Royal Christmas of the Day: The Windsors at Sandringham

Yesterday's Christmas church stroll by the British royal family was pretty sartorially predictable. Predictably! Maybe the most surprising outfit was the Queen's, but she gets her own post at the Jewel Vault (click here). As for the rest of this lot...

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No one that has been paying any attention will be the least bit surprised to see that the Duchess of Cambridge has ordered up another color of a favorite outfit (a Catherine Walker coat, owned also in green, with another Jane Taylor headband, and worn with her oak leaf brooch). Likewise, no one that has been paying any attention will be the least bit surprised to see that the Duchess of Sussex has ordered up another navy outfit (Victoria Beckham this time). Per usual x2.

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Deep colors were also the name of the game for Autumn Phillips and Princess Beatrice, both sporting Claire Mischevani, and Princess Eugenie in festive red. I'd tweak all three of these looks just a littttttttle bit, although I am prepared to offer up my applause to Beatrice for throwing a hat brim into the family mix.

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On the lighter side, have some refreshing bright blues courtesy of the Countess of Wessex (in Suzannah) and the Princess Royal. Is Sophie my fave this year? Maybe. Just maybe.

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And finally, bless Zara Tindall for bringing some cheer into my Christmas review by flying the flag for the Purple Is A Neutral club. Every little bit helps our cause.

Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Royal Guest Fashion

We’ve covered the bride and her bridal party (including sister and mother of the bride). We’ve taken on the tiara. So that leaves us with the guests, and I’m not sure this collective whole is really flipping my skirt up.

Part of that is not the guests’ fault, mind you, because their skirts were literally being flipped up by strong winds. The same wind that was simultaneously turning their hats into a game of fetch and flinging small children up the steps. How are they supposed to show us their lovely outfits while dealing with such chaos? Mother Nature’s got some nerve.

We shall investigate one family group at a time.

This Main Lot

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The Duuuuuuke! So delighted to see the Duke of Edinburgh turn up at his usual dapper best. (Seriously, other than the groom, he wins Best Dressed Dude.) The Queen’s aiming for quite a sophisticated color palette in blue, peach, and gold – just overshooting it slightly with those super shiny gold buttons. Speaking of super shiny: the Cullinan V Brooch, baby.

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This is another old-but-new Alexander McQueen for the Duchess of Cambridge: same style she wore for Trooping the Colour 2017, just ordered in a darker pink and paired with a Philip Treacy hat and the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan from the Queen (which she also wore in 2017). This is an improvement in color from the other version. Thing is, though, the amount of interest I have in endless same-style-different-color bespoke McQueens is not an infinite resource. I’m all out.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore a navy Givenchy coat and dress with a hat by Noel Stewart. Perfectly lovely and appropriate and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, fell asleep there.

The Duchess of Cornwall was unable to attend due to a previously scheduled engagement. A shame, really, because we could have used one of her feather ferris wheel hats to spice this up.

Anne’s Crew

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The potential topic of this conversation is the most interesting thing happening here. The Princess Royal has clearly pulled this repeat to the top of the rotation in order to jump on the green bandwagon, because if there’s one word to describe Anne, it’s TRENDY.

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Here’s that wind in action, trying to turn Anne’s kids into human bowling pins. Autumn Phillips and Zara Tindall are certainly on point for the wedding’s green and blue theme, Autumn in a dress by Suzannah with an Edwina Ibbotson hat and Zara in Claire Mischevani Couture with a Juliette Botterill hat. Autumn’s making my favorites list.

The Wessex Bunch

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I’m so glad I saw the Countess of Wessex arrive on video, because this Azzedine Alaïa navy dress had a sparkle in the sunshine that doesn’t come across in pictures. Fits like a dream. Don’t mind the Jane Taylor hat, either. Throw her on the faves list too. (Lady Louise was covered in our bridal party post.)

Let's Play Spot the Kent

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That back row is largely the Kent branch of the family, including Princess Michael in a cape and feather hat combo I think we’ve seen a bazillion times. (You can also play Spot the Greek Royal in the front row, we’ll get to them in a sec.)

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A simple coat (this one by Catherine Walker) plus a froofy hat is a bit of a special occasion routine for Lady Frederick Windsor, whose daughter was among the bridesmaids. Lady Helen Taylor sported a Temperley dress I had my eye on for royal or red carpet use, so that’s satisfying.

