Royal Outfits of the Day: Monaco National Day & Sussex Royal Variety Round Up

Time to clear the decks from Monday's big events, because there's another state visit happening and a holiday coming up. Let's do this snap judgement style. (Psst: Tomorrow is a US holiday but we will likely have a state visit post up, so do check in.)

Monaco's princely family celebrated National Day, starting with a Te Deum, review at the palace, and some window balcony appearances.

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Princess Charlene, in Akris: The hat can stay. So, that's something.

Princess Caroline, in Chanel: This hat can go. Or at least the lace band can go.

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Princess Stephanie: Red! Color suits her.

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Tatiana Santo Domingo: She could nearly pass for a Windsor with her solid navy coat and Philip Treacy headpiece. It's the interesting shoes that give her away.

Princess Alexandra: Her mother's daughter in that suit, that's for sure.

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Beatrice Borromeo, in Armani Privé: Chocolate velvet accents? YES PLEASE. Winter neutrals done right.

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The Babies: Grandma Caroline quite literally has her hands full these days. Two out of three 2018 family additions made their debuts: Francesco (son of Pierre and Beatrice) and Maximilian (son of Andrea and Tatiana).

The family also attended the evening gala.

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Princess Charlene, in Akris: To be impressed by her commitment to lining up her Order of St. Charles sash with the color division in her gown, or to be confused that it now looks like a racing stripe...that is the question.

Princess Caroline, in Stella McCartney: Queen Letizia's sublime appearance in a version of this dress is a hard act to follow. Not really advisable to try, honestly.

Beatrice Borromeo, in Armani Privé: Once again taking the prize. 

Elsewhere, on Monday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Royal Variety Performance.

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Duchess of Sussex, in Safiyaa: Nope. To all of it. Sorry. Blame it on that added halter strap (which is tacked on there like it was a hasty decision, which it probably wasn't, which makes it worse).

Princely Event of the Day: National Day in Monaco

It’s Monaco. It’s National Day. (Er, was National Day. Yesterday.) So, you’ve got your hats. Orders and a gala event, but no tiaras. There Will Be Chanel. Let us review:

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Princess Charlene

Princess Charlene’s here to make me twitchy, spending too much time wondering how different (or not different) in shades her hat might be from the lining of the blue velvet Akris coat to the gloves and the shoes. Very different in some pics, not so much in others. Twitchy.

Princess Charlene on the balcony with Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella

Nothing like a couple little rascals to wipe away the twitchiness, well played.

Princess Stephanie, Princess Charlene, Prince Albert, Princess Caroline

Princess Caroline and Co. dressed up for their own little audition scenarios, that’s entertaining. The matriarch herself will be auditioning for the role of an Edwardian governess in Chanel today.

Andrea Casiraghi, Tatiana Santo Domingo, Charlotte Casiraghi, Pierre Casiraghi, Beatrice Borromeo

Up for the role of Couture Eponine, please welcome Charlotte Casiraghi to the stage balcony.

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Ready for her role in an updated Bonnie and Clyde, we have Beatrice Borromeo, who has already stolen my best in show award. Pierre and his mustache can be her Clyde. (I’m guessing he and various other family members have joined Prince Albert in honoring the carabiniers, the palace guard, with their mustaches; the carabineri are celebrating their bicentennial and decided to grow mustaches for the occasion.)

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Charlene closed the day by posing another critical question: Is a peplum on a sleeve the way to kick me out of the evening coat fan club? (Nearly, Char. Nearly.) Then again, Caroline is wearing festive evening arm warmers, so...

Celeb Style Triplets of the Day: March 1

There was a royal gown lookalike on the Oscars red carpet this weekend. Times two!

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Jessica Biel wore a Kaufmanfranco gold sequined dress with a shredded look and a statement fringed necklace from Tiffany & Co. As some of you pointed out in the Tidbits chat, this look calls to mind a certain royal dress...

