Royal Christmas of the Day: The Windsors at Sandringham

Yesterday's Christmas church stroll by the British royal family was pretty sartorially predictable. Predictably! Maybe the most surprising outfit was the Queen's, but she gets her own post at the Jewel Vault (click here). As for the rest of this lot...

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No one that has been paying any attention will be the least bit surprised to see that the Duchess of Cambridge has ordered up another color of a favorite outfit (a Catherine Walker coat, owned also in green, with another Jane Taylor headband, and worn with her oak leaf brooch). Likewise, no one that has been paying any attention will be the least bit surprised to see that the Duchess of Sussex has ordered up another navy outfit (Victoria Beckham this time). Per usual x2.

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Deep colors were also the name of the game for Autumn Phillips and Princess Beatrice, both sporting Claire Mischevani, and Princess Eugenie in festive red. I'd tweak all three of these looks just a littttttttle bit, although I am prepared to offer up my applause to Beatrice for throwing a hat brim into the family mix.

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On the lighter side, have some refreshing bright blues courtesy of the Countess of Wessex (in Suzannah) and the Princess Royal. Is Sophie my fave this year? Maybe. Just maybe.

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And finally, bless Zara Tindall for bringing some cheer into my Christmas review by flying the flag for the Purple Is A Neutral club. Every little bit helps our cause.

Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Royal Guest Fashion

We’ve covered the bride and her bridal party (including sister and mother of the bride). We’ve taken on the tiara. So that leaves us with the guests, and I’m not sure this collective whole is really flipping my skirt up.

Part of that is not the guests’ fault, mind you, because their skirts were literally being flipped up by strong winds. The same wind that was simultaneously turning their hats into a game of fetch and flinging small children up the steps. How are they supposed to show us their lovely outfits while dealing with such chaos? Mother Nature’s got some nerve.

We shall investigate one family group at a time.

This Main Lot

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The Duuuuuuke! So delighted to see the Duke of Edinburgh turn up at his usual dapper best. (Seriously, other than the groom, he wins Best Dressed Dude.) The Queen’s aiming for quite a sophisticated color palette in blue, peach, and gold – just overshooting it slightly with those super shiny gold buttons. Speaking of super shiny: the Cullinan V Brooch, baby.

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This is another old-but-new Alexander McQueen for the Duchess of Cambridge: same style she wore for Trooping the Colour 2017, just ordered in a darker pink and paired with a Philip Treacy hat and the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan from the Queen (which she also wore in 2017). This is an improvement in color from the other version. Thing is, though, the amount of interest I have in endless same-style-different-color bespoke McQueens is not an infinite resource. I’m all out.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore a navy Givenchy coat and dress with a hat by Noel Stewart. Perfectly lovely and appropriate and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, fell asleep there.

The Duchess of Cornwall was unable to attend due to a previously scheduled engagement. A shame, really, because we could have used one of her feather ferris wheel hats to spice this up.

Anne’s Crew

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The potential topic of this conversation is the most interesting thing happening here. The Princess Royal has clearly pulled this repeat to the top of the rotation in order to jump on the green bandwagon, because if there’s one word to describe Anne, it’s TRENDY.

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Here’s that wind in action, trying to turn Anne’s kids into human bowling pins. Autumn Phillips and Zara Tindall are certainly on point for the wedding’s green and blue theme, Autumn in a dress by Suzannah with an Edwina Ibbotson hat and Zara in Claire Mischevani Couture with a Juliette Botterill hat. Autumn’s making my favorites list.

The Wessex Bunch

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I’m so glad I saw the Countess of Wessex arrive on video, because this Azzedine Alaïa navy dress had a sparkle in the sunshine that doesn’t come across in pictures. Fits like a dream. Don’t mind the Jane Taylor hat, either. Throw her on the faves list too. (Lady Louise was covered in our bridal party post.)

Let's Play Spot the Kent

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That back row is largely the Kent branch of the family, including Princess Michael in a cape and feather hat combo I think we’ve seen a bazillion times. (You can also play Spot the Greek Royal in the front row, we’ll get to them in a sec.)

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A simple coat (this one by Catherine Walker) plus a froofy hat is a bit of a special occasion routine for Lady Frederick Windsor, whose daughter was among the bridesmaids. Lady Helen Taylor sported a Temperley dress I had my eye on for royal or red carpet use, so that’s satisfying.

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Lady Gabriella Windsor – arriving with her new fiancé – turned up with some serious easy elegance. She wore a custom Claire Mischevani Italian crepe Raglan dress with a Philip Treacy hat.

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Can you spot her? A turquoise dress and deep blue hat is a surprising combo that is turning out to be my jam today. Fab turquoise color earrings, too. Let’s put her on top of that faves list.

Hey, Some Color Surprises

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I would have thought the Duchess of Gloucester would be first in line for the blue theme, owning several navy or light blue options (and being tremendously fond of repeats). Likewise, Lady Sarah Chatto operates in her own color coordinated world where things are only either white, gray, or blue. And yet here they are to brighten our horizons in red and purple with yellow. I welcome all surprises, ladies.

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Although the Countess of Snowdon certainly proves that one can take a color surprise too far. The teal tights really throw this into the HUH?! pile.

Also, Some Foreign Royal Representation

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Here we have Prince Christian of Hanover and Princess Alessandra, mixing the green trend with purple like a girl after my own heart. (Their wedding was earlier this year in Peru; the York sisters attended.) The blond in front with the bird about to take flight is Princess Ekaterina, who attended with Prince Ernst August, and let's get a front view of THAT:

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Honestly, I think she should get a standing ovation just for getting that hat through the wind in one piece. Camilla would be proud.

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The Greek royals were there: Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Maria-Olympia (in Dolce & Gabbana), and Prince Philippos. This feels very tame for our friend M-C. Do I want to add her to my faves list anyway? I think I do.

Did I just add enough people to my favorites list that I have to take back my non-skirt-flippy-up statement? Maaaaayyyyyyybe.

Who made your faves list?

Royal Outfits of the Day: Easter in Windsor

Easter Sunday and the Windsors flock to Windsor for service at St. George's Chapel. Get your Easter bonnets on:

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Of course the Queen (and her brooch) have already been covered in full at the Vault. Joining her on the pearl brigade was the Duchess of Cambridge, with a repeated brooch. Now that we've seen in her a few more brooches, I can't help but wish this faux-looking one would go away. The repeated brown Catherine Walker coat can stay, though! Elegant as it was the first time.

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There's a lot to love from the rest of this bunch. The Princess Royal's crowd represented very well, from Anne's jolly feather explosion to Autumn Phillips' sleek Suzannah coat and Zara Tindall's coordinated blues.

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Also a great show from the Wessex ladies here. I don't think anyone in this fam particularly needs another navy blue coat, but adding some sleeve interest à la Sophie and her Roland Mouret coat is a way to make it interesting. I assume she took that off before tucking into whatever form of very posh cheesy potatoes you get at an Easter lunch at Windsor Castle.

The York sisters might be my favorites of this whole crew. Princess Beatrice has adopted these boater hats worn at a jaunty angle; with her success at last year's Trooping the Colour and this Easter combo (with a Suzannah coat), I gotta say it really works for her.

Princess Eugenie did some splendid hat work here, too. An Easter service that can double as a wedding venue scouting trip must be more fun than it is most years, so why not throw a party at the bottom of your coat? (This party's by Oscar de la Renta.) Carrying the party all the way to the top of the look with a pink hat was just right.

A good show all around, right? Well done, Windsors.

Royal Outfit of the Day: St. Patrick's Day with the Cambridges

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Irish Guards on St. Patrick's Day, where the Duke, Colonel of the regiment, took the salute at the parade and the Duchess handed out the traditional shamrocks.

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Another year, another root through the green section of the Royal Coat Museum! No need to search far back into the archives for this one; she just reused the Catherine Walker coat debuted a few weeks ago in Sweden with its faux fur collar and cuffs. Safe guess that was the plan behind commissioning another green coat in the first place, I'm thinking.

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The Gina Foster hat is a repeat as well and a veteran of this ceremony. The color match between the hat and coat is good, something that can get dicey when combining repeats.

But enough about that, let's say hi to the real star of the day:

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There's Domhnall the Irish Wolfhound, Irish Guards mascot and Very Good Dog, receiving his shamrock from the Duchess. Domhnall led the parade and, as the Irish Guards hilariously shared later, was tuckered out from his big day.

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Same, buddy, same.

Royal Trip of the Day: The Cambridges in Norway, Day 1

The splendor that many of us had hoped this trip would bring finally arrived. It just took a trip to Norway and a dinner hosted by a king and queen to make it happen.

