the Evening Dresses

These are the dresses the Middleton sisters wore to the evening reception at Buckingham palace. Kate's is by Sarah Burton. Pippa's is by Alice Temperley - one of the rumored designers of the wedding dress. They both look stunning to say the least.

Pippa could back off the fake tan ever so slightly, but she is going to be fun to watch. I hope Kate makes her a lady-in-waiting (yes they still have those). That way, we will still see them together a lot. For now, she is being labeled a "socialite". God help us.

High Fashion or Just Plain Ridiculous

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Let's talk hats. Or, fascinators rather. As with any bold fashion statement, the Philip Treacy designed headgear that dominated the noggins of many women at the royal wedding, provoked either admiration or scorn. On many outlets, Eugenie and Beatrice are being compared to Cinderella's evil stepsisters (ouch). But, there are also those who think it all genius - Mr. Treacy can do no wrong. Here is my take. Even if something is deemed "the height of fashion", if it makes you look ridiculous - and let's be honest, some of these women looked RIDICULOUS - it is a bad choice. Especially for such an occasion as this. Think about the weddings you have attended. Every time I get dressed for a wedding, I consider first and foremost the Bride. Who is she? What is her sense of style? If I know these things, then I have an idea of what the wedding is going to be like, and therefore what is appropriate for me to wear. The consideration is ALWAYS for the bride. This is her day - it is not about me. I only need to look presentable and appropriate. There is never, ever a good excuse for taking attention away from a bride on her wedding day. All of that said, I think Kate's understated elegance still out-shined all of the comical headgear. Still, what were these women thinking? And what is Mr. Treacy's responsibility in all of this? Clearly he saw an opportunity to get all kinds of attention - good or bad. And for someone like Eugenie, who admits she has no fashion sense, she seems to have been taken advantage of. Let's face it, she will never live down that hot mess on her head.

The Official Photographs taken by Hugo Bernand

the Tiara

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I was really curious to see what Kate would do with her hair. I thought the elegance and simplicity of the tiara and veil complimented the dress beautifully. The tiara was made in 1936 by Cartier and is called "Halo". It was purchased by the Queen's father, King George, for his wife. It was given to Queen Elizabeth as a gift for her 18th birthday.

Kate’s earrings, custom made by Robinson Pelham to match her tiara, were a present from her parents. The earrings, with acorn motifs, were inspired by the new Middleton-family crest.

The Kiss!

Long Live McQueen!!

via InStyle

I don't think the dress could have been any more perfect. I am thrilled that she chose Sarah Burton and in doing so paid homage to the genius, Alexander McQueen. She looked absolutely amazing!!

Tweeting the Wedding!

http://twitter.com/#!/DailyCatherine

The Blue Dress

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As soon as Kate walked into the room in that blue Issa dress, I realized a fashion icon was born. She may be more conservative than we are used to in our fashionistas. I'm thinking that might be a GOOD thing. Not to mention, she is entering into royalty! But, there is no question, we will be watching Kate - ahem, Princess Catherine's style for years to come. Kate bought her Issa dress at Fenwick in Bond Street. The dress sold out online within hours of the engagement announcement. The world is watching Kate - let the fun begin!

the Programme

The Official Programme for the Royal Wedding (do I need to keep capitalizing this?)  has been released. It's a doozy - 27 pages of prayers, hymns, vows, carriage processions, maps, and royal crest pictures and descriptions. There is also this adorable picture (another Mario Testino) of the betrothed.

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Gwyneth's Royal Wedding Goop

The ever fashionable Gwyneth Paltrow is offering her advice on where to stay, where to eat, where to shop and where to buy your wedding day picnic "bits" in her Goop newsletter.  The twist is that she is more about "staying out of the fray" and heading to some of the "coolest places in London". Read: it is not "cool" to get into the fray of the wedding. Gotcha, Gwyneth. You would know. Read it here.

The Royal Wedding Favors

Ohhh! Nothing like a little Royal Wedding SWAG! These wool scarves in Union Jack animal print (!) are what Kate & Wills are giving to their wedding guests. You can buy the red, white and blue one now from Boden for £39.

Last Outing before The Big Day

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In their last public appearance together, before the wedding Kate Middleton and Prince Williams visited the Darwen Aldridge Academy. Kate wore a simple, but elegant navy suit, by Amanda Wakeley with a matching clutch and shoes. I really like this suit. It's conservative, yet still stylish. I think this is a lot of what we are going to be seeing from Kate. She has to be conservative, because of her role as princess, but she has a sense of fashion, so she is always going to be pushing the envelope a little. Personally, I hope she pushes a little more than this. The shoes, for instance, could be way more interesting. Accessories are where she could be really taking some risks and keeping us interested!

Royal Engagment Photos

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This is, of course, the official royal engagement photo taken by FASHION photographer Mario Testino. I think it's lovely and there has been a lot of buzz about how similar it is to Charles & Diana's engagement photo. Um, really people? If we are going to go there, then the photo is similar to the engagement photos of about one million couples around the world. This is what couples do in an engagement photo. They embrace! So, let's get to what's really important here. What is Kate wearing? The cream silk dress is from High Street retailer Reiss. The dress, called the "Nanette", sold out within hours of the photos being released. Reiss had more made and sent them to retailers in the United States, Hong Kong and the Middle East. They claim they will limit production of the dress, as not to "exploit the situation". Back to the photo - love everything about it - the colors of the room, the ancestral portraits in the background, the romantic blur. Gorgeous.