Sophie Hunter Wore Custom Valentino to Wed Benedict Cumberbatch
Photography by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue
“When two people meet and it’s the right combination, it does ground you suddenly,” Sophie Hunter told Vogue of her husband Benedict Cumberbatch. Another perfect match? The British director and Valentino designers Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chuiri who designed a couture dress for the pregnant 37-year-old in just three months (it usually takes at least six).
Valentino’s couture house works with just 25 brides a year, but were able to accommodate Hunter partly because of who she was marrying but mostly (and most likely) because Anna Wintour told them to. Not to mention Annie Liebowitz agreed to fly in and shoot a fitting in Rome (she caught the last flight out of New York before overhyped snowstorm Juno shut down the tristate area’s airports).
The magazine’s editor-in-chief seems to have taken her fellow countrywoman under her wing, not only setting her up with the famed fashion brand, but also guiding Hunter through awards season. The influential editrix nabbed the Imitation Game actor’s wife a black A-line dress from John Galliano’s line for Margiela for the BAFTAs and a scarlet column gown made by Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz for the Oscars. Both were made sleeveless to draw attention to her arms and “acknowledge but not emphasize her pregnancy.”
Being in the second trimester of a pregnancy when getting married might prove a problem for some, but Hunter was lucky enough to work hand-in-hand with the Valentino design duo, making the process much smoother than it’d be for anyone not tying the knot with a movie star. Hunter had a three hour brainstorm session in which she showed off her wedding mood board (paper, not Pinterest), that contained Gustav Klimt landscapes and Anna Karenina-inspired dresses.
The designers eventually created a “high-waisted medieval gown with high neck and long sleeves,” made with a stiff metallic lace in light silver embroidered with motifs of vines and pomegranates. “It seemed to encapsulate everything I’d been speaking about,” she said. “It feels very much of nature, and it’s so detailed and extraordinary that I’m still trying to get my head around how beautiful it is.” A matching silk velvet cape was also made in case England’s predictably gloomy weather was wet. For a veil, Hunter was going to go with a family heirloom, but decided it was “too ornate” and the something blue was the sapphire Tiffany engagement ring that Cumberbatch picked out himself. “It has that delicacy,” she said. “It’s certainly not ‘in your face.’”
Wedding pictures are still under wraps, but rest assured Cumberbitches: the bride beautifully fit the part.
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