You know it's been a good year in Tiara Land when you can make a lengthy list of tiaras that were new to us or new to a different wearer. And list them we shall!
April: Queen Letizia debuts the Ansorena Princess Fleur de Lys Tiara
April: Queen Mathilde wears the full Nine Provinces Tiara
Queen Mathilde had used the bandeau portion of Belgium's top tiara, but she waited until Margrethe's birthday dinner to wear the thing in its full glory, top diamonds and arches included. With two state visits to fellow monarchies on the Belgian royal agenda for 2016 (to Japan and the Netherlands), I trust we'll see the whole shebang again soon.
June: Princess Sofia debuts her Emerald and Diamond Tiara
And the Swedish royal wedding still had more presents to give: Princess Tatiana of Greece wore a new-to-her tiara which was, as reported in Point de Vue, a loan from Bulgari.
June: Princess Claire debuts a new parure
Luxembourg's National Day gala delivered a new-to-us red stone parure on Princess Claire, including a small bandeau tiara (which may well be a bracelet on a frame). This one's still a mystery.
Sending us into the holiday season on a tiara high at the annual Diplomatic Reception, Kate took on the diadem made iconic by Diana. It was a moment many of us thought we wouldn't see for a long time, and now we have to hope that we won't have a long wait until we can see it properly.
December: Princess Madeleine wears the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara
The thing I love above all else is variety – especially of the jewel sort – and this year’s Nobel Prize ceremonies delivered a pleasing mix of fabulous variety and business as usual. Check back on the open post for links to view the ceremonies, and there are gallery links at the bottom of this post. Also, we've covered all of these tiaras before, so click the links for more. To the awards!
We start in Norway, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded at a ceremony attended by King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
The Crown Princess loves her some white coats, and she loves her a white ensemble for this ceremony. This year’s Alexander McQueen version, repeated from Queen Margrethe’s birthday celebrations, adds some swing to the usual silhouette, and I love it. I’d love it even more with a hat instead of this headband thing (she swaps out the ribbon color and has worn it several times before), but I’ll take what I can get.
She managed to shake up her usual white dress business at the evening dinner. Look, Ma, not a prairie flower in sight!
The Norwegian royals attended the Nobel Peace Prize banquet this evening at the Grand Hotel in Oslo pic.twitter.com/rD8bJJIZqS
This teal on Sonja is like a cool drink of water after a hot run of years in a white/red or dark/black palette for this event. Fab.
Next up is Sweden, where they fill the evening presenting shift with sparkles galore to hand out the rest of the Nobel Prizes. The whole Swedish royal family was in attendance: King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Christopher O’Neill, Princess Christina, and Tord Magnuson.
Let’s start with some jumpy claps: Princess Madeleine in the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara! This tiara belongs to her aunt, Princess Margaretha, who has also loaned it to Princess Christina in recent years. She also wore the diamond floral earrings usually worn by Queen Silvia and a ring from Princess Lilian.
Madeleine looks so great in aquamarine stones, and this tiara - one of my favorite aqua pieces, and irresistibly sparkly in motion - looks perfect on her. Her gray Fadi El Khoury gown (probably the one we thought was destined for Victoria) is sparkly yet soft, and the whole ensemble gets a big A+ from me.
I assumed Sofia would wear her own Emerald and Diamond Tiara again, and she did. She still gave us a surprise in the form of new (looks new, at least Update: they are borrowed from Queen Silvia!) emerald and diamond earrings to match and a large diamond brooch from the family collection.
I’m surprised her gown is from Oscar de la Renta, and I’m surprised I don’t love it as much as I usually love OdlR. But I am happy to see that the pesky sash issues from October have are all sorted out and she looks like a pro this time around.
I hoped Queen Silvia might break her recent Nobel tiara streak, which involves alternating between the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure and the Nine Prong Tiara every year. But no, the Party Antlers rode again. She paired them with one of her favorite pairs of earrings, the Karl XIV Johan Earrings, and a red gown with a jacket top and massive skirt.
Princess Christina also continued her love of the Six Button Tiara, and I continue to be glad that she makes it look the best out of all the royal ladies.
Oh, you didn’t think that a new-to-Madeleine tiara was going to distract me from giving my top prize to the one in purple and in a fun tiara choice, did you? The competition was close, but my predictable old self won out in the end.
