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.
Showing posts with label Metallic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Metallic. Show all posts
01 March 2017
Celeb Style Triplets of the Day: March 1
There was a royal gown lookalike on the Oscars red carpet this weekend. Times two!
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...
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...
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.
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.
28 February 2017
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.
 |
| Erdem dress in silver metallic lace |
 |
| The Queen's purple look, with the Kent Amethyst Brooch, has been covered at the Jewel Vault. Royal Family |
01 January 2017
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Most Heavily Adorned
Queen Margrethe
 |
| DR screencaps |
Biggest Test in Capes
Crown Princess Mary
 |
| DR |
Most Slinky in Metallics
Princess Marie
 |
| DR |
Most Impressive in Group Sparkle
The Japanese Imperial Family
The Japanese Imperial Family
 |
| ANN screencaps. See video here. |
Who's your best dressed to kick off the new year?
20 December 2016
Year in Review: Crown Princess Mary and Crown Princess Victoria's Best of 2016
Certain events are basically just guaranteed to make the best of the year list, you know what I mean?
Crown Princess Mary
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark attended the annual New Year's gala banquet in January.
Mary's year always starts on a high note, and then it's up to the rest of the twelve months to try and beat her most formal appearance of the year. This one wasn't beatable. It's a classic Mary outfit, taking a previously worn ensemble (and a previous yearly best) and reinventing it by pairing her Jesper Høvring skirt with a blue velvet top and her Danish Ruby Parure. So dramatic, so good.
Crown Princess Victoria
The Crown Princess and the Swedish royal family attended the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in December.
Similarly, it's always up to the Nobel Prize appearance to best whatever Victoria wore the rest of the year, and it so often does. This is a classic Victoria outfit, a custom gown by H&M done in sustainable materials, and making the best of pieces of the Cameo Parure and the Cut Steel Tiara. So dramatic, so good. |
| SVT |
Which outfits make your best of 2016 list for Mary and Victoria?
10 December 2016
Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes, 2016 (UPDATED)
There's a reason why this is one of my favorite events for royal sparkle watching, each and every year. Me and my caps lock are about to tell you why.
Thanks for the giggle, Sils.
Best in Tiara Persuasion
She is again pairing the Cut Steel Tiara with the necklace, bracelet, earrings, and brooch from the Cameo Parure (another polarizing set). I love this pairing so much. It’s special for the occasion, because she’s not often allowed to use the Cameo pieces; plus, the styles fit together so well, since they’re approximately of the same time frame. (If I can whine for two seconds in the face of this gloriousness – and oh look, I can – what do I need to do here to get someone to wear the Cameo Tiara again, eh? Nobody’s worn it since Victoria’s wedding. It’s cruel to make me to love something and then take it away, guys. Whining over.)
(That green dress is such a great color for her, by the way, and yet: nope. I blame the sleeves.)
She wore the Connaught Tiara. This is another example of something special for the event – she was first allowed to wear the tiara for Victoria’s wedding, though she has used the drops on several occasions – and I think she wears it best of all the current Swedish ladies.
There were a few interesting head ornaments in the crowd. Here’s Bettina Bernadotte wearing one of her tiaras, topped by stones in multiple colors (here’s a closer look), for a little modern contrast to the older gems on display.
This is not a gala event - obviously - but that doesn't mean Mette-Marit didn't bring us some interesting jewels. Her earrings are what catch my eye, pricey new numbers in a friendly crescent moon crafted in gold and set with moonstone, black agate, purple chalcedony, and diamonds, from Venyx designer Eugenie Niarchos. They're a fun detail, and she's pulling them off.
Best in Disco
Queen Silvia
You wanted sparkle? Queen Silvia’s got your sparkle RIGHT HERE. She took on the daunting task of matching the incredible sparkle of the Leuchtenberg Sapphires with a disco ball choir robe, which she carries off with more gravitas than you’d think possible when the words “disco ball choir robe” are involved.
 |
| SVT |
Best in Tiara Persuasion
Crown Princess Victoria
Crown Princess Victoria is here to single-handedly make you fall in love with the Cut Steel Tiara, that polarizing non-gemstone diadem. She realizes that she might have left some of you behind even after her magnificent Nobel 2010 appearance, so she’s giving it another shot with this bespoke H&M gown (yes, H&M). This is just so REGAL.
