Since my French character Arlette LaRue in The Golden Doves is a budding fashion designer and is inspired by Christian Dior, I had to find the perfect wedding dress for her and was inspired by a cream Dior dress Princess Margaret wore for her 21st birthday in 1951.
After WWII, the palace forbade Elizabeth and Margaret from wearing Dior’s extravagant New Look, since rationing was still prominent in some areas. But clearly, by 1951 Margaret felt it was time for a change.
The princess was photographed in the dress by Cecil Beaton and the portrait became one of the most memorable royal photographs of the twentieth century.
For my book, I combined this famous dress with the one below to make Arlette’s wedding dress, for a reason which I can’t reveal for spoiler reasons. 🙂
