Ladies and gentlemen (but, let’s be honest: mostly ladies), we have another contender. Sophie Cranston of Libélula is the latest designer to find her name floated as the creator of the Royal Wedding gown .
On Saturday, Huffington Post royal correspondent Yvonne Yorke declared that Cranston was the gown designer of choice:
- 'Sophie Cranston of the Libélula label is believed to have won the coveted commission to make Catherine's wedding dress,’ Yorke wrote. ‘Through my insider sources, I've heard who was designing Catherine's wedding dress four months ago but kept it a secret in accordance with palace wishes...,' she wrote.
Libélula was first mentioned in connection with the Royal Wedding after Middleton wore Cranston’s Dulwich Coat, a vintage-inspired silk velvet design, to a friend’s wedding in January. A spokesperson said that Cranston was ‘inundated with orders’ after that appearance, but a wedding gown would catapult her to an entirely new—and stratospheric—level of fame. So who is she?
Cranston, 34, won the Student Collection of the Year award at Graduate Fashion Week in 1999 before going to work for Alexander McQueen and launching the Temperley London line with Alice Temperley . She left the London fashion race to study flamenco in Andalucia, and it was there that she launched Libélula—meaning ‘dragonfly’ in Spanish.
Trusted for her clever way with a bias cut and flutter sleeve, Cranston creates figure-skimming dresses in vivid original prints. Through her small bridal range, she has outfitted brides including Celia Walden, who married Piers Morgan in a relaxed country ceremony last year.
York suggested that the Palace withheld Cranston’s name to give the designer the time and space to create the gown without media intrusion.
Does the fashion world think she would be an apt choice?
‘It would be an amazing fit,’ said Katie Canvin, co-owner of King’s Road boutique Austique , who has stocked Libélula for the past five to six years. ‘It really wouldn’t surprise me at all.
‘Sophie is very down to earth, and she understands so well how important it is to make women feel beautiful and confident in what they’re wearing. And we know that Kate will be looking to support a British designer, probably a younger, lesser-known person.
‘Sophie is somebody she could work quite closely with, who would make a dress that Kate felt comfortable with, rather than trying to push boundaries or be too fashion-forward.’
Canvin added that Libélula has been one of Austique’s best-selling labels. ‘It just fits beautifully. It really suits people and is the perfect occasion label. It’s easy, simple and elegant.’
True or false, we predict a run on Libélula goods. Place your orders now...
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