Royal Outfit of the Day: Charlene at the Red Cross Ball

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene attended the 70th Red Cross Ball in Monaco.

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So we're doing The Little Mermaid of Monaco? That...is completely and totally fitting.

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The gown's a bit of a work of art itself, fully beaded with degradé Swarovski crystal scales in blue and gold, by Atelier Versace. For a state banquet? Nah. But this isn't that. This is a glitzy society event, and Charlene can get her mer-princess on any time.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Spanish Royals at the Pascua Militar

Of all the ways Queen Letizia could have followed up her spectacular sartorial ownership of 2017, I gotta say, a sharp steer back to Edwardian times is not what I was expecting.

King Felipe, Queen Letizia, King Juan Carlos, and Queen Sofia attended the Pascua Militar, a military ceremony, on Saturday.
CasaReal

And yet! Blue velvet from head to toe for our Spanish queen for her first formal event of the new year, which asks for long skirts in the daytime for the ladies (much like the New Year's Court receptions in Denmark last week).

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Now, I generally approve of draping one's self in velvet whenever socially acceptable, but this particular Felipe Varela number...hmm. The buttons? I think the fancy buttons might be one fussy step too far. The aquamarine Bulgari earrings can stay, because yum.

CasaReal

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia returned to this event for the first time since the abdication, and I think Sofia's been saving up all her floral power for this very moment. She is shiny.

Celeb Style Triplets of the Day: March 1

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

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

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

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

Which version is your fave?

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

Royal Fashion Awards: New Year Receptions, 2017

Happy New Year! We're here to start things off as we always do: with tiaras, courtesy of glittering New Year events in Denmark and Japan. A gala banquet in Denmark is one of the most formal events of the year for the Danish royal family, where they wear the golden collars of the Order of the Elephant. In Japan, the imperial family gathers for a formal reception, and it's tiaras all around for everyone. We'll start our awards in Denmark:

Most Heavily Adorned

Queen Margrethe

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Queen Margrethe always arrives to the New Year banquet in a flurry of fabric and jewels, with her trademark Yeti pelt fur wrap swinging. This year was all of that times ten, because her gown - a repeat from her 70th birthday celebrations - ended up looking like she was wearing two gowns at once under that wrap.

DR screencaps

She's also wearing the stomacher from the Danish crown pearl, ruby, and diamond set as a necklace. That's a lotta look by itself, let alone with the gold chain and the Pearl Poire Tiara and all the rest. Luckily, she's a woman with enough gravitas to pull it all off.

Biggest Test in Capes

Crown Princess Mary

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Crown Princess Mary opted to start the new year by testing my love of capes. This is the first time we've seen her Jesper Høvring gown in action (she wore it in a portrait last year), and it is a golden dream, very swoopy and grand in motion. (Check out video of the royal family's arrival here or here.) I'm just afraid it's being let down by the cape, which doesn't feel magnificent enough to go with this gown.

DR

I'm with her on the rest of it, though: the Danish Ruby Parure with the full version of the earrings, the hair pins in back, and the brooch used at her neckline. Fabulous.

Most Slinky in Metallics

Princess Marie

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I couldn't believe it when Princess Marie got out of the car: could she really be wearing a simple, slinky metallic sheath? She usually adds some froof to the equation. And so she had and I just didn't see it right away, in the form of a ruffle at the side of this new Ole Yde gown.

DR

The ruffle is subtle, and the bronze color makes an excellent showcase for her golden collar. Her Diamond Floral Tiara is never a bad idea. I think this might be her best New Year outing in quite some time.

Most Impressive in Group Sparkle
The Japanese Imperial Family

ANN screencaps. See video here.

An impressive amount of sparkle here even with fewer tiaras than usual, because some family members are still observing mourning for Prince Mikasa. Empress Michiko no longer wears tiaras, but was elegant in pearls; the ladies of the Akishino family came with the full force of their diamond parures (Princess Kiko in the Akishino Tiara, plus Princess Mako in her tiara and Princess Kako in her tiara.) Crown Princess Masako arrived in the Japanese Pearl Sunburst Tiara.

Who's your best dressed to kick off the new year?

