Year in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge and Crown Princess Victoria's 2018 Bests

Our next two ladies in the spotlight ended up on opposite ends of the spectrum for my personal 2018 favorites.

The Duchess of Cambridge in Erdem at the V&A

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For my end of the year favorites, I usually draw heavily from the year's tiara appearances - but weirdly enough, my top Kate outfits for the year stayed on the less formal side of things. The accessory interest on this Erdem tops my list.

Runners up:

• Two outfits from two related events earlier this month take my runner up spots: an Emilia Wickstead skirt and cardigan, followed by a wide leg trouser and blazer appearance.

Crown Princess Victoria in Nina Ricci at the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony

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Victoria, on the other hand, ended up with a list completely taken from the year's tiara appearances. It was a bit of a three-way tie, but I'm giving top prize to the go big or go home spirit of her foray into Queen Silvia's closet for the Nobel ceremony.

Runners up:

• Killer perfection in red from night two of the Nobel festivities makes my list...
• ...as does her sleek green gown with emeralds and diamonds from November.

What were your favorite 2018 outfits from Kate and Victoria?

Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes, 2018

Another year, and my hopes to see the Cameo Tiara in action are once again denied. Nevertheless, the Swedish royal family provided plenty of oohs and aahs as they attended the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm today – with supporting content from the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, too. (Head over to our open post for links to the ceremonies!)

Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, and Crown Princess Victoria wait to leave the palace in this photo shared by the Swedish royal court.

Sara Friberg/Kungl. Hovstaterna

Most Notable Repeat

Crown Princess Victoria

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It’s actually a little surprising it took this long for one of Queen Silvia’s old Nobel gowns to take the stage again, given how much digging through her wardrobe her daughters have been doing in recent years.

One Nina Ricci gown, two royal appearances

Victoria chose the Nina Ricci gown her mother wore to the 1995 Nobel ceremony today – classic old school Queen Silvia, with the BIG skirt and the BIG back bow. It could be very easily dated and I’m sure for some of you it will be…but call it my weakness for a giant ball skirt, I think she’s pulling this off.

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Victoria wore the Connaught Tiara once again, with Silvia’s diamond floral earrings and the rose brooch from the Braganza parure.

Best Continuation of a Theme

Queen Silvia

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Did Queen Silvia note her daughter’s divine use of the Bernadotte Emerald Demi-Parure with a green gown last month and decide it was a splendid idea to continue? All I know is that it was a splendid idea. If Victoria was classic old school Silvia today, Silvia herself is classic new school Silvia. She broke her streak of evenly alternating the Nine Prong Tiara with the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure for a second Pronger year in a row, and I don’t even mind.

Best in Tiara Wrangling, Again

Princess Christina

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I’m too lazy to see how many years in a row Princess Christina has won my heart by making some of my least favorite Swedish tiaras look good. She’s the undisputed queen, owning the Six Button Tiara like only she can. Also, I love when she does this evening coat-style look. Luxurious fabrics galore.

Best Dressed

Princess Sofia

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The power of a red dress is real, and this Zetterberg Couture number is a RED DRESS. I’d take the sleeve pouf down a notch, yeah, and yet I still love what Sofia's got going on here. This look has impact.

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Sofia also has some jewel intrigue happening; I thought her pearl choker (which is a debut for her tonight) was the same historical piece previously worn by Princess Madeleine, but it is different and something privately owned. Tall chokers are not easy to wear and she’s doing it in truly regal fashion. I love that she’s carried the pearls through with the rest of her jewels, using the pearl version of her Emerald and Diamond Tiara, plus pearl earrings and a pearl brooch.

And a Special Nod to…

Donna Strickland and Frances Arnold

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I really never include the Nobel laureates here because, well, it's just best if we stick to our royal wheelhouse. But I must say this year what an absolute treat it was to see the two women laureates looking so elegant on their big night. Donna Strickland (in red) is a co-laureate for the Nobel Prize in Physics – just the third woman to win it, and the first in 55 years – for her work in groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics. Frances Arnold (in blue) is a co-laureate for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry – the fifth woman to take the prize in history – for her work in the directed evolution of enzymes.