That dress would be a golden Jenny Packham gown with a floral pattern and a built-in bejeweled collar, worn on more than one occasion by Crown Princess Victoria. And both gowns bring to mind another more recently worn princess dress...

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Princess Charlene showed off her own metallic column (by Akris) at the AMREF Gala on Friday. It's a swimsuit look with a texture that first struck me as couture camouflage, but which I have now decided is more like the snazziest of world maps. All of which begs the question...

Which version is your fave?

While none come anywhere near any favorites list of mine, it's a toss up between Vic and Char, with Ms. Biel sliding off the list.

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 31

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Prince Albert, Princess Charlene, Prince Jacques, and Princess Gabriella joined in the ceremonies for the Feast of Sainte Dévote last week.

At first, I wondered if Princess Charlene had taken a dangerous step back to her days of blergh, where it seemed like her wardrobe was equally divided between beige and black and everything looked the same. *sighs deeply* *looks off into the distance* Those were dark days, my friends.

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Then I saw the full length, and it turns out that she did not forget to add at least one feature of interest to her ensemble. I, unlike many of you, quite enjoy a funky hem situation, and this Akris number is getting there. Anyway, who's looking at the outfits on the balcony when those two cheeky munchkins are involved, right? Save it up for the cathedral appearance. I suppose I can't argue with that strategy. (It's not really an argument to recommend a proper color for next time, is it?)

Royal Fashion Awards: National Day in Monaco

There were National Day shenanigans in Monaco over the weekend, although things didn't really feel that shenanigan-y to me this year. Charlene's on a roll, that's all I know. The highlights:

Best in Hats

Princess Charlene

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Left to Right: Princess Caroline, Sacha Casiraghi, and Princess Charlene

Charlene wore a Rachel Trevor Morgan hat recently in London, and she's continuing the relationship here. And she can just keep on continuing that relationship, as far as I'm concerned, because this is fabulous. Had she gone full 1940s with a fitted skirt suit, I'd be in full swoon.

Albert and Charlene with twins Jacques and Gabriella. Click here for video.

(Princess Caroline, for her part, was better served by the original outfit she paired this hat with, at the 2012 Luxembourg royal wedding. I can't get fussed about the rest of the outfit, this is pretty average for Chanel these days.)

Best in Classics

Beatrice Borromeo

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L to R: Andrea Casiraghi, India Casiraghi, Tatiana Santo Domingo, Charlotte Casiraghi, Pierre Casiraghi, Beatrice Borromeo

There are several twists on the standard here (Tatiana with her voluminous Emilia Wickstead coat, Charlotte and the net ponytail on her Gucci ensemble), but it's Beatrice - expecting her first child with husband Pierre Casiraghi - who soars above them all with the most simple and most classic maternity ensemble. Such easy elegance.

Best in Evening

Princess Charlene

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Charlene in a white sleeveless A-line silk gown with hand stitched leather dots and a cashmere double-face coat from Akris, worn with the Order of Saint-Charles

I could whine about the lack of tiaras here, but I'm not going to waste the typing effort; on this, the Monacos and I will never agree. Charlene and I are united on one thing, though: BRING BACK EVENING COATS. Inching me closer and closer to swooning territory, she is.

Most Promising Jewel Fake Out

Tatiana Santo Domingo

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For a hot second there, I thought Tatiana had borrowed her mother-in-law's diamond wing brooches. That would have been rather fabulous. Alas, this is just part of the dress. Still, I'm finding a surprising amount of love for this. It looks cozy.

Roberto Cavalli embellished velvet gown, per European Royals Fashion

Who wins your best dressed title here?

Royal Fashion Awards: National Day in Monaco

That Monaco bunch, they sure know how to give us some stuff to talk about on National Day. It's their big annual day in the sartorial sun, and they make it worth our while. Just a few awards of note from the day events (which includes a cathedral service followed by appearances at the palace):

Best in Time Travel

Princess Charlene in Akris

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You know how sometimes you go to your closet in the morning and you find yourself torn between sleekness of your Star Trek uniforms and the flair of your 1920s throwbacks? Happens all the time. Well guess what, kids: PROBLEM SOLVED.

