Bridal Dress In Satin

Kate's wedding dress going on exhibit

The earrings, tiara and shoes worn by the bride during the April 29 ceremony also are included. So are an artificial version of the bride's bouquet and, as a finishing touch, the original wedding cake, minus its top three layers.

The items showcase "British craftsmanship, British skill at its best," says curator Caroline de Guitaut, who led a tour Thursday.

Record crowds are likely. Reservations for this summer's visits to the palace are up more than 100% over 2010 reservations, says Frances Dunkels of the Royal Collection, which administers the royal family's art collection.

Christy Osborne, a London resident who is host of the expat blog An American Girl in Chelsea, already has purchased her ticket.

"I'm not royaled out yet," Osborne says. "Kate is already a fashion icon. She's my generation's Diana. … I'd love to see the dress in person, because I think it's a work of art in itself."

One viewing slot is already booked: The Duchess of Cambridge , as Middleton is now officially known, is scheduled to see the exhibit with the queen Friday.

The duchess worked closely with palace personnel on the exhibit, as did dress designer Sarah Burton of the British design house Alexander McQueen, de Guitaut says.

A close viewing of the dress in the palace's ballroom reveals details that could not be discerned on TV: the sumptuousness of the lace flowers sewn onto the skirt and bodice, the deep vertical pleats that fall gracefully from the waistline to the hem, the train's elaborate individual panels, which were deliberately engineered to hold their shape as the bride walked the long aisle.

Kate's shoes (also by McQueen) were mostly hidden by the floor-length bridal gown, but the exhibit reveals that the white lace-covered pumps have spike heels 3 to 4 inches high. On the sole is the size: 38½, roughly a ladies' 8 on the U.S. scale. (Asked the waist size of the dress, de Guitaut replies diplomatically: "Small.")

The cake sits in the gilt-trimmed state Dining Room. Traditional British fruitcake on the inside, the cake on the outside is a hothouse garden of flowers in the same pale ivory as the wedding dress. On one corner is the shallow gash made when the Duke and Duchess took a sword to it.

The Connoisseur

Bridal Bargains, Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget

Bride's Wedding Planner

The Australian journal, a weekly record of literature, science, and art

Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion