Royal Style Twins of the Day: Meghan and Letizia's Tuxedo Dresses

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a gala performance of Hamilton in London last night, benefiting Sentebale.

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The Sussexes returned to the scene with a rare royal engagement that I would actually volunteer for: a special Hamilton performance! (Harry even got the crowd going by singing a bit of King George III's part in his speech after the show.)

Judith & Charles Digital dress

It was a tuxedo dress from Canadian label Judith & Charles for Meghan. That's a classic choice but an overall look that was missing some sort of finishing touch for me. (Don't ask me what finishing touch, I'm not a helpful person. Just...something? Yeah. That's clear.)

Never fear, though, we have another royal stab at the tuxedo dress just waiting in the archives for this comparison opportunity:

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Back in 2013, still in her Princess of Asturias days, Queen Letizia donned a dress much the same, which is no surprise at all since a tuxedo dress is an idea that's been done a million times. Letizia added some earring and shoe shine - maybe that's the elusive finishing touch - to pick up the shinier lapel of her Felipe Varela version.

What's interesting to me is that both designers used a similar length. I suppose Meghan's look will cause a bit of pearl-clutching for finishing above the knee, but I have to agree with the designers: this look really does need a shorter length. I'm no big fan of these dresses to start with because they give me late 80s/early 90s flashbacks (and, yes, Diana comparisons), so the shortness is key to keeping it fresh.

Celeb Style Twins of the Day: Kate's Dress on the Red Carpet

While the Duchess of Cambridge herself was pulling an appropriate suit out from the back of her closet for a visit to King's College Hospital yesterday, another one of her dresses got another appearance - on someone else, somewhere else.

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Welcome back, Preen Finella dress! The dress so nice Kate bought it twice now has an electric blue version, modeled by actress Mandy Moore last week at an event promoting This is Us. Have we now seen all the main Finella styling choices? We've got this red carpet styling, with a strappy heel and a little more sass to the strap positioning...

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The original royal styling in red from the Cambridge's September Canadian jaunt, with an heirloom brooch, matching red pumps, and an updo...

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And the remixed royal styling from November's Place2Be Awards, in black with an added belt, diamond earrings, and a half updo. I have to give Kate credit, actually, for doing her best to style her twin dresses as differently as possible, which is something I didn't really notice until now.

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi dresses

In the race for the best Preen, either vibrant color leaps right over the black, which was hampered by the clunky belt clasp. Knowing Kate's fondness for blue, I'm surprised she didn't get to that one first. Maybe she can work an exchange. (Three of the same cocktail dress would truly be a new level of hilarity.) And maybe throw in some metallic strappy shoes while she's at it. Keep the diamonds, though. Obviously.

What's your preferred styling combo here?

Royal Outfit of the Day: Letizia at Infanta Sofia's First Communion

This week: Kate stepped out in icy blue, QEII went minty fresh, and Letizia's lace was in a duck egg mood. Pale blue/green coats are having a moment.

The Spanish royal family attended Infanta Sofia's first communion this week, held with her classmates.

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Queen Letizia selected a dress and coat from Felipe Varela with lace sleeves and side detailing for the occasion, accessorized with diamond earrings, silver shoes, a silver clutch, and a matching husband.

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This new outfit gives her something of a style twin moment with...herself. Shades of aqua and the guipure lace look also featured in her selection for the first communion of elder daughter Leonor in 2015. The kids have their school uniform for the event, Letizia has her Felipe Varela uniform.

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The Princess of Asturias' first communion, 2015

So, which Letizia wore it better? I'll take the 2015 version, myself. Although the clear shoes and clear clutch she sported back then were - and will always remain - a hard pass.

Royal Style Twins of the Day: Stéphanie at the Cannes Film Festival

The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg attended the opening gala of the Cannes Film Festival yesterday.

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You have to glam it up for Cannes, right? Princess Stéphanie knows how it's done. One of her best looks right here. This white Ralph Lauren dress also featured in a recent sartorial highlight for another royal, so it's a tried and true choice.

Ralph Lauren/Polar Music Prize Instagram

Crown Princess Victoria wore this dress to the Polar Music Prize last summer, and it was one of her best 2016 outfits. Part of what makes these twin appearances so fabulous is that both used the dress as a canvas for a major jewelry statement: a huge shoulder necklace from the H&M Conscious Collection for Victoria, and the debut of a serious pair of earrings for Stéphanie.