Double Tiara Watch of the Day: October 12

Ready for more dispatches from fall state visit season? We're cutting straight to the tiaras, just because we can:

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are in Japan for a state visit, where Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko hosted a state banquet in their honor.

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I had high hopes for some serious tiara weight here, in a monarchy-to-monarchy state visit. Not from the Empress, of course; she stopped wearing tiaras a few years ago. But Mathilde wasn't feeling it either, opting for her simple Wolfers Necklace Tiara. Okay, Mathilde. I'm gonna let this slide because a) the dress is basically handling the majesticness of this look on its own, and b) we still have a state visit from Belgium to the Netherlands coming up for some true diamond power.

Belgian Monarchy

It's a pretty good gala dress, though, isn't it? (By Dries Van Noten, per ModeKoninginMathilde.) Showcases the yellow and red sash of Japan's Order of the Precious Crown, but doesn't try to match it. Together with the warm tones of her outfit from their official welcome ceremony and first meeting with the imperial couple (above), she had a whole autumnal thing going on for the day. It's the pumpkin spice latte of state visit wardrobes, and I'm digging it.

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Lest you think Queen Mathilde was the only lady in a tiara, the rest of the imperial ladies were out in force sporting their regular full parure looks. I spy Crown Princess Masako in the Pearl Sunburst Tiara, Princess Kiko in her own parure, Princess Mako in her own parure, and Princess Kako also in her own parure, at least. Really a very sparkly display, overall. (For more, click: here for some looks at Mathilde and the setting, here for a video with state banquet highlights at the end, and here for a gallery focusing on the Japanese family. Sayako Kuroda, the daughter of the Emperor and Empress, was also in attendance.)

The Norwegian royal family welcomed the President and First Lady of Singapore for a state visit, with a state banquet on Monday night.

#GALANT #KAVALER #KronprinsHaakon med sin tante #PrinsesseAstrid & sin hustru #kronprinsesseMM på #Slottet. #royals https://t.co/JrMEXR1FlU pic.twitter.com/Kx8gRmlqdc

— Kjell Arne Totland (@TV2KjellArne) October 11, 2016

So anyway, like I said, we're cutting straight to the tiaras. Yeah, focus on the tiara. It's the Amethyst Necklace Tiara for a change, that deserves some love, right? It does. Looks like Princess Astrid went for the Vasa Tiara. Queen Sonja shook it up a little bit for herself, in the Modern Gold Tiara. (But only a little bit, because she still wore a 25-year-old Erik Mortensen dress and some things never change. See Sonja and more of the rest here.)

Sandra Mansour gown, per Heaven and The Royals and I

Okay, and the dress...well, I do think it's been done a disservice by the flashes and whatnot that are just a part of the traditional state visit stroll at the palace, because we're losing all that skirt detail and thus are losing the best part of the dress. But that doesn't mean it was a wise choice in the first place. Oh well. We'll always have the tiaras.

Royal Event of the Day: September 21

Yesterday was Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands, when the monarch reads his speech from the throne to the government, and - relevant to our purposes - the Dutch royal ladies get all dressed up. It's usually a yearly highlight for Queen Máxima, but was it this year? LET'S DISCUSS:

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(Hang on, bear with me for a second as I do my traditional explanation for those unfamiliar with this style of dress.) Hats with long skirts/dresses and sashes are the dress code for the day for the women, something that used to be pretty common at formal royal events, but which has died out over the years. No tiaras, because this is a day event; no sashes for the men, because those aren't worn with morning dress. Willem-Alexander, before becoming king, wore a uniform and used a sash with that. Now he wears a small order pin on his lapel, as does Prince Constantijn. (Okay, NOW let's discuss.)

Queen Máxima chose Claes Iversen as her designer for the day. She opted for a blue blouse tucked into a long golden skirt with blue embellishments and topped the whole thing with one of her favorite giant hats from Fabienne Delvigne. My first thought? This is what dressing for your sash looks like - she's all in tune with the Order of the Netherlands Lion here.

My second thought? If last year was the closest she's come to eveningwear territory at this event, this is a hard swing back to daywear, from the skirt+shirt combo to the sizable hat. Is it a swing for the better or a swing for the worse? I'm honestly not sure. I preferred last year's look, but she set the bar epically high for herself after that.

