Kate Middleton Smelled Like White Gardenia Petals on Her Wedding Day

Why has no one been talking about Kate Middleton’s wedding perfume? A scent can be the ultimate accessory (though obviously it’s difficult to take a picture of someone’s smell). If you want to be very thorough in knocking off Kate’s wedding, one must know these details. Basenotes, a very comprehensive and brainy fragrance blog, broke the news that Kate wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum. Never heard of Illuminum? The line’s English founder, Michael Boadi, is a former celebrity and runway hair stylist. He launched a first line of perfumes (with the questionable name of Boadicea the Victorious), which currently has 35 fragrances. Michelle Obama purchased three of them back in 2009.

Author:: Cheryl Wischhover
Updated:: Apr 9, 2014
Original:: May 3, 2011

Why has no one been talking about Kate Middleton’s

An interview on Fragrantica at the end of March points out in Michael Boadi’s bio that he’s worked with Mario Testino. Hmmmm. Connection there? Testino did the lovely couple’s engagement photos.

Anyway, Illuminum White Gardenia Petals was previously unavailable in the US, but now you can preorder it through Lucky Scent for $140. The site has received numerous requests for the scent. Shocking.

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Kate Middleton’s long, shiny hair is one of her style trademarks, and she was universally praised for wearing it down on her wedding day instead of in some tortured updo. While it looked chic and almost effortless, a lot of practice actually went into that hairstyle. The tool of choice? A plastic tiara that the team at the Richard Ward salon in London bought at Claire’s Accessories. It cost £6.50, which is about $10. According to the Telegraph, they picked up the tiara, taped up some windows in a back office so no one could spy on them, and practiced on a personal assistant. The Middletons’ long-time hairdresser, James Pryce, also shared the secret for how they fastened the real tiara.

By Cheryl Wischhover
Apr 9, 2014

Sarah Burton continued one of the most triumphant weeks in her career with a stop at Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship in NYC yesterday where she did a meet-and-greet in the McQueen shop there. Despite being told not to ask her about the royal wedding, human nature got the best of people. One attendee spoke to Burton and told WWD afterward of the conversation, “She said the princess was one of the most lovely women she has ever met and she was really low maintenance. She said the palace called her and the collaboration between her and Kate was 50-50.” After that, Burton tried to avoid the topic, with mixed success.

By Cheryl Wischhover
Apr 9, 2014

Mere minutes after Kate Middleton’s now-famous Sarah Burton for McQueen wedding gown was revealed, wedding dress “designers” scurried to see who could copy be inspired by it the quickest. “Simple” is one of the words that has been used most frequently to describe the gown, and though that hardly applies to the construction of the gown--lace workers washed their hands every 30 minutes and replaced their needles every three hours to ensure that the lace remained pure white--bridal companies and dress makers have nevertheless run with it to knock off the dress and get into the market ASAP. Shala Moradi of Faviana, a bridal label frequently inspired by celebrities’ gowns, told E!, “It’s easier than what I was expecting, and we’re going to do it in a few days.” We’re sure Sarah Burton and her team of artisans would take some exception to that statement. Moradi told E! that a bride called before the royal wedding saying that no matter what the dress looked like, she wanted a copy. Everyone from David's Bridal to Nordstrom is planning to carry the look-alike gowns, and stores started placing orders the day of the wedding. Click through our biggest Adventures in Copyright to date to check out the items inspired by the royal wedding---from The Dress, to accessories, to Pippa’s gown.

By Cheryl Wischhover
Apr 9, 2014

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge and wearer of Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, went right back to her high street comfort zone as soon as the big day was over. She was photographed on Saturday wearing a blue pleated Zara dress that retails for $89.90. And forget silk and hand-stitched lace--this dress is 100% polyester.

By Cheryl Wischhover
Apr 9, 2014