Kate Middleton Designing Her Own Wedding Dress?

April 18, 2011— -- The designer of Kate Middleton's top-secret wedding dress may be staring the future princess in the mirror. New reports point to Kate as the visionary behind the dress, drawing inspiration from her study of Renaissance art and Princess Diana's iconic frock.

The Daily Mail quoted an "impeccably-placed source" who claims Kate whisked her personal sketches to an experienced designer to make her vision a reality. Ivory satin, lace and pearls and a 10-foot train are all reportedly part of the creation, now stored securely at Clarence House.

Some reports say the surprise co-creator may be Sophie Cranston, who creates couture bridal collections. She's the 34-year-old British designer behind Libelula (Spanish for "dragonfly), a label she established after studying under Alexander McQueen and Alice Temperley. Kate wore one of Libelula's ebony velvet topcoats with a diamante buckle over a diaphanous black dress in January 2011 to a friend's wedding. Cranston is the latest in a series of names pointed to as the designer behind the bespoke commission.

A friend of the royal couple told the Mail, "the dressmaker is fairly unknown and from a relatively small design house. But make no mistake, whoever's name emerges on the day, this is very much Catherine's dress."