The first appearance, at the Team GB gala in 2012.
I'm gonna say yes, with the caveat that I miss the updo. She gave it a MAJOR earring upgrade this time, going from faux stones to Diamond Chandelier Earrings on loan from the Queen - but you can only see them in select pictures from the night. (Also, remember the back? Crime to cover that up, really.)
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended a dinner as their tour of Italy continued this week.
Mary's right in step, making her contribution with a Dolce & Gabbana basic black lace dress. (Italian designers for an Italian trip, see. She also wore some Armani.) And she's still doing her part to further the Purple Is The New Black cause, bless.
Shabana Earrings by Amrita Singh
Also doing her part for today's mega earring theme! Not mega in value, perhaps, but about as mega in scale as you can get. Maybe would've preferred something with a silver tone to go with the purple, though?
During their trip, the crown princely couple had an audience with the Pope.
This one works with our theme too. Mary stuck to the traditional choices when visiting the Vatican, black with a veil. Traditional jewelry, even, adding a brooch and wearing pearl and diamond earrings. I detect a collar clash between her coat and shirt, but the rest of this is pretty solid.
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are on an official visit to Italy. You will be 0% surprised to see that Mary started off with some princess perfection.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were received by the President of Italy and his daughter Palazzo del Quirinale
See? This is a perfect understanding of the occasion. It's not a state visit, so no need to go all out with a hat and all that jazz; a structured white dress made interesting with texture and a belt is the right level of formal. She threw a brooch on there for good measure.
Palazzo del Quirinale
Both the brooch and earrings are from Ole Lynggaard, representing for Danish design as she usually does.
The earrings are from the Winter Frost collection (stud and pendant), in 18 karat white gold with diamonds. These are so delicate and just *chef kiss*.
Mary wasn't just princess perfect on day 1, she was also princess practical and princess prepared - with a shoe change on hand for a visit to the Baths of Caracalla.
No point in trying to hoof it around landmarks in your heels, man. My mom and the Keds that carried her from the parking lot to the office back in the day approve. (Lemme also draw your attention to Fred in the three piece suit there. Giving it a bit of effort himself.)
After our lovely tiara-filled break last week, we'll catch up with Harry and Meghan and their ongoing mega tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. Let's just run through the evening highlights:
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a dinner in Fiji. Kensington Palace
Notable because it was, well, a color ("Fijian blue"), this Safiyaa dress is caped and therefore A-OK with me. I found this appearance notable for another reason:
The earrings. Per Emily Andrews, the palace said they were borrowed by wouldn't say from whom, which is unusual. When things are borrowed from the Queen (as usual), they say (and they were happy to note the provenance of other pieces, such as a bracelet she was wearing earlier from Prince Charles). That leads me to believe they're from someone else or a jeweler. We shall have to see if they are ever worn again.
The couple also attended a dinner in Tonga hosted by the King and Queen of Tonga.
Sleek and white by Theia, this feels squarely in Meghan's wheelhouse. There's some jewel interest here, too; with her Birks diamond earrings, she wore a diamond bracelet that many have pointed out looks to be one from Diana, Princess of Wales' collection.
Back in Australia, they attended the Australian Geographic Society Awards.
This might be the first thing Meghan's picked that truly surprised me. In a good way. It's a much-needed dash of fairy princess courtesy of Oscar de la Renta. My only quibble? Harry needed to get on his wife's level. It wasn't a tuxedo occasion, but his standard blue suit with suede shoes just isn't cutting it.
On to New Zealand, and a reception with the Governor-General and Prime Minister. Kensington Palace
Good dress (by Gabriela Hearst), better speech. Watch it below.
While we're Sussexing, let's note that their wedding exhibition at Windsor Castle has opened. It will be on display until January 6, 2019, then move to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from June 13, 2019 to October 6, 2019. The display includes Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara, plus the outfits worn by Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Royal Collection Trust
The couple provided commentary for the exhibition. In their comments, they revealed a bit about something countless people have wondered: how exactly are the tiaras chosen? Meghan said:
"When it came to the tiara on the day I was very fortunate to be able to choose this very gorgeous Art Deco-style bandeau tiara. Harry and I had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with Her Majesty the Queen to select one of the options that were there, which was an incredibly surreal day, as you can imagine. That was the one that I think, as we tried them on, stood out. I think it was just perfect because it was so clean and simple, and I think also at that point an extension to what Clare and I had been trying to do with the dress, which was have something that could be so incredibly timeless but still feel modern."
Harry added that it was "every girl's dream to be able to try on a tiara and funnily enough the one that suited the best, the one that looked the best on you without question. I shouldn’t have really been there; it was such an incredible loan by my grandmother."
I think they're really the first that have commented on how that choice is made - apart from many articles dealing in speculation. How many tiaras and what else she might have been picking from...well, that remains a mystery.
