Middleton picked Alexander McQueen to design her dress due to its popularity for quality, craftsmanship as well as its traditional craftsmanship and attention to the fabric of her dress. Made from English as well as French Chantilly lace, the gown was created by the Royal School of Needlework located at Hampton Court Palace and reportedly cost 250,000 pounds to develop.
Burton’s style featured a floral design that reflected Great Britain. There is a belief that sewists who worked on the dress needed to wash their hands at least every 30 minutes to make sure it was clean, and the needles they used were changed every three hours.
Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey in Sarah Burton’s style.
The choice of the designer was unveiled until the wedding day. After the wedding, the sales of Alexander McQueen were reported to have risen by 29 percent.
A decade later, Burton’s design continues to influence bridal dress styles and fashions, with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian favoring a long-sleeved lacy gown that is like the Burton style.
It’s not just its significance to the event and the wearer who ensures the durability of this dress’s status as iconic. The dress’s design reflects Burton’s imagination and her love of craft, storytelling, and romance, and it will help preserve the longevity of Lee Alexander McQueen. Burton herself has declared that although legacy may be viewed as a curse, it can also be a “wonderful opportunity for invention.”
Gisele Bundchen at the Met Gala, 2011
Since her time at the helm, Burton has been responsible for the design of a number of famous designs worn by famous people for occasions such as the Met Gala and the Oscars.
Burton and Gisele Bundchen, who were top supermodels in the 1990s and 2000s and who were often seen on McQueen’s runway, showed their appearance at the Met Gala. The red gown with a dropped waist was a tribute to Lee Alexander McQueen, referencing his love of fashion and drama through the soaring skirt.
The theme for this year’s Met Gala, Savage Beauty, was in part inspired by the Alexander McQueen exhibition at The Costume Institute in New York. Honoring McQueen, guests reflected on his unconventional genius. The year 2015 was the time that Forbes classified Burton’s gown in honor of Bundchen among the top memorable Met Gala dresses of all time.
Nicole Kidman at the Met Gala
The theme of the 2016 gala event was Manus X Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology. Burton’s creation of Nicole Kidman was inspired by Art Deco, a celestial dress that was taken from the runway collection of 2016.
The design featured an incredibly transparent cape, which showed the artist’s ability to embroider with beads on moons, stars, and beaded moons.
