The Fashion Statement: Countdown to Royal Wedding

As more details of the royal wedding emerged yesterday -- including the start time ( 11 a.m. on April 29) -- there was, of course, more talk of the dress. Unless there's a press leak the size of a geyser, none of us will know what the bridal gown will look like until that fine spring day. Still, it's fun to speculate and when it comes to designers, there's been plenty of chatter on both sides of the pond. According to the bookies, here's where things stand.
Phillipa Lepley's shop (pictured above) has been under the magnifying glass since bookies first noticed real money being bet on the British designer who's known for simple silhouettes and top-notch fabrics. Another bookie favorite? WWD reported last month that Irish bookmaker Paddy Power says odds are 1-3 that British designer Bruce Oldfield will be Kate Middleton's choice, "and that it has suspended betting on the designer due to a recent 'flurry of big-stake bets' of more than 500 pounds, or $780 at current exchange." Oldfield has dressed everybody from Rihanna to Barbara Streisand. Jasper Conran, who's had his own made-to-measure bridal collection since 2007, is another name being thrown about.
Sadly, Alexander McQueen is not around. If the bride was me, he would be my first choice. Then again, it was rumored McQueen once embroidered the c-word inside Prince Charles' jacket. "I didn't embroider it, I wouldn't waste my time! I wrote it with a biro," he later admitted. Okay, so maybe that wouldn't be the greatest move in father-in-law relations.

Whitney Houston Dead: Singer Dies at 48, Body Found in Beverly Hilton Hotel
Whitney Houston Autopsy: Cause of Death Determined?
Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina: Late Singer's Daughter Hospitalized
Whitney Houston Dead: Stars React to Legend's Sudden Death
Adele Five-Year Break? Singer Plans to Focus on Relationship, Write 'Happy Record'
Jennifer Hudson Whitney Tribute: Grammy President Reveals Why Singer Was Chosen for Musical Memorial
Grammy 2012 Winners' List: Adele Sweeps Music's Biggest Night
5-Hour Energy: A Success Equal Parts Caffeine, Chemistry and Meditation
3 Economic Misconceptions That Need to Die
People With Easy-To-Pronounce Names More Likely To Succeed, Study Says