Meanwhile, in Oslo…

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The treat of the day in Norway was not in jewel form – different ceremony and different subject matter, so appropriately not a gala event – but in simply seeing Crown Princess Mette-Marit looking well in her new Fendi dress. She was a late add to the guest list. Queen Sonja repeated her purple velvet Pucci jacket, much worn and with good reason. Plus a sequin beret, because why not?

Who makes your best dressed list for Nobel 2018?

The festivities are not done! There’s a dinner in Oslo tonight and another tiara event in Stockholm tomorrow night, when the King hosts his traditional palace dinner for the laureates.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Queen Letizia in Mexico

Here's Queen Letizia, on a solo trip this week to Mexico for the World Cancer Leaders Summit:

Visiting the headquarters of Red Cross Mexico
House of HM the King

I saw this from the waist up at first and thought, waaaaay too conventional, there must be a Letizia twist somewhere in here.

Hugo Boss Gingham Cotton Jacket
House of HM the King/Hugo Boss

And indeed there was, in the form of a cropped pant! Not exactly a mind-blowing plot twist or anything, just a hint of a Letizia spin.

Meeting with the President and First Lady of Mexico
House of HM the King

What sort of trip would it be without a jumpsuit along for the ride, huh? Not a Letizia trip, that's for sure. This one's Felipe Varela, a repeat. And that's how you do a ponytail for a formal event.

House of HM the King

Her hosts changed into something a little more formal for their dinner, which was good because La Reina was looking a little overdressed for a second. (Although if you can't wear as many diamonds as you want, whenever you want when you're the queen...) The bracelets and earrings from the joyas de pasar also made the trip!

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Attending the conference

Here's a handbag surprise. I'm firmly in the Red Is A Neutral camp and all, but this seems a sharp stylistic turn from the more formal Nina Ricci outfit, what with the people on there and the chains. No?

Zara bag

Royal Outfits of the Day: Queen Letizia's Recents

The Spanish royal family's annual summer residency in Palma de Mallorca has begun, and you know what that means: family photocall time! The King, Queen, and daughters Leonor and Sofia posed at Marivent Palace on Monday.

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Given the number of meticulously color-coordinated royal family appearances we've seen in the past few weeks, I'm glad the Spains took a more relaxed approach. And I'm extra glad for the patch of vibrant yellow on Letizia's Mango shirt, just to wake things up a bit.

Anyway, we're overdue for a Letizia update. Just a couple of her more colorful recent selections, I think:

Queen Letizia met with directors of the Cervantes Institute last week.

CasaReal

Letizia loves red and red loves Letizia, but even a seasoned pro in the fiery color department can overdo it. Red shoes + a red purse + this repeated Nina Ricci red dress = a little too much. Even if she did match the organization's color.

Queen Letizia opened the summer courses of the International Music School the week before last.

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She's nearly there with this one, too, with the green bag and green earrings - but the nude shoes saves the day, which is not a thing you really think you'll say, ever. Otherwise? It's a crisply perfect outfit for summer queening.

Royal Hairdo of the Day: Queen Letizia and her Ponytail

We've seen a lot of calls for Queen Letizia to bring back the bob lately. The razor-sharp short haircut she debuted back in 2015 really suited her; the infusion of swagger that came with it suited her even more. And now the hair is longer, and it feels like she's trying to bring that edginess without the scissors.

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Yesterday: The King and Queen of Spain celebrated the 60th anniversary 

of Europa Press.

If hair bubbles are what you'd consider edgy, that is. Let's just bring back the bob, Letizia.

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Okay, in fairness to La Reina, I can see how looking like this in a dress like that would put you in the mood to try something a little saucy with the rest of the look. It's Nina Ricci, and after Crown Princess Mary's affirmation yesterday - by the by, yesterday's post got a late update with day 2 of that Scandinavian lovefest - this serves only to further cement my love of an interesting hemline.

Dress from Nina Ricci Fall 2017 RTW
Casareal/Vogue

Seriously, though: let's think about bringing back that bob.

Royal Flashback of the Day: December 7

One of the nice things about the royal wedding dress exhibition at Stockholm's Royal Palace: they included the dresses worn by Princess Madeleine and Princess Sofia to their respective wedding receptions. They both changed from their wedding gowns when the serious dancing got rolling, but since those events were private, there were only glimpses from afar. Princess Madeleine's second dress was a surprising one, because we'd seen it before.

