Showing posts with label Carolina Herrera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carolina Herrera. Show all posts

03 January 2019

Readers’ Favorite Outfits of 2018, Day/Cocktail: Results, Part 1!

You placed your votes for your favorite royal outfits for 2018 – Day/Cocktail and Evening Divisions – and now it’s time to count down the results!

Starting with the Day/Cocktail Division, your top 10 favorites are:

#10. The Duchess of Sussex at the Sentebale Polo Cup in Carolina Herrera
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I think I forgot about this one entirely myself, but I’m glad many of you mentioned it. Set off by perfectly selected accessories, this denim dress is a little dose of Carolina Herrera magic.

#9. Princess Madeleine at Princess Adrienne’s Christening in Giambattista Valli
Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se
The Swedish christenings have been such a reliable source of some of the best outfits in recent years. Princess Madeleine continues that tradition this year, with her floral dress and headdress accented by her debut of pieces from the Cameo Parure.

#8. Queen Mathilde at the French State Visit in Natan
Belgian Monarchy
A little bit of cape action and a dash of contrasting accessories are just the things to elevate a plain gray outfit to something worthy of a spot on your 2018 favorites list.

#7. Crown Princess Mary in Seattle in Preen
Preen/Danish Ambassador
Sometimes a little bit of black and white is all you need. It’s certainly all Mary needed to display the midi-length trend at its best and land herself a spot on your top 10.

#6. Lady Sarah Chatto at Princess Eugenie and Jack’s Wedding in Jasper Conran
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Lady Sarah expanded her trademark streamlined aesthetic in a pastel direction for the second British royal wedding of the year, and the effect is a top 10-worthy personal best.

Stay tuned for the top 5 in Part 2!

07 December 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia at the Spanish Constitution Anniversary

The Spanish royal family marked the 40th anniversary 
of the Spanish Constitution yesterday.
House of HM the King

Special event? Must need a dash of red. Such seems to be the thinking of Queen Letizia these days, and can we really argue with her?

House of HM the King

This is the third time we've seen this Carolina Herrera dress so far, I believe, after its debut at another special event: the family's trip to Asturias in September. She bumped up the special occasion-ness (that's a thing, go with it) this time with a bigger pair of ruby and diamond earrings. (Can we really argue with that either? I think not.)

The King and Queen attended a concert for the anniversary the previous evening.
House of HM the King

For a concert the evening before, Letizia went for some fake out va-va-voom in the form of a lined lace plunge. I'm not averse to the faux plunge. I'm just averse to the way the lace looks like an afterthought and to...sort of the whole rest of the top. A shame! Some swishy magic could have happened here.

04 December 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Queen Letizia's Recents

If you're going to double up on any style, you might as well make it the swishy, belted style:

Queen Letizia marked the 40th anniversary of the Public State Employment Service last week.
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Can the simple fact that a coat is from Carolina Herrera save it from blerghdom? This repeated beige number votes yes.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia opened an exhibit at the Reina Sofia Museum yesterday.
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This gray number would be equally at home in Queen Mathilde's closet, no? Maybe even more at home, in fact - but a little flip with the belt gives it a little Letizia flair. Two for two in swishy, belted successes.

13 November 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia and Mathilde

Just a couple of queens, going about their queenly business.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia started a state visit to Peru yesterday.
House of HM the King
Unfortunately for Letizia, that queenly business isn't quite as glam on this state visit as it would be back home; they didn't have a big fancy state banquet. (And when I say unfortunately for Letizia, I mean unfortunately for us.) Letizia has a new Carolina Herrera dress and it is fine. Stripes! What's not to like?

The King and Queen attended the Valencian Economy Night last week.
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I'll get some jewels in here somehow, don't you worry. Letizia's black diamond earrings and the bracelets from the joyas de pasar spiced up her repeated Hugo Boss jumpsuit at this previous event. That's how you do it.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde commemorated the centenary of the armistice with events including a special Last Post ceremony and a concert with the Canadian Governor General as a guest.
Belgian Monarchy
Belgian Monarchy
Queen Mathilde's always going to look sharp when she needs to, she's got this down pat. Her green concert outfit is a repeat, but I'm here for any time she wants to throw in some accent accessories. The blush pink shoes and bag make the look for me.