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The best thing here is the best thing nearly every year: the jewels, of course. Those lusciously giant sapphire earrings and Queen Wilhelmina's huge sapphire bow brooch at her waist! The belt buckle placement is probably partly practical (big brooches are a tough sell on tops with no structure), and it is entirely genius with this outfit. Plus, if you ever need a reminder to sit up straight...

But wait, there's more! Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien were in attendance as usual, Laurentien sporting one of the family's bug brooches and big earrings previously worn by Máxima. Her sash is that of the Order of the House of Orange.

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Whereas Máxima's Prinsjesdag outfits are clearly geared toward future gala gear reuse, her sister-in-law is stocking up for any future chain mail needs. And given her history with interesting fabrics at this event (last year, she went all Missoni-esque in a chevron knit; the year before, it was formal corduroy), she's right on brand. As ever, we commend her for keeping it interesting for us.

Photos: NOS screencaps, via Getty Images as indicated

Royal Jewels of the Day: June 16

What's Princess Charlene been up to?

The Prince and Princess of Monaco welcomed guests from the 56th International Television Festival of Monte-Carlo to the Prince's Palace for a cocktail party
Gaetan Luci/Palace

Pulling more than a few surprises out of her bag of tricks, that's what. This isn't the first time in the past weeks she's surprised me, either. I suppose you could say she's a touch overdressed when the dress code is "dudes in suits" - but hey, I'm 100% down with the top princely lady showing everybody else up. It's practically in her job description. This is a big event for Monaco and she's right to turn it up several notches.

Ralph Lauren Spring 2015 outfit, Graff Briolette earrings

Her jewelry game is getting good, too. (Okay, her earring game has always been good, so let's say it's getting even better.) These earrings from Graff feature 3.37 carats of diamonds and 65.47 carats of orange sapphires. Oh, and she's also worn this design in the aquamarine version.

Attending the opening of the Festival
Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo, see video here

This comes on the heels of her wearing a Cartier necklace in white and yellow diamonds with matching earrings and a Roland Mouret gown to open the festival. We've seen a fair bit of Roland Mouret from her recently; the necklace, on the other hand, was a total surprise.

Roland Mouret gown

A Charlene with a few surprises and a whole lot of diamonds at the ready is a Charlene that I am HERE FOR. More, please.

Royal Duo of the Day: May 26

How much do we love a queen's night out? Queen Mathilde invited Queen Máxima to attend a session of the piano finals for the Queen Elisabeth Competition last night.

Royal Palace

Queen Máxima tried out a long tunic over a pair of trousers. This is a strategy regularly deployed by the Duchess of Cornwall for evening events (day events too), and it can be surprisingly glam when done right. Of course, Camilla's tunics usually aren't adorned with doilies.

Queen Mathilde's sartorial highlight for the competition came a little earlier, attending another evening with King Philippe.

Royal Palace

Would not have thought Mathilde would go for the semi-boho look, but it totally works for her. She got the styling just right here, from the hair to the chunky gold accessories. Diane von Furstenberg proves to be a good choice once again.

Diane von Furstenberg

Royal State Visit of the Day: March 11

Just as Mette-Marit pops up to remind us of her evening take on a geometrically divided dress, Máxima turns up to show us how it's done daytime style.

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima started a state visit to France yesterday. Máx always cranks her volume up to eleven on state visits, and she didn't disappoint this time around. Claes Iversen created her peachy/salmony/beigey dress and Fabienne Delvigne added a new matching hat in Máxima's signature big brim style. She threw in her big pink earrings and the small blue pin of the French National Order of Merit, which she received when President Hollande visited the Netherlands.

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This is quite a masterful dress design, if you ask me. Those sleek lines could end up in a very Star Trek sort of place, but Iversen avoids the sci-fi by using them to frame lace panels. Likewise, big front pocket panels are so often an unfortunate decision, but the contours created by the design keep it well away from anything potentially bulk-adding. She looks good.

Video: Day events. Don't miss the back of the dress...

