Jydonne Bynum in her 1930s-style wedding dress by Lazaro. Photo: Amaranth Wedding Photography.
The fashionable Jydonne Bynum-Breiterman has been closely following Kate Middleton and her style since the engagement announcement last November. Having just planned a wedding herself, she’s got her finger on the pulse of current wedding chic and definite ideas about what we all might see come this Friday, April 29. I spoke with Jydonne via e-mail about her predictions for Kate’s dress.
Jydonne keeps track of Kate and the latest news of the royal wedding from the Huffington Post Style Section and WWD. She feels Kate will strike just the right balance of staying true to her sense of simple and chic style, while also adhering to royal traditions and protocol. “Kate has a tall, slender frame,” says Jydonne. “The most flattering silhouette for her would be a simple yet form-fitted gown with a flare a little above or below the knee, accentuating her small waist and long lean proportions.”
The dress, Jydonne points out, will have to have a large enough presence to be seen in the vast space of Westminster Abbey.” For this reason,” she says, “I think the bottom of the gown, although low waisted, will have a bit of volume.” Jydonne predicts there will be a train, but nothing like the seemingly endless train Princess Diana sported for her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles.
Jydonne has a passion for vintage fashions so when she was choosing her own wedding dress, she looked for a 1930s-style and found it in a strapless Lazaro gown. But she says strapless would not be the best choice for Kate. “Although I know she would rock a strapless dress, I find a bare shouldered gown to be a bit inappropriate for the grandeur and protocol of the Royals and Westminster Abbey.”
To keep the options open and in case of a designer spoiler, Jydonne surmises that Kate is having at least three dresses made and she won’t choose until the day before or day of the wedding. Jydonne also says Kate might have one or more costume changes throughout the day. “Numerous costume changes have become prevalent among the elites’ lavish wedding occasions.”
As for the designer – well, that’s the big question on every fashionista’s mind. Jydonne’s top three:
- Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen
- Bruce Oldfield (a favorite of Princess Diana)
- Sarah Cranston of Libelula
The choice of Burton would be a fitting final tribute to the beloved British designer Lee Alexander McQueen, who took his own life in 2010. Oldfield would be a nod to Kate’s deceased mother-in-law, which might please the groom. Cranston is a long-time Kate favorite. Jydonne says it’s close, but she’s going with Burton for several reasons:
“Burton has done a tremendous job continuing the style of McQueen, while providing softening and femininity yet maintaining the edginess that was McQueen. Burton has given the line the romantic touch of a woman, fit for dressing the world’s contemporary princess-to-be.”
Jydonne will rise at 4am this Friday to watch the festivities live. Just like she did as a young child with her grandmother 30 years ago, when Princess Diana emerged from her carriage. “I can’t wait,” she says.
Check back with Over Dressed for Life next week for Jydonne’s Royal Wedding Review.
Jydonne Bynum-Breiterman has a BFA in Art History from the University of Oklahoma. She currently lives in Washington, DC with her new husband and she’s working with Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, VA helping to archive their antique clothing collection. In addition, she’s setting up her own fashion blog (http://www.vintageleisure.com/) and researching a masters programs in fashion.
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