Pippa Middleton’s wedding dress: Australian designers reveal their creations

SHE all but stole the show at the wedding of the century, now everyone is eager to see what Pippa Middleton will choose. We asked three of Sydney’s top wedding designers what they would create for the style queen.

Pippa Middleton at her sister Catherine’s wedding to Prince William. Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

SHE all but stole the show at the wedding of the century, now everyone is eager to see whether Pippa Middleton can go one better when she walks down the aisle.

The Sunday Telegraph asked three of Sydney’s top wedding designers what they would create for this style queen.

Pippa Middleton will have to search for her own wedding dress.

Pippa Middleton with her fiance James Matthews.

STEVEN KHALIL

stevenkhalil.com

I SEE Pippa being conservative, she’s connected to the royal family and I think she will go for something old-school and traditional,
with a level of grandness to the gown.

She doesn’t have to be as conservative as Kate, so she can reveal a bit more skin, but exposing her collarbone is still quite a conservative and classic look.

Her style is quite simple, so I’ve left the centre of the gown plain but there is lace panelling through the sides. The sketch looks detailed, but it’s a softer French lace overlay down the sides to add a bit of interest.

One of Steven Khalil’s wedding dress creations.

Steven Khalil’s wedding dress design for Pippa Middleton.

I’d make the dress in a silk white, which is a cross between ivory and white, not a pure white. When I look at what she wears, it’s either colour or silk whites, never in creams, which is too conservative a colour.

The veil is spotted with little pearls. If I had used lace, like the gown, it would look too heavy but the pearls are light and simple; they allow the gown to shine while adding a bit of modernity to the look.

It’s important that Pippa is true to herself. I see her in something more classic and conservative but she might want to be more extravagant than Kate, whose dress was quite demure. She’s able to take a bigger risk and could surprise us all with something over the top.

RHONDA HEMMINGWAY

Rhonda Hemmingway Couture

rhondahemmingway.com.au

I THINK Pippa will want to show off her body but also be a bit of a princess herself.

This dress has a
V-neckline, extended shoulder and very fitted bodice to accentuate the waist and then comes out into a full circle skirt.

This means there’s no bulk at the waistline but it will be full at the bottom.

The overskirt is in fine English tulle that has been hand appliqued (heavy to light) as it drifts down between fine pin-tuck pleating

It opens at the front to show a slim-fitting skirt of corded French Chantilly lace to match the overskirt.

Rhonda Hemmingway’s wedding dress design for Pippa.

It has fine pleating at the waist to accent the low V neckline and a cathedral train at the back. The matching veil has hand-appliqued lace along the edge and scattered lightly all over.

An overskirt which can be detached so the bride can wear a straight skirt at the reception is one of the biggest trends at the moment and has a great surprise factor.

I’d choose a colour called natural, which sits between white and ivory, and would look beautiful on Pippa’s skin tone.

This style would suit her so beautifully; it’s modern and traditional at the same time. I think she will look quite regal, not sexy but glamorous and beautiful.

Every girl wants to be a princess on her wedding day, but Pippa has to differentiate herself from how she looked at Kate’s wedding, for which she wore a slim dress.

Kate was married on a Friday and on the Saturday morning I had a queue of people outside my boutique who all wanted to talk about Pippa’s dress, not Kate’s.

But in the past few years the trend has caught up and long sleeves and big dresses are back in fashion.

Pippa Middleton now has to plan her wedding. Picture: Elisabeth Hoff/Lickerish/Raven & Snow

VIRGINIA MCGREGOR

Personalised Weddings Couture

personalisedweddings.com.au

I WOULD put Pippa into a fishtail shape, in duchess silk, with at least a 5m godet train to make a dramatic entrance at the ceremony.

A godet train is an inverted shape — imagine a long train in the shape of a pear — and it’s sewn into the dress to give it better shape.
I would make it detachable for the reception, but there would be a little sweep, about half a metre, so she still has a little train.

Personalised Weddings Couture sketch of what Pippa Middleton's wedding dress might be.

It would be strapless, cut straight across, with three-quarter lace sleeves that start from the neckline so her décolletage and shoulders are exposed.

The whole dress would be covered in a sophisticated French corded lace overlay. I would make it in soft ivory, because her sister wore white.

It’s not figure hugging but still shows off her shape and is a bit younger and funkier than Kate’s dress.