Amal Alamuddin enters fashion pantheon as Clooney’s bride

LOS ANGELES - With the help of Oscar de la Renta, Stella McCartney, Giambattista Valli and Dolce & Gabbana, human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin vaulted into the top echelons of Hollywood fashion with her stylish Italian wedding to actor George Clooney.

Alamuddin, 36, showcased several outfits during her whirlwind wedding weekend in Venice, picking British, American and Italian designers and channeling golden age Hollywood glamour.

The piece de resistance was an off-the-shoulder tulle and Chantilly lace gown she wore at her formal wedding ceremony on Saturday that was revealed on Tuesday by fashion magazine Vogue and custom-made by New York-based de la Renta.

The British-Lebanese bride told Vogue she and Clooney wanted a "romantic and elegant" wedding, and de la Renta's romantic and feminine design was the right choice.

The magazine renowned for anointing fashion royalty and whose editor Anna Wintour attended the nuptials, noted "she stands resplendent in her dress."

De la Renta also supplied Alamuddin's post-wedding dress, which the magazine described as a "festive, Gatsby-style party frock." Clooney wore a custom black tuxedo by Giorgio Armani.

Oscar-winning Clooney, 53, one of Hollywood's most famous bachelors, and Alamuddin's wedding was attended by celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Bill Murray and Matt Damon. It has drawn comparisons to the nuptials of Kate Middleton and Britain's Prince William in April 2011.

Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, has become a style icon for her chic ensembles that often incorporate high fashion and high street retail, earning a place in Vanity Fair's annual best dressed lists over the past few years.

Vanity Fair's special correspondent, Amy Fine Collins, said Alamuddin was one of the runners up for the magazine's Best Dressed list this year, and pegged her as one to watch during the upcoming year for her "cosmopolitan view of fashion."

"Amal has immediately entered the major leagues," Collins said. "She has her own innate style which comes with maturity and intelligence."

The raven-haired beauty opted for a chic white trouser and top by British designer Stella McCartney for her civil wedding ceremony on Monday. The outfit drew on effortless coastal fashion, a theme she embraced as she arrived in Venice in a black and white maxi Dolce & Gabbana dress.

As the newlyweds jetted through Venice in a speedboat named 'Amore,' the new Mrs Clooney selected a short, bell-skirted dress embroidered with floral motifs by Italian designer Giambattista Valli, showcasing her long legs.

"She executed a very polished overall look that a lot of women can aspire to and emulate," said Dana Avidan-Cohn, senior market editor at InStyle magazine.

"Everything was elegant and well-suited for the affairs she was going to, and that's what makes such a stylish person."

Alamuddin also opted for a blood red Alexander McQueen gown with a dramatic train for her pre-wedding rehearsal dinner. Avidan-Cohn said the lawyer paid homage to her own beliefs and profession by carrying a clutch by Sarah's Bag, a Beirut-based project where incarcerated women make artisan handbags and receive profits. — Reuters