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Lady Gabriella Windsor – arriving with her new fiancé – turned up with some serious easy elegance. She wore a custom Claire Mischevani Italian crepe Raglan dress with a Philip Treacy hat.

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Can you spot her? A turquoise dress and deep blue hat is a surprising combo that is turning out to be my jam today. Fab turquoise color earrings, too. Let’s put her on top of that faves list.

Hey, Some Color Surprises

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I would have thought the Duchess of Gloucester would be first in line for the blue theme, owning several navy or light blue options (and being tremendously fond of repeats). Likewise, Lady Sarah Chatto operates in her own color coordinated world where things are only either white, gray, or blue. And yet here they are to brighten our horizons in red and purple with yellow. I welcome all surprises, ladies.

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Although the Countess of Snowdon certainly proves that one can take a color surprise too far. The teal tights really throw this into the HUH?! pile.

Also, Some Foreign Royal Representation

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Here we have Prince Christian of Hanover and Princess Alessandra, mixing the green trend with purple like a girl after my own heart. (Their wedding was earlier this year in Peru; the York sisters attended.) The blond in front with the bird about to take flight is Princess Ekaterina, who attended with Prince Ernst August, and let's get a front view of THAT:

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Honestly, I think she should get a standing ovation just for getting that hat through the wind in one piece. Camilla would be proud.

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The Greek royals were there: Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Maria-Olympia (in Dolce & Gabbana), and Prince Philippos. This feels very tame for our friend M-C. Do I want to add her to my faves list anyway? I think I do.

Did I just add enough people to my favorites list that I have to take back my non-skirt-flippy-up statement? Maaaaayyyyyyybe.

Who made your faves list?

Royal Outfits of the Day: British Royals Celebrate the RAF Centenary

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Big time gathering of the Windsors yesterday! They all met up to do their usual thing (watch military parades, attend church services, watch flypasts, all that jazz) in honor of the 100th birthday of the Royal Air Force.

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Leading the way was the Queen, of course, but since she has a whole blog to herself (you know the drill, clicky click for Jewel Vault fun), we'll kick it off with the Duchess of Cornwall and the second version this week of her personal summer white uniform. Prince Charles headed up the royal men, almost all of them wearing their Royal Air Force uniforms. (One of my faves!)

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I don't think the Duchess of Cambridge was on the advance list of royals expected, but how could she miss an opportunity to debut the third in this series of almost-the-same-but-not bespoke Alexander McQueen coats? She paired it with a hat by Sean Barrett.

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The bigger story was her jewels. Like many of the royal ladies, she wore the badge of an RAF organization with which she's affiliated: she's Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets, and this is the Air Cadets Dacre Brooch. (More on the brooch and a close up here, when she first wore it.) Her earrings are the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan from the Queen.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore Dior with two things we know she loves: a boat neck and a belt. Feels like classic Dior, very elegant. The Stephen Jones hat added the right amount of interest. (Because the But What Color Is It REALLY? debate always seems to consume some folks, let's handle it: Dior calls it black in their press release, and it looks deep navy in action. Doesn't really matter either way.)

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The Countess of Wessex also enjoyed a bit of hat foof (technical term) for the RAF's big day. Both the Jane Taylor hat and the Suzannah dress are repeats here. She doubled up on her brooches, wearing a Dior brooch underneath her small RAF badge.

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Every time the Princess Royal wears this outfit (which is a lot because, you know, Anne), I think she's pinned a prize rosette at her waist. A prize rosette in the festive color of brown.

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Rounding out the rest of the fam, the Duchess of Gloucester made sure they filled their mandatory navy quota for the day, Princess Michael wouldn't have been hurt by a shorter jacket, and Princess Alexandra smiling in purple will certainly make me smile in return.

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Ending this on the rest of the uniforms feels about right: the Duke of York, the Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael.

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2018, Day 3

Update! You can find all the Ascot goodies for the rest of the days at the Jewel Vault:
Day 4 // Day 5

Yesterday was Ladies’ Day, or Gold Cup Day, the halfway point in this annual festival of hats and usually home to some of the best millinery we see throughout Ascot. Did the royal ladies rise to the occasion? Judgment awaits, and you can check out the Queen in pink here.

