Willthe gown be another game-changer?

"But who is making her dress?"

That is the most pressing question in fashion right now: theidentity of the designer of Kate Middleton's wedding gown for hermarriage to Prince William of England on April 29 - known in Britainas "K-Day." More than 2 billion people around the world are expectedto watch the wedding on television or via the Internet, and what shechooses will have an impact on not only British fashion but Britishpride as well.

British bookmakers have been setting odds on the choice. "It'sall anyone talks about in London, and nothing but," says EdBurstell, managing director of Liberty, the legendary departmentstore in London. "We're going to get together and have a pool in theoffice."

Every day there is a new rumor. In January, the British presssaid the designer would be Bruce Oldfield, who was a favorite ofPrincess Diana's and made Queen Rania of Jordan's wedding dress. Inlate February, fashion writers declared that it was Sarah Burton,Alexander McQueen's longtime assistant who took over designing forthe brand after McQueen's suicide last year.

"If she went with Sarah Burton, that would be kind of amazing -really a statement," Burstell says. "Having worked all that timewith McQueen, Burton is an expert on the drop-dead gown. She couldput a stamp on Middleton's style."

Last month, London's royal wedding press corps - yes, there arescores of journalists assigned solely to this beat - reported itwould be Daniella Helayel, designer for the British label Issa, whomade that smart sapphire silk jersey number Middleton wore for herengagement announcement last fall. At another point, Britishdesigners Erdum and Alice Temperley were rumored to have beentapped. Last week, the name of longtime British designer JasperConran - a 1980s star and son of interiors man Sir Terence Conran ofthe Conran Shop - popped up.

And this week, a dark horse emerged: little-known SophieCranston, who has a small company called Libelula and made headlinesin January by dressing Middleton in a figure-flattering black velvetcoat over a sheer black top for a friend's wedding in Yorkshire.Fleet Street went bananas over the outfit, declaring that Middletonshockingly went braless and denouncing the color choice. Remember:William's ancestor Queen Victoria wore mourning black every day forher remaining 40 years after the death of her husband, PrinceAlbert. "Hope you won't wear black on April 29, Kate," the DailyMail sniffed.

Royal family officials insist that no one other than Middleton'sbridal party and her designer will know who made the dress until shesteps out of the Rolls-Royce in front of Westminster Abbey on herwedding morning. "The aim is to protect Prince William from knowinganything about the dress - something all brides do on their weddingday," Prince Charles's press secretary, Patrick Harrison, toldreporters this month.

But this week, the Daily Mail reported that Cranston has finishedthe dress, that it is ivory satin and lace with a 10-foot train,that it is based on Middleton's ideas, which were inspired by thegown Lady Diana Spencer wore at her wedding to Prince Charles, andthat it is under lock and key at Clarence House, Charles'sresidence.

All this secrecy is a departure from when William's mother,Diana, married his father, Prince Charles, in 1981. Not long afterDiana made headlines wearing a smart black dress designed by Britishdesigners David and Elizabeth Emanuel to her first public event withCharles, it was announced that the pair would be designing herwedding gown, too.

"Diana herself telephoned us and asked us, 'Would you do me thehonor of making my wedding dress?' It was a life-changing moment,"Elizabeth Emanuel recalled last week from her studio in London. "Wehad always hoped and dreamed we'd get the commission, but we wereyoung and just out of college, and there were other experienceddesigners around." She points out that keeping the design a secretwasn't as difficult then as it is today. "In 1981, we didn't havecomputers and certainly not mobile telephones," she said. "Today,there would be so much pressure on the designer, with people tryingto get photos any way possible. Can you imagine?"

Princesses' wedding dresses have been a public obsession sincePrincess Victoria of England married her first cousin, Prince Albertof Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Until then, brides traditionallywore color, and white was for mourning. Breaking convention,Victoria walked down the aisle of the Chapel Royal of St. James'sPalace in London dressed in a white satin gown trimmed with whitelace, matching her veil and crown of orange blossoms. Soon, upper-class brides were wearing virginal white and lace.