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Rather than ordering something new, she went shopping in her mother's closet! She chose a Nina Ricci gown with a full tulle skirt and a bodice embellished with pearls, sparkling with crystals, and cinched with a satin bow at the waist. It's really the epitome of a fairytale gown, a perfect choice for a wedding. (See Madeleine in the gown here.)

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Fittingly, Queen Silvia first wore the gown for another romantic occasion: her silver wedding anniversary with King Carl Gustaf, in 2001.

She gave it another outing that same year, at the Nobel Prize Award ceremony in December. She removed the bow at the waist to clear the way for her Order of the Seraphim sash and allowed the gown to showcase the blue of the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure. That's how you float down a staircase, right?

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It was a sweet gesture from Princess Madeleine. And, hey, wouldn't you be dying to dig into the gown museum that is Queen Silvia's wardrobe? Naturally, this whole concept just gets me thinking about which gowns should be resurrected next...

Royal Outfits of the Day: July 12

Here's a lesson from Letizia to you, kids:

Queen Letizia, along with King Felipe, attended the Iberdrola 2016 Scholarships last week.

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Never miss an opportunity to pose like a shampoo commercial come to life. The right amount of carefree hair flip can elevate any basic floral dress to a summertime delight, you see?

Dress from Zara

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(Bonus life lesson from Letizia: Also never miss an opportunity to pair anything with a pink purse.)

Queen Letizia welcomed Michelle Obama to Spain at the end of last month.

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But wait, she's not done with the teachable moments! She'd also like to demonstrate that the potential cuteness of hanging out with your new BFF can occasionally override all fashion choices.

Dress by Nina Ricci

I like - nay, love - Letizia in red and in Nina Ricci, but this dress leaves me feeling a bit meh. It does not matter, however, because she and FLOTUS together give me the warm fuzzies. 

Queen Letizia presented the Queen Letizia Awards 2015 on Friday.

House of HM the King

The previous two examples were a little older, but we've already learned our lesson on the smartness of pairing textured blue jackets with bright white basics. Bears repeating, I suppose.

Royal Sequins of the Day: January 26

A Máxima and Mathilde joint appearance without any matching? Without so much as a duplicate designer? Doesn't even seem right.

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The King and Queen of the Belgians and the King and Queen of the Netherlands attended the opening concert for the Dutch presidency of the European Union Council on Friday.

But it does seem right that the one that stuck to their mutual fave - the ubiquitous Natan - was Queen Mathilde, and the one that showed up like multi-color Christmas lights in the night was Queen Máxima.

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That's a compliment for Máx, by the way! She's the perfect candidate to pull off so much festivity. I might prefer a natural color on the legs for a bit of contrast, but that's a minor nit to pick. I'm liking Mathilde's dress too, so it was a good night for our double queen act.

The dress in retail and runway versions.

Queen Máxima's dress is from Nina Ricci. (She's all set for a designer match up with Queen Letizia when next they meet, I suppose.) You may recognize this dress from another red carpet appearance, as I did: Nicole Kidman gave it her own spin last year.

See a gallery from the evening here, or a short clip here.

Photos: via Getty Images, VTM Screencap, MyTheresa, Vogue.com

Royal Trip of the Week: September 18

King Felipe and Queen Letizia have been in the United States for an official visit this week, and as you might imagine, we have a mix of business best by day and intrigue by night in the wardrobe department. (For Letizia, of course. Felipe wore suits.) A trio of trip ensembles:

House of HM The King / Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

With a white blazer over a new Felipe Varela black and white print dress for day 1 (which included their visit to the White House), Letizia found a black and white combination that I can get excited about. Can we ship this to Sweden next year around this time?

House of HM The King / Felipe Varela

The trip also gave us a few evening outfits, mainly of the squint-and-head tilt variety (for me).

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Day 1, on Capitol Hill and the Spanish Embassy

A new Nina Ricci outfit with a top and pencil skirt in navy bouclé tweed with sequins is a texture extravaganza that might be overdoing it, throwing itself into dish scrubber-esque territory. (Nicole Kidman also wore this top with the skirt from the runway version.)

Nina Ricci separates from day 1 (Runway: Vogue.com, Top: Barneys)

Later on, things took a flapper turn.

