Phillipa Lepley

Now that Prince Wills has popped the question to his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton (and we've seen the ring), the question on everyone's mind is: what will she wear? We came up with some fantastical suggestions for Kate--from Erdem to Marchesa to J. Crew--but Middleton will more than likely go with a British bridal designer who reflects her personal style which is clean, simple and safe. Which means, sadly, McQueen and Westwood are probably out of the running. Since news broke yesterday of the royal engagement, a few designer names have been singled out by the British press (including British Vogue and Hilary Alexander at the Telegraph) as front runners: Amanda Wakeley, Daniella "Issa" Helayel and Bruce Oldfield. Other names thrown into the mix are Stewart Parvin, who has a royal warrant, Jenny Packham, and Phillipa Lepley, whom Alexander describes as "Sloaney" (American translation: WASPy, preppy, girly, Upper East Side-y). Hilariously, online betting site Paddy Power has even set up "Royal Wedding Dress Designer Betting," creating odds on which designer has the best shot of getting the coveted job. According to the site, Amanda Wakeley and Daniella Halayel are the favorites to design Kate's wedding dress at 9/2. They've also placed Elizabeth Emanuel, who designed Princess Diana's dress with her former husband David, at 5/1 odds, and Vivienne Westwood at 6/1 odds so maybe there is hope for Dame Westwood. A little bit more about the front runners and their designs.

• By Leah Chernikoff
  Nov 17, 2010