Best in Ascot Rituals

Countess of Wessex

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Sophie did her duty and fulfilled another crucial Royal Ascot requirement yesterday: the ritual Muppet sacrifice. Minus the very visible base in the close ups, though, this Jane Taylor hat is one former Muppet I can get behind. Love that she leaned into lavender for the accents with this Suzannah dress.

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Yes, you see, Sophie comes to entertain, if not by with her hat then with her animated race watching. (It seems she didn’t back the winner in the Gold Cup race, based on her facial expressions.) She’s here to entertain and to make you jealous of her big aquamarine ring. Mission accomplished on both fronts. (Aquamarines had a moment on Day 3; the Princess Royal was also in the game.)

Best in Winning Streaks

Princess Beatrice

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The hits just keep rolling in for Beatrice. This striking black and white Jonathan Simkhai dress is great on its own and even better paired with this Sally-Ann Provan hat. She wears this saucer shape so well.

Sally-Ann Provan Greta hat

Most in Need of Day 2 Advice

Princess Eugenie

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Eugenie…could have kept that streak going for herself if she’d consulted the Day 2 outfit of Autumn Phillips for a little advice first. The boater hat from Sally-Ann Provan definitely lives up to the Ladies’ Day expectations in true planetary ring fashion, for sure, but the Erdem dress needs something simpler to work. It’s a competition and nobody wins.

Erdem Bernette dress, Sally-Ann Provan Naeva hat

Most Unexpected Color Combo

The Duchess of Gloucester

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Green hat, loads of emeralds, and a burnt orange dress. Green and orange has to be one of my least favorite color combos. Except that…a) it’s Birgitte! That’s the last person I’d guess would come out with this combination so yay for surprises, and b) that’s a great shirtwaist dress (she knows it, too; she wore one in blue on Day 2), and c) EMERALDS. Big emerald drop earrings and pearl necklaces with emerald beads, part of a wedding present to Princess Alice from Queen Mary. Yum.

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I'm not hitting absolutely everyone here, but BONUS ROYAL ALERT: Hi Serena! The Duke and Duchess shared a carriage with the Earl and Countess of Snowdon. There is, as always, much potential in what we can see of Serena’s outfit.

Who's taking home your prize ribbons for Day 3?

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex’s Wedding: Royal Guest Fashion

Click here for the bride, groom, and bridal party!

The Windsors always manage to put on a show, don’t they? The hats, the clothes, the jewels, the whole thing. This time around, while there was no shortage of the family favorite shades of dark blue, there was also a garden of light and bright outfits for a happy Spring wedding. Let’s hand out some awards:

Best in Spring Leadership

The Queen

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The Queen sets the tone, as always, in lemon and lime and purple from Stewart Parvin with a matching Angela Kelly hat. It’s no Neon Birthday Queen, but it still can’t be missed. She also sized up the bling with the Richmond Brooch.

Most Unlikely Twin Act

The Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge

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It occurs to me that these two outfits are really a lot alike in certain ways. Both could be repeats; Camilla’s is a new outfit from Anna Valentine that sticks to her usual pastels and her usual shapes, and Kate’s McQueen coat is so much the same as what she wore for Princess Charlotte’s christening that I’m not actually sure if it is a repeat or not. I’m certain plenty of you are ready to line up in the comments and tell me that’s on purpose, to make sure she doesn’t upstage the bride.

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They both sported sculptural hats from Philip Treacy – just look at the structure involved on Camilla’s! That’s a feat of architecture. You can’t even see her face in lots of the photos, which is par for the course. And they both went big on the jewel front, Camilla with her Pink Topaz Choker (my faaaaave) and Kate with another new earrings from Kiki McDonough, plus a ring. An unlikely twin act, you see.

Safest Plays

The York Ladies

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We laughed so hard at Princess Beatrice’s last big royal wedding hat, she very nearly didn’t give us one this time around. This Stephen Jones hat is not much more than a headband. Of course, it was the right choice for her custom Roksanda dress, which has enough going on by itself.

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Princess Eugenie toned it down in retro fashion in a blue Gainsbourg dress that doesn’t really get interesting until you see the back. Her Fiona Graham pillbox hat was the perfect complement.

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Sarah, Duchess of York followed suit in an understated outfit by Emma Louise Design and Jess Collett hat. Reads a little dated to me, but a nice effort overall.

