Iconic Wedding Dresses

Now that excitement about the upcoming wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton reaches titillating fever-pitch, a few words about the most memorable dresses in history seems thoroughly appropriate.

The name Grace Kelly is synonymous with effortless beauty and style. She famously left behind a successful acting career to marry Monaco’s Prince Rainier III. Her wedding dress was the fairytale gown for the 50’s. Dressed in a high-necked, long-sleeved gown in antique Valenciennes rose point lace with a ball gown silhouette, Grace Kelly truly looked like the princess she was.

The dress, was crafted by MGM’s Academy Award winning wardrobe designer Helen Rose. It featured a fitted bodice that flared out into a full billowing skirt, and hundreds of yards of silk taffeta, tulle and lace. A Juliet cap decorated with seed pearls and a veil made from about ninety yards of tulle finished her Royal Princess look.

Where there is fashion, there is Jacqueline Kennedy. She wasn’t yet an international style icon when she wed John F Kennedy on September 12, 1953, but her stunning frock by dressmaker Anne Lowe is still a statement of class, taste, and timeless embellishment that references design details seen on wedding gowns of the 1860’s-1880’s, while still being iconic 1950s.

Her dress required 50 yards of ivory silk taffeta to make. The dress featured a portrait neckline (characterized by a wide, soft scoop from the tip of one shoulder to the tip of the other) and ball gown skirt, with tiny wax flowers weaved in.

Accenting her dress, Jacqueline Kennedy wore her grandmother’s heirloom rosepoint lace veil, attached with a small tiara of lace and orange blossoms, a single strand of pearls, a diamond bracelet, and carried a bouquet of white and pink spray orchids and gardenias.

Silver-screen icon, Elizabeth Taylor is probably as famous for her acting as she is for her eight marriages. When she married her first husband, Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton in 1950, she wore a stunning white satin creation by famed MGM studio designer Helen Rose.

The dress, accented with seed pearls and beading, featured a sweetheart neckline that was covered with a chiffon overlay. She also wore a veil attached to a cap combined with a pearl tiara.

Diana Princess of Wales, will go down in history for wearing one of the most famous wedding dresses of all time.

The memorable gown was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel for the 1981 wedding of Diana to Prince Charles. The pair were young and little-known designers at the time, working in London’s Mayfair district. The dress, with huge puffed sleeves, a full skirt of pure silk taffeta, 10,000 hand-embroidered pearls and sequins, and a 25-foot train, sparked the romantic, fairy-tale dress trend in the 80’s.

Savour some fabulous dresses, reminiscent of the retro era from Covelli

For more historic bridal fashion, See a breathtaking slide show of 34 of the most Iconic wedding dresses, and the famous women who wore them from Vogue.