With a state visit comes a state banquet, but as it was for the recent Spanish and Swedish state visits, President Hollande's dinner was not a tiara affair. (Ah, well, not everybody has QEII Privilege.)

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I knew Queen Máxima would manage to sneak in some sort of hair ornament anyway. She opted for the Borneo jewels, a gold and diamond set given given to Queen Wilhelmina for her investiture, wearing the earrings and bracelet and sticking the brooch in her hair.

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The jewels were the perfect complement for her gold sequined dress (once again giving us as much sparkle as she can within the circumstances, bless her). I'm divided on the transparent detail at the bottom of the skirt, which I find equal parts interest-generating and shower curtain comparison-making. I'll call it a win overall. Et toi?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Tiara Watch of the Day: February 4

We interrupt your regularly scheduled tiara programming to bring you some tiaras in action! Bless Sweden and their representation dinners, bringing us some bling before the year's state visits kick into gear. (Don't worry, Tiara Thursday will be on tomorrow.)

Kungahuset.se

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, sporting the Connaught Tiara, led the way. All these different reds are making me twitchy.

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Crown Princess Victoria wore this dress when she was pregnant with Princess Estelle, and I still haven't decided whether it's unfortunately nightgown-esque or pleasingly sparkly cloud-filled sky-esque. Either way, she takes home the prize for Best Tiara of the Night with the Baden Fringe.

Kungahuset.se

Following through on Victoria's sparkly maternity trend, Princess Sofia went all in with a dress apparently borrowed from a friend (I think I miss the belt the friend wore it with, though). She is again wearing her emerald and diamond wedding tiara, and though she still hasn't used a tiara from the family vault, she continues to wear other pieces (earrings, brooch, bracelet) from the family collection. I can't blame her for giving her in-law's gift plenty of attention, even if I long to see everybody in something different every time.

A photo posted by Expressen Kungligt (@expressenkungligt) on Feb 3, 2016 at 1:08pm PST

So, who sparkled it best? I think I might have to call this one a tie...

UPDATE: You can see video of the royal family at the dinner here. Victoria's dress is just as alive as the Baden Fringe in motion, and I am now firmly ON BOARD. Also, you get a glimpse of Princess Christina (sadly left out of most pictures) in the Six Button Tiara.

Royal Texture of the Day: November 12

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel attended the "Playing for Life" aid concert for refugees in Europe by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and others on Saturday

Photo: Arne Hyckenberg/Berwaldhallen/Sveriges Radio

Crown Princess Victoria has worn this black ensemble with embossed texture before, but now that we have a better look at it, I'm liking it a good deal more. It's a polished way to add interest to what would otherwise be quite plain, no?

On Saturday night, the The Crown Princely Couple hosted dinner in honor of the Trilateral Commission meeting. pic.twitter.com/DHXWkuwJAU

— Royaltyspeaking (@Royal_talk) November 9, 2015

Crown Princess Mary must have been on the same wavelength, because she debuted this lovely gold dress. And once again, what would be very plain is turned right into golden perfection. This is a texture trend I can get behind.

Princely Flashback of the Day: July 20

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo are tying the knot this coming weekend (starting to tie the knot, I guess, since it's the civil wedding to start). The couple have been an established part of the princely scene for several years, and I, for one, am excited to see her continue to bring her brand of style to family events for years to come. Not unlike Princess Marie-Chantal, her style has a lot to do with the casual attitude she brings to her pairings, and it's a cool elegance that I adore.

She and Pierre have been fixtures at the annual Rose Ball for a while now. We're flashing back to a few of the earlier appearances today:

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2009

This is all about Those Sleeves, bringing so much drama to the table, they can cover any other possible down side. You know I love an outfit that's ripe for swooping about.

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2010

Each year, the Rose Ball has a theme, and sometimes the overly themed outfits can go more than a little bit wrong. But is there any better interpretation for a Moroccan theme than this? I think not.

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2011

This sequined dress and that feline necklace? On their own, no. Together? Yesssss.

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And it's precisely what I love about her style, in one handy nutshell.

We'll catch up on the more recent years another day.

