This month, for the first time ever, Vogue has been published with three different covers, which means three
different cover girls. Chance dictated that Freja Beha Erichsen was on the cover that landed on my doorstep, but I could easily have had Lara Stone or Natalia Vodianova. Each cover girl was dressed as a radiant bride, an indisputable nod to that little event happening at the end of the month, a Royal Wedding?
The entire issue is not only a celebration of William and Kate's wedding, but all things matrimonial. A portfolio on the princess-to-be, Mario Testino's ‘Wedding Belles’ shoot and a feature on designers that will dress you down the aisle, not just the runway, all ensure that the issue is blushing from cover to cover.
In fitting with Vogue's wedding-centric issue I will do this month's issue post slightly differently, by finding something old, something blue, something borrowed and something blue in this month's edition.
Something Old: A look back at Royal Weddings in Vogue
This month the magazine complied a look back at every royal wedding they have covered in the past, from Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles to Diana and Charles. The feature celebrates the fairytale aspects of each wedding and charts the evolving public interest from wedding to wedding. Being Vogue the main interest in each of the weddings is in the dresses, with original sketches and alternative options given for many of the brides. My favourite is the Queen Mother's, a slightly medieval Italian style dress, yet very sleek and romantic style; it marks a move to a more modern style wedding dress. The feature also acts as a reminder that William and Kate’s wedding is not the first to capture the imagination of the world.
The current issue is not the first to be dedicated to a royal wedding. Photos of the crowds outside Buckingham Palace on the day of the Queen's wedding and the reminder that 750 million people tuned into Diana and Charles' wedding in 1981 all remind us that this wedding-mania cannot simply be attributed to paparazzi society we live in today, but an interest in the romances of the royal family that can be dated way back.
Something New: New adventures
This was a tough category to decide on! I was going to do the ‘new’ Princess but I’ll speak about her later, you’ll see! Then I thought I should write about Vogue’s suggested wedding gifts and outfits, as they would be new, but it didn’t feel right to do the blog without talking about one of the shoots. With this in mind I chose to write about Agyness Deyn’s new adventure (tenuous link, sorry!) to the Namib Desert.
The model has been photographed in theme appropriate white dresses in a forgotten town in the middle of the desert. Sand-filled rooms and cheetahs give the shoot a haunted and dangerous feel while the use of light and the gowns make it feel incredibly romantic. In a way the shoot charts the entire marriage process, as the shoot features the model suit case in hand and in a deserted pool- honeymoon perhaps?
Bizarrely the most wedding-like photo features the model in a John Rocha leather shirt with a tulle skirt added, proving that a Vera Wang is not essential for a white wedding.
Something Borrowed: A bit of advice
You can lend an ear, so for the purposes of this blog post I am going to say that you can borrow one, in the case we’ll be borrowing advice from Mrs V, mother of Vogue’s party insider Miss V.
Mrs V’s advice is directed at Kate Middleton, or Catherine as she now likes to be known. From dealing with the mother of the bride to choosing the dress to employing cut throat guest list tactics Mrs V has a tip for every part of a wedding.
Something Blue: That Ring!
For the royal wedding there is one piece of ‘blue’ that has been splashed across every front page: that ring!
On that basis that Kate is the lucky wearer of the iconic ring Vogue have charted her climb up in the style stakes, starting with their informal engagement photo, where the ring took centre stage. They have named her “a princess for our time,” claiming that to be a modern princess she will need “glamour, resilience and a marriage bases on mutual love,” check, check, check.
The magazine has complied photographs of each of her ‘looks,’ be it on or off royal duty, leaving Boujis at 3am or attending a wedding. The look back at her style proves she is a very glamorous and polished woman, more than fit to be a princess.
With Mario Testino singing her praises and designers queuing up to design her dress, surely the future queen has it sorted.
F x