On the first day of their trip to Norway, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a dinner at the Royal Palace hosted in their honor by King Harald and Queen Sonja. Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Märtha Louise, and Princess Astrid were also present.

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Ah, gowns! Good ones! A print for Märtha Louise, a favored shiny purple repeat for Sonja, and a bright coral for Astrid flanked the evening's two standout pale dresses for Kate and Mette-Marit (and, of course, the gentlemen in their tuxes).

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The only thing wrong with this Alexander McQueen dress is that Kate doesn't have any state banquets coming up where she could pair it with a tiara. It's an elegant way to do a maternity gown and it has wonderful movement, because CAPE.

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She didn't forget to bring along her diamonds, either: both the Diamond Pendant Earrings and the Wedding Gift Bracelet are on loan from the Queen.

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After a 2017 wardrobe that left many of us with a general feeling of sartorial ennui, Mette-Marit's coming out swinging for 2018. This metallic gem is fabulously detailed and a great spin on her usual fare. (Also: excellent deployment of a red lip.)

On arrival earlier in the day, the Duke and Duchess were greeted by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and met with the royal family at the palace. They were then joined by Princess Ingrid Alexandra for a visit to the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park.

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The family that blue coats together stays together, I guess. (With twin red scarves thrown in for good measure.) Kate's really loading up on her Catherine Walker for this trip - and she wouldn't miss an opportunity for another blue coat.

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Nor an opportunity for another blue dress! This one's from Séraphine. Queen Sonja's looking sharp in white, as she always does.

Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, Det kongelige hoff

 (The Norwegian royal court gives us photos of the gifts exchanged between the royals, because they know we're nosy like that, which is nice of them.)

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Outside, I have no applause for the added furry hat; I have several claps and an approving nod for Queen Sonja's splendidly bright coat and scarf combo; I have a standing ovation for the person that picked this rainbow sculpture for the park, because that's how you make a great photo op.

The trip ends Friday, phew!

Royal Trip of the Day: The Cambridges in Sweden, Day 2

Here's how I've decided this whole thing played out: "How dare people call my mustard floral gown upholstery," the Duchess of Cambridge fumed. "That was not upholstery. I'll show you upholstery," she exclaimed.

On the evening of the second full day of their official visit to Sweden, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel for a reception in Stockholm.

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Show us she sure did, in floral blue velvet from Erdem again. Definitely more upholstery-esque to this pair of eyes, but my definite favorite of the back-to-back Erdems.

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On arrival, the Duchess used her "diplomatic dressing" concept as a cover to add another black coat to her growing pile, opting for one from Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt. Sjöstedt has been really popular with the Swedish princesses in the past few years, making all sorts of outfits from Princess Sofia's wedding gown to the dress Crown Princess Victoria wore the day before.

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For the evening event, Victoria also stuck to Swedish design and her designer from the evening before. A most unfortunate decision in this case, I'm afraid. It's just...oof.

The two couples also teamed up for engagements during the day.

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace

Day two also repeated day one in that safer choices prevailed during the daytime and the coats were the best part of the deal for both ladies. In case you missed it the first 700 or so times I've said it, give me alllllll the houndstooth, including this snappy red version from Catherine Walker.

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Underneath those coats, Victoria's pantsuit begs you to debate the merits of pastel safari jackets, while Kate ordered up just about the most basic model you can get from Alexander McQueen. William was doing his part for diplomatic fashion too, by the way: his sweater is from Swedish brand Acne.

Also on day two, the Crown Princess couple hosted the Cambridges at their home, Haga Palace, and William and Kate had the biggest honor of the their trip (I'm sure): a private audience with Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar.

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Raphael Stecksén/Kungahuset.se

Next up for the traveling Cambridge circus: Norway!

Royal Trip of the Day: The Cambridges in Sweden, Day 1

Right, well, let's get this out of the way first:

On the evening of the first full day of their official visit to Sweden, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a dinner at the British Ambassador's residence with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.

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LOL. Okay, giggles out of the way...listen, I think there are people who could pull off this ruffled floral mustard Erdem gown; it's just that Kate, bless her, isn't one of that particular group of chosen ones. You need some attitude to pull off something that's ruffled and floral and mustard all at once. (This is where some of you will jump in and argue with me that it's not mustard, as though calling it some other color name could save the whole thing, and I shall giggle once more.)