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Also: What to do when National Day just can't handle your new pixie cut? HAIR PRISON, that's what. This ensemble is a problem solver all around. And unexpectedly caps lock-y, too.

On the balcony with Jacques and Gabriella, who will celebrate their first birthdays soon.
See a video here.

Most Froof

Princess Caroline in Chanel

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And you thought Valentino was the only one with a dust ruffle fetish. The fabric gives this one the gravitas it needs, ruffles and all. (Also, the anti-froof: Princess Stephanie! A surprise front runner in simple but bold red.)

Best Play on My Weaknesses

Beatrice Borromeo

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With Pierre Casiraghi, a thrown together Charlotte Casiraghi, and a lovely Princess Alexandra

Granted, I have major weaknesses for Beatrice's style and for recent royal brides and for pink earrings, but I think she wins the day regardless. This is a chic ensemble (which I suspect is Armani, and which amusingly sports a dust ruffle of its own), nicely done without being overly done. It leaves the flash to the Köchert earrings Beatrice wore for her civil wedding, which were reported to have been a gift from Princess Caroline. Magnificent.

The earrings in morganite, diamonds, and white gold, by Köchert. If they were mine, I'd wear them everywhere too...

Click here for a gallery of the day's events, including the Duchess of Castro solving the age-old problem of which black and white pattern is best by opting for all of them. 

Photos: via Getty Images, Bunte video, Köchert

Royal Question Mark of the Day: May 26

It's just........huh? I have so many questions. SO MANY.

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The Prince and Princess of Monaco attended 

the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix yesterday.

What even is this? Why does the skirt have a knee vent? Did it want to be a jumpsuit but chickened out halfway through? Why are there tabs at the top? Is this a paper doll jumpsuit pasted on a three dimensional human? I mean, this shape seems clearly not meant for a world with this many dimensions.

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There's just nothing about this that isn't a giant question mark. Unless she was trying to win the prize for the year's most unflattering outfit, in which case I think we can call this a winner.

Outfit by Akris

Even the Dior earrings bring the question marks. A top-to-bottom achievement in huh?, I'd say.

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But I won't leave you like that. I offer you this palette cleanser:

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Charlotte Casiraghi at this year's Cannes Film Festival, in Gucci.

Theeeerrre we go. All better.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Style.com

Royal Babies of the Day: January 8

Here's a little dose of awww to get you through the rest of the week:

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Prince Albert and Princess Charlene officially presented their twins, Jacques and Gabriella, to Monaco's public with a balcony appearance at the palace yesterday.

Family members from both sides joined the proud parents from inside the palace, including Princess Caroline in a kicky leopard coat and Princess Stephanie without a scrunchie in sight (huzzah!).

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You can click here for a gallery focusing on the princely couple and their twins, and here for a gallery with other family members.

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Albert and Charlene also came down to greet the crowds, which (lucky for us) provided a proper glimpse at Charlene's outfit.

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Très chic, no? A bespoke cashmere coat and jersey dress ensemble from Akris in winter white with light tan boots and long leather gloves is the perfect thing for a winter appearance on the Mediterranean. Very well played indeed.

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain and PLS Pool via Getty Images

Royal Event of the Week: November 24

National Day in Monaco was last week, so let's catch up with the Monaco Bunch (they're a lot like the Brady Bunch, but with more Chanel).

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The day includes a cathedral service, a ceremony in the palace courtyard, a bit of waving from the balcony, and an evening gala. I genuinely loved Princess Caroline's outfit for the day events - an elegant Chanel blazer and dress, a bit of a hat, some fab hair. Princess Stephanie also looked pretty sleek in her simple coat, though her choice of a scrunchie instead of a hat (she never wears hats, but still) removes any and all coat bonus points.