|
| SVT |
Most Conflicting in Wishes
Princess Sofia
I’ve been waiting for Princess Sofia to wear a dress truly geared towards showcasing the emerald part of her Emerald and Diamond Tiara. I’ve also been waiting for her to wear something other than that Emerald and Diamond Tiara. So, hilariously, she did both at the same time. Her bespoke House of Dagmar emerald green dress was paired with the Cut Steel Bandeau, a piece which we’ve previously seen exclusively on Crown Princess Victoria. It does suit Sofia’s head better than Victoria’s, even though it will never be a tiara highlight for me. She also wore the emerald and diamond earrings from Queen Silvia that she wore last year.
 |
| SVT |
Best in Princess
Princess Madeleine
Princess Madeleine went full princess in the most Disney fashion, with an assist from a soft pink Fadi El Khoury ensemble with a big flowered skirt and a blouse top. Expressen reported that she was unhappy with the outfit and the tailors were fixing it into the early hours of this morning. If that’s true: WORTH IT. It’s my favorite Swedish designer in my favorite color for Madeleine, and it’s fantastic.  |
| SVT |
Tiara Bonus!
Countess Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg
 |
| SVT |
Best in Earring Interest
Crown Princess Mette-Marit
And finally, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded earlier in the day in Oslo, with the Norwegian royal family in attendance in coordinated blacks. From Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Norwegian designer Mariette comes...an eyelet hoodie dress? Sure, why not.
 |
| Mette-Marit's earrings, via Net-a-porter |
Who's your Nobel best dressed this year?
UPDATE: More dresses!
Norway: Nobel Banquet, Saturday evening
UPDATE: More dresses!
Norway: Nobel Banquet, Saturday evening
While the Swedes get their gala on, the Norwegians go black tie. Crown Princess Mette-Marit stuck to Norwegian design with a dress from the brand Fall Winter Spring Summer (FWSS). It's a very M-M choice, what else can you say? I do like the added touch of her pearl headband.
Many (including myself) thought the Four Button Tiara would be Princess Sofia's first tiara from the family collection, and it turns out we weren't far off. This is way better than her look on night #1, I must say - both dress (from Swedish brand Stylein) and hairdo.
Crown Princess Victoria used Princess Lilian's Laurel Wreath Tiara, along with a repeated Jenny Packham gold gown. I want to like this one more than I do; it's very tall with most of her hairstyles.
Princess Madeleine really brought the tiara interest. She wore the Modern Fringe Tiara, her most predictable choice, but proved she wasn't ready to let the Connaught Tiara go: she's wearing it in necklace format! You can't really see it on top of her Valentino gown, but I don't mind. I'm just glad she piled it on.
Sweden: King's Dinner, Sunday evening
The King hosts a palace dinner for the Nobel laureates in Sweden, and it's a second tiara event for the royal ladies. (Check out pictures here.) While Queen Silvia wore red and her other go-to Nobel tiara, the Nine Prong Tiara, we had more tiara interest from the princesses: |
| The Royal Family with Yoshinori Ohsumi and Mariko Ohsumi Photo: Kungahuset.se |
Many (including myself) thought the Four Button Tiara would be Princess Sofia's first tiara from the family collection, and it turns out we weren't far off. This is way better than her look on night #1, I must say - both dress (from Swedish brand Stylein) and hairdo.
Crown Princess Victoria used Princess Lilian's Laurel Wreath Tiara, along with a repeated Jenny Packham gold gown. I want to like this one more than I do; it's very tall with most of her hairstyles.
Princess Madeleine really brought the tiara interest. She wore the Modern Fringe Tiara, her most predictable choice, but proved she wasn't ready to let the Connaught Tiara go: she's wearing it in necklace format! You can't really see it on top of her Valentino gown, but I don't mind. I'm just glad she piled it on.
29 November 2016
Tiara Watch of the Day: November 29
As promised, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde kicked off their state visit to the Netherlands yesterday, where they were greeted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.
For a pair of queens that adore a twin act in eye-searingly bright shades, the arrival outfits used an astonishingly understated color palette. Queen Máxima's Claes Iversen dress was let down by the brown poncho/cape/wrap/whatever she tossed on top for the outside stuff (it used to belong to her mother-in-law), so it was much improved indoors:
Queen Mathilde was in Natan, of course, and both wore Fabienne Delvigne hats. Gotta love that Mathilde upped her hat brim game for a visit to the queen of the giant hat brims, right?
Queen Mathilde also upped her game for the state banquet like we guessed she would, breaking out the full version of the Nine Provinces Tiara for only the second time and pairing it with a lovely soft pink gown from Pierre Gauthier.