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A pink-toned stone surrounded by lines of diamonds! Quick, get my fainting couch. And the number for those jewel thieves.

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 Earrings of the Day: June 6

I love it when we get a case of Who wore it best?, but with jewelry.

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Queen Máxima opened Singularity University in the Netherlands last week

Last week, our Dutch queen wore a new pair of earrings - a pair she actually debuted during engagements on May 23rd - and they're a familiar pair to anyone who keeps an eye on royal jewelry. Dangling from Queen Máxima's ears were a pair of earrings from the Ole Lynggaard Gipsy collection. It's not hard to imagine who else has wown these trinkets...

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Crown Princess Mary in Australia, 2011

That would be the biggest royal Ole Lynggaard fan around, Crown Princess Mary. Beyond personal taste, Mary and Frederik do a lot of promotion of Danish design and the firm is a jeweler to the royal court, so these modern Danish designs are right up her alley. The Gipsy collection was designed by Charlotte Lynggaard, who also designed the Midnight Tiara worn by Mary, plenty of other pieces Mary's used, and even a dress Mary's worn.

Ole Lynggaard

Different versions of the Gipsy earrings are at play here. Mary wore the version pictured on the left above, with cabochon drops of grey moonstone, onyx, and milky quartz, plus diamonds set in 18k white gold. For Máxima, the pair at the right, with drops of London blue topaz, grey and white moonstone, and smoky quartz, plus diamonds set in 18k white and rose gold.

Video: Máxima's earrings in full swing

Very different ways of styling the earrings are also at play here. Mary wore hers for an evening event, sweeping up her hair and pairing them with a simple black dress so that the earrings were really the star of the show. Máxima, on the other hand, has thus far used them for a couple of day events and apparently has no hesitation to add them to an outfit that's already plenty accessorized - witness her giant hat display above.

So, who wore them best? I'm going to have to say Mary, but you know I'm always up for an excuse to wear fancy jewelry more often. And by that scale, Máxima's always a winner.

Royal Style Triplet of the Day: May 12

This looks familiar...

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary hosted a dinner for the Copenhagen Fashion Summit at Amalienborg, where they received the President and First Lady of Honduras.
Photo: Presidency of Honduras

I predicted Mary would be next to sport this H&M dress after we saw it on Crown Princess Mette-Marit and in two different colors on Crown Princess Victoria. Mary was smart to wait two years after those appearances to give us some time to recover from the overload of this dress in 2014. She was smart to wear it for this occasion, too; the Copenhagen Fashion Summit focuses on sustainability, and this dress is from the H&M Conscious Collection, which has the same focus (H&M also sponsors the summit).

H&M

This dress is just screaming out for some shoe interest (hello, see the model). Mary got us part of the way there in yellow pumps, but my wait for something really fierce continues.

Royal Style Triplets of the Day: March 29

You remember this hat from earlier this month, right?

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Certainly you do, because the Duchess of Cambridge turning up at this year's Commonwealth service in a gray John Boyd hat with an upturned and angled slice style brim was something different. 

The hat quickly drew several comparisons to other royal hats, and of course it did, because while it was different for Kate, it wasn't necessarily unique. It's a classic style in a useful neutral color that has been interpreted many times by many different milliners on many different royal women.

Two of our regular leading ladies were most frequently cited in said comparisons, so let's see how two different styles of this classic have been handled in other situations.

First we have Crown Princess Mary and her more angular version.

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One of the things I love about Mary's style is the way she finds new color combinations for her accessories. She wore this hat with a black coat before pepping things up for the Luxembourg royal wedding in 2012 with a wine colored suit, driving the color combination home in beautiful fashion with the ruby and diamond stud earrings with gray pearl drops from her Ruby Parure. This is how you give a neutral accessory a new life.

If you want to talk about getting full value out of a hat style, then you need to talk about the second royal that came up when discussing Kate's hat: Queen Máxima.

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This version is similar in shape and darker in color, but fear not, she has lighter colors and other variations, no problem. The Royal Hats Blog catalogs no fewer than fifteen slice hats in Máxima's wardrobe, and no less than seven different looks for this dark gray hat. Nobody owns this brim style quite like Máxima does, and there's no better example of how to have as much fun as possible with a classic shape...even if it is just another gray hat.

Photos: via Getty Images

Royal Style Twins of the Day: December 3

We have another style twin moment, and this time it involves capes. The only surprise here is that it took me this long to cover it.

