The House That Made The Lace

French Lacemaker Sophie Hallette Makes the Cut on Kate Middleton's Wedding Gown

PARIS, May 10, 2011 - After much anticipation across the globe, the wedding dress of
the century was finally unveiled and it was a vision of modern British
splendour, with a fine French touch.

(Photo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110509/454108-a )

(Photo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20110509/454108-b )

Kate Middleton, the new Duchess of Cambridge, wore a gown
designed by Sarah Burton, the Creative Director at Alexander McQueen.

A truly extraordinary lace was needed to adorn the dress,
Burton, and the newest member of the British monarchy, chose Sophie Hallette,
the renowned French company that has been making lace since 1887. Little did
the Lescroart family know that when the house of Alexander McQueen, who they
have been working with since the inception of the marque, purchased 130
metres of their exquisite Leavers lace, it would be used to create possibly
the most iconic wedding dress of our time.

"Everybody at the studio was thrilled to see our lace on the
royal gown as we watched the wedding on TV," said Romain Lescroart, CEO of
Sophie Hallette, a company revered for its' heritage as high-quality lace
craftsmen for over 3 generations. "Our lace has adorned haute couture
creations and luxury goods worldwide, but this certainly marks a crowning
achievement in our history."

The delicate Sophie Hallette lace is an exclusive design
featuring shamrocks, roses and lilies. that was first created in 1958, Each
piece of the lace, is manufactured on 100 year-old British Leavers looms. The
particularly dainty floral motif was cut out from the original lace and
hand-sewn onto the silk tulle of the décolleté, sleeves and train by the
Royal School of Needlework, using a lace-making technique, which originates
from 1820's Ireland.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Based in France and family-run for three generations since its
founding in 1887, Sophie Hallette sets the world standard for high-quality
lace craftsmanship. Manufactured respecting traditional methods on Leavers
looms more than 100 years old and maintained by craftsmen whose know-how is
unique in the world. Sophie Hallette laces are a staple of the most famous
fashion brands in haute couture and luxury goods including: Louis Vuitton,
Dior, Chloe, Versace, Dolce Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Antonio Marras,
Elie Saab, and Chanel among others.

For further information www.sophiehallette.com, Marketing and communication : mlescroart at sophiehallette.fr, Tel : +33-1-42-36-98-11; Or please contact Dee or Lauren at Dee Carpenter PR UK, Dee at deecarpenterpr.co.uk, Lauren at deecarpenterpr.co.uk, t: +44(0)20-8780-9944