Queen Máxima, I am sorry to report, did not do the same. I'm surprised this visit didn't rate more than a repeated Jan Taminiau gown and the Mellerio Ruby Tiara - I thought we'd see either the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara or the Dutch Sapphire Tiara - but apparently she didn't consider my opinion. The nerve.
We did, however, get plenty of other Dutch tiaras to keep us occupied. Princess Beatrix went with the Dutch Diamond Bandeau and a smattering of diamond star brooches from the family collection. Princess Margriet wore the Pearl Button Tiara (which was her wedding tiara), and Princess Laurentien wore Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara (I'm liking that piece more and more each time it shows up). I do so love it when they turn up in full force.
 |
| NOS. See here for video. |
Queen Mathilde also upped her game for the state banquet like we guessed she would, breaking out the full version of the Nine Provinces Tiara for only the second time and pairing it with a lovely soft pink gown from Pierre Gauthier.
We did, however, get plenty of other Dutch tiaras to keep us occupied. Princess Beatrix went with the Dutch Diamond Bandeau and a smattering of diamond star brooches from the family collection. Princess Margriet wore the Pearl Button Tiara (which was her wedding tiara), and Princess Laurentien wore Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara (I'm liking that piece more and more each time it shows up). I do so love it when they turn up in full force.
09 November 2016
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.
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.
 |
| The royal couple met with the Governor General of Canada and Mrs. Johnston at Rideau Hall. Photos: MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall |
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 |
12 October 2016
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:
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
 |
| Belgian Monarchy |
 |
| VTM screencaps |
The Norwegian royal family welcomed the President and First Lady of Singapore for a state visit, with a state banquet on Monday night.
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.)#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
 |
| Sandra Mansour gown, per Heaven and The Royals and I |
21 September 2016
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:
(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.
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.
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
Photos: NOS screencaps, via Getty Images as indicated
16 June 2016
Royal Jewels of the Day: June 16
What's Princess Charlene been up to?
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.
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.
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.
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.
 |
| 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 |
 |
| Ralph Lauren Spring 2015 outfit, Graff Briolette earrings |
 |
| Attending the opening of the Festival Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo, see video here |
 |
| Roland Mouret gown |
08 June 2016
Royal Prints of the Day: June 8
So many royal women out and about in prints n' patterns these days! Let's breeze through a few of them real quick:
This, in fact, is our second case of Who wore it best? for the week, because Crown Princess Mary owns this Hugo Boss design in a skirt. They've both worn it many times, and I'm still trying to figure out what hidden messages lie within this Rorschach test of a dress. (Can you get dresses custom made with subliminal I need another tiara messages?)
Actually, Mathilde's been a little busy racking up Dries van Noten dresses for herself. This one's part groovy, part hotel carpet. But as I am all for something a little different, I'm going with groovy.
 |
| King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended audiences at Zarzuela Palace on Monday House of HM the King |
Princess Madeleine attended a folk music mass over the weekend
Madeleine's racking up the events while home for National Day. Given that this dress is from Somerset by Alice Temperley, I am only surprised that one of our other royal Temperley fans didn't get to it first. (Sure, sure, the Duchess of Cambridge, but I'm thinking someone else: Queen Mathilde, step right up!) It's really lovely, and the addition of the belt takes it to another level. |
| Queen Mathilde attended a concert for the Queen Elisabeth piano competition Royal Palace |
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended the opening of the Holland Festival
This is your basic, pretty floral dress, no problems there. Which leaves me free to concern myself with the possibility that she could pair these earrings with that lobster necklace, and to contemplate what sort of marine life she's coming for next.
26 May 2016
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.
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.
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.
 |
| Royal Palace |
Queen Mathilde's sartorial highlight for the competition came a little earlier, attending another evening with King Philippe.
 |
| Royal Palace |
 |
| Diane von Furstenberg |
10 May 2016
Royal Outfits of the Day: May 10
What's Queen Mathilde been up to since her practically tie-dyed appearance at Sweden's birthday bash? More prints, pretty much.
This is quite fun. Although if you told me this was the emblem of her favorite tropical resort where she's decided to take up a summer job at the front desk, I might believe you.
Prints and some texture, just for variety. (This was actually before leaving for Sweden.) This is precisely what I meant when I said her dress is Sweden was lacking a bit of the structure we usually see in her Armani Privé outfits, by the way. This one could double as a Star Trek uniform - in the sleekest and coolest possible way. Chic.
 |
| May 2: Attending the Queen Elisabeth Competition for piano Royal Palace |
 |
| Dries van Noten, spotted by ModeKoningin Mathilde |
May 9: Again at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, this time with Princess Eleonore along
Having handed the pink print baton over to her youngest, Mathilde opted for a scenic view of her beloved tropical paradise. I see the logic in ending the print before ending the dress, but viewing from the top down is a bit like turning the last page in a book and finding it blank.
 |
| April 28: Christening a new ship for the Jan De Nul Group Royal Palace |
30 April 2016
Royal Fashion Awards: King Carl Gustaf's Birthday Banquet
Previously: The day events and Friday's concert.