31 October 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia Also Brought the Jewels

While we were busy in tiaraland, Queen Letizia threw out a notable jewel appearance of her own.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia welcomed the President of Germany to Spain last week.
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This strand of large pearls with a big diamond clasp is another piece from the joyas de pasar; the Russian set of pearls was given by Alfonso XII to his bride, Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, as a wedding present in 1878. Queen Letizia paired the historic pearls with an outfit from Hugo Boss. (Boss, in addition to being one of Letizia's regulars, is a German company, so a bit of a nod to the guests.)

House of HM the King
Huzzah for Letizia with the big time jewels and all. It's just that I don't really think this works for her. Nothing against a strand of pearls, but this ensemble is a stuffy combination. Doesn't feel very...Letizia.

The King and Queen also attended the Francisco Cerecedo Journalism Awards.
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We need to close out with something back on the sleeker side, like so. This is night and day in every way from the German event above. Note the white heel on the shoes to coordinate with the black and white Carolina Herrera dress, a great styling choice.

17 October 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia and National Day

While we were tending to royal wedding business, the Spanish royal family was out and about for National Day. Queen Letizia left the color to her daughters, including the Princess of Asturias, who was wearing the brooch of the Order of the Golden Fleece she received earlier this year.

House of HM the King
Letizia remains exclusive to Felipe Varela for this annual event, and this offers exactly what you expect from Varela in terms of excellent fit and construction. It doesn't come without its quibbles, though; I'm not loving the length and froof of the skirt mixed with the structure of the jacket, plus this is one of those colors of blergh that kind of actively sucks up all the color around it. Not a bright outfit, not a bright day. (On multiple fronts, since the King and Queen ended the day visiting flooded areas in Mallorca.)

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But my outfit quibbles were much reduced once Letizia headed inside the palace for the reception, ditching the coat and allowing the delicate Chantilly lace skirt to be its best ballerina self.

House of HM the King
Color has already made its return - Letizia's best color, in fact. She visited Rome for World Food Day, repeating the Carolina Herrera dress she wore in Asturias last month. Definitely worthy of a speedy rewear. That said, this might be the first time I'm actively distracted by her Steve Madden heels with transparent straps. Man, I hate that I sorta want to advocate for a plainer nude shoe.

11 September 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: The Spanish Royal Family in Asturias

Last week the Spanish royal family visited Asturias to mark the 13th centenary of the Kingdom of Asturias, the centenary of the Catholic Coronation of the Virgin of Covadonga, and the centenary of the creation of the National Park of Covadonga Mountain. Phew! That's a lot of centenaries all at once.

House of HM the King
It was an historic day for one more reason, too: this marked the first official trip to Asturias for the Princess of Asturias, a big step in Leonor's official life. She was supported by her parents, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and her sister, Infanta Sofia. Leonor's blue outfit went with her dad's tie; Sofia's pink with red accents went with her mom's red dress. Family coordination: check.

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And it's all very appropriate and very good, precisely as we have come to expect from them! Letizia's red dress is custom Carolina Herrera. She can never go too wrong in her best color.

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Leonor's light blue dress was a great background for some of the official gifts she received on her big trip. Leonor and Sofia received necklaces with medallions of the Virgin of Covadonga, which they both put on (Leonor's wearing hers above). Both girls received chain necklaces from Asturias with Asturian gold and sapphires (see here). As Princess of Asturias, Leonor received a beautiful bejeweled handmade badge, which you can read about and see here. She wore that during the day as well.

House of HM the King
They rounded things out with some hiking for that aforementioned national park centenary. If this picture's not a tourism advertisement for that park, I don't know what is. What a view! And what a well played day for the whole family.

08 August 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia Goes Orange in Mallorca

The official engagements for the Spanish royals during their summer residence in Palma de Mallorca continued with a hefty dose of orange last week.

King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Queen Sofia hosted a reception for the Balearic Islands.
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Yeah, that's one orange shirt. Kinda taking over the whole outfit. Picking a color from the Carolina Herrera skirt to use for the top was the obvious way to go, although I think this Hugo Boss top wasn't the right choice in color or in shape.

House of HM the King
Not that I don't sympathize, you know, because as glorious as a full skirt can be, figuring out what to pair it with can be the trickiest decision.

The King and Queen hosted the Prime Minister of Spain and his wife for lunch at Marivent Palace.
House of HM the King
Letizia also dipped into the coral side of her floral theme with a new dress from Adolfo Domínguez. Lacking the Letizia sass, I think, but serviceable all the same.