In November, Queen Letizia attended the National Innovation and Design Awards with King Felipe.

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Well, maybe it's not quite a cape. Not a capelet, not yet a cape. It's from Zara, and they call it a cape jacket. Anyway, Letizia paired it with a white Hugo Boss blouse with a bow at the neck and black trousers.

Zara jacket

Soon enough, we were offered another opportunity to examine this cape situation.

Last week, Princess Madeleine attended the Global Child Forum with King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and Princess Sofia.

Sweden's #PrincessMadeleine & #PrincessSofia team up for one amazing cause: https://t.co/8Od6b9ZRUy pic.twitter.com/4O6FG91nRT

— HELLO! US (@hellomagUS) November 28, 2015

And Madeleine also paired it with a blouse with a neck bow underneath and black trousers, go figure. I'm going to have to give this one to Letizia, though - the simplicity of her shirt and the wider bow really make this one work.

Royal Color Scheme of the Day: November 11

Two leather looks, both alike in color...

Queen Letizia held audiences on October 30.

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In the Spanish corner: a BOSS Hugo Boss leather sheath, worn previously with a blazer but allowed to run the show on its own this time around.

Hugo Boss, via Nordstrom

Crown Princess Mette-Marit, with Crown Prince Haakon, celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Norwegian Red Cross on November 4.

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In the Norwegian corner: a burgundy leather skirt and top from Norwegian label Mariette. She's separated these separates in the past, but she's most fond of wearing them together.

So: Spain or Norway? The choice is yours. (And mine, and I say...well, I'm more of a leave-the-leather-to-the-accessories kinda gal. On the other hand...

Queen Letizia delivers the Spanish flag to the National Police yesterday.
Photo: House of HM the King

...I'd take this Felipe Varela every day of the week and twice on Sundays. But I have rhapsodized about that in the past.)

Royal Style Twin of the Day: September 11

Just a few weeks ago, I said that if anyone was going to make a jumpsuit at a black tie event work, it would be Princess Charlene, who wore a red Valentino jumpsuit to the Red Cross Ball.

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Queen Máxima attended the opening of 
the new season of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra last night

To which Queen Máxima has apparently replied: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. 

Same Valentino jumpsuit as Charlene wore, from the Resort 2015 collection

The weird thing about this jumpsuit is - and this is coming from someone with a low tolerance for jumpsuits on the whole - I feel entirely too meh about it. A red jumpsuit is a statement if there ever was one, but I'm still more interested in the ruby and diamond earrings than the rest of the look. Mostly I'm just glad it's not culottes, which sadly reappeared this week. (And the true purpose of the culottes is revealed: to make everything else look good in comparison. She is SNEAKY.)

Video: Queen Máxima's entrance

One thing does concern me: is this going to spread to our other Valentino aficionados? Is everyone going to start feeling groovy? (No, Mette-Marit. NO.)

Photos: via Getty Images, Valentino

Royal Style Twins of the Day: September 2

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Princess Iman bint Abdullah, daughter of Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania, attended a forum in France with her mother last week. Does that Alexander McQueen dress with contrast corset detailing look familiar to you? It should...

Add another pair to my list of people I never thought would share dress taste: Princess Stephanie of Monaco and Princess Iman! Stephanie took a casual approach for her McQueen look (and, you know, for all her looks), opting for the shorter blue version and staying away from statement accessories for the christening of her niece and nephew earlier this year. Iman, on the other hand, went for more of a McQueen moment with those detailed Sergio Rossi shoes. Her version of the dress and her shoes for me, please.

A photo posted by Queen Rania Al Abdullah (@queenrania) on Aug 26, 2015 at 5:46am PDT

We mustn't forget the Queen, of course. It's disappointingly practical of me that all I can think about this ecru Givenchy dress is how much of a pain that scarf and those sleeves would be in the wind, but I still can't deny that Rania does queenly business attire right. Hey, she can pay someone to block her from the breeze if need be.

Photos: via Getty Images/Farfetch/Pool-Palais Princier de Monaco/Instagram

Royal Style Twins of the Day: July 23

There's another thing that needs noting before we move on from our recent Benelux kick.

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Queen Mathilde opened an exhibition on July 17

Yes, the Natan twins have struck again.

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At least it's only the fabric this time, and not the exact same dress. Makes for a more interesting round of "Who wore it best?"

