Royal Birthday of the Week: Danish Royals Celebrate Nikolai's 18th

Prince Nikolai, eldest son of Prince Joachim and his first wife, Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, celebrated his 18th birthday on Monday. He marked the occasion with a new official photo and a family dinner thrown by his grandmother, Queen Margrethe, on the royal yacht. You know, the usual 18th birthday stuff.

© Kongehuset

And so the whole family gathered (minus Crown Prince Frederik, who is in South Korea for IOC business), led by Margrethe in...a muumuu sort of thing? Living her best yacht rock life, in other words.

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Princess Marie, Princess Athena, Prince Henrik, Prince Joachim, Prince Nikolai, Countess Alexandra, Prince Felix

While Alexandra tried her hardest to single-handedly kill my love of statement shoes (too.many.straps., for starters), Marie picked up Margrethe's wavelength and gave it a trendier spin in Erdem, earning herself a nod as my best dressed for the night.

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Princess Isabella, Princess Josephine, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Vincent, Prince Christian

This blerghy Prada dress of Mary's goes all the way back to 2004! I've never loved it. But if you want to wear something that dates from before your four kids just because you can, well then, carry on.

A Royal Birthday for the Weekend: Crown Princess Victoria Turns 40

Crown Princess Victoria’s birthday is a proper celebration each and every year. It’s Victoriadagen! So a big birthday calls for even more: a Te Deum and carriage ride around Stockholm on Friday, plus the annual events held on the island of Öland, where the family has their summer residence, Solliden Palace.

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L to R: Princess Madeleine, Chris O’Neill, Queen Silvia, Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, Prince Oscar, Crown Princess Victoria, King Carl Gustaf, Princess Sofia, Prince Alexander, Prince Carl Philip.

Victoria celebrated her 40th surrounded by the entire Swedish royal family, and I have never been more convinced that a family coordination memo went out in advance. Dress code: Please resemble a summer garden of pastels. DONE.

In an embellished dress with a small matching hair ornament from Pär Engsheden, Victoria was the garden-iest of them all. Butterflies everywhere, with enough left over for Princess Estelle to get a few butterflies for her hair. Awwww.

If you can't get a frilly couture dress from your wedding gown designer for your birthday, when can you? (A question we all debate on a daily basis, I'm sure.) This is doing your birthday up right.

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Erdem has fast become Princess Madeleine’s go-to label for daytime royal events, and Philip Treacy’s a hat favorite. (This is also a royal twin moment: Princess Marie has also worn this dress.) Props to Madeleine for picking a layered choice that still managed not to look disheveled while corralling energetic toddlers.

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Princess Sofia amped up the floral print with her custom Ida Lanto dress. Did I mention how DELIGHTFUL it is to see some actual hats on the Swedish royal ladies? Dress code #2: Leave the not-a-hat hat stuff to me, ladies. XO, Vic. I feel like I’ve waited sooooo long to see Princess Sofia bust out a proper hat and bless her heart, she went entirely Eliza Doolittle with it.

After the Stockholm celebrations, the family hopped over to Öland to commence the annual celebrations for Victoria’s birthday, starting with a Friday evening concert. Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria always wear the traditional dress of Öland for this event.

It’s only Silvia and Victoria that go traditional, so that frees up Madeleine and Sofia continue interpreting the morning’s summer garden memo in a more casual mode. And, wisely, to go the wedge route on the grass. There's a certain sort of genius to what Madeleine's doing here. This is admittedly not that great standing up. But seated? It's way better. And seated is the entire game here.

Saturday finished up the annual events as Victoria and her family, with the King and Queen, greeted well-wishers at Solliden Palace.

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Dress code #3: On Saturdays, we wear light blue. Going out on the most coordinated note of all. Even the gents this time! Between these two blazers and Carl Philip's suit from the concert, this is as close as we get to summer dressing from the Blue Suit Club. I'll take what I can get.

Photos: SVT screencaps and Getty Images as indicated

Royal Trip of the Day: Mary and Frederik Host Naruhito

Crown Princess Mary had a run of engagements last week. This was because Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan was in town. And also Crown Prince Frederik was there. But anyway, Mary:

Crown Prince Naruhito arrived for his solo visit to Denmark to mark 150 years of Danish-Japanese diplomatic relations.

