The Kate Middleton’s wedding gown wasn’t alone in causing widespread anticipation this year. In fact, Bella Swan, the fictional star of the Twilight Saga movies ran her a close second as fans of the money-spinning franchise clamoured for information about the design of her dress.
With the exception of Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding gown, Bella’s $35,000 wedding dress was one of the most anticipated gowns of the year. The dress was made of a crepe satin and included French Chantilly lace on the back and on the sleeves with 152 buttons going down the back. She wore Manolo Blahnik custom-made satin pumps and a beautiful flowing veil with a diamond clip. The wedding dress, was created by famed designer Carolina Herrera, who has fashioned wedding dresses for the likes of Renee Zellweger, Mariska Hargitay and Christina Hendricks.
The rear of the dress features a sheer panel with delicate scrolled embroidery and was designed by Carolina to be a ‘romantic’ surprise. Stephenie Meyer and Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon selected the final design out of ten sketches that Carolina submitted. The handmade creation- which was custom fit for Kristen Stewart, took Ms Herrera and four seamstresses six months to complete.
Carolina Herrera said she was inspired by the dresses of the ’20s and felt like the dress was seductive. She wanted the front to be simple, keeping with Bella’s style, but with one extravagance in the back of the dress. I got inspiration from the book and descriptions from Stephenie Meyer. You had to really take in consideration the whole story — which was this innocent girl with the first true love of her life. It had to be magical, said Herrera.
Official replicas of the Wedding Dress that Kristen Stewart wore in the latest Twilight movie is now being sold for $799 at Alfred Angelo stores. According to a press release, the replica wedding dress boasts a dramatic plunging cut-out illusion back detailed with a soft Chantilly-inspired lace appliqué trim and full-length lace trimmed sleeves, self-fabric-covered buttons and a Chapel train. The dress switches silk for satin to make it more affordable. Shettel told the Wall Street Journal: The stitching on the bodice is the same, and the lace detailing is similar.
For those willing to spend big bucks for the real thing, however, Herrera is planning to include the design in her 2012 collection via her CHNY boutiques next year.