Royals

Carla Zampatti fit for a princess

When The Weekly took three suitcases of bespoke dresses made by the cream of Australia's fashion designers to Amalienborg Palace for Crown Princess Mary to try on for our 80th birthday cover shoot, there was one gown in particular that immediately caught the regal eye
Crown Princess Mary this week, and during The Weekly's photo shoot.

Carla Zampatti’s pale pink almost off-the-shoulder full-length creation suited the Crown Princess as soon as she tried it on. Not only did it fit in all the right places its elegant simplicity reflected Crown Princess Mary’s own sense of style perfectly.

“Crown Princess Mary has some wonderful diamonds and pearls in her crown jewellery collection, which she brought along to our shoot, and they suited this dress so well,” says Deputy Editor Juliet Rieden.

“It was obvious that this was a dress that she might well be able to wear at her official fucntions.”

Mary has previously worn this Collette Dinnigan gown.

Following our shoot, the Crown Princess personally purchased a number of the gowns, including the Zampatti piece and the dress received its first official outing at a gala dinner last night in Denmark in honour of Turkish president Abdullah Gül and his wife Hayrünnisa Gül, who were in Copenhagen on a state visit.

Teaming the dress with crown jewels of a stunning tiara and pearl necklace plus the palace’s ceremonial blue sash which matched her husband’s, Crown Princess Mary lit up the red carpet.

Ms Zampatti was thrilled to see Mary in her creation, declaring it one of the highlights of her long and successful career.

“I designed this gown for the fashion shoot of Princess Mary in The Australian Women’s Weekly and I was very honoured to be asked, but then to have Princess Mary wear this to such a royal occasion is one of the greatest compliments,” she said.

The Weekly’s Fashion Editor Mattie Cronan styled the Crown Princess for our cover: “Impeccable tailoring and classic design are Carla Zampatti’s signature and perfect for Crown Princess Mary. Carla’s pieces have that edge of formality while still being fresh, contemporary and feminine. She’s our most experienced and successful designer and I wouldn’t be surprised to see The Duchess of Cambridge take an interest in her collections if she has time when she’s here next month.”

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