Most Predictable Play

The Countess of Wessex

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All Sophie’s faves came to the party: outfit from Suzannah, long length, bespoke Jane Taylor hat. I think this outfit needs the longer length to make it special enough for the occasion, and simultaneously I’d like her to shorten the skirt. I’m difficult like that. Lady Louise looked great while dressing out of her mother’s closet (as pointed out by the Countess of Wessex Blog) in an Alaïa outfit.

Best of the Blue Crew

Autumn Phillips and Lady Sarah Chatto

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Of all the blue ladies – and these are the Windsors, so there’s a lot – Autumn and Sarah Chatto really hit it out of the park for me. Autumn’s dress, by Ceri Brooks of Hen House worn with a Juliette Botterill hat, flowed so well on the walk to the church and teal is one of my weaknesses.

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Sarah’s Jasper Conran dress is more colorful than her usual palette, topped with a bigger Stephen Jones hat than she usually goes for, and it all works. She gets me every time, she does.

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Also joining the blue-ish crew (accents of blue...whatever, just go with it), we have the Princess Royal and Zara Tindall in a Claire Mischevani teal coat with embossed navy detailing, a navy silk dress, and a Rosie Olivia hat. Is it bad that my first thought was that Anne had a hat made to go with Hugh Hefner’s best robe? Zara looked so exquisitely uncomfortable, I’ll just note that her hair was fantastic and leave it at that.

Most Classic Styling

The Countess of Snowdon

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Is this classic or what? Shirt dress with a full skirt, strand of big pearls, wide brim hat. Serena, she always gets me too. (Her Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat is a repeat from another big royal event, the Thanksgiving Service for the Diamond Jubilee.) Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, in the white with black trim, followed suit with Lady Louise and borrowed something from mom's wardrobe. Serena wore this outfit to Ascot in 2017.

And Also…

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No disrespect to the rest of the royal ladies in attendance, but we only have the briefest of glimpses. Looks like business as usual for Princess Michael of Kent and the Duchess of Gloucester, with some lovely pink from Princess Alexandra and a bit of pattern to pep it up from the Duchess of Kent.

Who was your best dressed Windsor guest?

Royal Hat of the Day: The Countess of Wessex's Lattice (x3)

The Countess of Wessex joked at an event last week that she has her royal wedding outfit all ready to go, and I'll be shocked if it doesn't include a new hat from Jane Taylor, her favorite milliner. Sophie warmed up for a hat-tastic weekend by attending the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season yesterday, selecting a Jane Taylor hat we've seen in two different versions with three different outfits. Comparison time!

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Royal Ascot 2017

Here's the hat's debut, with a black accent on top and a green Emilia Wickstead dress. I loved the lattice effect on this hat and so did many of you; the whole look garnered enough mentions to be in the running for your best day outfit of 2017.

Attending the Sultan of Brunei's Golden Jubilee celebrations
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Luckily for us, Sophie wasn't nearly done with the hat. Come October, the black twist on top was swapped for matching beige twists and coral feather accents to match a new outfit from Suzannah with a white top and coral skirt.

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Attending a Buckingham Palace garden party yesterday

Now we have our third hat appearance, still in its coral version and worn with a red dress from Alaïa. (I assume she's informing the guests that she's wearing, like, a totally important designer).

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Props to Sophie for repeating the same hat three times and managing to make each look completely different, right? Three times in less than a year and I'm not tired of this hat yet. That's a feat.

Azzedine Alaïa Scalloped Wavy Stripe Knit Dress, per the Countess of Wessex Blog

I'm still gonna ask the question, though: When did she wear it best? Give me Ascot any day, really. Can we get the black accent back? Coral might be my very least favorite color, so I'm biased.

(While we're at it, the first two outfits here contain some safe guesses for the designer behind Sophie's wedding outfit: either Suzannah or Emilia Wickstead, her current go-to designers for all her bespoke needs.)

Royal Outfits of the Day: Easter in Windsor

Easter Sunday and the Windsors flock to Windsor for service at St. George's Chapel. Get your Easter bonnets on:

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Of course the Queen (and her brooch) have already been covered in full at the Vault. Joining her on the pearl brigade was the Duchess of Cambridge, with a repeated brooch. Now that we've seen in her a few more brooches, I can't help but wish this faux-looking one would go away. The repeated brown Catherine Walker coat can stay, though! Elegant as it was the first time.

