Sometimes, the sentimental value, design, and comfort fit of a favorite piece of clothing make us treasure and fave it too much, to the point that we want to wear it more than a few times! Such is the strange but endearing case of Keira Knightley’s wedding dress, or the infamous, famous “Dustbin Wedding Dress”!
The Story of Keira’s Dustbin Wedding Dress
Actress and model Keira Knightley started working for Chanel as the face and brand ambassador for their ad campaigns for Coco Mademoiselle and the Chanel clothing brand in 2006. They dressed her in a lovely strapless, sleeveless prom-style tulle dress with a knee-length skirt.
Designed by Karl Lagerfeld, the director of the Chanel Fashion house, Keira immediately took a liking (more like obsession?) to the pretty pink tulle strapless dress. After those campaigns where she wore it, she asked a few more times to borrow it, as she already fell in love with its look and comfort-fit design.
Dubbed the “dustbin wedding dress”, she went through a lot of good times with it and already fell in love with it. One story involved her and her friends, a throng of reporters, and a narrow escape route.
She recalled on The Hollywood Reporter, “I remembered it also because I ended up having to escape out the back of the house. We wanted to leave, but there were all these photographers out front, so a group of us climbed down a drainpipe and jumped into a big dustbin and ran off. It was just one of those nights where you go, ‘OK, that happened, that was a great night.’”
In 2013, the House of Chanel had already dumped the dress in a pile of clothing, waiting to be destroyed. Just in time, Keira called her friend Elsa to ask about the whereabouts of the dress and if she could borrow it one last time for her wedding.
She explained further, ‘Do you remember that dress from years ago? Do you still have it?’ And she said, ‘It’s literally in the pile to be destroyed.’ So I saved it twice, and now I have it at home, where it will never be destroyed.”
More Details on the Keira Knightley Wedding Dress
Keira requested for the famed dress designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 2013 one more time so that she can wear it to her wedding to her hubby, Klaxons and Shock Machine keyboardist James Righton. They married in a private ceremony with a small group of family and friends in Mazan, France.
She first wore the knee-length, strapless creation in February 2008 for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards night. It’s from Chanel’s 2006 Spring collection. The pretty dress used tulle all over its bodice and skirt, paired with a white Chanel bouclé jacket.
Karl Lagerfeld designed Keira Knightley’s wedding dress with a layered tulle bodice featuring horizontal pleats. It also had a simple A-line prom-style retro-50’s tulle knee-length short skirt.
For the wedding, it had an extra bridal touch with a V-neck chiffon overlay with dainty lace edges and long sleeves with over-the-wrist cuffs. This made the prom and evening dress style of the dress more elegant.
After the wedding, she removed the chiffon overlay and replaced it with the Karl Lagerfeld bone-white boucle cropped jacket.
Later, however, a friend accidentally spilled red wine on it, creating memorable red stains. Keira retired the dress for good, and it’s now in her collection as a memorable dress with the most mileage. It’s also the most memorable, with all the good times she wore it.
James and Keira’s Love Story
The couple’s mutual friend Tim Philips introduced them during a dinner party in 2011. That fateful first meeting enabled James and Keira’s love story to unfold. She, however, isn’t familiar with James’ band, but James knew all about her. That soon changed as Keira became one of her biggest supporters, joining him at shows and tours.
The couple announced their engagement on May 25, 2012. James proposed to her with a lovely engagement ring with a 2-carat, round-cut diamond crowned on top of a gold band.
The couple married on May 4, 2013. Keira got her wish to wear the special dress again for her special day.
They also had two wedding celebrations. The first one was their official civil ceremony at the town hall in Mazon, Provence. Keira wore her beloved Chanel “dustbin” tulle dress here, which became iconic among fans and the press. The Mayor of Mazon himself officiated the intimate wedding.
The couple’s second wedding ceremony was a more private, secret wedding for the closest family and friends in an undisclosed location. No, Keira didn’t wear her most favorite dress in the world this time. She wore a Valentino bridal gown with pink roses.
Keira and James went to Corsica Island, France (dubbed as Île de Beauté) a few days after, for some alone time together for their honeymoon.
