That Woman, That Iconic Dress.

Wallis Simpson, no matter what you think of her, she was a woman of iconic fashion sense. Born Bessie Wallis Warfield in 1896, she was an American socialite, best known and most famous for being the scarlet woman for whom King Edward V111 of England abdicated his throne for in favour of  the woman he loved. As she was a already a divorcee twice over, they could not marry whilst he was still King.
 On 11 December 1936, King Edward announced in a radio broadcast, "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility, and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love."  When they married after his abdication she was given the title Duchess of Windsor, without the fore added Her Royal Highness.

Always a woman of impeccable style and grace, Wallis never looked anything less than glamorous and stylish. Her period photos have always made me stop and catch my breath. No wonder the King fell for her.

The lover's were reunited in France after the King's abdication in 1937, and were married in June of the same year at the Chateau de Cande. The date they took their wedding vows on would have been Edward's father's, King George V's, seventy second birthday leading his Mother Queen Mary to become upset.

Not one member of the British Royal family attended their wedding, where Wallis wore a beautiful Mainbouher wedding dress in a blue, later to become known as the 'Wallis Blue'. Which was designed by Mainboucher, (an American designer from Chicago who stayed on in Paris after the first world war), to supposedly complement her blue eyes. Her hat and gloves were all made of the same matching Wallis blue.
In 1950 Wallis donated her wedding dress to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), where it is still regarded as one of the most photographed 'royal' wedding dresses.

Looking at another Wedding dress recently in the Ok magazine, I couldn't help but notice how similar it was to Wallis's 1937 dress.

Designed by Sir Paul McCartney's fashion designer daughter, Stella. It is simple, elegant and classic. I love the button detailing on the cuffs and front. I think Stella has taken all the best elements of Mainboucher's earlier 1937 dress and modernized it was a classic twist. Tres chic. xx
This is also Sir Paul's third wedding and was a simple understated affair in the same registry office that he married his first wife Linda Eastman at in Marylebone, London.......this time his recent wedding to Nancy Shevell was on buddy John Lennon's birthday, 9th October.

Heather Mills wedding dress.

Come to think of it, Paul's second wife Heather Mills also had an iconic wedding dress, that looked very much like another wedding dress we saw earlier this year worn by Kate Middleton on her wedding to Prince William. Both were based on the gorgeous and iconic wedding gown of Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco.

Kate Middleton.

Princess Grace Kelly.

It would appear that these vintage Diva's of eras past are just so iconic that their style will always live on. xXx