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Queen Máxima in June

Guys...I think I miss the lobster. Send help.

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Royal Style Twins of the Day: April 24

Today, we're flashing back...way back...to a week ago, in Copenhagen, where the reception for Queen Margrethe's birthday at City Hall featured some style twin moments worthy of a closer look.

First up: Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Princess Victoria and their twin appearances with, uh, themselves.

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Above, in Copenhagen in 2010 for Margrethe's 70th birthday, and below, also in Copenhagen for Margrethe's birthday, five years on. Mette-Marit's even wearing the same gold headband, which (as the Royal Hats Blog points out) she's worn in several different ways.

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"So, whaddya think...same thing this time, except different?" "AGREED."

For the same same thing, you need look no further than the Mexican state visit to the United Kingdom a month earlier.

Mexico's first lady, Angélica Rivera de Peña, sported Mette-Marit's Alexander McQueen coat first. It's an A-line crepe coat in ivory with a double lapel detail, and the only surprising thing about this is that one of the British royal McQueen fans didn't beat both ladies to it. (Perhaps they will join the party later on. I'd love to see this one belted, just to shake it up.) Unusually for one who loves the colorful accessories, I prefer the First Lady's black touches to the Crown Princess' gold/red/nude mix in this Who wore it best? battle.

Our other twin - nay, triplet! - moment from the City Hall event comes from Crown Princess Mary and the gray hat she paired with her Oscar de la Renta coat dress.

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As soon as she emerged with this chapeau, I thought it looked familiar - Kate-esque, I said - and indeed it was. From favored royal milliner Jane Taylor, this is a hat we should know well by now.

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Zara Phillips sported the same gray version to Cheltenham over a year ago. She paired it with a truly unfortunate outfit that I will pretend I did not see since baby Mia was just a few weeks old at the time. But the original royal example comes from the Countess of Wessex, who wore a version in a different color and material to Ascot in 2013, paired with an Emilia Wickstead outfit in gorgeous vibrant teal. (An outfit that would get a lookalike of its own when the Duchess of Cambridge wore a similar number in New Zealand last year. It's just a chain that never ends.)

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Mary's got the lock on sophistication in accessory pairing, but Sophie's version is a welcome shot of color. I'll call this one a tie and I'll take both for myself, outfits and all, thanks very much.

Your turn: Which versions of these twin appearances are your faves?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Net-a-Porter, ITN video

Celebrity Style Swap of the Day: February 10

Some of you noticed something a little familiar on the red carpet at the GRAMMY Awards this weekend. Here's Taylor Swift...

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Wearing Elie Saab and magenta shoes.

And here's our very own Duchess of Cambridge, in one of the outfits last year that most divided you all...

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Wearing Jenny Packham and pastel pink L.K. Bennett shoes.

One mini/maxi skirt combo and a pair of accent shoes does not a solid connection make, in my opinion, but I'm up for the reaching challenge. And who wins the eternal Who wore it best? game? If you're going to do this skirt thing, you might as well do it at the Grammys and you might as well do it big time with the high contrast between the two skirt levels, so I'd call Taylor for the win there. On the other hand, Kate wins the shoe competition, if only for her significantly less chunky straps. Nobody's completely selling me on the overskirt as a fashion statement, but maybe if we mashed them up, we could get somewhere. Et toi?

Photos: Via Getty Images as indicated

Royal Style Twins of the Day: January 15

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Queen Letizia made an appearance at the Telefónica Ability Awards this week in a classic black and white ensemble, including a high-waisted full black skirt, a white Hugo Boss top, black heels, and her de Grisogono black diamond earrings. (The earrings are an older pair that have made a recent reappearance, no doubt part of her quest to stake out her position as the Earring Queen.)

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I don't know about you, but it always takes me a moment to recognize Letizia in a full skirt - a sheath dress, sure, you'd know that was Letizia from a mile away, but this kind of skirt makes me do a double take. Especially in an outfit like this, which looks a whole lot like one we've already seen elsewhere:

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These two ladies have quite a bit of wardrobe cross over, actually, since they're both big fans of Hugo Boss. Crown Princess Mary wore her version of this basic combination during her visit to Canada in 2014, and her skirt (made of a more textured fabric than Letizia's) is from Danish designer Signe Bøgelund-Jensen. No matter who wears it, this is a plain enough combination, and you need something to add some interest. Letizia went for a red lip and those earrings, while Mary opted for snakeskin Louboutins and a thin belt to accent the skirt's thick waistband. Still, I'm not sure either version is particularly memorable. Et toi?

