Meghan Markle 'Knew Exactly What She Wanted' for Her Wedding Dress: 'She's a Strong Woman'

Clare Waight Keller landed the ultimate dream job when she was chosen as Meghan Markle’s wedding dress designer. And just one day after the dress made its dreamy debut on the steps of St. George’s Chapel, the Givenchy designer is speaking out about creating the instantly-iconic gown.

Waight Keller got the gig in early January, after having a “short meeting” with Meghan about the opportunity to design the royal wedding dress.

“It was an extraordinary moment when she told me,” she told reporters at Kensington Palace in London on Sunday. “It was an incredible thing to be part of, such an historic moment and, in fact, to have the opportunity to work with her.”

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The process of creating Meghan’s long-sleeved, unembellished gown was “very collaborative,” Waight Keller said, adding that Meghan was familiar with her work, and the process flowed together through many conversations over sketches and mockups.

“It was a wonderful way to start the collaboration with her, finding out what she wanted for her day and just to find the absolute perfect style for her,” Waight Keller said. “Part of it was really a conversation in the beginning and then through a series of sketches that I proposed to her. We exchanged conversations about what would be the ultimate lines and proportions and the scale of the dress.”

“But over time we quickly got to a point where she knew exactly what she wanted, having tried some of mock-ups that I had shown her. And then it evolved into the final design.”

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The final design, of course, was Meghan’s stunning white silk gown, which featured an open bateau neckline, a sculpted waist and three-quarter sleeves. And Waight Keller says that the woman in the dress is exactly what she appears to be: a confident, kind person.

“She is just exactly what you see on TV,” she says. “She is just so genuine and warm and radiant. She is just glowing. And she’s a strong woman. She knows what she wants.”

She adds: “Really, it was an absolute joy working with her.”