Princess Eugenie Says Grace Kelly Inspired Her Wedding Reception Gown

When Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle last October, she made a powerful statement with a backless Peter Pilotto wedding dress that proudly showed off her scoliosis scar. And during her reception, she also put her own special twist on things by wearing a blush Zac Posen gown that deviated from traditional white or ivory colors. And now, the royal is revealing that the inspiration for that cascading reception stunner actually came from the Hollywood legend and fellow princess Grace Kelly.

In the audio commentary for a Windsor Castle exhibition that includes both of her wedding looks, Eugenie shared that she wanted the blush garment to capture the elegance of Kelly's fashion in the 1955 movie To Catch a Thief. In the film, Kelly wears an iconic white dress with effortless, flowing pleats.

"I wanted something reminiscent of Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief so I showed that for reference and Zac came up with this silk that he’d found from Manchester. Every single draping effect, every single detail, every button, it’s all painstakingly done by him and his team," she said in the audio guide, according to Town & Country

And it seems the designer was able to manifest exactly what Eugenie dreamed. In the audio guide, she refers to him as "such a cool, fun, brilliant designer and friend." The Royal Family website also adds that Posen was drawn to the surrounding Windsor countryside when he was making the dress, and the dress's blush color reflects the color of an English rose. He used an ultra-delicate plissé silk that came from a British mill and because she's Princess Eugenie of York, he even embroidered the White Rose of York on the shoulder and the back of the dress—a super subtle and delicate touch (that's very on trend).

The level of detail is ridiculous. And of course, Posen draped the whole thing with so much class and sophistication that we know Kelly would have been proud.