Published 13 years ago
When Kate Middleton strides down the aisle at Westminster Abbey on Friday, millions of Americans watching at home will be transfixed by her gown.
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Mr. O’Neill, the creative director of Theia, a bridal house in Manhattan, expects that Ms. Middleton’s dress (or a much more affordable version of it) will be coveted by brides-to-be on this side of the Atlantic. So sure is he, in fact, that he has already designed, and plans to sell, a gown he thinks will emulate her choice. Slender and long-sleeved, its decorously scooped neckline encrusted with crystals and silver bullion thread, it will boast a five-foot train.
“We’re calling it The Kate,” Mr. O’Neill said. “It’s very precious, very regal and suited to a princess, if only in my head.”
Not every bridal designer is so farsighted — or so brashly confident. But many believe that Ms. Middleton’s dress, like the bouffant gown Princess Diana wore in 1981, will be a game changer, inspiring replicas or adaptations at every level of the marketplace, some within weeks or even days of its debut.
“We’re all holding our breath for it,” said Janet Lyons-Brooks, the owner of Leontina Gowns, a bridal house in Imlay City, Mich., and its companion site, Mybigfatbeautifulwedding.com. “My factories are standing by.”
The tricky part, of course, is that no one knows what the dress they are poised to copy actually looks like. With the Great Event only days away, Ms. Middleton’s gown remains a closely guarded secret, its designer’s identity a mystery. (The latest rumor pegs Ms. Middleton herself as the creator.)
But that hasn’t stopped dozens of bridal houses from marshaling reserves of sketch artists, pattern makers, lace manufacturers, cutters and embroiderers, all standing ready to make last-minute tweaks to existing gowns, or to copy the royal gown outright, funneling imitations into the market at warp speed.
Already retailers are fielding inquiries from customers wondering if, and when, a Kate-inspired gown will be available. “We’ve had enough curiosity that we have decided we are going to pay close attention to the wedding,” said Dan Rentillo, the vice president for design for David’s Bridal, the national chain. He plans to have a prototype in the works by the following weekend.
Many are banking on the premise that Ms. Middleton will be influencing bridal trends for years, even decades, as did Princess Diana, whose dress is still inspiring knockoffs in the $2 billion bridal gown market. That gown, it should be noted, with its infanta dimensions and 25-foot train, drew its share of ridicule, better suited, some sniped, for a Disney princess.
Not that it mattered. “Before Diana’s wedding, you couldn’t find a dress anywhere that was all billowy,” said Susan Glick, the vice president for women’s apparel for New York International Bridal Week, a trade organization. Afterward, Ms. Glick said, the market was glutted with voluminous look-alikes.
The gowns that Ms. Middleton’s dress will loose on the market will no doubt be more subdued. Learned speculation based on royal etiquette (modest cut, no cleavage or bare arms, if you please) and the bride’s taste predicts that this gown will be slender, flared, mermaid style, and low key. (The last a concession to the ailing British economy.)
Tradition dictates that brides order their gowns four to six months ahead, allowing plenty of time for unforeseen production or shipping delays and alterations. But that makes the royal couple’s timing inconvenient for high wedding season in the United States.