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Yesterday in Florida (where the trip will finish up), visiting Miami Dade College and the Spanish Film Festival

It's not that I don't like Letizia in Sassy Mode - because I certainly do - but these events seemed to involve an awful lot of business suits for a dress that brings along party atmosphere to spare. Eh. Not a bad thing to give the sartorial seesaw a little tip towards the overdressed side, anyway.

P.S.: The weekly tidbits post is moving back to Sunday now that more royals are back in action! See you this weekend...

Royal State Visit of the Day: July 1

King Felipe and Queen Letizia have ventured out on another state visit. You may remember that the President of Mexico was the last incoming state visit before King Juan Carlos abdicated, and now the new generation is continuing to trade visits.

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They arrived in Mexico on Sunday, but the fancy formal welcome wasn't until Monday, so a casual yet flippy knit Hugo Boss dress did the trick for the Queen.

(Casual yet flippy is one of my favorite outfit categories.)

Casa de S.M. el Rey

For the official welcome with Mexico's president and first lady, Enrique Peña Nieto and Angélica Rivera, Letizia upped her formality. And for that she chose - you'll never guess - Felipe Varela.

presidencia.gob.mx

She also wore the Varela suit she wore earlier this month for their first outgoing state visit to France, so I guess this is the official state visitin' suit.

And unfortunately, as it was in France, so it is in Mexico: nothing but suits and cocktail dresses for the big dinner.

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And as it was in France, so it is in Mexico: Letizia did her best to be fancy anyway, in knee-length shades of red and coral guipere lace embellished with crystals and dangly diamond earrings. (See here for video.) She's a welcome dose of glamour, especially in front of that backdrop, which turned an impressive space into a press conference with fancy glasses from the prime camera angles.

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The next day brought a Nina Ricci outfit which is also from the French state visit. I'm starting to think she just didn't unpack. (Royals: they really are just like us!)

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And to close us out, a little print that I hope we'll see paired with some different stuff when repeat time rolls around.

The visit ends today.

Royal State Visit of the Day: June 4

The King and Queen of Spain have finally embarked on their delayed first state visit abroad to France, and it has been a festival of new outfits. And it's all...fine. Appropriate! Check mark, passing grade. I mean, there's nothing much here that's flipping my skirt up, but perhaps you'll have better luck...

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Does déjà vu equate to a French tribute? Because that's what I've got here. A new Felipe Varela outfit, but the same blergh-y feel as the thing she wore for their introductory visit to France.

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Also from day 1, this repeated Carolina Herrera skirt is better in action. If I were Letizia, I'd demand people only photograph me while descending grand staircases.

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Following in the footsteps of Queen Silvia's approach to the French-set totally boring state banquet dress code, I shall give Letizia her due credit for dressing as fancy as possible, right up to the hairdo and the new earrings. A slightly sparkly and heavily embellished Felipe Varela was a step above what anyone else sported. The men wore suits.

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I don't really understand this combo, this coat with this color of suit underneath. Well, I don't understand orange-y reds and sleeveless suits to start with, so I'm left clinging to the coat.

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This, on the other hand, is a safari for which I would gladly sign up.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Royal Visit of the Day: March 16

Last week, Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania paid a visit to their Moroccan friends, King Mohammed and Princess Lalla Salma. Their productive working trip is our superficial check in on the sartorial stylings of two stunning consorts.

Princess Lalla Salma greeted her friend in a stark white Ralph Lauren ensemble with a close fit jacket and trousers which is futuristic and retro at the same time (you say Star Trek, I say 1950s dentist). I like it, actually, but only because it's allowing her face and piles of glorious red hair to run the show. Queen Rania arrived in a Nina Ricci coat that should look familiar to you, since the Countess of Wessex sported the same one for her birthday feature in Harper's Bazaar earlier this year. Sophie wore it over a printed dress and many of you wished for the coat alone, so the sartorial genie has seen fit to grant your request. I like both coat interpretations, but Rania is winning the shoe game by a landslide.

 

Day 2 dawned with a very standard set up on the fashion front. Basic white dress: check. Basic suit in a great color: check. Moving on.

An official dinner was held, and thank heavens we got an opportunity to see one of Lalla Salma's amazing caftans. Another traditional fabric nod goes to Princess Sarvath El Hassan (above, left), who was one of the other royals in attendance (a group photo, along with other shots from the trip, can be seen here). As for Rania, she wore the most unusual outfit of her trip, a bedazzled bishop sleeve blouse from Andrew Gn with a full-length skirt.

