This is how much Meghan Markle's wedding dress cost
Hint: It was less than Kate Middleton's
Hint: It was less than Kate Middleton's
You've by now all seen Meghan Markle's stunning Givenchy wedding dress, which she wore with an embroidered veil and tiara borrowed from the Queen.
The pure white silk cady gown featured a graphic open bateau neckline, a flowing train and an underskirt in triple silk organza.
She teamed it with a veil embroidered with 'distinctive flora of each of the 53 Commonwealth country united in one spectacular floral composition'. It took hundreds of hours to make, with workers having to wash their hands every 30 minutes so as not to tarnish the pristine colour.
Pre-wedding, there was speculation that the dress would cost less than the Duchess of Cambridge's, as Meghan wouldn't want to overshadow her sister-in-law.
At the time, Kate's custom McQueen gown was estimated at around £250,000, and it turns out that Meghan's probably cost less, but not by much.
Although the gown is deceptively simple, with no embellishments or lace, the totally bespoke fabric means it might have cost around £200,000.
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The double bonded silk cady was developed by Artistic Director Clare Waight Keller after 'extensive research by Ms. Waight Keller in fabric mills throughout Europe,' the Palace said.
It's estimated the bespoke fabric cost around £78,000, and fittings about £4,000. Add to that the shoes (a pointed couture design made of a silk duchess satin), and the wedding veil (five meters long and made from silk tulle) and the total probably goes up a fair bit too, though we will get a better idea of precise cost later.
Meanwhile, the dress Kim Kardashian wore on her wedding day, which was designed by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, was priced up at around £370,000.
Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.
Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).
Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.
However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.
Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.
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