King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Queen Sofia attended the Princess of Asturias Awards on Friday. House of HM the King
Letizia wore a brocade patchwork midi length dress featuring hand embroidery completed in thread with crystal and metal, using shades of dark blue, cerulean, slate, and nude.
House of HM the King
It almost has the look of embellished boiled leather, a dress of armor to give the fanciest costumes from Game of Thrones a run for their money. (It is not, however, a terribly stiff thing. You can see it in movement here; the skirt sways nicely.)
There's not a single simple thing about this. Not even the hair, which is deceptively more complicated than a plain tucked behind the ears look; not even the earrings, nicely loaded with history as part of the joyas de pasar. One thing's undeniable, though: this is ART. Hundreds of hours of hand embroidery! She's wearing a museum piece.
Letizia also usually wears Varela to the concert that's held before the awards. She broke with that tradition this year, opting for an Emporio Armani dress.
House of HM the King
It is black; it has a ruffle; it will not be remembered. (By me.) No matter, though.
Because when you're rocking not only the big earrings from the joyas de pasar but the twin diamond bracelets, I'm not going to focus on much else anyway.
The Duke and Duchess are off and running on their tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand! We're off and running too:
The couple are given baby gifts by the Governor-General of Australia and Lady Cosgrove Governor-General Facebook
The couple checked off multiple Australia tour musts on Day 1, from scenic views to koalas to collecting the first of what will surely be many swiftly procured baby gifts.
Meghan checked off another tour must, wearing an Australian designer right off the bat. The dress is simple but LWDs (little white dresses) are just as essential as LBDs, if you ask me. It's by designer Karen Gee. The brand's message is one of inclusivity and positive body image and confidence - in other words, it sounds like it's right up Meghan's alley. Someone's clearly done their homework beyond just googling "Australian fashion designers".
She also brought some jewel surprises with a special side of awww: the blue stone and diamond butterfly earrings and the gold bracelet with blue stones are pieces from the collection of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
I'm impressed with the pieces she picked. A lot of Diana's everyday jewels - not the fanciest stuff, just the smaller things - honestly look pretty dated to me. These don't. Job well done.
The Duchess of Sussex opened the "Oceania" exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts last night, her first solo engagement.
Kensington Palace
I must confess, when I first saw this outfit on the Duchess' arrival via some Twitter videos, I wrote it off with a yawn. Yet another black outfit. Moving on.
But I must also confess that I wrote it off way too soon. (One of the downsides of the rush for first looks on social media, really.) This is one that gets more interesting with a closer look.
The contrasting fabric makes this Givenchy look: a velvet panel, the belt, and the sheer sleeves. Her favorite Aquazzura pumps and Birks diamond earrings are solid choices too. Might not be a look I'll remember, but it's getting the job done nicely. I formally retract my yawn and replace it with a satisfied nod.
Big time gathering of the Windsors yesterday! They all met up to do their usual thing (watch military parades, attend church services, watch flypasts, all that jazz) in honor of the 100th birthday of the Royal Air Force.
Royal Family
Leading the way was the Queen, of course, but since she has a whole blog to herself (you know the drill, clicky click for Jewel Vault fun), we'll kick it off with the Duchess of Cornwall and the second version this week of her personal summer white uniform. Prince Charles headed up the royal men, almost all of them wearing their Royal Air Force uniforms. (One of my faves!)
Westminster Abbey
I don't think the Duchess of Cambridge was on the advance list of royals expected, but how could she miss an opportunity to debut the third in this series of almost-the-same-but-not bespoke Alexander McQueen coats? She paired it with a hat by Sean Barrett.
The bigger story was her jewels. Like many of the royal ladies, she wore the badge of an RAF organization with which she's affiliated: she's Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets, and this is the Air Cadets Dacre Brooch. (More on the brooch and a close up here, when she first wore it.) Her earrings are the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan from the Queen.
The Duchess of Sussex wore Dior with two things we know she loves: a boat neck and a belt. Feels like classic Dior, very elegant. The Stephen Jones hat added the right amount of interest. (Because the But What Color Is It REALLY? debate always seems to consume some folks, let's handle it: Dior calls it black in their press release, and it looks deep navy in action. Doesn't really matter either way.)
The Countess of Wessex also enjoyed a bit of hat foof (technical term) for the RAF's big day. Both the Jane Taylor hat and the Suzannah dress are repeats here. She doubled up on her brooches, wearing a Dior brooch underneath her small RAF badge.
Westminster Abbey
Every time the Princess Royal wears this outfit (which is a lot because, you know, Anne), I think she's pinned a prize rosette at her waist. A prize rosette in the festive color of brown.