I LOVE Crown Princess Victoria’s flowing purple gown with a cape on top, which is a custom creation in aubergine silk chiffon from By Malina. I love the amethyst jewels that she paired with it (two brooches, earrings, and necklace from Queen Josephine’s Amethyst Parure), and I love that she wore the Connaught Tiara! It’s not a totally new-to-her piece, since she first wore it at Prince Carl Philip’s wedding and had worn the diamond drops before that, but it is a nice development to see the tiara shared outside of a family wedding. My best of the best tonight.
In Norway, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess attended the annual concert for the Nobel Peace Prize, and I like this dress on Mette-Marit, but...well, that's about as much enthusiasm as I have for that.
I do have more enthusiasm for the King's Dinner in Sweden, and not just because they have tiaras. Okay, partly because they have tiaras, but also because there are some interesting dress selections going on here.
Swedish royals are attending the Kings Dinner for the Nobel winners tonight at the Royal Palace pic.twitter.com/rYwpl6RoW6
I wondered if Crown Princess Victoria would repeat her lovely Pär Engsheden lake of sequins worn to the Nobels in 2011, when she was pregnant with Estelle, and sure enough...here we go! And with the Baden Fringe Tiara for bonus points.
Photo: Kungahuset.se
Also riding the shiny blue train was Queen Silvia in the Leuchtenberg Sapphires, with...an extra tablecloth attached to her hip, just in case? Never know when you're going to need that emergency table linen.
I've seen labels from "showgirl" to "Downton Abbey" applied to Princess Madeleine's lace dress with its sheer top and high lace collar, which is quite a gap to span. I suppose that's an achievement on its own. Personally...well...I think it's too complicated for a sash and all that lot, for starters.
She paired it with the Modern Fringe Tiara, returning to her favorite. Princess Christina kept to her favorite as well with the Six Button Tiara two nights in a row.
And finally, Princess Sofia. She did not take this opportunity to dive into the family vault, instead sticking with her Emerald and Diamond Tiara. She also stuck with that middle part in her hair (you know, the one that makes the tiara look like it's precariously balanced right up top), with a half updo this time. I'm growing tired of that, but I have a feeling this Zetterberg Couture dress is one of which I could never grow tired. Similar in certain ways to Princess Madeleine's dress from the previous evening, so apparently I have a type.
Hello again! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, if a Thanksgiving is what you had. Let's do some catching up with three - count 'em, three - tiara watches for you:
--The royal baby boom strikes again: The Duke and Duchess of Parma are expecting their third child. They have two daughters together. Prince Carlos is the son of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and older brother to Prince Jaime, whose wife is also expecting (and their announcement was in an earlier tidbits edition). [Royalty Online]
--The Philippine government is once again assessing the value of the jewelry collection of former first lady Imelda Marcos, and are apparently considering an auction. (They're also on the hunt for a collection of paintings last known to have been in the Marcos family's possession.) This is not the first time the collection has been appraised and not the first time an auction has been suggested, but it has yet to happen and the Marcos family has disputed the ownership of the treasures in the past. The jewels are those that were seized from the Marcos couple when they fled the country in the 1980s, and they've basically sat in a bank vault ever since. Among the treasures is a rare 25 carat pink diamond, just discovered during the current review, and a handful of tiaras including the Russian Pearl Pendant Kokoshnik (which we have covered here before). [Telegraph]
--King Philippe issued a decree limiting the number of future holders of the title of Prince or Princess of Belgium, a smart move in the face of growing numbers of descendants allowed to use it. To sum it up briefly, use of the prince/ss title will be limited to children and grandchildren of the monarch in future generations. The decree does not remove the title from anyone that has it currently. [Deredactie]
A photo posted by Allt om Mode (@alltommode_expressen) on
Thing I love #1: A fabulous arrival outfit on Crown Princess Victoria. I think we owe a thank you note to the person responsible for introducing Victoria to Seraphine, because this is another custom look and another hit. (Click here or here for more from the arrival, including a pretty sublime white on Queen Silvia.)
The King & Queen of Sweden are tonight hosting a banquet for President Essebsi of Tunisia & his wife. pic.twitter.com/3L4MK2K7xW
Thing I love #2: TIARAS, hello. Specifically the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure Tiara and the Baden Fringe Tiara, two of my favorite Swedish tiaras. (Perhaps my absolute favorite Swedish tiaras? Oh, I'm going to need to give this some thought. That's my Thursday to do list sorted.)