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To hat or not to hat? That was the question. Mary's greeted colleagues in situations like this previously without a hat. Japan, however, is a more formal monarchy. Or maybe this visit is a touch more formal or maybe she just wanted to get in at least one hat, I don't know. As the only royal lady present, it was up to her. So she split the difference and accented her Erdem dress with a little fascinator thingy at the back. I think it was the right call. And I say that as one who generally finds these wishy-washy non-hat things annoying as can be.

The trio attended a concert on Friday.

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The visit started out a little Kate-esque, honestly; first Erdem, then Alexander McQueen. This one brings echoes of that Barbara Casasola dress from Kate's closet, just to drive the point home. Countdown to when Kate will take this one on, anyone? Or at least one of the York sisters, right? If they do, I hope they do it Mary-style. This works.

Queen Margrethe also hosted a dinner for Crown Prince Naruhito.

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Floral dresses, I'm good with. But somehow it's always a bit of a letdown when you figure out that it's a floral top and a matching floral skirt instead. I mean, right? Or is it just me? Don't ask me to explain this. I can't solve the world's mysteries. I just know that this visit hit a floral peak with that opening Erdem and should have left it at that.

Erdem dress, Alexander McQueen off the shoulder knit dress, Ganni floral top and smocked waist skirt (h/t to Heaven)

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 28

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a reception for the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture at Buckingham Palace yesterday, with other members of the British royal family.

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This dress has done it again. The last time we saw this Erdem metallic lace frock was in Canada last year, worn by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. (I'd ask you who wore it best, but without a huge difference in the way the two women styled it, it's pretty much a six of one, half a dozen of the other situation.) Now, it's Kate's turn.

Erdem dress in silver metallic lace

Back then, I noted that the dress was saved from the dreaded Just Another Lace Dress designation by its touch of disco shimmer. In this case - in this lighting - the blergh-y color stands out more than the lace. But YET AGAIN I am smitten by the shimmer. Charmed into a thumbs up.

The Queen's purple look, with the Kent Amethyst Brooch, has been covered at the Jewel Vault.
Royal Family

Shimmery shoes from Oscar de la Renta never hurt anything, either. (Nor do earrings from Indian designer Anita Dongre, a slight nod to the occasion.)

Royal Trip Report of the Day: November 9

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are visiting Canada this week, starting out with a cozy and casual dinner with the Prime Minister on Sunday night. When they kicked things off officially on Monday, Mette-Marit was ready with all the essentials for a Canadian tour.

The royal couple met with the Governor General of Canada and Mrs. Johnston at Rideau Hall.
Photos: MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall

1) Red! A color that ties together both flags. I love her in red. I love most people in the right shade of red, actually, but when someone is prone to softer colors, it just really stands out.

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In the evening on Monday, they attended an event at the Canadian Museum of History.

2) Canadian design! This is from Montreal-born Erdem, and while it is a pretty standard lace dress, it is also maybe just a little bit disco. Shimmery lace might just be the cure to my perpetual case of lace fatigue.

Erdem Rhona dress in silver metallic lace

Royal Fashion Awards: Prince Alexander’s Christening

It just wouldn’t be a royal year without a Swedish christening, and we’re lucky enough to get a double dose this year. Prince Alexander – son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, latest addition to King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s growing pile of grandchildren – is up today, so put on your replica baby sash and get ready. (Missed the christening? You can watch it here, and you can revisit our open post here.)

Best in Callbacks

Princess Sofia

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Callbacks to Carl Philip and Sofia’s wedding were found in the floral color scheme and in Sofia’s designer choice for the day. Wedding gown designer Ida Sjöstedt created this custom lace suit, continuing to prove that white is a pretty foolproof selection for a christening outfit.

Princess Sofia continues to be a bit hat-averse, but there weren’t too many guests that wore anything more than a fascinator or headband. The pearl look here is a nice touch, adding some textural contrast to the ensemble. Sofia's brooch - which all the ladies of the family wore - is the King's portrait, Sweden's version of a royal family order.

Best in Mini Me

Crown Princess Victoria (and Princess Estelle)

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It was Elie Saab and coral guipure lace for godmother Victoria today, with a low ponytail and a matching lace headband. The lace on the headband was a little bit of lace overkill for me, especially in this color. I was very glad to see we didn’t get shoes to match. (You know I don’t love a color when it’s even testing my Elie Saab adoration.)

