In March 2009, Lily Allen was invited to perform at the Chanel Paris Fashion Week show by fashion maestro Karl Lagerfeld. It marked the start of a close collaboration between the pair, during which Lily became a muse for the couturier and the star of a new Chanel campaign. So when her engagement was announced and the date set for mid-June, we all assumed, given their relationship, that the iconic designer would create her wedding dress. Indeed all the fashion magazines announced months in advance that her gown would be a Chanel creation, and the singer personally confirmed the news after making various trips to Karl's Paris headquarters.
We couldn’t have been more surprised then when the 26-year-old unveiled her wedding dress a couple of weeks ago at her Gloucestershire country ceremony: of course, she looked fantastic but the dress just wasn’t what the fashion pack expected.
The design, an empire-line gown with a spectacular Twenties’ style veil, wasn’t by the 'fashion Kaiser' but was instead the work of French designer, Delphine Manivet. The demure dress – which featured long lace sleeves, a sweetheart neckline, lace overlay and a fishtail skirt – gently skimmed over her body to reveal her baby bump.
Her husband Sam Cooper later revealed much to the delight of their guests that Lily was four months pregnant. So what happened to the Chanel gown we were all expecting? A few days before her wedding, Karl Lagerfeld had uploaded a sketch and a photo of the singer wearing one of his creations during a dress fitting in his Paris studios – so when she walked down the aisle in Delphine Manivet we were all left slightly confused.
However, Lily, a keen Tweeter, quickly explained that she had worn her ‘beautiful Chanel dress at the reception’. The design – vintage-inspired with puffy sleeves from the shoulder to the elbow, an empire-line chiffon skirt and embroidered detail around the neckline - suited Lily’s style perfectly and she looked every bit the radiant bride.