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There's a lot to love from the rest of this bunch. The Princess Royal's crowd represented very well, from Anne's jolly feather explosion to Autumn Phillips' sleek Suzannah coat and Zara Tindall's coordinated blues.

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Also a great show from the Wessex ladies here. I don't think anyone in this fam particularly needs another navy blue coat, but adding some sleeve interest à la Sophie and her Roland Mouret coat is a way to make it interesting. I assume she took that off before tucking into whatever form of very posh cheesy potatoes you get at an Easter lunch at Windsor Castle.

The York sisters might be my favorites of this whole crew. Princess Beatrice has adopted these boater hats worn at a jaunty angle; with her success at last year's Trooping the Colour and this Easter combo (with a Suzannah coat), I gotta say it really works for her.

Princess Eugenie did some splendid hat work here, too. An Easter service that can double as a wedding venue scouting trip must be more fun than it is most years, so why not throw a party at the bottom of your coat? (This party's by Oscar de la Renta.) Carrying the party all the way to the top of the look with a pink hat was just right.

A good show all around, right? Well done, Windsors.

Year in Review: 2017's Bonus Favorites

We're going to do something this year that we haven't done in the past...a Readers' Favorite Outfits of 2017 vote! As I noted when we started these recap posts, I'm paying attention to all your discussions of 2017 favorites in the comments, and a selection of them will make the cut for a final vote. We'll be voting after Christmas.

So...make sure you've added your favorites and supported others you love down in the comments! You still have time. And I still have this round up of my personal favorites from the rest of the royal women we haven't covered yet...

Princess Sofia: Deputy MVP

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Princess Sofia earned my affections earlier in the year by trying out new tiaras. Then she solidified them later in the year by giving us some more tiara excitement, going full princess in Ida Lanto at the Nobel ceremony, and - this one most of all - her touching choice to wear her folkdräkt to Prince Gabriel's christening. Deputy Most Valuable (Sartorial) Player of 2017!

Princess Tatiana in Australia

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Tatiana has found her sartorial soulmate in Greek designer Celia Kritharioti, turning up in one extraordinary creation after another. (There was a lot of love for her Kritharioti numbers at the Norwegian birthday celebrations this year, too.) This one instantly entered my hall of fame: elegant white and caped for days, mmmm.

Princess Marie-Chantal at King Harald and Queen Sonja's 80th Birthday Banquet

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Speaking of the Greek princesses and the Norwegian birthday bash, Marie-Chantal claimed my best dressed in Valentino back when we covered the gala banquet and now that I've made my list and checked it twice, the title is still hers for the keeping. Man, I love a floral ball gown. And man, do I love that I get to say that twice in one month.

Princess Charlene at the Laureus World Sports Awards

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I love most ball gown appearances, while we're at it - especially those sported by one of the people I'd least expect to go the fairytale route. Charlene should be red hot in Carolina Herrera more often.

The Countess of Wessex at King Harald and Queen Sonja's 80th Birthday Banquet

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Another fancy Norway flashback! Sophie went solo to the Norwegian party and she really nailed it with this green Suzannah gown. Very elegant.

Autumn Phillips at Trooping the Colour

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A flip back through the 2017 events of the extended British royal family left me with an urgent need to applaud Autumn Phillips. Strong colors, simple lines, nothing fussy or overdone but always interesting and always good. Pairing a magenta hat with a jade dress is still a combo that makes me smile.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie at the Cannes Film Festival

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Crisp white Ralph Lauren (also worn, with great success, by Crown Princess Victoria) and a fascinating pair of earrings elevate this Luxembourg lady to my 2017 best list.

Queen Margrethe at the Belgian State Banquet and the Norwegian Birthday Banquet

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You can always tell when Queen Margrethe loves a new outfit, because she'll wear it again right away. (Queens: they're just like us!) She was really feeling her look in this new evening gown - and with good reason - wearing it first for the Belgian state banquet and then at the Norwegian birthday bash. I think I'd give this a solid round of jumpy claps on any number of royal ladies!

What else is on your list of 2017 sartorial highlights?

Our next post will be a rundown of Christmas happenings, probably up on Tuesday the 26th (with the usual QEII coverage over at the Jewel Vault on Christmas Day). See you then!

Royal Outfit of the Day: The Countess of Wessex Hats Up

It feels like it's been too long since we saw the British royals in Special Occasion Mode. Hats and the lot, you know. I suppose it hasn't actually been that long and you have to take the Queen out of the equation, because hats and the lot is her Permanent Mode, but still. What I'm trying to say here is that I'm delighted to see that Sophie hatted up nice and proper last week.

