Meghan Markle won't bow to royal tradition with wedding dress, says top bridal designer

Grace Loves Lace founder Megan Ziems on why Markle's natural style will be different
Meghan Markle (left); Megan Ziems (right)

Megan Ziems, 32, is the founder of Grace Loves Lace, one of the Australian Gold Coast’s most successful businesses. She launched her first flagship store outside the Gold Coast — host of this year’s Commonwealth Games — in Shoreditch last year.

In 2016 one of her gowns, The Hollie, was the “most pinned” wedding dress on Pinterest. More than 2.5 million people pinned — liked — the design, named after Ms Ziems’s sister-in-law who wore it first.

The former lingerie designer, who had a £2.1 million turnover in 2016, predicted that Ms Markle and Harry’s wedding at Windsor Castle in May would have a huge impact on London’s bridal industry.

Of the American actress, Ms Ziems said: “I’m excited to see what she’ll wear and I hope she brings a contemporary flair into her gown. She is young, smart, beautiful.

“She hasn’t grown up in the UK under the monarch so I would say her natural style will be different. [Her wedding day is] her biggest moment to visually send a message of who she is.

“I’m unsure how heavily she’ll be influenced by the royal tradition. Being American from humble beginnings makes a big difference. It will be interesting to see if that shows in her dress.

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Undoubtedly there will be copycat looks, or at least elements taken from her gown and reinterpreted. She is the new royal style icon so I would say her day-to-day style will also heavily dictate what a lot of women around the world wear. I would imagine the fashion chain stores and seasonal fashion brands will be rolling out their version of her dress immediately.”

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Designers rumoured to be lined up to make Ms Markle’s dress include Roland Mouret, Elie Saab, Erdem and Oscar de la Renta.

Last month sketches by Inbal Dror, an Israeli designer, surfaced of what was speculated to be a potential design.

Ms Ziems, whose designs have been worn by reality star Millie Mackintosh and actress Rose McGowan, founded Grace Loves Lace in 2010.

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