Erdem Stephanie floral-print silk crepe de Chine gown for Kate, Stylein dress for Victoria (per Heaven)
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I'm not that wild about Victoria's choice either, mostly because I keep thinking she left half her dressing gown on. But any port in a storm, I suppose.

Earlier, the Cambridges had lunch at the Royal Palace with King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Prince Daniel.

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Maybe I have ~issues~ with all of Victoria's neckline choices yesterday. The bow on this Ida Sjöstedt dress is strangling her, majorly distracting from what might otherwise have had potential. This Catherine Walker ensemble on Kate is pretty basic...

The Cambridges and the Crown Princess Couple walked to the Nobel Museum after lunch.

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...and it looks a lovely picture when all bundled up. Victoria improved with the addition of a coat, too (the addition of SHOOTIES and all).

Before meeting the royal family, the Duke and Duchess attended a bandy hockey event at Vasaparken.

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Maybe they just should have stayed bundled up from start to finish, guys. This was a really cute way to start the day.

Royal Events of the Day: The Windsors at Remembrance Ceremonies

As they do every year, the British royal family spent their weekend in solemn and stately mode, attending the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday and Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph in London.

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The Queen chose to join the newly retired Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Cornwall on a balcony above the scene at the Cenotaph, a first for this year and what felt like a major passing of the baton moment. (The Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall were also covered at the Jewel Vault; the Queen's brooch is a regular for poppy-holding and Camilla's has some extra special significance for the event.)

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MOD Crown Copyright 2017

MOD Crown Copyright 2017

The Prince of Wales led the service and laid a wreath for the Queen in addition to his own wreath. The rest of the wreath-laying regulars joined Charles: the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Kent.

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On another balcony, the Duchess of Cambridge watched the service with Princess Alexandra of Kent and the Countess of Wessex. Both Alexandra and Sophie wore badges from The Rifles; each lady is a Royal Colonel of a different battalion.

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Frivolous as it is to talk about the looks on display here (and, well, this happens to be a blog that specializes in the frivolous, says so right on the sidebar), I think it's worth noting what a sharp look this was for Kate. Very dignified. And just right, I thought.

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Her orderly buttoning was a continuation of the theme from the previous evening at the Festival of Remembrance, where she debuted a cozy velvet option.

Royal British Legion

Royal British Legion

The Queen was in a velvet mood as well, just the top part of her dress for a little textural contrast. (She, as well as the Duchess of Cornwall, were also covered at the Vault for this event.) Solemn and stately all around, as always.

Royal Gathering of the Day: The Belgians and British Mark the Passchendaele Centenary

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a two day trip to Belgium on Sunday and Monday to join the King and Queen of the Belgians for events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the beginnings of the Battle of Passchendaele, or the Third Battle of Ypres, in World War I. On Sunday, they attended the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial.

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We have our little fashion wheelhouse here, and this is one of the times when everything passes muster in a "let's not talk about the fashion too much" sort of way. That's precisely what you want. The Duchess paired up two repeats for the first events, her Alexander McQueen coat from Princess Charlotte's christening and her hat from Trooping the Colour 2015. She also wore a brooch she's used in the past.

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The Queen chose a new outfit with a lace coat over a satiny dress, topped by a new Philip Treacy hat. It's a nice choice for an event that went into the evening, but still included full hats (which are usually more of a daytime thing).

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The Prince of  Wales joined the group on Monday at Tyne Cot Cemetery. Sir Timothy Laurence, husband of the Princess Royal, was there for both days; he is Vice Chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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Once again, I think it basically checks out, sartorially speaking. The second day saw a new lace-topped dress from Natan appeared for Queen Mathilde, with a hat from Fabienne Delvigne. For the Duchess, it was a new Catherine Walker coat dress.

What intrigues me here is Kate's use of jewels, because I think jewel selections can help to convey, in a quiet manner, events of greater significance. The Duchess of Cambridge wore brooches on both days. While she's not a newcomer to brooches and while they definitely serve a functional purpose here - securing her traditional poppy for remembrance - they're enough of a step out of the usual to make it special.

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Her brooch on the second day is a new loan to her from the Queen, the Pearl and Diamond Leaf Brooch, which I've covered at the Jewel Vault (not that there's much to say about it, it's kind of a mystery). She added in the Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings from Diana, Princess of Wales, which she debuted at the Spanish state banquet. I'd call it adding a layer of gravitas to the ensemble, a wholly appropriate thing for such an event. Respectfully well played.

