Updated ,first published
A wedding hasn’t received this much attention since Meghan Markle walked down the aisle towards Prince Harry in 2018, but Taylor Swift is exhibiting a level of control over information surrounding her July 4 marriage to Travis Kelce that makes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem like amateurs at media manipulation.
Despite 1000 guests attending the Swift and Kelce ceremony at Madison Square Garden in New York (that’s 400 more people than the Sussexes crammed into Westminster Abbey), no images of the wedding dress or ceremony have emerged.
Swift may be the pop princess of the world but balcony moments like those Catherine, Princess of Wales and Meghan gave the public are clearly beneath her.
What do we know about the dress?
The only detail we know about Swift’s wedding dress is that it was designed by the creative director of Dior, Irishman Jonathan Anderson.
“Christian Dior Haute Couture is delighted to confirm it has created the wedding looks,” says a statement from the French luxury label released on the wedding day. “They have been created in Dior’s ateliers at 30 Avenue Montaigne, Paris, and designed by Jonathan Anderson … in close collaboration with the couple.”
Anderson is now preparing for his second Dior haute couture show, since moving from Loewe, which takes place today at Paris Fashion Week.
He did include a wedding dress in his haute couture debut in January.
Swift is the first celebrity to wear a haute couture bridal look from Anderson’s Dior, shifting the spotlight back on the brand after Dua Lipa chose a Schiaparelli suit and Chanel gown for her wedding celebrations with actor Callum Turner.
Why haven’t we seen the dress?
We’re talking about the woman who is known to employ sly marketing tactics to drive record sales and keep her atop the charts. Swift understands the value of attention so will be doing everything to maintain control over how the wedding is received.
Despite Vogue boss Anna Wintour and head of content Chloe Malle not attending the wedding, rumours are circulating of a dress reveal with the publication.
Their summer issue, fronted by singer Gracie Abrams, is already on stands. The September issue is the next anticipated edition, but a one-off issue, like the Met Gala specials once published by Vogue, could be planned.
Malle has made it clear that her vision for Vogue is based on moving towards special editions that cover major cultural events.
When Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos married Lauren Sanchez, Malle tested the waters with a controversial digital cover.
“I do think there is an element of endorsement with a Vogue cover, and I do think that it is worth taking a calculated risk,” Malle told The New York Times.
The world’s biggest social media drop
Swift could just be waiting to release the pictures to her 273 million Instagram followers, considering that US Vogue has only 51.6 million Instagram followers.
When you’re bigger than Vogue, the only endorsement you need is your own.
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