Having worked closely with Kate Middleton to create her wow-the-world wedding dress for the royal nuptials of last year, Sarah Burton is no stranger to royalty. But rather than her designs, the spotlight was firmly on the creative director on Thursday as she met with Prince Charles for a rather special occasion. The Alexander McQueen designer, who took over the helm of the label in 2010 following the founder's death, received an OBE.
And asked whether she would be making any maternity clothes for the Duchess of Cambridge, who is regularly spotted in her designs, Sarah laughed and replied: "I hope I will be". Now is the perfect time for the 38-year-old to turn her hand to maternity wear – last week she announced that she is pregnant with twins due in February. Sarah went on to describe working with Kate on the coveted commission last year "a real honour. And on the day the raven-haired beauty tied the knot with Prince William at Westminster Abbey, she thought she looked "so beautiful, she's got such an amazing sense of grace and style, it was quite easy to make her look good." As creative director of one of the biggest and most respected fashion houses in the world, the designer has had an extremely successful career. But designing Kate's wedding dress is nevertheless a "huge highlight".
"It was a real labour of love and a real collaboration. For me, it was a huge highlight of my career." It also came as a shock for Sarah, who wasn't expecting such an honour. "It came completely out of the blue, it was all very exciting and I felt very privileged." The fairytale dress accentuated Kate's slender figure. Its boned bodice started with a gently curving sweetheart neckline, leading to a ruched detail, full skirt. The train was, at two metres 70 centimetres, of considerable proportions, and had to be carefully arranged by her maid of honour, sister Pippa, at the door of the Abbey. Following in the traditional footsteps of her predecessors, she chose full-length sleeves, featuring an elaborate lace design hand-sewn from individual flowers, perfectly outlining her slim arms.