On the other hand, there is no limit to the amount of this color I can tolerate when it means that Estelle gets to be her mother’s mini me for the day. (Second christening in a row that calls for a mini me reference, mind you. They’re a fully coordinated act.)

Best in Kid Wrangling Attire

Princess Madeleine

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I’m still waiting for my promised sleeve-off, but given that it’s pretty obvious Chris and Madeleine have their hands full with toothbrush-chewing Prince Nicolas and squirmy Princess Leonore, I’m not surprised Madeleine opted for an outfit without anything that might get in her way.

This is one stylish kid wrangling outfit, though. I love the way the sharp collar on this Erdem dress works against the softer floral motif, and accessorizing with a simple bow at the back of her updo was just right. Once again, she might be my christening best dressed.

Best in Color Traditions

Queen Silvia

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We’ve seen Silvia in soft pink for the christenings of both of Crown Princess Victoria’s children and in blue for both of Princess Madeleine’s children. New kid, new color, moving into the magenta/purple spectrum now. Could we get a nice rich purple sometime? Just putting my request in early, Your Maj.

Best of the Best

The Kids

These are royal events, sure, but the Swedes also makes sure that they are family events above all. Meaning: the kids run the show! Prince Alexander was happy to display the ins and outs of an heirloom christening gown, as it was visible that it was left a little open in the back (common, since the gown has to fit multiple babies in multiple sizes). The King gave him the Order of the Seraphim, which he promptly used as a little post-baptism snack – just in case you wondered why we see the Swedish baby sashes at christenings and never again.

Awwww. And that’s why we love a Swedish christening!

Who's winning your awards today?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, SVT screencaps, Moda Operandi, Lyst

Royal Flashback of the Day: August 2

As I'm sure you've heard, it has been confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Canada this fall. Their second Canadian tour will include British Columbia and Yukon, with dates and a full itinerary to come as the trip approaches. I think this calls for a little nostalgia, no?

When you think back to the fashion of that North American tour of 2011, what comes to mind first? For me: Erdem. A Canadian designer was a must, and the trip was an introduction to the world of Erdem in Kate's wardrobe.

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A little blue in Quebec (the Quebec flag is blue, of course)...

UK in Canada via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

...plus a little navy lace in Ottawa. This was the dress she chose for their arrival in Canada, setting the tone for the whole trip. Looking back at the tour, this one might actually be my favorite for the Canadian leg of the trip. Even though it's pretty basic in design, it stands out. And somehow it manages to sneak past my general sense of lace fatigue, which is a true accomplishment/possible trickery. (Relive these two outfits: Ottawa and Quebec.)

These two selections were on the simple side of the pattern use that label is best known for, and five years on, she's still inching towards the deep end of the Erdem pool. I can't image a Canadian tour for the Duchess without some new additions from this designer, and I shall eagerly await her new picks.

Royal Fashion Awards: Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday Service

More than fifty members of the British royal family gathered today at St. Paul’s Cathedral for a National Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s 90th birthday. That is a massive amount of royals, and they brought with them everything that a massive amount of royals should: hats! Coat dresses! Jewels! Let’s dig in.

Best in Birthday

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

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Decked out in a detailed primrose yellow ensemble by Angela Kelly, the Queen was a birthday ray of sunshine today. Nothing shone brighter than her brooch, though: she adopted the go big or go home strategy and donned the Richmond Brooch from Queen Mary’s collection. A rare brooch for her, and certainly one fitting for a special occasion (more, as always, over at the Vault).

BBC

We must also take a moment to recognize the dapper Duke of Edinburgh. It may have been a day designated for celebration of the Queen, but it was also Philip’s 95th birthday, and he celebrated by determinedly walking down the steps of St. Paul’s without using the temporary handrails set up for the Queen.

Best in Repeats

The Duchess of Cornwall

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This is the sort of special occasion for which I fully expect to see some new outfits – yes, even from those family members as predictable and pragmatic as Anne and Camilla – which is why it was a bit of a letdown to see these two stick to their predictable and pragmatic ways.

The Royal Family

I’ll give them this, though: these are two good outfits from their respective collections of repeats. Camilla’s Bruce Oldfield coat and Philip Treacy hat make up one of the best outfits she’s got going right now, so I’ll give her my prize. (And there's also more on Camilla's jewels over at the Vault.)

