Wedding Belles: A Disney production
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Your support makes all the difference.Every bride dreams of feeling like a princess on her wedding day. Now, thanks to Disney, the multinational conglomerate that "makes dreams come true", she can look like one, too. From this week (starting tomorrow), British brides will be able to float down the aisle in wedding dresses inspired by Disney's seven princesses.
Created by American couture designer Kirstie Kelly, the dresses have been selling well in the US for a year. Whether British brides will be as keen to take their vows in dresses named after cartoon characters remains to be seen.
The gowns are based on Disney's most popular heroines – Belle of Beauty and the Beast, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Aurora of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Jasmine from Aladdin, and Giselle.
While the idea of getting married dressed as the Sleeping Beauty may appeal to die-hard Disney fans, the gowns are not replicas of the outfits worn by the film heroines, but are simply inspired by them. As Aladdin's love interest, Princess Jasmine spends much of her time in harem pants and a cropped top. Fortunately, the Jasmine dress is a simple strapless cream gown.
The dresses, which sell for between $1,400 (£700) and $3,000 each in the US, are quite tasteful, given the designer's Technicolor muses. The Fairytale Wedding Collection is being sold in five shops in the UK in London, Essex, Wiltshire and Staffordshire, and the bridalwear is just part of Disney's attempt to target the adult clothing market.
Its new clothing range – worn by stars such as Christina Aguilera and Paris Hilton – will be launched across Europe this autumn, while in the UK a small range of T-shirts has been doing well in credible stores such as Urban Outfitters.
A new home interiors and accessories range – the Walt Disney Signature collection – is also due to be launched throughout Europe later this year.
Disney's consumer products arm is set to make record sales of $30bn this year from its merchandise, stationery, toys, and food and beauty products.
Ariel
The Little Mermaid lived under the sea – as the fishtail on this gown ever so subtly reminds us.
Cinderella
The story is all about a glass slipper, but no one will be looking at the bride's feet if she turns up at the church in this attention-grabbing creation.
Belle
This gown is much less offensive than the canary-yellow original that Belle wore to waltz with the Beast.
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