Emilia Wickstead, one of Kate Middleton‘s favorite designers, walked back her statements about Meghan Markle‘s wedding dress, originally saying it looked similar to one of her own wedding dress designs.
Markle’s wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy and is worth an estimated £200,000 ($266,276.20). On May 25, The Daily Mail quoted Wickstead as saying Markle’s dress was similar to a £7,000 ($9,319.67) gown. Like the design for Markle, the dress has a boat neckline and long sleeves.
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“Her dress is identical to one of our dresses,” Wickstead told the Daily Mail. “Apparently a lot of commentators were saying, ‘It’s an Emilia Wickstead dress.’”
She was quoted as saying, “If you choose a simple design the fit should be perfect. Her wedding dress was quite loose.”
Wickstead also criticized Markle’s relaxed hairstyle for the wedding, saying, “I was like, ‘Hold the wisps [of her hair] back — it’s a Royal Wedding for God’s sake.’”
But on Sunday, Wickstead posted a statement on her Instagram page, saying she was “extremely saddened” by the report and has nothing but admiration for Keller’s design.
“I am extremely saddened by commentary that has appeared in the press and online over the past few days,” the statement reads. “Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex looked absolutely beautiful on her wedding day and I have the utmost admiration and respect for her.”
She continued, “I do not think that her wedding dress was a copy of any of our designs. I have the greatest respect for Clare Wright Keller and the House of Givenchy – a huge inspiration to me. I wish Their Royal Hignesses, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a wonderful, happy and love filled life together.”
Although the overall reviews on Markle’s dress were positive, there were some negative responses. For example, Australian reporter Allison Langdon accused Markle of “copying” the dress Princess Mary of Denmark wore at her wedding in 2004.
“I think she did copy Princess Mary. It looked stunning on her but she went with pure white,” Langdon said. “A lot of people thought she might go with an ivory number since this was not her first wedding.”
Wickstead is a New Zealand-born designer best known for creating looks for Markle’s new sister-in-law, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Markle’s dress was designed by Keller, the first female artistic director at Givenchy. The veil represented the unique flora of all 53 countries in the Commonwealth of Nations.