Best in Blue/Grays

The Countess of Wessex

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There was an almost determinedly understated color palette running through the top tier royal ladies, starting with Camilla’s pale blue and carrying through to Kate’s soft blue Catherine Walker coat and cream Jane Taylor hat and Sophie’s gray Suzannah coat dress and Jane Taylor hat. Lovely looks for both the Duchess and the Countess, but Sophie’s sleek dress caught my eye from the start and didn’t let go. So chic.

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(Bonus points, by the way, for Lady Louise Windsor, continuing her training as a future royal millinery model! Viscount Severn was present too, making his state event debut.)

Best in Contrast

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie

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If you needed a little more color and a little more contrast, you needed only to look towards the rest of the family. Eugenie led the way in her red Eponine London dress, with a skirt just waiting to be swished around (i.e., my favorite kind of skirt). Also? Several headband-loving royals could take note of her hat, which manages to be both headband-minimalist and big enough to seem legit.

BBC, Burberry, Eponine London

I feel like Princess Beatrice’s coat is getting a lot of side-eye, but – contrarian that I am – I’m ready and willing to defend it. (People keep referring to it as a Stormtrooper outfit. Please. It’s more of a skeleton costume.) It doesn’t have any place being paired with a hat with a bow, I'll give you that, but the boldly graphic Burberry coat was a welcome jolt to the royal party aesthetic.

Best in Personal Bests

Zara Tindall

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Is this floral dress a Zara personal best? I think we’re nearing that bar, if not even crossing over it. The hat’s spot on, too. Sometimes a little Erdem is all you need.

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Autumn Phillips’ green dress by Suzannah was nothing to sneeze at either, but the zootopia pouf on her hat certainly seemed sneeze-inducing.

Best in Hats

Lady Gabriella Windsor

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Lady Gabriella Windsor, Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor

Trust the Kents to bring it in the hat department, from the Countess of St. Andrews' bold turban sculpture to Princess Alexandra’s summery straw to Princess Michael’s feathery flair. A royal gathering this big brings royal weddings to the mind and a royal hat as big as Lady Gabriella’s follows through on that promise. Its statement size is nicely neutralized by its basic color.

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Duke of Kent, the Earl and Countess of St. Andrews
The Royal Family, BBC

Best in Sneaky Jewels

The Duchess of Gloucester

The Royal Family

This isn’t one of her immediately recognizable repeats (I’m not sure if it is a repeat or not, but it's not one we’ve seen at a ton of recent big family events), and she’s doing as she usually does and sneaking in as many day jewels as she can. Those clips! Those pearls!

Best in Retro

Viscountess Linley

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Chatting with Sophie Wessex before the service began, you couldn’t miss Viscountess Linley's contribution to the day's millinery statements. Definitely a retro throwback, and honestly pretty fabulous.

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No retro category is complete without Serena’s sister-in-law, though! You will be shocked to see that Lady Sarah Chatto is not in gray, or white, or black this time around. Navy – what a shocker – and even a bit of interest on the skirt. (Longtime readers know I kid, because I fall for her style no matter what predictable format it takes.)

Who was your best dressed at the birthday service?

I haven’t hit all of the royal family members present, so feel free to add more in the comments! (But I mean, the men, they wore suits.)

P.S.: Tomorrow we have Trooping the Colour, and you can tune into the Jewel Vault for complete coverage.

Royal Fashion Awards: King Carl Gustaf’s Birthday, Concert and Day Events

The celebrations for King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th birthday have been going on all week, building up to today’s festivities. As for our Royal Fashion Awards, well, they’re just beginning…

Best in Concert Sparkle

Photo: Kungahuset.se

A dress code of suits for the men at Friday night’s Nordic Museum concert didn’t stop Queen Silvia from bringing the full-length sparkle with a diamond necklace and few bits and bobs from the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure thrown in for good measure, bless.

She gives her public what they want.

Most Mixed Concert Bag
Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine

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Her daughters were more of a mixed bag, Princess Madeleine on the shorter side in Erdem and Crown Princess Victoria in a promisingly different silhouette brought down by a bit of over-accessorizing. Enthusiasm appreciated, anyway.


Today, things got started with a morning Te Deum followed by some outdoor tributes – including Prince Oscar’s first balcony appearance! – and a lunch at Stockholm’s City Hall.

Best in Pink and Statement Hats

Queen Silvia

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Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine had the same idea for their day outfits, with pink coats and serious hat style from Philip Treacy. I love that Silvia went big without going nuts, and I love her choice of burgundy accessories. Win.