Adolfo Domínguez dress

20 July 2018

Royal Dresses of the Day: Letizia and Eugenie's Double Bests

I hereby declare the best dress of the week to be a tie between these two repeats, both summery and swishy and all that good stuff. Let's send ourselves off to the weekend with a pair of bests:

King Felipe and Queen Letizia visited Bailen.
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See? SWISHY. This dress is so ready to twirl, it'll do it on its own if Letizia's not feeling game. These divine polka dots are from Carolina Herrera, and we first saw the dress during a solo trip a couple months ago.

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We can't have an ode to perfect summer dresses without a little bit of #TeamShades, now can we? Of course we can't. Living her best shampoo commercial life, as always.

Princess Eugenie attended Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday celebrations in London. 
Princess Eugenie also wowed in a repeat, the great green dress by Osman she debuted at Trooping the Colour last month. I loved it from the waist up during that event and it does not disappoint in full length. I am particularly swooning over the color. Keep building that good dress momentum right up to the big wedding day, Eugenie.

Eugenie's dress by Osman, Letizia's dress by Carolina Herrera

13 July 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia, at Last

I know, I know, we haven't seen much of Queen Letizia around here lately. Even though her trip with King Felipe to the United States was a while back (they visited Louisiana, Texas, and Washington, D.C.), I'm still going to show you my two fave outfits. And then we'll do a couple with a slightly more current date.

House of HM the King
As it happens, my two favorite outfits from the US trip both happened in San Antonio. Letizia got twirly for a formal dinner with this fresh and fun Carolina Herrera dress with a tiered skirt - and it didn't hurt that she threw in some of the joyas de pasar for good measure. She wore the earrings and one of the bracelets (on the arm you can't see in this picture).

House of HM the King
Also, you KNOW I'm here for the polka dot dresses! Adding a red clutch upped the fun factor in a most pleasing way. This dress comes from Matilde Cano, another new Spanish designer for the Queen.

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Fast forward to our current month and the Spains are back home, meetin' and greetin' like crazy with a series of audiences. This one was last week and this one is the best appearance of these Hugo Boss pants yet. Like I said when she wore them at Easter, you can never really go wrong with a yacht-ready ensemble - and there's nothing like a sleeveless top to inch you closer to your yachting goals.

House of HM the King
This happened yesterday. Maybe I shouldn't send us off for the weekend on such a sad note, but too late. It's dishwater and droopy and the frayed edges add to the impression that this dress just GAVE UP HOPE.

Adolfo Dominguez dress
I think it needs to be worn to a beach party or something. I dunno. You're gonna have to take this one to a happy place, it's not bringing the happy to you.

09 June 2018

Royal Fashion Awards: Trooping the Colour 2018

It’s time for the Queen’s official birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, the biggest royal gathering of the year so far and a second opportunity in 2018 for the Windsors to showcase their chapeaux.

Savannah Phillips playfully silences Prince George on the balcony
BBC
And maybe showcase a little of their own royal kiddo antics. Can’t let the Swedes have all the fun, you know.

Leaders of the Pack
The Queen and her Royal Colonels
BBC
The Queen led the way on her official birthday in light blue with her usual brooch selection, the Brigade of Guards Badge. It’s a symbolic choice tied to the regiments that perform this ceremony; you can read more about the brooch as well as the Trooping the Colour event here.

Royal Colonels, L to R: the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal
Sgt Randall RLC/MOD Crown Copyright 2018
Her Maj was well accompanied despite the absence of the retired Duke of Edinburgh, thanks to the members of the royal family that serve as Colonels to the Household Division regiments riding behind her: the Prince of Wales (Welsh Guards), the Duke of Cambridge (Irish Guards), the Duke of York (Grenadier Guards), and the Princess Royal (Blues and Royals). It was the Duke of York’s first time participating on horseback; he took over as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards from his father. The Duke of Kent (Scots Guards) no longer rides and instead accompanied the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their carriage.


Most Coordinated
The Duchess of Cambridge
BBC
Any time the Cambridges appear with the kids, you know the Duchess will be orchestrating some sort of color coordination within their group. She started off outside the Cambridge circle by inadvertently matching her Alexander McQueen dress and Juliette Botterill hat with both the Queen and her carriage mate, the Duchess of Cornwall, who was repeating an icy blue ensemble from Bruce Oldfield and a Philip Treacy hat. Absolutely one of the best from Camilla’s current outfit rotation there.

