Daily Mail names Ralph & Russo as royal wedding dress designer
MEGHAN’S MARK: The London-based couture house Ralph & Russo has long been tipped as Meghan Markle’s wedding dress designer after Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo created the dress the duchess-to-be wore for her official engagement photo.
Britain’s Daily Mail is now sure that it’s true, publishing a front-page “exclusive” on Saturday, and citing unnamed sources that the dress will cost 100,000 pounds, and be paid for by the royal family.
The tabloid said she will wear the “hand-stitched and heavily beaded” dress for the post-ceremony reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. Later that evening, Markle will change into a different dress for the black-tie wedding celebration.
Ralph & Russo spokespeople have repeatedly declined to comment on rumors that the brand is making the dress.
The couture house, whose clients include Beyoncé, Fan Bingbing, Sonam Kapoor and a host of Middle Eastern princesses and other high net worth individuals, specializes in dresses for the red carpet and other major occasions.
Related: Iconic royal wedding gowns
It also operates a strict privacy policy, signing non-disclosure agreements and traveling the world to fit customers at their homes or on their yachts. The privately-owned Ralph & Russo works with hundreds of artisans, embroiderers and dressmakers at its London workshop.
The house is creating red carpet looks for the upcoming Cannes film festival and plans to continue rolling out standalone stores internationally, with the next one set to open in Dubai at the end of May. Last year, it began building out its rtw collection. It also offers accessories, with more product categories in the pipeline.
A few other brands have been mooted as candidates to create the dress. They include Markle’s pals and go-to designers Erdem Moralioglu, Roland Mouret and Victoria Beckham. All three designers are understood to be attending the wedding as guests, rather than actually dressing the bride for her walk down the aisle.
Related: Traditional wedding dresses around the world