I should be focusing on Madeleine’s hat here, but instead I can’t stop thinking it looks like she has her headphones around her neck when the coat is on. Makes a touch more sense when you see there's a whole garden of a Giambattista Valli dress underneath that pink Alexander McQueen coat.

Best in Fresh

Crown Princess Victoria

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Victoria’s Dolce & Gabbana striped dress surprised me at first. This turned out to be a good thing, because paired with her big white hat, it was a much-needed anecdote to the run of pastels on display courtesy of most of the rest of the guests. LOVE.

{As always, a required moment of silence for Estelle's wee throne.}

Honorable Attendance Mention

Princess Sofia

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Princess Sofia pulled back her attendance at the birthday events, to no one’s surprise as she just gave birth not even two weeks ago. But she did make a point to attend the Te Deum and balcony appearance, and she looked fabulous in a light Hugo Boss dress with a By Malene Birger coat added outside.

And for everybody else…

An interesting brooch headlined Princess Christina's blue look as she attended with the rest of the King's sisters, Princess Désirée, Princess Birgitta, and Princess Margaretha.

Princess Hisako of Takamado was a second row standout, brighter than the sun and with more hat personality than we usually see from the Japanese imperial ladies. Prince Albert of Monaco, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, and some of the German royals can also be spotted above.

By the time the party moved outside, a full Where's Waldo? royal spotting game was in play. A minty fresh Queen Margrethe and a cozily wrapped Princess Beatrix quickly became one of the day's best dynamic duos.

Princess Märtha Louise and husband Ari Behn are the sole reps from Norway now (following yesterday's tragic helicopter crash in the country). She always brings the intrigue, in a metallic number that also would have been at home at the previous evening's concert. Crown Princess Mary repeated her Oscar de la Renta coat paired with purple accessories, which obviously that makes me happy. Also present and elegant: Princess Benedikte and the royal couples from Serbia and Romania. (As well as other international royal guests not named here!)

One last thing:

Just so you  know, the Estelle fan club begins with her godmother.

We’ll be back later for the evening's black tie banquet (with tiaras!), so stay tuned.

Thanks to Heaven and Sarah at The Royals and I/Swedish Clothing IDs for being on top of the designer identifications! Check their post here for more on the Swedish royal family's choices.

Photos: SVT screencaps unless otherwise noted

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 15

Yesterday, available members of the British royal family - the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Cambridges, Prince Harry, and the Duke of York this year - moseyed on over to Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day service.

The Queen got her Commonwealth flair on via brooch, and you can check our her outfit and Australian brooch selection over at the Jewel Vault. The Duchess of Cambridge got her Commonwealth flair on (and her Lady Mary Crawley flair on) via coat. Canadian designer Erdem made this contribution to the Royal Coat Museum, and milliner John Boyd added a matching gray hat.

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And there's your sartorial headline for the event: Kate wore a hat with a brim, oh my. As a fan of variety more than just about anything, I am bound to love the choice, but I also appreciate that she paired the strong lines of this coat with the simple, architectural silhouette of this chapeau.

Similar Erdem pieces

While I'd love to see the coat belted up in the future, it's a solid appearance just like so.

Photos: BBC screencaps, via Getty Images, Erdem

Royal Outfit of the Day: November 3

There was more than one interesting Erdem outfit happening last week.

View image | gettyimages.com

The Countess of Wessex attended a dinner for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation at Sotheby's. Prince Albert was also present, as was Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

A skirt with a little more fullness and a little more length seems to be a look the Countess is gravitating towards these days. It can be a lot of look, especially when you thrown in a top with embroidery under a jacket with more embroidery. But that's Erdem for you, and I kinda love her for embracing it.  

Erdem dress (Net-a-porter) and Erdem cropped jacket (Selfridge's). IDs per the Countess of Wessex blog.

Royal Gowns of the Day: October 28

These are Kate's recent evening appearances, and this is also the post in which I reverse all my prior opinions:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attended the premiere of the new James Bond film, Spectre, on Monday

View image | gettyimages.com

First, she threw a 1930s curveball at us with this belted Jenny Packham gown. And she threw in an updo and a fabulous pair of blue topaz and diamond earrings, which would normally be enough to make me swoon over anything. However. But. Well...