Left to Right: Queen Rania's Nina Ricci coat, Princess Lalla Salma's Ralph Lauren Spring 2014 RTW ensemble, Queen Rania's top and styling from Andrew Gn Pre-Fall 2014

Much like Lalla Salma's white welcome outfit, if Rania's dinner outfit works, it's because it's on Rania in particular. These outfits play to each lady's unique style, at the very least. I do appreciate individuality if nothing else.

Photos: Royal Hashemite Court/Queen Rania Instagram, Moda Operandi, Style.com

Royal Outfits of the Day: January 5

The Windsor family's own Benjamin Button, the Countess of Wessex, turns 50 this month, and to mark her big birthday, she spoke with the UK edition of Harper's Bazaar.

Exclusive: Bazaar meets Sophie, Countess of Wessex - read the full interview here: http://t.co/zZoHJaoPKk pic.twitter.com/tviQheJUc5
— Harper's Bazaar UK (@BazaarUK) December 29, 2014

She's worn a fair few pieces from Peter Pilotto, and the label's signature bold style is well represented here. My favorite of the looks is the red number above, which was also worn recently by Alyssa Milano on the red carpet. And Sophie wore it better, if you ask me.

Two Peter Pilotto dresses and a Nina Ricci coat

I also like the play on patterns in the shot below. The look pairs a textured Nina Ricci coat and another Pilotto printed dress (which the Countess of Wessex blog points out was already worn by Sophie earlier last year; the blog offers these identifications and more).

Read our exclusive interview with Sophie, Countess of Wessex http://t.co/xvmdPZybKt pic.twitter.com/UWhhuT7n2W
— Harper's Bazaar UK (@BazaarUK) December 30, 2014

Of course one of her favorite designers, Emilia Wickstead, is also represented, in a dress modified from the retail version to remove the v-neck (I kind of miss the original neckline, though):

New portrait of Countess of Wessex and 50th birthday interview in Feb's Harper's Bazaar @BazaarUK pic: Henry Bourne pic.twitter.com/AI5w2TxICc
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) December 29, 2014

Wearing favorite brands and repeats gives this whole thing a bit of a different spin, I think. Features like this for the senior members of the royal family are not so common, and it feels appropriate that this isn't a version of Sophie we don't recognize, done up in cutting edge designs just for the sake of a photoshoot. Instead, she's portrayed in some of her favorite designers and is posed casually at her home, Bagshot Park. (Well, "casual" for a home that looks like it comes with its own dress code, that is.)

Emilia Wickstead dress, retail version

It's a nice feature, but more than anything it's just nice to see the Countess get some attention for both her work and her style. (And it's nice to see those things without them falling under a headline about some fictional competition within the royal family, honestly.) You can read the Harper's Bazaar feature here and in the February issue of the magazine.

Photos: Harper's Bazaar via Twitter; Lyst; Moda Operandi

Royal Outfits of the Day: November 18

Queen Letizia and Queen Rania both have a tendency to go simple and businesslike with their work wear. Sometimes a little too simple for my tastes, but these two recent examples are hitting just the right level of simple chic in my eyes.

For her part, Letizia attended an awards ceremony yesterday.

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I never thought the day would come, but she's picked a basic gray suit that I can actually get on board with! It's like seeing a unicorn in person. This is from Nina Ricci, not one of her usual designers, and the peplum and shoulder details are taking that basic gray and kicking it up several notches.

Nina Ricci suit, Malababa clutch

I could do without the bag, honestly, but I guess I'm just the sort that prefers to leave the geology out of my handbags.

Meanwhile, Queen Rania met with the Jordan River Foundation.

A photo posted by Queen Rania Al Abdullah (@queenrania) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:21am PST

So very chic. A soft color, but with some added texture panels to wake it up a bit (I think she's in an added panel mood lately).

The dress is from Roksanda Ilincic, and has been previously worn on the red carpet. That's not a silhouette that works on many people, but on Rania, it's perfect. Simple chic, times two.

Photos:Carlos Alvarez via Getty Images, Nina Ricci, Malababa, Instagram, Roksanda Ilincic