After months of speculation and headlines, today the world found out just who Kate Middleton had picked as her royal wedding dress designer. Kate looked sleek and sophisticated in an Alexander McQueen gown—designed by Sarah Burton, the label's creative director—when she married Prince William in Westminster Abbey.
An official statement from the royal family sums up why Kate chose the forward-thinking, U.K.-based fashion house, crediting it for combining "tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes ... McQueen's work." Sarah joined Alexander McQueen in 1997 and took over the brand's designing duties in 2010, after McQueen's unexpected death in February.
The Duchess of Cambridge joins a long list of celebrities who have donned McQueen for important public events. Here are some of our favorites:
Lady Gaga
Obviously the biggest supporter of the label as of late is the Mother Monster, who not only premiered her track "Bad Romance" at one of his shows in October 2009 but frequently wears the brand's designs on red carpets and in the video for the track. She made lobster claw heels all the rage after the video debuted in 2009.
Madonna
Madonna regularly wore the designer, especially in the '90s. She famously wore the label at the 1998 Video Music Awards, when she mixed South Asian accessories with a sparkling McQueen design in the midst of her "Ray of Light" reinvention.
Ashlee Simpson
The singer-actress showed that you can still be edgy and fashion-forward even as a mom-to-be, wearing a flowy gown by McQueen during her pregnancy at the 2008 VMAs.
Sarah Jessica Parker
In 2006, when SJP went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala with McQueen himself, she wore an over-the-top, headline-making plaid and tulle dress. She made just as many headlines at "Sex and the City" movie premieres in London with funky get-ups from the designer.
Rihanna
When all eyes were on her for very different reasons, RiRi decided to make 2009 her McQueen year. That year she wore the designer at the London premiere of "Inglourious Basterds" and rocked a striped McQueen dress to MTV headquarters for an appearance on "It's On With Alexa Chung."
Click on the images of Kate above to see our entire Royal Wedding photo flipbook!
What did you think of Kate's McQueen? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!
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