Princess Diana’s Bridal Gown Designer Will Debut a New Line
With all of the craziness surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s May wedding, it isn’t surprising that soon-to-be-parents-of-three, Will and Kate, have kind of fallen off the radar (just a bit). It’s been an even longer lag time since we’ve spotlighted the two who brought England’s hottest pair of brothers into existence. Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married nearly 37 years ago, but her wedding dress is still as memorable and iconic today as it was back then.
Especially that tiara, which her daughter-in-law has done a great job reinventing herself!
Really, even though I was still years away from being born, I will forever have a picture of Princess Di’s wedding gown permanently ingrained in my brain. She was full-on 80s exquisite, with an aisle style that embraced silk, ivory, pure taffeta, antique lace and a whole ton of pearls and sequins (10,000+ to be exact). And the designer behind it all was literally put on the map after making her royal debut.
Elizabeth Emanuel, now 64 years old, made a name for herself when she and her former husband, David, designed Diana’s world-class wedding dress. And now that Princess Di’s youngest son is making it official this year, it seems like an opportune time for his mother’s gown guru (who is often likened to a British Betsey Johnson) to reappear and bring the 80s looks surging back to the present year.
She recently revealed her business plans for her new line, Emanuel Mayfair, with PEOPLE, sharing that she’s excited to get back in the game and bring a vintage 80s vibe to modern bridal wear. Something that is quite overdue in the wedding world, especially with skirt structure, coverage and less shoulders trending in the fashion arena.
Definitely not a fit for shoulder-baring brides like Anastasia Steele, but to each her own.
"It will have the spirit of Emanuel from the days we made dresses some of the most iconic women of the time, like Elizabeth Taylor, Carolina Herrera and Joan Collins, but is taking it into the present," the designer detailed. "That whole period of time was wonderful... This will capture that but will also look contemporary and edgy. I'm bringing back the spirit in a new form after all these years.” For clarity, she continued “we will concentrate on bridal wear and evening wear – things to get dressed up in, pieces that are handcrafted and made to order.”
We seriously cannot wait to see what rolls out from this royal robing veteran. Though the line won’t be available soon enough to impress the future Duchess of Sussex and her taste for something a bit more titillating, it’s looking like brides can start dreamscaping their dresses as early as July or September.