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Tatiana went for the nutty professor look in her Dolce & Gabbana coat and mortarboard-looking hat, but I kind of like it. Not that anyone was looking much in that direction given the debut National Day appearance of little Sacha and his little knees, clinging to dad Andrea and grandma Caroline.

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Also present at the cathedral were Monaco residents the Duke and Duchess of Castro. She's prone to dramatic outfits and this one certainly does have some flair, but you know the purple is right up my alley.

Princess Charlene skipped out on most of the day's events and I can't blame her, those twins are due next month and if she wants to shuffle around the palace in her bunny slippers all the time right about now, more power to her. But she did make a beaming balcony appearance in an Akris double faced cape with a jaunty beret. (That's the smile of a woman who's still wearing her bunny slippers, fancy outfit and all, right?)

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Also on the balcony, Caroline's daughter Princess Alexandra showed off her dress which is adorned with CROWNS and that is the BEST.

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"Stephanie, look. Look at allllll those people who remembered to leave their scrunchies at home." I think Sacha's on my side here.

At the evening gala, we weren't at risk for scrunchie infection, but we did catch a serious case of ADLD. Another Dang Lace Dress. No fault of Tatiana's that we've seen so.very.many. of these in a row, so I'll just decide she wanted to confirm those reports of her second pregnancy and leave it at that.

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Caroline can be trusted to be different, at least, and her repeated coat is the rare piece that works both as an evening coat and also with your favorite pair of bunny slippers. I'm all for it. I hope she shares with Charlene.

Caroline's Chanel coat, Tatiana's Dolce & Gabbana coat, Charlene's Akris cape (runway version)

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images, Style.com, My Theresa

Royal Outfits (and Royal News Updates) of the Day: June 2

When it rains (reigns, sorry) it pours in the world of royal news! This weekend's bookends were two major announcements from two countries. Two recent outfits from ladies at the center of the breaking news for our Monday then...

First up: Princess Charlene is pregnant! The long-awaited announcement came on Friday. Congrats to them! Charlene was due to accompany Albert on an official visit to the Netherlands this week, but Albert will be flying solo now. So we'll adapt and drop back to cover one of the big annual Monaco events that we haven't touched on yet, the Grand Prix.

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The princely family attended the Grand Prix de Monaco on May 25th.

It's hard to go wrong with a strong, simple silhouettes, especially for Charlene. And she's even added a little extra something to her Akris dress with a red racing stripe down the center.

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I see what you did there, Char. Well played.

I wasn't as enamored with her one-sleeve wonder (also by Akris, naturally) at the gala (click here for a gallery), though I am by default a fan of her in a big color. Also, I continue to want most of what's in Beatrice Borromeo's closet, so there's that.

Second: King Juan Carlos is to abdicate! The Spanish king announced Monday that he will be stepping down in favor of his son, Felipe. (Here's a BBC article.) Juan Carlos has been plagued by scandal and his own ill health in recent years, so you can count me among those that thought he might join in on the recent abdication trend. We await more details. In the Spanish spirit, here's a recent Letizia outfit...

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Princess Letizia attended a language seminar on May 28th.

...and, well, they can't all be interesting. Spain may not really do the hats-n-gloves level of royal dressing (for engagements at home, at least), but what will be interesting to see is if Letizia sticks to her businesslike standard with her coming elevation to queen, or if she ups her sartorial game too. We shall wait and see...

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 31

Princess Charlene attended the Rose Ball with the princely family. She wore a blue Akris gown and diamond and sapphire earrings made to match her Ocean Necklace/Tiara. Also in attendance was Princess Caroline, wearing Chanel, right down to the sneakers.

I was all about Charlene's dress - she looks fabulous, really - until I saw what's happening at the bottom. (Can we kill this sheer trend? Can we kill it with fire?) I have thus decided to pretend this look only exists from the waist up.

