardened republican pleb will be secretly sneaking a glimpse. Kate’s frock. I mean, come on – it could be an utterly constitution-shaking surprise. It could cause mass monarchical heart failure. It could be some sexy, shredded, distressed, gold-and-leather grunge-meets-burlesque outfit worthy of someone so regularly and irritatingly described as a ‘style icon’. Though it’s more likely to be a tasteful cream shift.

Ace Bristol designers Frances Vivienne and Gilly Woo kindly showed Venue what they’d do if they had the gig.

FRANCES VIVIENNE

“Photographic prints give the illusion of complicated fabric manipulation creating a simple and elegant outcome. I have designed these dresses for Kate Middleton because of her simple elegance when it comes to fashion, but she is not afraid to be different – and it is unusual to have a printed wedding dress! She will probably go for a more traditional wedding dress, however – long, white with lace and beading. But it will definitely be stunning and iconic.”

FRANCES POULTON AKA FRANCES VIVIENNE FFI: WWW.FRANCESVIVIENNE.CO.UK AND WWW.FASHIONFANTASIST.BLOGSPOT.COM

GILLY WOO

“Kate Middleton has an enviable figure. Her shape is what we call in the trade ‘athletic’ – she has very slim hips and toned shoulders. I have designed a dress that I think would compliment her figure perfectly. It is a champagne duchess satin with a silk georgette overlay; the shoulders and sleeves are sheer and made of the silk georgette without the duchess underneath. There are thousands of crystals around the neck line and cuffs of the sleeves, and the hem of the dress is completely encrusted in crystals moving up to a sparse scatter of crystals barely bigger than a pin prick which will twinkle subtly in the light. The dress is simple, elegant and sexy but it is a strong silhouette. I hope that all these features will reflect aspects of Kate's personality. The dress is finished with delicate covered buttons at the wrists and all the way down the back right to the bottom of the 6ft train. When you get married to a prince you need a gown fit for a princess.”

GILL COCKWELL AKA GILLY WOO FFI: WWW.GILLYWOO.COM
 

Copyright Anna Britten 2011

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