Amal Alamuddin's Wedding Dress Cements Her Status as a Style Star
All eyes were on Amal Alamuddin over the weekend as she tied the knot with George Clooney, and throughout the four-day wedding festivities in Venice, Italy, she didn't disappoint.
The pièce de résistance – her Oscar de la Renta wedding gown — was unveiled to the public for the first time on Tuesday morning and was yet another flawless style decision by the London-based human rights attorney, 36. The custom, off-the-shoulder cream dress with full train was made with ivory tulle and 14 yards of Chantilly lace, and the bodice was hand-embroidered with pearls, beads, and crystals. She wore it with a long, cathedral veil, which was also adorned with French lace and bead-and-crystal embroidery and extended down to the floor.
[Related: First Look at George & Amal's Wedding Photos]
The wedding photos are featured in People magazine in the U.S. and Hello magazine internationally, but Amal was also photographed for Vogue during her final fitting for the dress. That took place in Manhattan in July and she was accompanied to de la Renta's offices by her mother, newspaper editor Baria, and her sister, Tala.
"He is the man every woman wants to hug!" Amal told Vogue of the iconic designer. "George and I wanted a wedding that was romantic and elegant, and I can't imagine anyone more able than Oscar to capture this mood in a dress. Meeting him made the design process all the more magical, as he is so warm and such a gentleman."
[Related: Amal's Wedding Weekend Looks]
According to Vogue, de la Renta also created a second dress for the bride, which has not yet been unveiled to the public. It was a Gatsby-style party dress from the designer's fall 2014 collection, but shortened from ankle-length to mid-thigh so that the brunette beauty could show off her long legs and easily dance with her groom at the star-studded event held at Aman Canal Grande Venice hotel.
Amal — who is Oxford and New York University law school-educated, has represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and is an appointed member of a variety of United Nations commissions — isn't just smart when it comes to the law. Her wedding weekend ensembles were spot-on throughout the weekend, leaving fashion watchers transfixed.
Before the couple had their mini bachelor and bachelorette parties on Friday, they were seen for the first time together in Venice and Amal's perfect blowout wasn't the only thing to garner attention. She wore a black and white striped silk Dolce & Gabbana dress, which fit her perfectly, to the welcome celebration. The dress sold out immediately. Amazingly, she topped the look a few hours later in a show-stopping red and black custom poppy print Alexander McQueen, which had a shorter hemline in the front and dipped down in the back.
The two post-wedding ensembles were equally as fetching. The first time she was seen as a new bride, she had on a white Giambattista Valli Couture 5 macramé embroidered dress and then on Monday she wore a white Stella McCartney two-piece bespoke suit with black detail and matching hat to her quickie civil ceremony at a local municipal building. Down to the last outfit, her wedding looks went together seamlessly.
Vogue's feature noted that Amal had "strong opinions on fashion" related to her wedding day. That confident sense of style and self has been on display throughout her courtship with the Hollywood heartthrob. She's elegant — as we saw when she made her red-carpet debut with George in that strapless black dress — has a love of the top designers (she has a favorite pair of Chanel boots), and rocks kitten heels with the best of them. But her style is definitely quirky, too.
Amal loves floral patterns and unusual prints, sunglasses, the occasional fedora, and even '80s-style ripped jeans. She must have a massive collection of dresses (the better to display those perfect pins!) and doesn't shy away from color. However, her shoes are where she gets most expressive. Those kitten heels? She's worn mismatched ones. She also likes slipping into unusual oxfords (think: black-and-white ones with red laces) and even shiny black sneakers with thick black socks poking out.
Now that she's Mrs. Amal Clooney — and proved to be such a fashionista at her wedding — all eyes will be on her to see if she can maintain her unique style. And we can't think of someone more exciting to watch right now.