TREND I-SPY

  There's a chance you might not even know who she is but Zara Philips is technically a British princess is in fact 13th in line to the throne. Grand-daughter of The Queen, first cousin of William and Harry, she's spirited, athletic and very attractive. On July 30th in Scotland, she married another sporty-type, the former English rugby captain, Mike Tindall. Arriving on the arm of her father, Captain Mark Phillips, Zara wore a cap-sleeved, ivory silk gown designed by one of her grandmother's favorite couturiers, Stewart Parvin . The chevron-pleated bodice ended in dramatic inverted pleats on a dropped waist, designed to create a bell-shaped silhouette, while the concealed constructed corset had delicate fabric-covered buttons decorating the center back of the gown, running from the neckline to the hem. The groom wore a morning suit from Saville Row tailor, Cad and the Dandy  The ...

I promise I'll stop soon with the all-things-Middleton obsession but not before I show the photos of Kate, ahem, The Duchess of Cambridge, with her husband and brother-in-law, just beyond adorable looking ... 

Finally we know who designed the dress, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace, and was custom-made to include the four emblems of the United Kingdom: the rose, the thistle, the daffodil and the shamrock. The dress, made of ivory and white satin gazar, had lace handcrafted to ensure all adorning flowers were of matching colour and style. The veil, made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, subtly dropped onto the long train, 2 metres and 70 cms long, which fell three steps down onto the Abbey steps. The shoes, were Alexander McQueen too, and made of ivory duchess satin. The long lace sleeves of the dress are bound to set a trend for future bridal gowns. It has been remarked upon by many that the gown is reminiscent of the one worn by Grace Kelly on her wedding day.  ...

On April 26th, three days before Prince William marries Kate Middleton, it will be the 88th anniversary of the wedding of his great-grandparents, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and Prince Albert, Duke of York (who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). They are of course the couple recently depicted in the Oscar-winning movie, The King's Speech . Despite being almost ninety years apart the weddings have some things in common. Neither bride is of royal birth although Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon as the daughter of an earl was an aristocrat. Both grooms are second in line to the throne, "Bertie" as he was known, after his brother, Edward and William, after his father Prince Charles. William and Kate's wedding will take place in Westminster Abbey as did Bertie and Elizabeth's.  Back in the early 20s, making the wedding a public affair instead of at a royal chapel was a break with tradition. It is believed this decision was taken to lift the spiri...