The rest of the crew was there, including a princess-y Beatrice Borromeo and Chanel-clad Princess Caroline and Charlotte Casiraghi. Click here for a gallery. And yes, your eyes do not deceive you - Caroline was sporting the same sneakers Karl Lagerfeld (designer of the ball) sent down the runway not so long ago, and my prediction that she'd be the royal to try these out came true. I guess she was injured, since she was using a cane, but let's be honest: she didn't need a reason for these.

Photos: Reuters/Getty/Palais Princier/Style.com

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 28

Princess Charlene accompanied Prince Albert for the Sainte Devote service in Monaco, wearing Akris (the fabric, detail center, as seen in various pieces from the Fall 2013 RTW runway, right)

I have some quibbles about the boxiness of the jacket on Charlene here, but I'm falling in love with the chevron fabrics. It doesn't take much to get me to fall in love with a chevron to start with, but the subtle pattern, the added texture, and the interest created by the contrast of the thicker zigzag on the jacket and the thinner zigzag on the skirt is a genius way to make this so much more than just another charcoal suit. (Sidebar: When searching Akris looks for this particular one, I found myself absolutely charmed by quite a bit of their most recent offering, the Bonnie and Clyde-inspired Pre-Fall 2014 collection. Some potential there, no?)

Photos: AP/Reuters/Style.com

Year in Review: 2013's Honorable Mentions (...and Some Worsts)

We tackled the bests from the roster of royal women usually featured here, but they weren't the only ones accomplishing feats of sartorial splendor in 2013. Today's honorable mentions are for the stand outs among the rest of the royal crew! Excellent looks, plain and simple, left to right:

• Princess Charlene is trying, bless her heart, and she seems to know that purple and jewels are the quickest way to my heart. She simply killed it with this appearance.
• Speaking of killing it, the Countess of Wessex had an amazing year. Take your pick - this red number was just one of several bests.
• Princess Marie's sleek take on a Little Red Dress also needs to join my best list.
• I can't always pinpoint what I love about an appearance, and Princess Caroline's simple black dress is one such situation. Maybe it's the slightly longer necklace? Whatever it is, I thought she looked absolutely tremendous here.
• It wouldn't be a favorites list for me if it didn't include some Elie Saab, so Princess Madeleine's pre-wedding sparkles will cover me quite nicely there.
• Likewise, I require a dose of the couture mastery of Sheikha Mozah, so we'll go with this Valentino in the Netherlands.
• Plus, the Duchess of Cornwall got to make her big foreign royal event debut. I really enjoyed seeing her out and about this year, more and more regal and ready to step up when the time comes.

And just a few sentimental favorites, because it isn't all about the fashion...even here.

• Queen-to-Princess Beatrix was full of win this year, particularly the strong front she formed with Princess Mabel as they said goodbye to Prince Friso. On a more superficial note, the fact that she added an extra row of pearls to her big pearl tiara for the first time in a long time on her final night as queen wins all the things.
• The return of Crown Princess Masako to the international royal stage was completely lovely, and I hope we'll see more of her to come.
• WEE ESTELLE is my spirit animal. That is all.

And...The Worsts

Wouldn't be a proper year end wrap up without one last glimpse back at what made us cringe this year, would it? And then we never have to think about them again. Until one of these women decides to haunt us with a reappearance, that is.

• Princess Märtha Louise set the standard for the worst list early in the year in this number.
• Queen Máxima did a particularly bad thing with an ill-fitting dress and some black stockings recently, but for me, this Valentino (which she is the third royal to wear) is the year's true crime. It's the one time a tiara actually made things worse.
• Crown Princess Mary also wore the H&M mullet dress sported by Crown Princess Mette-Marit, but the addition of heavy black tights, SHOOTIES, and a jacket is such a peculiar look. She's managed to be both blergh and baffling, all at once.
• Princess Charlene at Princess Madeleine's wedding looks less a mess than the rest of those in this row, that is true - but. But. This one makes me sad. It's not just that she didn't wear a tiara to a tiara event, it's that this dress really could have used a tiara. Something, anything, to liven up this drab color which felt like a thud on the red carpet of a summer royal wedding.