Unlike the fancy white tie, Braganza Tiara-deserving banquet held for his 60th birthday (flashed back to here and here), King Carl Gustaf's 70th just warranted black tie. But praise be to the tiara gods, they threw in some diadems anyway. I knew Queen Silvia wouldn't let us down.
They even gave us a group photo! Everybody's wearing their commemorative birthday medal.
 |
| Group Photo, Click to enlarge (Peter Knutson/Kungahuset.se) Row 1: Queen Silvia, King Carl XVI Gustaf Row 2: President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Dorrit Moussaieff, Queen Margrethe II Row 3: President Sauli Niinistö, Queen Margarita, Jenni Haukio, Prince Albert II, Princess Beatrix, King Philippe, Queen Mathilde Row 4: King Simeon II, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Hereditary Prince Alois, Hereditary Princess Sophie Row 5: Crown Princess Margareta, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine, Mr. Christopher O’Neill Row 6: Prince Radu, Princess Christina, Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Princess Katherine, Princess Benedikte, Princess Hisako of Takamado, Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Row 7: Thomas de Toledo Sommerlath, Ralf de Toledo Sommerlath, Tord Magnuson, Princess Margaretha, Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée, Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld Row 8: Ewa Westling, Olle Westling, Marie Hellqvist, Erik Hellqvist, Eva Maria O'Neill |
Best in Contrast
Queen Silvia and Queen Margrethe
Which did you see first in that group photo: all the tiaras, or one serious orange dress? Even thoroughly tiara-focused me has to admit it was the latter. Queen Silvia combined all her favorite things - shine, sparkle, and diamonds including the Connaught Tiara - in one bright dress made even brighter by the addition of a pink shawl in her hand. (Yes, Virginia, there was a butt bow. Actually, it was more like a...tail feather. Ripe for the shaking.) Queen Margrethe made for a bit of a tonic in her soft blue dress, her second repeat of the day from her own most recent big birthday celebrations. She wore the Baden Palmette Tiara.Best in Designer Sharing
Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine
A new Elie Saab for Victoria, AND a repeated one for Madeleine. Is it my birthday too? You'll remember Madeleine's; she wore it for her pre-wedding dinner, Victoria wore it for Margrethe's birthday dinner, and now it's back in the rotation.
Most Surprising Meh
Crown Princess Mary
It's not just the lack of tiara that leaves me all kinds of meh about this appearance, though. (Honestly, it isn't.) This YDE by Ole Yde dress is so much like a few floral dresses in her closet for day appearances (some of which are also Yde), it feels like a day appearance from the knees up. It's not a badly put together look at all, it's just...meh.
And the rest...
Video: Royals start arriving around 1:40
If I can update this post with more detail later, I will. Until then, let's hit the roster of royals and all their tiara identifications. Here are the royal tiara wearers you can see in that video, with links to the tiaras if we've covered them:- Crown Princess Mary: Ole Lynggaard Aigrette
- Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein: Habsburg Fringe Tiara
- Princess Benedikte: Queen Sophia's Star and Pearl Tiara (smart, like her sister wearing a tiara with a Swedish connection) (not that there are that many Danish tiaras that don't have a Swedish connection...)
- Princess Madeleine: Modern Fringe Tiara
- Crown Princess Margarita of Romania: Romanian Greek Key Tiara
- Princess Margaretha (seen only briefly): Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik
- Princess Désirée: Her personal tiara, a diamond piece from Queen Louise
- Princess Birgitta: Baden Fringe Tiara
- Crown Princess Victoria: Princess Lilian's Laurel Wreath Tiara
- Queen Mathilde: Wolfers Necklace Tiara
- Princess Beatrix: Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara. Way to bust out the big guns, Trix!
- Princess Hisako of Takamado: She has a few tiaras, this one is a diamond bandeau style she's worn before
- Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia: A diamond number that I believe she's worn before
- Queen Silvia: Connaught Tiara
- Queen Margrethe: Baden Palmette Tiara
Princess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha pic.twitter.com/7yJryRGCo9— Louise Ghislaine (@LouiseGhislaine) April 30, 2016
Sunday Tidbits will be up on Monday for you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
