Fashion story – The three wedding dresses of Charlene of Monaco
Charlene of Monaco is 45 years old! A birthday that the Monegasque princess will certainly not fail to celebrate this Wednesday, January 25, wrapped in her children, the twins Jacques and Gabriella, of her husband Prince Albert II – which should be masked as he caught Covid-19 for the third time – and the rest of the main family of the famous Rock. With this anniversary, it has now been twelve years since the former swimming champion became a princess, she who said “yes” to the son of Rainer II in the throne room of the prince’s palace. July 1, 2011. This ceremony marking a radical turning point in his lifethe pretty blonde did not do things by halves… The then 33-year-old princess indeed wore not one, Corn three wedding dresses, all used for the different stages of their marriage. Focus on the history of these exceptional pieces.
Charlene civilly marries heir to the Grimaldis July 1, 2011 in a colorful set by Chanel. Our colleagues from Paris Match indicated at the time that she “is probably the first princess in history to have designed her own civil wedding outfit – with a little help from Karl Lagerfeld and two seamstresses from Chanel”. This unique outfit therefore consists of a long suit jacket, fitted at the waist, and worn over a gauze and lace dress in a pretty pastel blue, which goes down to the tips of his feet.
The blue chosen perfectly highlights the blue eyes and blonde hair of the princess, styled for the occasion a very chic low bun and a wick on the left side, slightly domed. For jewelry, the one that was born under the name of Wittstock remains sober. She wears a simple pair of diamond earrings. A very elegant and appropriate outfit to become Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Charlène says “yes” again in Armani
For her wedding dress for her religious wedding the next day, Charlène of Monaco trust Armanias Beatrice Borromeewho is she also married in Armani a few years after her. The wedding dress more institutional than the previous one is ubeautiful long white dress with boat neck, floral pattern embroidery on the front and on the back. 50 meters of satin, 80 meters of silk organza, 40,000 Swarovski crystals, 30,000 golden pearls and 20,000 drops of mother-of-pearl were needed to make this piece, whose embroidery thread is coated with platinum.
With her shoulders bared to highlight her haughty bearing, the princess shines in this sumptuous creation as she walks towards the Palatine Chapel. Like many princesses or duchesses, the set has a huge veil in tulle and oneself and of course, an impressive train 5 meters long called “à l’andrienne”, starting from the shoulder blades of the bride. Her only accessory is antique head jewelry, having the function of retaining her bun under her veil. This main outfit took 2,500 hours to complete, according to the main wedding’s official website.
With the eyes of the whole world on her, Charlène can’t take the risk of crumpling her dress, train and veil. “The bride therefore prepared in a less glamorous context: la rifle barracks, which offers the advantage of being right in front of the palace”, detailed our colleagues from the news magazine.
Faithful down to the last detail to the Italian designerCharlene named the making of her bouquet to Giorgio Armani, who made it by picking freesias, dendrobium orchids and lily of the valley, the bride’s favorite flower, in the palace gardens, according to what reported Paris Match in 2011. The bouquet falls lightly from the hands of the princess, where her wedding ring in 18 carat white platinum gold shines, created by Cartier.
Back in an Armani dress to party
A perfect wedding cannot end without an evening of festivities worthy of the name. On the evening of July 2, a few hours after the religious wedding, Charlène reappears in a third dress, again branded Armani. She shyly greets the 500 guests invited to the welcome cocktail, among European crowned heads, several heads of state and handpicked stars. The bride opts this time for a long white mixed-material dress with a cinched waist and a four-row skirt superimposed shimmering ruffles. Her arms and shoulders are left bare, while her cleavage is covered in a sheer, scoop-neck sheer look.
Rid of her long veil, the princess styled her low bun of a fine diamond head jewelcreated by Lorenz Baumer. A wedding present from Albert… In her hand, a small silver minaudière, which contains the bare minimum that a bride needs. Charlène takes Albert’s hand, who invites her for the traditional dance of the newlyweds. There she is, twirling around with her ruffles, a big smile on her lips and a bright future ahead of her.
Photo credits: AGENCY / BESTIMAGE