Meghan Markle wedding dress: The reasons why Givenchy was chosen
Meghan Markle met Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of Givenchy, last year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Duchess of Sussex's wedding dress was finally revealed as she emerged to begin her bridal procession at the entrance of St George's Chapel in Windsor.
Despite rumours that she may have chosen Ralph & Russo, Burberry or Oscar de la Renta as the designer of her wedding dress, it was confirmed that she had decided to opt for French luxury fashion house Givenchy.
So why did Meghan opt for Givenchy as the designer of the most highly anticipated wedding dress of the year?
Meghan first met Clare Waight Keller, artistic director of Givenchy, earlier last year.
Ms Waight Keller became the first ever female artistic director of the fashion house last year.
As a fierce champion of gender equality and passionate feminist, it should come as no surprise that Meghan chose to support a female designer in this very public way.
However, the answer as to why Meghan elected to wear a Givenchy dress on her wedding day to Prince Harry also lies in the gown's design.
Meghan 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," as stated by Kensington Palace.
Meghan and Ms Waight Keller collaborated to create a minimalistic design.
While the gown may seem quite simple in appearance in comparison to previous royal wedding dresses, a lot of careful, meticulous work went into its creation.
Ms Waight Keller was able to develop a double bonded silk cady material for the dress in pure white that gave it a slightly matted, modern look.
It was no surprise when Meghan appeared wearing a dress with a bateau neckline, as we've seen her wear clothes with similar necklines at previous official engagements.
However, luxury wedding dress designer Caroline Arthur found the slightly loose fitting of the dress fairly unusual for the bride.
"It is a very warm day, and this is a pretty warm dress," Mrs Arthur told 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."
It was previously suspected that Meghan may choose to wear a British designer to pay homage to her new family.
However, others predicted that she may opt for a Canadian designer, considering the fact that she spent so much time in Toronto when filming Suits.
British designer Henry Holland thought that Christopher Bailey, former chief creative officer of Burberry, was in with a strong chance.
However, Givenchy's chic design paired with Ms Waight Keller's ingenuity proved a perfect combination for the bride.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments