Sarah Burton wins Designer Year award ceremony

The woman who created Kate's dress wins Designer of the Year at top award ceremony
By Daily Mail Reporter


The woman who created the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress has been named Designer of the Year by an influential style magazine.

The Harper's Bazaar award for Sarah Burton comes after Kate Middleton herself was named as 'Britain's queen of style' as she topped the magazine's Best Dressed list.

Burton, 37, creative director of fashion brand Alexander McQueen, clinched the coveted award at the fashion magazine's Women of the Year Awards at Claridge's Hotel in London last night.

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Year to remember: Designer Sarah Burton's award came seven months after dress she created for the Duchess of Cambridge was seen across the globe at the Royal Wedding

The dress which Kate Middleton wore for her wedding to Prince William in April cemented Kate's place as a fashion icon, while also making Sarah Burton the most in-demand designer of the moment.

The wedding and bridesmaid dress designs have both since been replicated by high street stores, with Debenhams launching their very own 'Pippa Middleton-style' gown last week.

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Designer Sarah Burton managed to keep her involvement with the creation of Kate's ivory lace and silk dress a secret from her closest friends and family until the eve of the event

The Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress designer revealed last week that the project was so closely guarded, even her parents were unaware that she was working on the royal wedding dress.

The Alexander McQueen creative director was so keen to disguise her involvement with the creation of the dress that she informed no one but a small group of colleagues who would work with her on the design.

At the awards ceremony, Dame Judi Dench received a Lifetime Achievement award while fashion designer and Oscar-nominated film director Tom Ford received the award for a Man in a Woman's World.

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Winners: Jessie J, who turned heads at the awards in a purple jumpsuit, won Breakthrough of the Year, while Dame Judy Dench was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award

The International Woman of the Year title went to Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post.

Jessie J received the award for Breakthrough of the Year, Tracey Emin was named Visionary of the Year and Helena Bonham-Carter took the Role Model of the Year prize.

Other winners included supermodels Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova, Yasmin Le Bon and Cindy Crawford who were collectively named Fashion Icons of the Year.