Who makes your list of honorable mentions and worsts this year?

Photos: Getty Images/PA/Scanpix/Kungahuset/ANP

Royal Fashion Awards: Princess Madeleine's Wedding

Last but not least in our coverage of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill's wedding comes the guests, gowns and tiaras and all. Specific info on tiaras and orders/sashes will be below each category, since those are always popular questions. And before we get started, if you missed the wedding (or just want to watch again), it is streaming at SVT for a limited time. Okay, here we go:

Best in Trains

A Tie

Left to Right: Princess Marie of Denmark, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

These ladies set the stage for a pastel guest line up, but they get special recognition for bringing it in the form of lovely trains, despite this being a lower key affair. Marie didn't catch my eye in the broadcast, but on further review this is really quite lovely; Märtha Louise is surprisingly understated and also purple; and Mette-Marit has done the layered pastel thing a zillion times, but she gets me every time and resistance is futile. I like them all!

Tiara roundup (click here for a better look, and on the tiara names for a specific post if one exists): Marie - Marie's Diamond Floral Tiara, Märtha Louise - smaller version of Queen Maud's Pearl and Diamond Tiara, Mette-Marit - Amethyst Necklace Tiara.
Sashes: Marie - Order of the Elephant (Denmark), Märtha Louise and Mette-Marit - Order of the Polar Star (Sweden).

Best in Haga Princesses

Princess Margaretha

L to R: Princesses Christina, Margaretha, Birgitta, and Désirée of Sweden

A mixed bag from the bride's aunts, an extension of our post on the royal family. I pick...Margaretha, I guess, because she let us see the Baden Fringe Tiara, and she wore purple. Last pass just because of purple, honest.

Tiara roundup: Christina - Six Button Tiara, Margaretha - Baden Fringe Tiara, Birgitta - Connaught Tiara, Désirée - Cut Steel Tiara.
Sashes: Order of the Seraphim (Sweden) for all.

Best in Tiara Intrigue

Princess Anna

L to R: the Countess of Wessex, Princess Theodora of Greece, Princess Anna of Bavaria, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg

We had a rousing round of tiara guessing in advance of this wedding, and there were several ladies with interesting choices to make. Sophie did indeed opt for her Five Aquamarine Tiara, though she paired it with a pretty blah dress I'd say. Theodora borrowed her sister Princess Alexia's diamond tiara, though once again I think we need to talk about dress fit. Stéphanie picked another new-to-her tiara from the Luxembourg vault, the Citrine (or Topaz) and Pearl Tiara, and could have made an interesting pair with her shimmery dress, but the execution is...lacking. So I'm giving it to Princess Anna; the ladies from Bavaria were a question mark because the tiara they usually wear was recently sold, but both Anna and her mother-in-law Princess Ursula wore tiaras anyway, unknown (to me) diamond numbers. (And that really is the last purple pass. I really promise this time.)

Oh! And one bonus piece of tiara intrigue: Princess Silvia d'Arenberg showed up wearing...Princess Sibilla's Art Deco Tiara! Apparently the families are close. I'll take any opportunity to see that gorgeous Luxembourg jewel.

Tiara roundup: Yeah, we just did that.
Sashes: Sophie - Royal Victorian Order (Britain), Theodora - Order of Saints Olga and Sophia (Greece), Stéphanie - Civil and Military Order of Merit of Adolph of Nassau (Luxembourg).