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 28

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore an Elie Saab couture gown to the pre-wedding dinner for the Prince of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano in May 2004. Earlier that year, Catherine Zeta-Jones wore the gown to the SAG Awards (pictured right; runway in center).

The Oscars are this Sunday and I care about precisely one thing: pretty dresses. (Okay, and also if LUPITA! is going to win.) In the spirit of the first thing, today's outfit is another red-carpet-to-royal style duel - and since it's Elie Saab, you know Maria Teresa is involved. She's added a bit of cape action/arm coverage, but also crucially added some diamond action. And that might give her the edge, though I'll be honest and say this is not my favorite Elie Saab gown. You?

Photos: Getty Images/Vogue/People

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 26

Queen Mathilde joined King Philippe for a visit to the media corporation Medialaan yesterday. Her black Natan dress is owned by Queen Máxima in gray. Click here for a video, offering the best looks at the outfit.

They're baaaack! The Natan twins, of course, for another round of Who Wore It Best? And though I still feel the toga-esque shoulder flourish is baffling, I'm giving this one to Mathilde - the gold belt and gold bracelet are making the look. (I'm not used to giving matchy-matchy Mathilde props for her accessories, this feels a little strange.) I suppose the benefit of the one-shouldered deal is that you can always look at it from one side only, and that's just what I'll be doing.

Photos: VTM/Getty

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 24

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (left) wore a modified version of a runway look from Elie Saab Fall 2012 Couture (center) for her son Guillaume's civil wedding to Stéphanie de Lannoy in 2012; actress Lupita Nyong'o (right) wore the runway version earlier this year.

Lupita (or LUPITA!, as that will always be said in my head) is the talk of this awards season, and she's quickly becoming one of my new girl crushes. Our discussion of her appearance at the Golden Globes reminded me that she herself has worn a royal repeat, wearing the runway version of an Elie Saab Couture look previously modified by Maria Teresa. But despite my Lupita love, I'm going to give this battle to MT - this conservative number suits a grand duchess better than it suits a younger actress, no?

Speaking of Elie Saab Couture, the Spring 2014 couture shows have been happening in Paris, and it's all kinds of pretty.

Links for some of the collections we might see on royal parade:

• Valentino: The opera meets The Lion King. Interesting, this collection. A potential for Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Máxima, Princess Marie-Chantal, Sheikha Mozah, and more.
• Giambattista Valli: Some nice ball gowns here. We've seen this designer on Mette-Marit and Charlotte Casiraghi, to name two.
• Elie Saab: Always and forever my fave, and a favorite of the Luxembourg ladies plus Crown Princess Victoria. Clotilde Courau was in the audience for the show; she was at a couple other shows too, including Valentino.
• Christian Dior: Not as often seen on our regular line up. Current Dior designer Raf Simons is Belgian, which always makes me wonder if we'll see any of this pop up on Queen Mathilde.
• Chanel: For the ladies of Monaco, naturally. At least the sneakers Karl Lagerfeld sent down the runway would be an improvement over Princess Caroline's pedicure shoes...or would they?...
• Armani Privé: Sometimes dresses Mathilde or Queen Paola for special events, and can be seen on other royals too. Bit meh, I thought.
• And one extra: Zuhair Murad, a designer I wish we'd see more of on the royal scene. There are some really beautifully detailed things coming from this label.

Photos: Getty Images/Style.com

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 17

 

Last summer, Princess Marie-Chantal (left) wore an Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 embellished dress (runway, center) for Princess Madeleine's pre-wedding dinner. At this year's Golden Globe Awards, Michelle Dockery of "Downton Abbey" fame (right) sported the same look.

You know, I very nearly included M-C's look in my honorable mentions for 2013, and when I saw it pop up this past weekend at the Globes, my appreciation for the royal styling grew even more. In the epic battle of "Who wore it best?", I have to give this one to M-C because the shoes and her overall bearing are making the look. This is one dress that benefits from the eh, I wear couture to grab the morning paper attitude, if you get what I'm saying. Et toi?

(Celebrity fashion isn't within our normal scope here, but I can't let a reference to the awards pass without saying LUPITA! and CAPES! That is all. If you missed the Globes gown parade, Buzzfeed's got the quickest fashion wrap up.)

Photos: Getty Images/Style.com