Royal Family
Rounding out the rest of the fam, the Duchess of Gloucester made sure they filled their mandatory navy quota for the day, Princess Michael wouldn't have been hurt by a shorter jacket, and Princess Alexandra smiling in purple will certainly make me smile in return.
Westminster Abbey, Royal Family
Ending this on the rest of the uniforms feels about right: the Duke of York, the Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael.
Update! You can find all the Ascot goodies for the rest of the days at the Jewel Vault: Day 4 // Day 5
Yesterday was Ladies’ Day, or Gold Cup Day, the halfway point in this annual festival of hats and usually home to some of the best millinery we see throughout Ascot. Did the royal ladies rise to the occasion? Judgment awaits, and you can check out the Queen in pink here.
Sophie did her duty and fulfilled another crucial Royal Ascot requirement yesterday: the ritual Muppet sacrifice. Minus the very visible base in the close ups, though, this Jane Taylor hat is one former Muppet I can get behind. Love that she leaned into lavender for the accents with this Suzannah dress.
Yes, you see, Sophie comes to entertain, if not by with her hat then with her animated race watching. (It seems she didn’t back the winner in the Gold Cup race, based on her facial expressions.) She’s here to entertain and to make you jealous of her big aquamarine ring. Mission accomplished on both fronts. (Aquamarines had a moment on Day 3; the Princess Royal was also in the game.)
The hits just keep rolling in for Beatrice. This striking black and white Jonathan Simkhai dress is great on its own and even better paired with this Sally-Ann Provan hat. She wears this saucer shape so well.
Eugenie…could have kept that streak going for herself if she’d consulted the Day 2 outfit of Autumn Phillips for a little advice first. The boater hat from Sally-Ann Provan definitely lives up to the Ladies’ Day expectations in true planetary ring fashion, for sure, but the Erdem dress needs something simpler to work. It’s a competition and nobody wins.
Green hat, loads of emeralds, and a burnt orange dress. Green and orange has to be one of my least favorite color combos. Except that…a) it’s Birgitte! That’s the last person I’d guess would come out with this combination so yay for surprises, and b) that’s a great shirtwaist dress (she knows it, too; she wore one in blue on Day 2), and c) EMERALDS. Big emerald drop earrings and pearl necklaces with emerald beads, part of a wedding present to Princess Alice from Queen Mary. Yum.
I'm not hitting absolutely everyone here, but BONUS ROYAL ALERT: Hi Serena! The Duke and Duchess shared a carriage with the Earl and Countess of Snowdon. There is, as always, much potential in what we can see of Serena’s outfit.
Psst: Looking for coverage of the Duchess of Sussex's big day out with the Queen? Click right here.
The Polar Music Prize was awarded yesterday, to the Afghanistan National Institute of Music and Metallica, with the Swedish royal family in attendance.
Crown Princess Victoria is usually the one to watch at this event, according to me, because she often uses it as an opportunity for some "edgier" garb. Sometimes that strategy works for her; sometimes it doesn't; sometimes it just proves that even the "edgy" side of a royal wardrobe is, in fact, not very edgy at all.
Let 2018 go down as a year where that strategy netted her both the first and the third results: this red toga-style Stylein dress may not be too much of a stretch, but it really works for her. That's a stunning look! I did want to find a picture to share where she wasn't holding the bouquet, though, because tucking her clutch under her arm messed with the sleek lines. That's my caveat #1. Caveat #2 is her black strappy shoes, a clunky end to an outfit with otherwise gold accessories.
Polar Music Prize Instagram/Maria Nilsdotter
Those gold accessories included jewelry from Maria Nilsdotter. The Cherry Valley earrings have one longer earring and one shorter one, a great play to balance the one shoulder on the gown. Victoria also wore the Spike headband, which at first made me wonder from far away if she'd worn her 18th Birthday Tiara for some unknown reason. (That was enlightening, because I learned that there is one occasion on which I wouldn't mind seeing that thing, and that occasion would be a non-tiara occasion.) The gold, of course, was a better match.
Meanwhile, Princess Madeleine's Giambattista Valli dress is stepping all over Crown Princess Mette-Marit's signature territory (M-M, I can only imagine, either has this one in her closet already or will be swiftly making some calls), and Princess Sofia is knocking it out of the park.
Knocking it out of the park, I say! She's really proving this week that green is her color. And that a halter neck is her neckline. And that statement jewelry is her best accessory. I'm surprised at how much I love this whole thing. I might be making a note for the best of 2018.
Let's not forget about Queen Silvia, of course, who wore a tidy black skirt, evening jacket, and pearls. We can always count on her to add a final stately note to the family group.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sped off to an evening reception at Frogmore House hosted by the Prince of Wales, giving us a chance to see Meghan’s second wedding look.
