I’m sure most of you will have seen (or heard about!) the royal wedding dress splash on the front page of The Sunday Times this week.

The paper revealed that Alexander McQueen’s creative director Sarah Burton, the woman who heads up the British fashion label after the suicide of its eponymous designer last year, is to design Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. Great story. And great coup for McQueen.

The paper went into depth (in fact the entire page 2 and 3 pages) about the story, including the fact that Burton also designed the wedding dress for Kate’s friend Sarah Buys, who married Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles in 2005. If true, it is great that Kate is supporting a British designer…and, well, she can hardly wear Galliano!

However, in the article, Alexander McQueen chief executive Jonathan Akeroyd was contacted by The Sunday Times and he is on the record denying the story. And later on Sunday, Alexander McQueen’s office put out a statement flat out denying the piece. If untrue, The Sunday Times has got some serious egg on its face!

Since then..today, The Telegraph has posted a story stating that Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, urged Kate Middleton to choose a wedding dress designed by the Alexander McQueen label…

So, what’s the truth…?

I’m inclined to believe The Sunday Times splash. Firstly, it wouldn’t dedicate 3 pages of front page news to the story without impeccable sources. Secondly, in the piece a source is quoted as a colleague of Jonathan Akeroyd, who was reportedly told the news by Akeroyd, which makes sense why he would backtrack now as he was probably under strict orders to keep schtum. Thirdly, with a nod from the fashion world, including British Vogue’s editor, Kate can’t really go wrong in backing the British label.

FashionBite’s View

Alexander McQueen SS10

Alexander McQueen’s ‘sea urchin shoes’, SS10

“I’m delighted by the news that Kate is likely to be wearing Alexander McQueen for the royal wedding. It will be the biggest event of the year and it’s great to support British designers. The McQueen label is known for its dramatic and edgy collections but it also combines more structured elements of British tailoring with extravagent French Couture-the perfect mix. Known for outrageous pieces, such as the Mcqueen Ss10 collection inspired by the future world of Atlantic including some amazing sea urchin shoes..what is certain is that by backing MQueen, Kate is sure to have that quirky cool, British look down to a tee. It doesn’t quite seem in keeping with the prim, classic styling we’ve seen of Kate up until now, but maybe she’ll make a shocking entrance on April 29th..alternatively Sarah Burton will tone down her design to toe the royal line…”

Whatever happens, it will dominate the world of fashion for years to come!

FashionBite xx