The Countess of Wessex attended the Headley Court Farewell Parade on Friday.

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You know this is Special Occasion Mode because it's a repeat from a Very Special Occasion: QEII's 90th birthday service in 2016.

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This is such a Sophie classic. It's two of her favorite designers, a bespoke Suzannah coat dress in a sleek silhouette with a Jane Taylor hat and a sweeping updo. She loves a midi length, and this one is careful not to overwhelm. Chic, I say.

The "Sophie" Wrap Coat Dress from Suzannah

Only fitting they named the design after her.

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2017, Days 2 & 3

Update: You can check out the remainder of the Royal Ascot fashions - from Days 4 & 5 - here at the Vault!

Aaaaaaand we're back to Britain's annual hat festival, with royal goodies from Days 2 and 3 (which is Gold Cup Day, or traditionally Ladies' Day, and often the moment many reserve for their best hats).

Already covered at the Vault: QEII on double duty for Day 2 plus Camilla and a decked out Duchess of Gloucester, and the Queen holding fast to her Most Colorful title on Day 3. And now for some awards for a selection of the rest of the royal racegoers...

Best in Dress

Princess Eugenie

and

Best in Unnecessary Layering

Princess Beatrice

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The jumpy claps over here when I saw Eugenie sporting one of my favorite Preen dresses, you have no idea. I think this might be as close as it gets to a universally flattering shape, and it certainly flatters this York sister in both cut and color. LOOOOOVE. And then there's Beatrice, which would be a love if it weren't for one big caveat. When I first saw this, I thought it was an odd dress, designed to make it look like she'd paired a longer sleeve shirt underneath the short sleeve dress. But it turns out...

Eugenie's Elle stretch-cady dress from Preen by Thornton Bregazzi; Beatrice's Tilt China Midi Dress by Amanda Wakeley

...it looks like that's actually what she did? Huh? I am entirely too confused about this to fully appreciate her beautiful fishtail braid spin on hat hair. Or to appreciate how great the dress itself is on her. Or to appreciate how great it is to see Amanda Wakeley back on the royal scene. Huh.

Best of the Light Colors

The Countess of Wessex, Day 3

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I keep waiting for the new Countess of Snowdon to bring it like I know she can. I'll keep waiting. In the meantime, of the multiple royal ladies trying out that ubiquitous royal palette of cream and white on Days 2 and 3 (like Zara Tindall), I'm giving my blue ribbon to the Countess of Wessex.

Wave Textured Stripe Dress Ivory from Suzannah, done with a bespoke top for Sophie

Not entirely sure why the need to customize here, but she kept the best part. Use those chevrons to your favor, yes indeed.

Most Exuberant Use of Prints and Colors

The Princess Royal, Days 2 & 3 and Princess Alexandra, Day 2

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There's all those pale colors and then there's Princess Anne and her tablecloth jacket followed by a rich green with a certain eau de Robin Hood, plus Princess Alexandra in a riot of prints with a hat to match (she's the one on the receiving end of Anne's smile in the top pic, with her back to us). A breath of fresh air, I declare!

Best Mini Me Act

Princess Haya and Sheikha Al Jalila

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I'm so enjoying the mother-daughter act happening in the Dubai contingent. First we had matching pattern + white outfits on Day 1; now we have the sharing of a universal rule for Ascot success: a solid color dress is the perfect canvas for your froofy hat. Princess Eugenie co-signs this strategy.

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Butterflies for the young sheikha are such a perfect touch of whimsy. I'm clearly charmed, since I don't normally make this many comments on the apparel of the kids. (Princess Haya posted some sweet pics of the family on her Instagram, noting that Jalila has been their lucky charm at Ascot this year.)

Best in Hats

Countess of Wessex, Day 2

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Carrying the torch from our first set of Ascot awards to our second, Sophie knows what's up. Such fabulousness resides in this Jane Taylor chapeau, I shall not even spend much time questioning its accompanying Emilia Wickstead dress.

Mimi cut-out back cloqué dress by Emilia Wickstead, shown in green

Not even gonna question it. Nope. Such restraint.

Who wins your awards on Days 2 and 3?

The hat fest continues today and Saturday!