Welcome our Royal Wedding Gown series, where we look at royal gowns from a different perspective. Today, let’s discuss some of the common elements that make up the Dutch aesthetic. We talked about Queen Maxima’s wedding gown at length here, and Princess Irene’s dress here, so we won’t be including them in the post today.
Previous entries in this series can be found in the Recurring Feature section, Weddings, found under “Find that Post!” in the header bar.
Bride: Princess Beatrix
Designer: Caroline Bergé-Farwick of Maison Linette
I’ve never doubted that Princess Beatrix is a strong character with decided opinions, and it was said that when she was engaged to Claus von Amsberg in 1966, she insisted on a lot of input into the design of her wedding gown. The resulting dress had a relatively simple silhouette, with a high neckline and 3/4 length three-quarter sleeves. On the skirt, the defining feature is the split over-skirt that extends from the waist and forms the train that flows behind for several meters. The fabric sports a swirled pattern over the skirt and train.
From the neck up, Beatrix is all impact. She wears the large version of the Württemberg Tiara, the trademark beehive, and massive fluffy tulle. In fact, when I think of this wedding, the tulle is what I remember. It is definitely a look not to be missed or forgotten.
Bride: Laurentien Brinkhorst
Designer: Edouard Vermeulen of NATAN
Laurentien married the youngest son of Queen Beatrix, Prince Constantijn, in 2001. Yes, there are a lot of Natan elements here, but the dress and the wearer triumph over them. The silhouette appears simple at first, but there is a lot of design going on. The bodice features a bateau neckline, which drops to a deep v in the back. The sleeves open up to a bell effect. The skirt, much like her mother-in-law’s, sports a slim under-skirt with a split skirt over it, flowing into a long train.
Laurentien wore the Laurel Wreath tiara, which, again like her mother-in-law, secured an explosion of fluffy tulle.
Bride: Annette Sekrève
Designer: Frans Molenaar
Annette Sekrève married Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau, the son of Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven, in 2000. Her gown, like many of the other Dutch gowns, sported no beading or lace, but instead featured a lot of fabric. The coat dress had a scoop neck with a collared neckline, and was secured with buttons down the front. The coat split over a slim under-skirt, and led into the train that flowed behind.
The Ears of Wheat tiara, also worn by the other daughters-in-law of Margriet and Pieter, is almost indistinguishable under, you guessed it, lots of fluffy tulle.
To see more of the Dutch aesthetic (Lots of tulle! Simple silhouettes!) look back at these gowns:
Princess Margriet
Princess Marilene
Princess Aimee
Princess Anita