Historic Wedding Of Meghan & Harry Produces Day Of Two Women Designers: Clare Waight Keller & Stella McCartney

Meghan Markle's wedding dress, designed by Givenchy's Clare Waight Keller

Givenchy for Day

On a day when Meghan Markle managed to look totally fabulous in her marriage to Prince Harry at St. George's Chapel, she also honored two women designers. As an articulate, committed feminist, it was only fitting that the Duchess of Sussex chose to wear Givenchy by artistic director Clare Waight Keller for the wedding ceremony and Stella McCartney for the evening reception. The wedding dress worn by The Duchess was one of the most stunning in the history of royal weddings and inspired a whole generation of women and their wedding dress preferences.

Markle has expressed her admiration for Ms Waight Keller's artistic flair, as she's particularly fond of the "elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring and relaxed demeanour,"  Kensington Palace stated in a formal release.

While Givenchy is a French house, Keller is a British designer, born in Birmingham, England in August 1970. 

The style-setter bride and Waight Keller collaborated to create a minimalistic design. Caroline Arthur described the dress to The Independent. 

"The neckline is beautifully cut and then there are two things happening with the seams. At the front, the shaping of the dress begins just at the bust point and continues all the way down into seams on the skirt.

"I'd describe the skirt shape as a tulip, so it's not exactly fitted on the hips, but it's slightly closer on the hips down to midway between your hip and your knee and at that point it then flares out.

"If you look at the back of the dress the seamlines are absolutely beautiful, you always need darting or a vertical seam at the back of the dress in order to get it to fit really nicely."

Markle's veil was considered by many to be a nod to Princess Diana's "epic train" at her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles.  Five meters of delicate silk tulle embroidered with flowers representing the 53 countries of the British Commonwealth, Kensington Palace and her home state of California signified the weight of duty, tradition, multiculturalism, and the commitment that Harry and Meghan have already made to visiting young people throughout the Commonwealth.

Crops of wheat were also embroidered on the veil to represent "love and charity," two values that Harry and Meghan hold dear, having requested charitable donations in lieu of wedding gifts. Workers spent hundreds of hours making the pieces, washing their hands every thirty minutes to keep the organza and threads pristine.

The bride wore Queen Mary's filigree Tiara on loan from the royal family and diminutive enough in size to appear again at royal events. The tiara, created in 1932, is dominated by a central brooch that dates to 1893.

Keller actually greeted Markle on her arrival at St. George's Chapel, helping her get out of the car and organize the splendid train. 

Stella McCartney for Night

Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, stepped out for the royal wedding evening reception wearing a sexy open-back, halter-neck Stella McCartney evening dress.  It didn't hurt, of course, that the couple looked quite Hollywood glam, driving to the reception in a silver blue Jaguar E-Type Zero convertible. The license plate number of the car was "E190518"—an adorable nod to Meghan and Harry's wedding date. 

The roadster was hailed as "the most beautiful electric car in the world" as it drove away to Frogmore House. The roadster, which is adapted from a 1968 version to include a zero emissions electric motor and plug-in battery, costs a cool £350,000. Its top speed is listed at 150mph but experts say the "real world" range is 170mph to 200mph. 

Markel also honored the late Princess Diana by wearing her emerald cut aquamarine ring for the evening reception.