Robinson Pelham earrings (as identified by Anna, and worn by Carole Middleton to her daughter's 2011 wedding party), and a Jenny Packham gown (modified from the Spring 2011 runway)

As much as I love the idea of her going all Old Hollywood, I think that's the sort of theme that needs a bit more commitment. Maybe starting with a sleeker hairdo. Yeah, mark this down as the rare occasion an updo didn't win me over. I give the whole thing...three blinks and a shrug. (I'll still take the earrings, though.) (And the dates, hey-o.)

In other reversals of opinion...

The Duchess of Cambridge attended the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala at the V&A

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Given my well-documented dislike of Crown Princess Mette-Marit's famous prairie dresses, I should not take well to an attempt to usurp that Nordic pioneer throne. But against all odds, I kinda like this particular change of pace. (What's not against all odds: me disagreeing with most of you, probably.) The dimension and movement of that ruffle intrigue me - yeah that's right, I STAND WITH THE RUFFLE - and it's nice to see her in a bold Erdem floral that strikes closer to the designs for which the label is so well known.

Erdem, available at Net-a-Porter. Earrings, available in your dreams.

The sapphire and diamond earrings here are A+ too: more jewels debuted from the stash of the late Queen Mother! Naturally, I have a post up on them over at the Jewel Vault. And also naturally, I'd totally copy and paste the previous evening's hair here, because these babies deserve to be shown off. (Some things never change after all...)

Royal Dresses of the Day: September 9

I do consider it my sworn duty to inform you when Charlene is looking particularly good.

View image | gettyimages.com

Princess Charlene attending the 2015 Princess Grace Awards Gala

So consider yourselves notified: Charlene's looking gooood. I can't really even put my finger on what exactly I like about this look, because I like all the things. The shape, the sleeves, the way the sequins create an abstract floral look, the navy and red with the red lip. All the things!

The dress is by Christian Dior Couture. In case you were wondering why she has a recent fondness for the couture house, it's because they are the current sponsors of the Princess Grace Awards. But the longer she wears Dior, the better their creations seem to work for her, so this is turning out to be a relationship with more than one benefit.

View image | gettyimages.com

Oh! And! More new earrings. Rubies and diamonds from Graff. As you do.

Charlene's floral-esque dress reminded me of a recent long floral worn by Crown Princess Mary to a party last month. I'm tossing it in here, just for good measure.

Click here for video.

I love that she paired this with her aquamarine girandole earrings and a bright blue clutch - you know I love me some statement accessories - but...hmm. Hmm, Mary.

Photos: via Getty Images / Vogue.com / Billed-Bladet video screencap / Lyst

Sunday Tidbits for May 17: Some Dresses, Some Sparklies

Lots coming up on the blog this week: pre-wedding business in Sweden, national stuff in Norway, happenings in Spain, etc. But first, a tidbit or two...

--Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist have a service and reception today for their marriage banns and we'll be looking at that later. For now, they've released some new pictures, and Sofia's wearing a Reiss dress. Happy birthday to Prince CP, by the way - he turned 36 this week!

Foto Mattias Edwall, Kungahuset.se

--The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and French actress Clotilde Courau - also known as the Princess of Venice and Piedmont, though she doesn't use the title professionally - always turns up. Her dress is Valentino Couture, and I'm in sheer disbelief that we didn't see it on Crown Princess Mette-Marit first. Probably waiting patiently in that Norwegian closet.

View image | gettyimages.com

--I'm also intrigued by her jewels, from Bulgari High Jewellery's Giardini Italiani collection. I love mixing stone colors in modern pieces.

View image | gettyimages.com

--Also in Cannes, minus the evening gown: Prince Félix of Luxembourg. [Luxarazzi]

--Prince Harry continued his cuteness assault in New Zealand following my post earlier this week. Here he is trying his hand at a Maori Haka:

--I am intrigued by the Countess of Wessex's floral dress worn to a ballet performance this week, and am waiting to see it without the jacket. In her down time, she and Lady Louise have been having a blast at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, Savannah and Isla Phillips included. [Countess of Wessex Blog, Daily Mail]

View image | gettyimages.com

--Over at the Jewel Vault this week, we talked about two of the Duchess of Cornwall's famous pearl chokers.

--And finally, here's a little something to drool over: stunning Cartier jewels auctioned at Sotheby's this past week. We'll be talking about some of the tiaras featured at that auction a bit later on. [YouTube]

Photos: via Getty Images and Kungahuset as indicated