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Blue for Prince George and Princess Charlotte on the balcony completed the Cambridge's own very specific family coordination. Charlotte even had red accents (shoes and hair ribbon), which I suppose you could say ties in William’s uniform. (By the way, while I see the Cambridge family coordination as intentional, I'm not prone to believing the elaborate family-wide color memo schemes some people like to suggest. The Queen is not said to notice nor care about what anyone else wears. So for this sort of thing? Like, when isn't half this family in blue?)

Most Nearly Repeated
The Duchess of Sussex
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The Duchess of Sussex made her Trooping the Colour debut and her Buckingham Palace balcony debut in a pink dress from Carolina Herrera and a pink hat from Philip Treacy. Repeating her color palette from her first post-wedding appearance, this hat is so close to the same that you have to examine things closely to determine that it is in fact a different hat. I’m really not a fan of the whole “two things nearly the same but not” deal.

BBC
It all certainly suits Meghan, though, and it’s cleverly selected for the event; this outfit improves when she’s seated in a carriage, which matters when most pictures will only show the top of the ensemble. So that’s well played. (Hat tip to Autumn Phillips while we're here, once again using a magenta hat as a surefire way to pep up any outfit.)

Most Interesting Carriage
The York Princesses, with the Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise
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There was a treasure trove of sartorial interest in Carriage #3, carrying Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, the Countess of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor. Sophie’s got the intriguing cutout category all to herself (thankfully), in this Emilia Wickstead repeat from last Ascot, while the York sisters own two of the most interesting hats on the balcony.

BBC
The positioning of Beatrice’s hat is fascinating; it’s labeled a pillbox, but I want to throw a brim on it and stick her in a Pride and Prejudice remake, with that front view. It frames her really well with this hairdo. (Her dress is a royal twin moment; Crown Princess Victoria wore it in 2016.)

Princess Beatrice's Lola straw bow pillbox hat by Sally-Ann Provan; dress by The Fold
Princess Eugenie's Leaf Brim hat by Bee Smith
Eugenie might have my favorite hat of the day, for the combination of brim and interest and the way that lovely green dress coordinates.

And the rest…
BBC
Oh yes, wasn't joking about this being the biggest royal gathering of the year. (Bigger, in terms of numbers of family members, than the recent royal wedding.) I may add some close ups later, but for now, I'm leaving the identifying to you all.


Who takes home your prizes for Trooping the Colour 2018?

30 May 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Queen Letizia's Recents

It's been a minute, let's hit some selected highlights from Letizia's recent shenanigans:

Queen Letizia attended the inauguration of the 13th International Seminar of Language and Journalism yesterday.
House of HM the King
I saw the top half of this first and thought it seemed awfully tame for her. Lacking the Letizia touch, if you will. Until, of course, I saw the whole thing, and there it is. It works.

The Spanish royals attended Armed Forces Day on Saturday.
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This coat gives me a toothache, it's so sweet. Too sweet for her. Except I think she could get around that if she shook up the styling a bit; so far, we've seen this Carolina Herrera coat twice and both times she's worn it like this, like a dress with these pink heels. I'd nix the pink shoes, for a starter.

Queen Letizia visited the Dominican Republic and Haiti last week.
House of HM the King
This is my second favorite outfit from this trip. This is where those pink heels shine.

House of HM the King
And finally, my fave from the trip - and, really, my fave from all of her recent offerings - is a great polka dot dress. You can never go wrong with a great polka dot dress. From Carolina Herrera, natch. Extra points awarded for twirl-ability.

04 April 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Easter in Spain

The Spanish royal family does Easter in Palma de Mallorca, a more casual and less hat-filled affair than the British royal family does, because they just don't roll that way and variety is the spice of life and whatever.

Queen Letizia, Infanta Sofia, King Felipe, the Princess of Asturias, King Juan Carlos, and Queen Sofia
House of HM the King
A touch of nautical fun for Queen Letizia, a Hugo Boss/Carolina Herrera combo kept light and bright by the polka dots on the top.

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And you can never really go wrong with a yacht-ready ensemble here, so I'll give it a thumbs up.

House of HM the King
Queen Sofia's traditional necklace of Easter egg pendants had some competition for most festive accessory this year thanks to the tie flair of the two kings: floral (or something) for Felipe and pink for Juan Carlos. Although Sofia's necklace still clearly wins as it does most years, because obviously.