Best in Tiara Clashes

Princess Kelly

L to R: Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess Charlene of Monaco

Continuing on in interesting tiara choices...these pairings I found a little questionable. I don't like the Midnight Tiara as much as some of you do, and I was surprised to see Mary wear it here - but even more surprised to see her pair its soft, cool gray tones with this dress (what are we calling that color...neon coral?) and the strong colors of her sash. I like the shape of her gown but could pass on the rest, I'm afraid. I thought the same of Kelly but to a lesser degree, as I love the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Turquoise Tiara and really only object to her sash here. She wins. And then there's Charlene, who paired her tree bark gown with the elusive Invisible Tiara, possibly heisted from my own personal collection. Pfft.

Tiara roundup: See above, again.
Sashes: Mary - Order of the Polar Star (Sweden), Kelly - Ducal Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House Order, Charlene - zilch, though she could have worn the Order of Saint-Charles.

Best of the Rest

Princess Marie-Chantal

L to R: Princess Tatiana of Greece, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Princess Takamado of Japan

Mixed bag time, to round up the ladies! I actually like all of these outfits - they all seem well-suited to their own ages/personal styles. I like good old M-C and her casual couture routine the best, despite the fact that she did walk a little close to the bridal white line.

Tiara roundup: Tatiana - Antique Corsage Tiara, Marie-Chantal - her fringe tiara, Benedikte - Queen Ingrid's Star and Spike Tiara, Hisako - her own tiara.
Sashes: Tatiana and Marie-Chantal - Order of Saints Olga and Sophia (Greece), Benedikte - Order of the Polar Star (Sweden), Hisako - Order of the Precious Crown (Japan).

Best in Gents

Crown Prince Pavlos

L to R (click to enlarge): Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Prince Joachim of Denmark, Crown Prince Pavlos and Prince Nikolaos and Prince Philippos of Greece, Ari Behn, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, the Earl of Wessex

Non-comprehensive (like the rest of this entry), obviously, but a sampling of the gentlemen will close us out. My favorite is Pavlos. Uniformed? No. Dapper, suave, etc.? Oh, yes. We'll make it a matched pair, one prize for him and one for his lovely wife M-C.

Tiara roundup: That'd be something to see, wouldn't it?
Sashes: Frederik and Haakon - Order of the Seraphim (Sweden), Joachim - Order of the Polar Star (Sweden), Pavlos and Nikolaos and Philippos - Order of the Redeemer (Greece), Ari - Order of the Crown (Netherlands), Guillaume - Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (Luxembourg), Edward - Order of the Garter (Britain).

Who made your best dressed list?

Photos: Getty Images/Scanpix/PPE/AP/AFP

Royal Trend Watch: Metallics for Madeleine

The festivities have begun! The King and Queen hosted a pre-wedding dinner this evening for Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill, and I'm already a happy girl because I spy a trend among the ladies: metallics, and really all sorts of things that glitter and shine. You know it doesn't take much to make this magpie happy.

The royal family and the O'Neill family

The bride herself started the trend in a wonderfully metallic Elie Saab, and she's my favorite because I'm terribly predictable like that. Victoria also brought a bit of shine to the occasion with the top of her Jenny Packham gown (which nearly became a cocktail dress thanks to the wind outside, threatening to reveal more than we need to know about quite a few of the ladies present, poor loves). Even the top of Queen Silvia's gown is made to sparkle, though - dare I say it - I'm detecting a hint of eau de figure skater.

Madeleine's Elie Saab, Victoria's Jenny Packham

(Also rocking Elie Saab, though not of the embellished variety, was Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie.)

Plenty of guests got in on the shimmery action in one way or another.

L to R: Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Princess Tatiana of Greece, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, Princess Charlene of Monaco

Two of our Greek princesses went sparkly, M-C in her Oscar de la Renta - I'm more interested in her shoes, to tell you the truth. WANT. - and Tatiana in her sparkle toned down with a top layer. (Perhaps they should have advised the third Greek princess to go shimmery instead of matte, since Princess Theodora...did not do so well. Sometimes going up a size can actually makes you look smaller, true story.) Märtha Louise gave us a shiny take on a basket weave craft project, and Charlene gave us a splash of Elvis in gold. (Does a gown need a vest? I'm just asking.) Char might be on an Elvis roll, actually, given her recent level of shine. Stand by for a big collar and a bejeweled belt tomorrow.

