All the Deets: Michelle Kwan’s Lacy Vera Wang Wedding Gown
Congrats to Michelle Kwan and her new hubby, Clay Pell! Get all the deets on the gorgeous, custom Vera Wang gown Michelle wore at her wedding here!
-Lucia Peters
Congratulations to Olympic champ figure skater Michelle Kwan and her new hubby, Clay Pell! Michelle, now a senior advisor for public diplomacy and public affairs, and Clay, who is the director for strategic planning on the National Security staff at the White House, tied the knot this past Saturday in Providence, RI. Friends in attendance included Michelle’s fellow Olympic skaters Brian Boitano, Dick Button, and Dorothy Hamill, and “Fields of Gold,” the Eva Cassidy song Michelle skated to at her last Olympics in 2002, featured in her wedding program.
But we know what you’re all most interested in: The gown! What did Michelle wear? The choice was easy; she went back to the same designer she wore during her long and storied skating career: Vera Wang.
Vera, who created many of the costumes Michelle skated in, dished to People about the idea behind the gown. “She is marrying someone whose family has a political history, and Michelle is living and working in Washington, D.C.,” said the designer; as a result, “[the wedding dress] had to have a certain dignity and a certain classicism, and I think it was a lot about a new way of looking at tradition.”
Read All the Deets: Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Day Outfit
As such, Vera designed an ivory, strapless mermaid number with layers of and embellished with lace appliqué. About the lace, the designer noted, “The fact that it’s got an inordinate amount of handwork in terms of lace is really a tribute to the art of hand-piecing lace. There is a princess/queenly level of sophistication and quiet without sacrificing a lot of detail.”
Michelle also opted to change out of her formal wedding gown into a second dress for the reception. When the skater asked Vera what she thought of the idea, “She said, ‘Yeah, I got it,” according to Michelle. “She said, ‘First dance, yes, and then you’ve got to change into something else.’” No details on what that “something else” was yet, but with luck we’ll be getting them soon!
Congrats again to Michelle and Clay!
Lucia Peters is BettyConfidential’s associate editor.
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