Throughout World War II, brides opted for demure suits, oftenwith a pretty corsage. But big white taffeta gowns came roaring backin the 1950s, the styles often set by celebrities and princesses-to-be. In 1950, MGM wardrobe designer Helen Rose made ElizabethTaylor's white satin wedding dress with seed pearls and a sweetheartneckline for her first marriage, to Conrad Hilton, and it wasquickly knocked off and worn by brides around the world.

Rose also made the dress that Grace Kelly wore to marry PrinceRainier of Monaco in 1956. That dress - a high-neckline, long-sleeve ball gown of silk taffeta and antique Valenciennes rose-point lace - was one of the most copied ever.

For Diana's wedding to Charles, the Emanuels created, per Diana'sspecifications, an antique white silk taffeta fairy-tale confectionwith loads of ruffles, huge puffed sleeves, an enormous full skirt,10,000 hand-embroidered pearls and sequins, and a 25-foot train."She decided it was a fairy-tale wedding, and so we had to create afantasy wedding dress," Emanuel recalls. "And that's what's we aimedfor. It was a transformation dress, from a kindergarten teacher intoa princess, with the most amazing wedding ever, at St. Paul'sCathedral and with carriages. We wanted to do a dress that wouldmatch up to not only Diana's expectations but also the 750 millionpeople who were watching."

Though the dress was never reproduced by the Emanuels, it wasknocked off immediately. "As she walked down the aisle, people weresketching it," Emanuel remembers. "The next day, there were copiesfor sale all over London."

The gown launched the Emanuels' career - they later wrote a bookabout it called "A Dress for Diana," though they are now divorced -and gave a much-needed boost to the British fashion industry."Suddenly," Emanuel says, "British designers were up there on theworld stage."

Middleton hopes to do the same. The Issa dress she wore for herengagement announcement sold out within hours. "The phone wasringing off the hook," says Liberty's Burstell. London-based onlineretailer Net-a-Porter carries it for $535, and it sells outimmediately after each shipment arrives. "There's no keeping it instock," a Net-a-Porter spokeswoman says. British supermarket chainTesco has produced a short-sleeved version that sells for $25.

Although secrecy surrounds the wedding gown, bits of Middleton'sother fashion choices have leaked. A spokesman for Aristoc, aBritish legwear company, says Middleton has selected stockings fromits bridal range. The British press believes that Victoria Beckhamwill design Middleton's outfit for when the couple board their planefor their honeymoon, thought to be in Jordan. Last week, Middletonwas spotted in the VIP salon of London's Selfridges department storewith her mother, Carole, and her sister and maid of honor, Pippa,trying on dozens of stilettos by shoe brand Gina.

Middleton's longtime hairstylist, James Pryce of Chelsea'sRichard Ward Salon, will do her do - upon which she is expected towear a Windsor tiara of her choice - and Ward will tend to Caroleand Pippa. Fleet Street also reports that Middleton will weardiamond and pearl earrings, though it is not known whether they willcome from the Windsor vault.

Once married, Middleton is expected to continue supportingBritish fashion, as Michelle Obama has with young American talent.But unlike Obama, "Kate will be a princess and inhabit theconservative world of the palaces, the horse races at Ascot, polomatches and a lot more pomp and circumstance," says Robb Young,author of "Power Dressing: First Ladies, Women Politicians &Fashion," published in February by Merrell. "Kate has to be verycareful not to appear haughty or out of touch." Young suggests shefollow the leads of Princess Letizia of Spain and Queen Rania, whohave a modern, informal style. "As far as royal style icons go,these two are probably the closest big shots for Kate to take a fewcues from," he says.

Middleton is also going to follow the lead of Victoria and breaka bit of wedding convention: Sometime after the ceremony, she willauction her dress and donate the proceeds to charities, includingher future father-in-law's Prince's Trust. "I think Kate Middletonunderstands the power of her choices," Burstell says, "and she isgoing to be supportive of and have a lot of initiatives aroundBritish fashion."

Thomas is a freelance writer.