Photos: via Getty Images

Royal Flashback of the Day: June 11

Add another couple to the guest list for Carl Philip and Sofia's wedding: Billed-Bladet reports the Greek royal court confirmed that Prince Nikolaos and Princess Tatiana will be in attendance. This is encouraging news, I'd say, because Tatiana has turned in some A+ ensembles at past Scandinavian royal weddings. Let us examine:

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Wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill, 2013

Her ensemble for Madeleine's wedding is my least favorite of these options, despite the fact that it is the only one with a tiara (the Antique Corsage Tiara), but in this case, that means it's still quite good. Even though it is a basic overall look, the fit and draping on this dress are dreamy. As they should be, for a bespoke gown from Armani Privé.

Her two previous appearances came prior to her own wedding. She had no tiara to wear, but she also had no order sashes to worry about, and she made the most of her appearances without those occasionally pesky ribbons.

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Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Marie Cavallier, 2008

A purple gown has my heart no matter what, but all the pleated texture on this one was truly best showcased in those pre-sash days. This is from Angel Sanchez, who would later design Tatiana's wedding gown, and it was also worn by actress Nicolette Sheridan.

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Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling, 2010

It takes a LOT to best a purple gown for me, but then you have THIS RIGHT HERE. This is Carolina Herrera, and it is majestic. A sash worn here would have conflicted with the dress embellishment, so it was a perfect choice for a royal wedding guest appearance before her own wedding.

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It even has a train! Such jumpy claps.

You can wrap these both up and put them in my imaginary princess closet, please and thank you.

Photos: via Getty Images, Gilt, Angel Sanchez

Royal Fashion Awards: Queen Margrethe's Fredensborg Birthday Dinner

The last event of Queen Margrethe's birthday fiesta was a dinner at Fredensborg Palace, not to be confused with the dinner at Christiansborg Palace last night. Did you think we were going to repeat our palaces in the same birthday celebration? Don't be ridiculous.

I had hope that this evening's black tie dinner would be a tiara event. (A similar dinner back in 2010 was with tiaras, for example.) That hope, however, was dashed. SO CRUELLY DASHED. My faith in Margrethe's capacity for sartorial splendor has been shaken to its very core! How will we ever recover from this travesty??

Alright, I'm over it. Let's work with what we've got:

Most Side Eye in Accessories

Queen Margrethe

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Sorry, birthday girl, but I'm giving you the side eye real hard here. The accessorizing, specifically - it was a great dress when she wore it to the Dutch state visit, and it still is now. But it's got cool and muted tones, and that turquoise and gold set is all kinds of bright and warm, and the contrast is making me cringe. (The necklace was a birthday gift from Prince Henrik, a new addition to her modern turquoise set which includes pieces he gave her for previous birthdays. Which is fantastic - and the necklace is the best piece of the set! - but still not at its best with this dress.) She also snuck a piece of the Floral Aigrette Tiara in her hair. Ordinarily I'd be all over that, but instead, I'm just wondering why she didn't just make the dinner a tiara thing and let the other ladies play too. It's possible I'm not entirely over it.

Most Likely Best

Crown Princess Mary

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Even my faith in Mary's ability to pull off a great outfit is shaken. I think I like this one...I might even like the center part low ponytail. Hmm. I reserve the right to change my judgement.

Most Overshadowed

Princess Marie

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Here's Marie again, looking fine again. But I'm not looking at her, I'm looking at Hef over there.

Most...Floatiest

Princess Benedikte

 Just go with it, okay? Floaty is the only word I've got for this dress, and you wouldn't have been able to stop me from swooping around with my wings fluttering behind me right in the middle of dinner. That's why she's the princess and I am NOT. (One of the many reasons...)

Most Confusing

Queen Anne-Marie

I thought this was the same dress she wore to yesterday's dinner. But it's not. It's very slightly different. Used up those Best in Usual titles a little too soon, I guess.

Most on the Mend

Queen Silvia

I think the latest addition to our ongoing saga of Silvia and her attempts to stylishly heal her shoulder is a scarf cover for whatever device she's chosen this time. I don't know. Sil, you're adorable.

Most Typical

Crown Princess Mette-Marit

I originally posted this as Most Mysterious, because M-M sure did a good job evading the television camera. But sure enough, it's just another typical Mette-Marit flower power frock by Giambattista Valli.

