The dress that made Harry cry:Meghan Markle stuns in pure white silk Giv...

The dress that made Harry cry:Meghan Markle stuns in pure white silk Givenchy gown and 15ft veil



Meghan Markle has surprised everyone by wearing a wedding dress designed by Givenchy's Clare Waight Keller after months of speculation linking her to other designers, such as Erdem, and moved her groom to tears in the stunning classic creation.



An emotional Harry told his bride 'you look amazing' after she wafted down the aisle in the classic silk gown in pure white, with a 15ft veil embroidered with flowers of the Commonwealth.



The veil is made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza, while the look was completed by a Cartier bracelet and earrings and a Queen Mary diamond bandeau tiara, loaned to her by the Queen.



Meghan chose acclaimed British designer, Clare Waight Keller, 48, from Birmingham, the first female Artistic Director at the historic French fashion house Givenchy to design her dress after meeting in early 2018.



She was said to be impressed by Ms Waight Keller's timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanour and wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent who has now served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses – Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and now Givenchy.



The pair worked closely together on the design, with Ms. Waight Keller carrying out  extensive research at fabric mills throughout Europe, to develop an exclusive double bonded silk cady especially for Meghan.



Together, the pair decided this was perfect for the round sculptural look required while the soft matt lustre, bonding process and pure white colour bring a fresh modernity to the dress.



In a statement, Ms Waight Keller said: 'It has been an immensely rewarding experience to get to know Meghan on a personal level, one I will forever carry with me. The House of Givenchy joins me in wishing her and Prince Harry every wish of happiness in their future.'



The result was a dress which epitomises a timeless minimal elegance referencing the codes of the iconic House of Givenchy and showcasing the expert craftsmanship of its world-renowned Parisian couture atelier founded in 1952.



In keeping with the heritage of the house of Givenchy, the 'pure lines' have been created using six meticulously placed seams, and features a graphic open bateau neckline and slender sculpted waist.



The lines of the dress extend towards the back where the train flows in soft round folds cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza. The slim three-quarter sleeves add a note of refined modernity.



Meghan was eager to incorporate a nod to all 53 countries of the Commonwealth into her special day, and asked for a veil embellished with the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country united in a single spectacular floral composition.





In addition to the flora of the Commonwealth, Ms. Markle also selected two personal favourite flowers to be featured on the veil.



One was Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), which grows in the grounds of Kensington Palace in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) the State flower from Ms. Markle's place of birth, California.



Symmetrically placed at the very front of the veil, crops of wheat are delicately embroidered and blend into the flora, to symbolise love and charity.





Who is Meghan's designer Clare Waight Keller?

Birmingham-born mum-of-three Clare Waight Keller, 48, became the first female artistic director of Givenchy in 2017.



The 48-year-old daughter of a legal secretary and an engineer is known for her low-key and charming demeanour, in stark contrast to previous prima donna male predecessors, such as the controversial John Galliano.



Waight Keller joined Calvin Klein on the strength of her graduate collection at St Martin's, then was snapped up by Ralph Lauren to design menswear, before becoming creative director at Pringle and then Chloé.



Having designed handbag after bestselling handbag, she's rumoured to have left because Chloé wouldn't agree to 'salary increases proportionate to sales'.



She is married to U.S. architect Philip Keller and lives a Eurostar chic lifestyle with a farmhouse in Cornwall and a cavernous apartment on Paris's Bois de Boulogne.



Work-life balance is key and she refuses to open emails until she's walked her son to school, saying: 'He's always in a bouncy mood, talking about the birds in the park or the diggers or things like that.



'When I didn't have children, I was working all the time. Now I have to be more efficient, more resourceful, more exacting and focused.'





In addition to making Meghan's dress Clare Waight Keller designed Meghan's wedding shoes, based on a Givenchy refined pointed couture design made of a silk duchess satin.



She also created the six young Bridesmaids' dresses in the Givenchy Haute Couture Atelier in Paris to 'have the same timeless purity as Ms. Markle's dress'.