Royal Trip of the Day: The Cambridges Greet Germany

We're picking up right where we left off with the Cambridge Poland/Germany tour: with another case of family and country coordination.

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Just like their mix of Poland's flag colors as they started the trip, the Cambridge family left Poland and arrived in Germany in a family palette based on the blue cornflower, one of Germany's national flowers (as is being frequently reported, though several German readers have disagreed with that claim of symbolism. National flowers, even when accurate, are generally a more obscure reference than, say, a flag color).

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After arrival, the Duke and Duchess met with the Chancellor.

And also like their arrival in Poland, it was another case of new-but-similar for Kate. She also has this blue Catherine Walker coat in red, a version ordered for another national color nod during the Cambridges' first trip to Canada. We may require an entire display in the Royal Coat Museum, dedicated solely to this coat in every single color of the rainbow. Underneath, there was a matching blue lace dress, and she wore a necklace and earrings from Kiki McDonough to complete the look.

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Meanwhile, this little one discovered that there are certain perks to this whole tour thing. Namely, an unlimited supply of fresh posies.

The tour continues in Germany through Friday. Stay tuned...

A Wedding for the Weekend: Pippa Middleton Gets Married

It might not technically be a royal wedding, but we're not ones to complain about a little extra bridal glamour, are we? We are not. Let's have a little looksee - just a brief one - at the bride of the weekend and her royal guests...

Pippa Middleton, sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, married James Matthews at St. Mark's Church, Englefield Green, England. 

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The bride's dress comes from Giles Deacon. It features a high neckline and cap sleeve with hand appliquéd bespoke silk cotton lace designed to create the illusion of a no seam dress. The corseted bodice is embroidered with pearls and the underskirt has layers of organza and tulle.

With her pearl-embroidered tulle veil by milliner Stephen Jones, Pippa wore a Maidenhair Fern tiara and matching headpiece from Robinson Pelham, the jewelers who also made her earrings; the earrings are the same ones she wore to her sister's royal wedding in 2011 and are companions to Kate's wedding earrings. I can't say I follow Pippa's style at all, and yet this feels just right for her, doesn't it?

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The Duchess of Cambridge was on hand to wrangle the train and the wee bridal party, which included Prince George and Princess Charlotte (in bespoke outfits from Pepa & Co.). Kate chose Alexander McQueen for her blush pink dress, Jane Taylor for her matching hat, and Kiki McDonough for her earrings (yup, another new pair!). It's a lovely and understated look, with many comparisons to similar pieces she's worn in the past - something I'm sure will win her much praise for not overshadowing her sister. I think I might have preferred a sleeker hat, but if I'm honest, those percher hats she adores are a hard sell for me in the first place.

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My wedding guest swoons for the day belong to Princess Eugenie, who looks faaaaabulous! The perfect dress shape for her (it's from Paule Ka, per Polka Poppins on Twitter), and she's keeping the York sisters love of interesting shoes alive with a little added color. LOVE.

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I'll also never miss a sighting of Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Wearing her usual picks - Catherine Walker with a Philip Treacy hat - she's really got the old world royal elegance down pat.

Happy wedding gazing and happy weekend, all!

Royal Holiday of the Week: Easter in Windsor

It was the most colorful of times, it was the most blergh of times this weekend for the annual Easter Sunday church parade to St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II led her family in vibrant turquoise, which we've covered in full at the Jewel Vault. The blerghs, however, were also represented.

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The Duchess of Cambridge, making her first appearance at Windsor Castle Easter, was basically the blerghiest blergh that ever blerghed in cream Catherine Walker and a pillbox hat with the Queen's Silver Jubilee Diamond and Pearl Earrings. But still, her tidy tailored look remains a number of levels above the rest of the ladies on the pale end of the color spectrum. It's a shame, because Princess Eugenie's repeated wrinkled Burberry is such a promising twist on a traditional trench, and Princess Beatrice's overcooked look doesn't give her interesting accessory choices their proper due. (I don't like not liking a purple look. It pains me.)

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A simple coat in a flattering color will almost always do the trick, as the Countess of Wessex displays. (With 13-year-old Lady Louise by her side, deftly bridging the gap between kid outfits and adult ones.)

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And a simple coat in an even brighter flattering color will also nab you my Easter Best Dressed Award. Autumn Phillips for the win, kids. (For more of the Windsors at Easter, including the Princess Royal and a bunch of dudes in suits, here's a gallery.)