This whole occasion has been somewhat overshadowed in the past day by a short video clip that seems to catch a strained family moment as they left the cathedral, when Queen Sofia's attempt to pose with her granddaughters was obstructed by Queen Letizia. (You can see it here.) (And Princess Marie-Chantal, wife of Sofia's nephew Crown Prince Pavlos, decided to weigh in on Twitter against Letizia, raising some eyebrows.) So now the topic of conversation has turned to the supposedly strained relationships in the family. Which...ugh. The whole thing is so messy. If you ask me, this little video means a whole lot of nothing. People are using their interpretations to confirm whatever they already thought, as people are prone to do. *shrug*

Anyway, that's the elephant in the room. Back to the clothes? Back to the clothes.

06 March 2018

Royal Outfit of the Day: Letizia Takes Bottega Veneta for a Spin

Queen Letizia attended the 'Digitalizadas' presentation on Friday.
House of HM the King
Slightly swishy, slightly retro...

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...with embroidered butterflies and butterfly earrings...

Bottega Veneta embroidered crepe dress
...and from Bottega Veneta, worn by one of the royals that tends to stick to a smaller roster of labels? This one continues to be full of surprises. Great surprises, sometimes.

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(Bonus new Carolina Herrera coat with some swish, too!)

13 February 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia in Lace

The King and Queen of Spain attended the Innovation and Design awards yesterday.
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The latest update from the world of fussy lace comes to us by way of Letizia (in a Zara shirt), surprisingly enough. She's not the first one to reach for the voluminous sleeves, but she might be the only one that could make the voluminous sleeves and voluminous top work.

House of HM the King
It's really an awful lot of volume, though, isn't it? Yeah.

Queen Letizia attended the Princess Of Girona Foundation Prize in Arts and Literature last week.
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There's a touch of lace in this gem from last week, too, on the top underneath her sharp jacket. It was my only minor quibble on this an otherwise sleek combo of Carolina Herrera and Hugo Boss. Although I was entirely distracted from the lace - and all the other things - once I realized that she went full animal print on arrival.

House of HM the King
A cheetah print coat! Oh yeah.

07 February 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia, Rania, Mary, and Suits

Quick note: The blog returns on Monday!

A trio of updates from royal ladies and the suits that love them. Or suit separates. Or not really suits but just go with it because. 

King Felipe and Queen Letizia presented the Gold Medals of Merit in Fine Arts yesterday.
House of HM the King
I'm sorry, royal men, did you think you had a monopoly in the blue suit department? Step aside. Letizia's contribution accomplishes the same thing as all the blue suits on the gents, really: gets the job done and not much more. Thank goodness for a polka dot blouse.

Queen Rania attended a meeting with King Abdullah in mid-January.
Instagram/queenrania
You want a sharp take on a trouser, Rania's your queen. In this case, it's maybe...90% sharp.

Crown Princess Mary presented the Designers' Nest awards at Copenhagen Fashion Week last week.
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The least suit-like thing here (she had a matching coat on arrival, sort of, still not suit-ish, hey) is also the most interesting. An interesting color combination accessorized by leopard print shoes, which I love. Leopard as a neutral is nearly as excellent as a purple neutral in my book.

21 December 2017

Year in Review: 2017's Bonus Favorites

We're going to do something this year that we haven't done in the past...a Readers' Favorite Outfits of 2017 vote! As I noted when we started these recap posts, I'm paying attention to all your discussions of 2017 favorites in the comments, and a selection of them will make the cut for a final vote. We'll be voting after Christmas.

So...make sure you've added your favorites and supported others you love down in the comments! You still have time. And I still have this round up of my personal favorites from the rest of the royal women we haven't covered yet...

Princess Sofia: Deputy MVP
SVT screencaps
Princess Sofia earned my affections earlier in the year by trying out new tiaras. Then she solidified them later in the year by giving us some more tiara excitement, going full princess in Ida Lanto at the Nobel ceremony, and - this one most of all - her touching choice to wear her folkdräkt to Prince Gabriel's christening. Deputy Most Valuable (Sartorial) Player of 2017!

Princess Tatiana in Australia
Instagram/tatianablatnik
Tatiana has found her sartorial soulmate in Greek designer Celia Kritharioti, turning up in one extraordinary creation after another. (There was a lot of love for her Kritharioti numbers at the Norwegian birthday celebrations this year, too.) This one instantly entered my hall of fame: elegant white and caped for days, mmmm.

Princess Marie-Chantal at King Harald and Queen Sonja's 80th Birthday Banquet
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Speaking of the Greek princesses and the Norwegian birthday bash, Marie-Chantal claimed my best dressed in Valentino back when we covered the gala banquet and now that I've made my list and checked it twice, the title is still hers for the keeping. Man, I love a floral ball gown. And man, do I love that I get to say that twice in one month.