For loads more guests, click here, and here, and also here. (But don't bother searching for two of our regulars, Mary and Mette-Marit - they won't be in attendance until the wedding itself, due to their schedules.)

Are you loving the night's metallics, or something else?

Programming Note: We'll have an open post up before the wedding for those of you that want to chat here during the broadcast.

Oh, and P.S.: Yes, the court made it official today, Valentino has designed the wedding gown.

Photos: Kungahuset/B.Grenfeldt/Style.com/Elie Saab/Getty Images/Scanpix

Royal Trend Watch: Vroom Vroom Fashion at the Grand Prix

The Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco happened this past weekend, and Princess Charlene used the opportunity to take to the heights of thematic dressing...rather rarely for herself, I must say.

As though Charlene needed any more incentive to wear Akris clothes, the Spring 2012 collection was created with the 1966 film Grand Prix as an inspiration. At a pre-race charity football match she sported an Akris hoodie (well, I suppose you shouldn't call it a hoodie if it costs this much) with a Monte Carlo racing scene on the back.

Other outfits from some of the events surrounding the Grand Prix, including the Amber Lounge Fashion show (center, and also attended by the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Castro) and the Grand Prix gala (far right)

Other normal outfits were in play, sure, but she really got her engines running (clothes like this are asking for the pun, it's not my fault) for the big race itself.

Red lips and race cars. Where do you even start? I'm delighted that Char's having some fun with her clothes for a change - and hey, she's already got material to decorate a future kid's room around. Two birds, one stone dress.

Also, yes, Sophie Wessex was in the house (she was in Monaco for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Foundation). She didn't go quite so literal with her interpretation of Grand Prix fashion (her dress at the race was distinctly French, if that counts); instead, she gave vroom vroom a whole different meaning at the gala, racking up yet another fab-u-lous appearance.

Vroom.

What's your take on the racing fashion?

Photos: Lehtikuva/Purepeople/Abaca/Hello/Style.com/Nordstrom/Svenskdam

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 22-28 April

1. Opening the Turtle Island area at the Oceanic Museum of Monaco, 24 April.
2. Presenting the prize at the International Dog Show, 28 April. Well, sure. I mean, who doesn't love a day spent entirely in pajamas?

Photos: Daylife/Purepeople/BestImage

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 18-24 March

1. Opening a daycare center, 22 March.
2. At the Martell Cocktail Event, 23 March.
3. The annual Rose Ball, 24 March.

Photos: Monaco Matin/Purepeople/Bestimage/Daylife/Reuters

Royal Fashion Awards: The Rose Ball, 2012

The annual Rose Ball was held in Monaco this weekend, bringing out the usual assortment of Monaco characters and their misbegotten sartorial attempts. Shall we?

Best Distraction

Princess Charlene's Hair

 The evening's theme was "Swinging London" - as in the swinging 60s - and my favorite swinging touch is Charlene's hair. Love how cute and playful this is. I shall remember this 'do. The dress, I shall not.

Worst in Bedazzling

Princess Caroline

Uh oh. Someone let Caro loose with her Bedazzler in the remnants of the clown wardrobe from the Monaco circus. Points for wearing some legit bedazzling in the form of a pair of earrings from her mother, though.

Most Ridiculous

Charlotte Casiraghi

Charlotte, you know, she can carry off some pretty ridiculous stuff with her attitude. Things that usually only work on the runway can work on Charlotte. Sometimes. Not this time - alas, this one didn't even work on the runway (Chanel Couture, far right). She looks like she crossed a costume designer on Swan Lake's opening night. 

Best in "Of Course"

The Duchess of Castro

I ask you, what else would you expect from Camilla here? Actually, this might be kinda tame, now that I think about it.

Who wins your best and worst dressed awards at this year's Rose Ball?

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Reuters/Style.com