The Dress

The Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress was elegant, regal, and--although I liked it--safe. I'm not suggesting that the neckline should have plunged into a push-up bra; I'm glad The Dress was modest. I hope that brides planning to sport inflated cantilevered cleavage learn from Kate's example that less is more and revisit their dressmakers. It is not always appropriate to look like a Kardashian.

No, the quiet refinement of The Dress was its best asset, no question. I think, though, that the design could have been amped up without sacrificing taste. As proof I offer Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy gown from the movie Funny Face.

Best. Wedding. Dress. Ever. And Kate Middleton has the figure for it, too. It would have to be altered to observe the conventions: lengthen sleeves and skirt, add train, replace bow with tiara, but after a few adjustments, Her Highness would have been dressed to suit tradition, but a bit less predictably and with a little more panache.

The fact that I write this as I wear a stretched-out 20-year-old tank top with paint spatters down the front does not diminish my point.

oversized coffee-table books with beautiful pictures of beautiful clothes:

• Valentina: American Couture and the Cult of Celebrity
  
• American Beauty
  
• The Golden Age of Couture
  
• Valentino
  
• Avedon Fashion
  
• The World in Vogue

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