2 countries. 4 events. 6 outfit changes. When W Contributing Fashion Editor Giovanna Battaglia married Oscar Engelbert, her astonishing dresses nearly stole the show. Here, an exclusive look at their spectacular wedding.
1Giovanna Battaglia, in her custom Azzedine Alaïa dress.
Azzedine Alaïa for the Piazzetta
“For the welcome dinner on Capri, Italy, we took over the piazzetta in the center of town. I figured I should start the wedding weekend with an ‘A’—as in Azzedine Alaïa. It was the first time he made something custom for me! We were inspired by classic Italian straw parasols, so both the shape of the dress and the sleeves resemble an umbrella. Azzedine wove this amazing white straw onto his signature knit fabric. I added white coral De Simone Fratelli earrings and an orchid in my hair—and, ecco!, an effortlessly polished, festive look.”
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Opera singers serenading guests at the dinner.
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The scene in Capri’s piazzetta.
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Eva Cavalli, Remo Ruffini, Etienne Russo, and Francesca Ruffini (back row, from left), with Oscar Engelbert and Battaglia in a customized newsstand–cum–photo booth full of Photoshopped magazines featuring the couple.
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A faux W cover.
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Battaglia, with Alaïa, at a fitting in his Paris studio.
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The dinner setup.
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The betrothed, with W’s Rickie De Sole, Armand Limnander, Stefano Tonchi, and Vanessa Lawrence (from left).
9Battaglia, in her Valentino couture gown.
“My husband is Swedish, so we had a very intimate civil ceremony in Stockholm before the festivities on Capri. The day was full of activities and demanded a wardrobe change! For that ceremony, I wore a caped, off-the-shoulder Valentino couture gown—it was pure and minimal but also regal and bold.”
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Former Valentino design duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, with Battaglia, at her fitting.
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A sketch of the Valentino dress.
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A close-up of Battaglia’s wedding-ceremony coiffure, by Luigi Murenu.
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A sketch of the hairdo by Olivier Schawalder.
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A detail of Battaglia’s custom Thom Browne dress.
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“Thom Browne designed my evening look: an intricately embroidered, pearl-trimmed dress and capelet with a sculptural, futuristic silhouette. I topped it off with a Stephen Jones headband.”
16Battaglia, at an Alexander McQueen fitting for her custom gown.
“The wedding site was the dramatic lighthouse on Capri. Since I wanted to feel like a queen, I asked Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton to design my dress. The corset is like a vase, from which the organza ruffles spray out. Burton used almost 500 meters of organza for the train, which was four meters long. The dress felt alive, mimicking the sea and rocks of Capri.”
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Battaglia, en route to the second ceremony, at Il Faro, Capri.
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Battaglia, with her bridesmaids Sara Battaglia, Coco Brandolini, Anna Dello Russo, Erin Hazelton, Natalie Massenet, and Christine Lumley (from left).
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The just-married couple.
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Battaglia, Ermanno Daelli, and Toni Scervino (from left).
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The chandelier-lit wedding-reception dinner.
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Fireworks after dinner.
23Battaglia, in Giambattista Valli couture and Manolo Blahnik boots, at her wedding party.
For the party, Giambattista Valli made me an incredible macramé minidress, inspired by Neapolitan Capodimonte vases, which I wore with matching Manolo Blahnik boots and a three-meter-long organza-chiffon cape.”
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Battaglia, with Giambattista Valli, at a fitting for her wedding-party look.
25Engelbert and Battaglia lose their heads on the party barge.
“The night after the wedding, we threw a ‘Celebration of Exaggeration’ fete on an oil barge—a theme epitomized by my custom Prada dress. Dubbed the Crystal Monument, it was made of over-embroidered layers of crystal net and crystal paillettes held together with metal rings.”
26Battaglia wearing her Tree of Life earpiece by Delfina Delettrez.
“Delfina Delettrez designed a matching peridot, amethyst, topaz, and quartz earpiece that she called the Tree of Life because it looked as if it had grown on my head.”
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A close-up of the custom earpiece.
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A view of the party barge.
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The scene aboard the barge.
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Battaglia, in a custom Prada dress and shoes, and Engelbert make their entrance.
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A repair kit for Battaglia’s dress, provided by Prada.
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A sketch of the Prada look.