Princess Charlene at the Laureus World Sports Awards
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I love most ball gown appearances, while we're at it - especially those sported by one of the people I'd least expect to go the fairytale route. Charlene should be red hot in Carolina Herrera more often.

The Countess of Wessex at King Harald and Queen Sonja's 80th Birthday Banquet
NRK Screencap
Another fancy Norway flashback! Sophie went solo to the Norwegian party and she really nailed it with this green Suzannah gown. Very elegant.

Autumn Phillips at Trooping the Colour
RAF
A flip back through the 2017 events of the extended British royal family left me with an urgent need to applaud Autumn Phillips. Strong colors, simple lines, nothing fussy or overdone but always interesting and always good. Pairing a magenta hat with a jade dress is still a combo that makes me smile.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie at the Cannes Film Festival
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Crisp white Ralph Lauren (also worn, with great success, by Crown Princess Victoria) and a fascinating pair of earrings elevate this Luxembourg lady to my 2017 best list.

Queen Margrethe at the Belgian State Banquet and the Norwegian Birthday Banquet
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You can always tell when Queen Margrethe loves a new outfit, because she'll wear it again right away. (Queens: they're just like us!) She was really feeling her look in this new evening gown - and with good reason - wearing it first for the Belgian state banquet and then at the Norwegian birthday bash. I think I'd give this a solid round of jumpy claps on any number of royal ladies!


What else is on your list of 2017 sartorial highlights?


Our next post will be a rundown of Christmas happenings, probably up on Tuesday the 26th (with the usual QEII coverage over at the Jewel Vault on Christmas Day). See you then!

20 December 2017

Year in Review: Queen Letizia, 2017's Sartorial MVP

When I sat down to come up with my selections for this year's best outfits, the list of Queen Letizia's contenders just kept growing...and growing...and growing. She's not without her experimentation (who can forget that hiccuping ponytail?), which she balances with a steady diet of stunners. There's no competition here for me, she is our sartorial MVP right now. All hail 2017's top bringer of the jumpy claps!

State Banquet, State Visit to the United Kingdom
House of HM the King
I'm still dead from this Felipe Varela gown, and really this entire visit, which was one of my favorite things in 2017. There's no immediate hope for revival.
The jewels! The sparkle! The skirt! The RED! 

King Willem-Alexander's 50th Birthday Party
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Speaking of the RED, this Stella McCartney dress is flat out fabulous. And she brought her new best friends, the twin bracelets of the joyas de pasar, along for the party! Taking every opportunity to use these gems is my new favorite thing about her style.

State Banquet, State Visit from Argentina
House of HM the King
Her first joyas de pasar appearance still resonates for me. That simple black velvet column of a dress loaded down with diamonds...so chic.

Runners up:

What were your favorite Letizia outfits in 2017?

09 November 2017

Royal Dresses of the Day: Kate and Letizia in Black and Sparkle

Don't have a tiara for you today; do have a whole bunch of other diamonds. Because this is a week of our royal regulars falling in accidental sync with one another, and two of them opted for one eternal favorite combo: black dresses loaded up with diamond accessories.

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The Duchess of Cambridge attended the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families Gala Dinner on Tuesday.
Kate repeated this Diane von Furstenberg black lace gown, one she wore when she was pregnant the last time around. Then she pepped up the whole thing with a big dose of diamonds on loan from the Queen, which was a nice touch for those of us put right to sleep by the dress itself.

Net-a-porter/Anna Freud NCCF
Along with Diamond Pendant Earrings that she's borrowed before, she debuted the Diamond Quatrefoil Bracelet. This bracelet goes back to the Queen Mother (covered here at the Vault). I think we can officially add her name to the membership list of the Royal Bracelet Fan Club.

The King and Queen of Spain attended a return dinner with the President and First Lady of Irsrael during their state visit to Spain.
House of HM the King
And then we have the current President of the Royal Bracelet Fan Club, who unearthed a pair of bracelets not seen since earlier in her marriage for the Israeli return dinner.

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To those, she added a ring and the mega diamond earrings from the joyas de pasar. She debuted those earlier this year, when she first wore the Fleur de Lys Tiara.

Carolina Herrera Dégradé Sequin Silk Midi Dress
All of that was in addition to a new Carolina Herrera dress which is, by itself, a vision of a sparkly night sky. Sparkle on sparkle on sparkle, atta queen.