Most Welcome Relief

Crown Princess Victoria

If we can't have tiaras, at least we have Elie Saab. (Her sister's Elie Saab, to be precise.) And on that sigh of relief...

...we're done! Do scroll through and make sure you haven't missed any of the events. We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming on Sunday.

Who was your best dressed at the Fredensborg dinner?

Photos:via Getty Images as indicated, DR1 video, Elie Saab

Royal Outfit of the Day: April 14

This being her birthday week and all, I think we need one more flashback to a Queen Margrethe classic. And if anything screams Daisy Style, this is it: big fabric, big sleeves, big skirt, big look.

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The outfit comes from the late Jørgen Bender, her favorite couturier. Bender was the go-to designer for Danish royal wedding dresses for many years, making Queen Margrethe's own wedding gown and those of her sisters, Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Benedikte, plus the gowns for Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Alexandra Manley (Prince Joachim's first wife, now the Countess of Frederiksborg, who also wore many of his clothes during her marriage). He was a favorite of Queen Ingrid's before becoming a favorite of Queen Margrethe, and thanks to Ingrid's guidance, he also dressed Queen Silvia of Sweden frequently. This was a designer that knew how to dress a queen, and today's outfit is the perfect example.

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This dress and jacket combo made its debut at one of the aforementioned weddings, that of Prince Joachim and Alexandra Manley in 1995. It was an evening winter event, so extravagant fabrics and fur were just right. (See it in action here, starting around 1:30. Disclaimer: I can not be held responsible if that link sends you down the royal wedding rabbit hole. That's on you.)

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I often joke that certain dresses look like sofas or drapes, but this is the rare case where that's actually true: Rubelli made the fabric, a company known for its high-end furnishing fabrics, and it's also used in the interior design of one of the palaces. The dress has a sweetheart neckline with full-length sleeves and a sweeping train at the back. The jacket has a slim-fit front, a cape-style back with wide sleeves at three-quarter length, and fur trim around the bottom and the neck. Obviously there are also shoes and a handbag made to match in the same fabric, because it wouldn't be a signature Margrethe look without them.

For the wedding, she wore the Floral Aigrette Tiara and the set of rubies, diamonds, and pearls that belongs to the Danish crown jewels. Using the dress and jacket again for later official portraits, she used the Pearl Poire Tiara and the pearl and diamond jewels that are often worn with it (and I do prefer the pearl tiara with this, despite my deep love for her flexible floral diadem).

The whole effect is intended to be rather Holbein-like, and fittingly, she also wore this for a very imperious portrait by Thomas Kluge (you may know him from a slightly more infamous portrait of the royals). The whole look borders on overwhelming, but it's such a good match to its wearer, I can't help but love it. The Queen mentions in Dronningens Kjoler by Katia Johansen that this dress could someday replace the blue court dress with fur trim she's been using for the daytime New Year's Courts for so many years, and I, for one, can't wait for that day to arrive.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, DR video, Rigmor Mydskov/Kongehuset.dk

Tiara Watch of the Day: February 12

Last night it was time for a representation dinner in Sweden. I've come to realize that these are the tiara events most likely to produce, uh, mixed results. Yeah, let's go with that. (You're going to want to see the gallery at this link, by the way.)

Queen Silvia passes muster in a gold dress and the Connaught Tiara. Sofia Hellqvist did okay for herself in black, but - hang on, let me check - nope, I'm still worn out on black lace dresses from last year. Just behind her in the picture below, you can spot Princess Christina. She was wearing the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik again, so the intrigue around its ownership continues.

A lavender-clad Princess Madeleine wore her 18th birthday tiara, the Swedish Aquamarine Bandeau, in a low riding position, an example to one and all of why these things get labeled Cyclops tiaras. Isn't that ever so helpful of her? (I don't begrudge her wanting to wear a light tiara or doing something different, but...yeesh.) Oh well. Points added for the dress and the earrings, which are great.

