After months of speculation, royal enthusiasts finally got a glimpse of Princess Eugenie in her wedding dress as she walked into St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle to wed Jack Brooksbank. The princess wore a gown designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos of British-based label Peter Pilotto, which is known for its feminine silhouettes paired with innovative fabrics. Princess Eugenie first met the designers when she hosted an event in support of the Artemis Council for Women Artists in 2017 and has worn the label several times — making it a very easy choice to wear on her big day.
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"[The dress] is the one thing that I was really decisive about," she confirmed in British Vogue's September issue. "As soon as we announced the wedding, I knew the designer, and the look, straight away. I never thought I'd be the one who knew exactly what I like, but I've been pretty on top of it."
Her dress was developed "layer by layer" over the course of several fittings to create the fitted bodice and full pleated skirt. The neckline folded along her shoulders and draped into a full-length train reminiscent of the one her mother, Sarah Ferguson, wore. It was a silhouette the bride specifically requested to allow her scar from a childhood scoliosis operation. Just ahead of her wedding, she explained her decision to ITV, saying "I’m a patron of [the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Appeal] and I had an operation when I was 12 on my back." She added: "It’s a lovely way to honour the people who looked after me and a way of standing up for young people who also go through this."
The fabric, which Pilotto and De Vos designed at their studio in East London, features several motifs important to the princess, including a thistle for Scotland, a Shamrock for Ireland, the York Rose for England, and the Ivy, representing the newly-wed couple's home. They were all reimagined as a modern-looking jacquard.
Since Royal protocol stipulated that Princess Eugenie, despite being born into the monarchy, couldn't wear a tiara until she was married, she finally got the opportunity to do just that. The Queen lent her the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, which was created in 1919 and modelled after a traditional Russian headdress popular at the time. The tiara features rose cut diamonds pave set in platinum, with six emeralds on either side and is reminiscent of the bandeau tiara Meghan Markle wore to her wedding to Prince Harry.
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