Turns out there was something to those Stella McCartney rumors after all! The evening dress is a bespoke Stella creation, a lily white high neck gown made of silk crepe. I really like this silhouette for her, I just wish we could see it with the skirt fully down. Meghan’s shoes for the evening are by Aquazurra, made of silky satin with nude mesh and soles painted baby blue.
…the one worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales. It was in her personal collection and she also had a pearl bracelet with an aquamarine clasp. It’s fantastic to see that the slow integration of Diana’s personal jewels will continue, after the few pieces the Duchess of Cambridge has used so far.
Cartier
Meghan also wore Cartier earrings that match the bracelet she wore for the wedding ceremony. Her collection's shaping up nicely already!
Big diamonds (Charlene did a bracelet, too) and a crisp white dress? That's like my kryptonite. One of many, many things that could qualify as my kryptonite, at least.
This dress also comes with a surprise sleeve, which - because I can't
let it go without one teensy gripe - might be even better if reduced in volume
just a hair.
And this couple's ensemble comes with surprise sneakers! Your eyes do not deceive you, that is a pair of bright white sneakers and a tux. No, Albert hasn't suddenly decided to shake up his red carpet style; he's participating in the #SneakersforGood campaign that encouraged many attendees to throw a little comfort into their outfits for a good cause.
Emerald and diamond earrings with a matching necklace and bracelet! This is not an entirely new jewel debut. Recall, if you will, her visit to New York in 2014:
The earrings she wore to the BAFTAs appear to be the bottom portion of the earrings she wore in 2014. She also wore the bracelet back in 2014. The provenance of this set is not officially known, but a gift from a Middle Eastern royal - based on the style and size of the jewels - is my strongest guess. A wedding present, maybe, since that would have been her biggest opportunity to pick up a Middle East gift thus far in her royal life.
If I just leave it at the emeralds and don't talk about the dress color, can we call that good?
Thing is, I found the notion that there should be any "controversy" should she choose to wear black in support of Time's Up in the first place to be a fairly infuriating thing. And I find myself unwilling to devote any more words to it than that. (But I'll end this back on a purely superficial note to say that, while the shape of this Jenny Packham dress is stunning, I'm not a fan of the dullness of this color with the vibrant emeralds. Funnily enough, they'd have looked amazing with black.)
The first state banquet of 2018 brings us some tiaras in action for our Thursday treat (with a side dish of other evening fashion from this week, while we’re at it). The Swedish royal family welcomed the President and First Lady of Iceland for a state visit yesterday, and despite being one tiara down for the state banquet – Crown Princess Victoria was out sick – the remaining tiaras did their best to give us a good show.
She pulled her dress from the stripes down the side of Iceland’s Order of the Falcon, and pulled the Leuchtenberg Sapphires from the sash’s main color. It's a very flag-waving look. You'd have a hard time finding a bad situation for those sapphires, though.
The Dowager Countess Princess Sofia didn’t play with any of that, in a black Ida Sjöstedt gown and her wedding tiara with pearl toppers. It’s…a lot of fuss, with the bow and the stuff all over and the clutch and the sash and all the rest on top. A lot of fuss.
Sofia found a little better balance between fussy elements earlier in the week at a sports gala.
Something about the sportiness of the top isn’t quite matching for me, but a plain top is the way to handle the triple tiered skirt of this lavender By Malina gown. And that plain top makes an excellent canvas for some jewelry interest:
Fun! And purple, so double fun. (She's also a good advance advertisement for Swedish design here. The dress is from an upcoming By Malina collection, the brand shared on Instagram; likewise, the earrings are by Caroline Svedblom and they shared on Instagram that they'll be available in February. The perks of being a princess, man.)
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Between the swishy skirt at the pre-Princess of Asturias Awards concert and what she busted out for the awards ceremony itself, I think there's only one conclusion to be drawn: Queen Letizia's in a twirly mood.
King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Queen Sofia attended the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony in Oviedo on Friday evening.
The twirliest, amirite? Since I am always in a twirly mood, I'm allllllll in with this.
House of HM the King
The dress is silk georgette with embroidery and Swarovski crystal embellishment. As usual for this annual event, the outfit comes from Felipe Varela. The designer's description of the frock cited Chinese inspiration, from the collar to the symbols of longevity and the Chinese herons included in the embroidery.
Her jewelry went black and white as well, with a white diamond Cartier bar bracelet and her black diamond De Grisogono earrings. She also wore a ring she's worn recently, which appears to have some green stones.
House of HM the King
There's a lot of symbolism here, for those that like to search for the *~meaning~* behind the outfit. But even if you don't, this one's still a work of art, plain and simple. Fabulously intricate, fabulously flattering. And surely another fabulous addition to Letizia's Best of 2017 list.
Newbury Races
-
*The Queen attended the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend at Newbury
Racecourse.*
Embed from Getty Images
You might think this outfit would provide a n...
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