Members of the Swedish royal family this evening attended a diplomatic gala at the Royal Palace pic.twitter.com/0QyDT352XB
— Royaltyspeaking (@Royal_talk) February 11, 2015

It was down to Crown Princess Victoria to give me a bit of hope for tiara events to come. The outfit was basic, a repeated pastel pink and purple Escada dress she first wore at the ball after Albert and Charlene's wedding in 2011 and the Six Button Tiara, but she also wore the earrings, brooch, and bracelet from the Cameo parure. With this particular outfit, it makes for an incredibly random pairing - I mean, the Cameo stuff needs an outfit with nods to its colors or to the intricacy of its design and this feels like it was laundry day in the gown closet and nothing else was left - but for someone (ME) that hopes to see her in the Cameo Tiara again, I'm just glad to see her use what she can.

P.S.: The blog will return on Sunday!

Photos: Kungahuset.se

Royal Necklaces of the Day: February 5

Queen Máxima loves her jewelry, this we know, and she's not picky about the difference between heirloom pieces worn to impress and modern pieces worn for a fashion statement. I like big stones (and I cannot lie), but Máxima tests my love with some of the hardware she hangs around her neck, and some of her recent selections deserve a closer look.

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Attending a symposium yesterday

Take yesterday's outfit, for example. Love the idea of a patterned jacket with a statement necklace; do not love the use of leftover Christmas tree decorations as said necklace.

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At an event in Utrecht, January 15

This one looks like something made of rocks found by the kids down by the river. But in a world where the rivers are lined with gold, like Willy Wonka's factory for magpies.

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At a financial inclusion conference in London, January 19

This one is also a riverbank finder's paradise. This is the same outfit worn when Felipe and Letizia visited the Netherlands, and at that time, Máx paired it with another mega necklace/possible display of medieval weaponry. So either the plain neckline is proving irresistible to the larger side of Máx's jewelry box, or maybe she got a makeup stain on the neck and ugh those things are hard to get out. (Maybe that's always the case. If so, Máx, I retract my entry and I'm with you 100%.)

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Tiara Watch (Yay) and Tiara Watch (Nay): December 3

Sometimes those of us on permanent tiara watch don't get what we want. Case in point: The King and Queen of Sweden began a state visit to France yesterday, and hopes of proper state banquet splendor were (somewhat) high. After all, the British state visit to France this summer was black tie and the Queen was all tiara'd up. But alas, it was not to be; the dress code was plain suit and tie and a knee-length outfit for Silvia. The Queen, however, did not leave us hanging.

She sported as much of the Cameo Parure as she could, basically: necklace, earrings, bracelet, and brooch in her hair. She's also got Carl Gustaf's order/portrait miniature on too, and her version is bedecked with some pretty serious diamond sparkle. The Cameo set has Napoleonic roots, dating back to Empress Joséphine, so it was an appropriate choice. But I still like to think it was a bit of a protest from a jewel-loving queen. Atta girl, Sil.

#459839358 / gettyimages.com

And sometimes, on tiara watch we do get what we want! Over in Britain, the annual Diplomatic Reception was held last night. This is a tiara event, very formal indeed, but it's one that we don't often get a glimpse of. Some were anticipating the Duchess of Cambridge in a tiara and though she wasn't present, the Duchess of Cornwall shined in something besides her usual tiara and that's a delight on its own. Resplendent, I think, is just the word for this lovely look, kindly shared on Twitter:

#Camilla Duchess of Cornwall resplendent in a tiara attends a diplomatic reception at #BuckinghamPalace #Royals pic.twitter.com/o4xv9zH1nl
— Rookie (@royalfocus1) December 2, 2014

Click here for more photos from the Daily Mail.

This is the Cubitt-Shand Tiara, which comes from Camilla's own family. Camilla wore it for her first wedding and her daughter Laura wore it for her wedding (below). I don't usually go for asymmetry in my tiaras, but the slight variation in this design completely works with its intricate floral motif. I love it.

#158107483 / gettyimages.com

We know that the Duchess of Cornwall has worn this tiara to this diplomatic event in the past, but we don't always get to see, as I said. Any sighting is an A+ Tiara Watch to me!

Photos: Elysee.fr video, Marc Piasecki via Getty Images, @royalfocus1, Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images