On July 1st, 2011 Miss Charlene Wittstock officially became the Princess of Monaco at the Princely Palace where the civil wedding ceremony took place in the throne room.
For the big event, Princess Charlene told to one of her style mentors, Karl Lagerfeld. “Karl took me to his workshop in Paris. He said, ‘You are going to be a style icon. You bring a breath of fresh air and modern glamour to Monaco,’” Said Princess Charlene of the designer in 2011. Karl had always been a family friend of the Grimaldi’s so it makes sense that he got the gig. It’s worth mentioning that when the information about the outfit was released, it was credited to Karl specifically with no official mention of Chanel.
So Karl collaborated with Charlene on this interesting concoction; a strapless jumpsuit with a lace bodice that flows into pleated palazzo pants in a shade of blue that will be named after Charlene after. On top of the jumpsuit is a classic blazer that was probably a tad long to cover the pleats on the pants. “She loves clean-cut clothes with a touch of menswear, which looks very feminine on her,” said Lagerfeld at the time.
The idea of the outfit was to keep with tradition but have a little twist that reflects Charlene’s personal style. All Grimaldi brides wore dresses or skirt suits to their civil weddings… until Charlene. “I thought it was a nice change to go for trousers instead of a skirt, especially since I’m an athlete and have always kept my clothes clean and simple,” said the princess.
Charlene paired her non-traditional outfit with matching Charlene blue lace pumps and Tabbah diamond stud earrings. Her makeup was done by the long-trusted Pablo Ardizzone while Stephane Madinier created her deconstructed chignon. After the ceremony, the couple did a balcony appearance before going down to the Place de Palais for a cocktail with the Monegasques.
Later that night, The Princess and Princess attended the Jean-Michel Jarre pre-wedding concert. Charlene could have changed into a completely different outfit. Instead, she, surprisingly, chose to wear the same outfit.
The Princess took off her blazer and earrings and added a huge Tabbah necklace that we’ll take a closer at soon.
Charlene’s civil wedding ensemble was a statement that Charlene was not going to follow in Grace’s footsteps. A notion that proved true over the years. Opinions differed a lot at the time as to what to make of the jumpsuit, but since Charlene set the precedent in 2011, Marie Chevallier followed in Charlene’s footsteps and wore a Rosa Clara jumpsuit to marry Louis Ducruet in 2019. A new era for the Grimaldi’s!
An interesting outfit. I like it. Charlene’s hair looks wonderful.