Thing I love #3: The endless sharing that goes on in the Swedish royal wardrobes. Especially maternity wardrobes, because why not get some extra use out of this stuff? Victoria's Tiffany Rose dress was previously worn by Princess Madeleine.
But there is just one thing I am disappointed I didn't get to love: Princess Sofia wasn't there. I was wrong to assume that we'd see her second sash (and second tiara) appearance here, since it turns out she was in South Africa for her Project Playground charity instead. A cause she takes seriously, and good for her. As for us, our wait continues and our hopes grow even higher for the Nobel festivities in December.
First, a little housekeeping: If you stopped by the blog yesterday and found comments closed, that was due to an attack of spam comments. In order to help out with these problems for now, comments containing links will go into moderation before posting, so expect delays if you're including a link.
Now, let's get to our tidbits:
--Tiara Watch: Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik are visiting Indonesia for a state visit. Margrethe got right in the spirit at the state banquet with a shawl that tied her dark blue dress to her turquoise jewels (the Danish Turquoise Bandeau paired with the earrings and pendant brooch given to her by Prince Henrik). The hosts' traditional shirts and other outfits set the tone for the evening, and a small tiara with opaque stones really was the perfect choice for a queen here. The Danish monarch was quick to quiz the President on batik when she arrived, so I'm sure she was delighted with this state banquet scene. [Kongehuset, Jakarta Post]
--Raf Simons is ending his successful run at the creative helm of Christian Dior after three and a half years. I wasn't always a fan of his celeb creations, but he knew just what suited the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Charlene, and Queen Mathilde (who no doubt started her relationship with Dior specifically because Simons is Belgian). [New York Times]
--I'm pretty sure the Duchess of Cambridge has some sort of grand scheme involving plans for the opening of a future Royal Coat Museum. She'll have an entire wing dedicated in her name, and it will be a site of pilgrimage for coat devotees who will come to thank the one that did so much for the outer garment cause. The newest addition to the collection, worn for a day of engagements in Scotland Friday, is another custom coat from Scottish designer Christopher Kane. [Hello]
Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon attended the gala banquet for Queen Margrethe's 40th Jubilee in 2012.
Guess what? It's baaaaackkk! And spoiler alert: it's still glorious. In Norway last night, King Harald hosted his annual gala dinner for parliament. Queen Sonja was pretty standard in repeated blue and Queen Maud's Pearl and Diamond Tiara, but I was saving my kudos for the second wave of the royal party anyway.
Members of the Norwegian Royal Family attend the annual Stortingsmiddag this evening in Oslo pic.twitter.com/QceKHkHJYY
Firstly: Crown Princess Mette-Marit in that fab white Peter Dundas for Pucci gown and the Diamond Daisy Tiara. There's nothing better than M-M in white, man. Secondly: Princess Astrid getting all gown'd and tiara'd up (in her antenna aigrette), despite her crutches. That's some true dedication to the cause. And thirdly: Yes, that is Crown Prince Haakon carrying Aunt Astrid's purse for her. PRINCE CHARMING ALERT.
Mette-Marit wasn't the only one in the mood for a white gown last night. Crown Princess Mary was too, but since she was presenting a design prize, she did her thing and decided to be all design-y about it. With feathers!
First picture of Crown Princess Mary at DANSK Design Talent – Magasin Prisen 2015 pic.twitter.com/M5837LBf3e
This is perfect. It is! You see, I've been waiting for someone to fill the Odette role in my upcoming production of Royal Swan Lake. We've got two Odiles already lined up, courtesy of Queens Máxima and Mathilde in their dark feathery cocktail dresses (they both have the same model in slightly different colors, because of course they do):
Queen Mathilde wore her feathery version again this week, what a coincidence - to an autumn concert at the palace. Photo: Belgian Monarchy Twitter
And now we finally have the other half of the ballet dream (and a froofy gown to discuss on a Friday, so win/win). Leave it to Mary to be the final piece of the puzzle. She knows just what we need.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been front and center for the Chinese state visit to the United Kingdom, thanks to Prince William's trip to the country earlier this year. As the state visit continued yesterday, they accompanied President Xi and Madame Peng for a Lancaster House event focusing on creative collaboration between the two countries.
Dolce & Gabbana may have been a surprise selection for the Duchess (even if a lace dress of any sort was anything but surprising), but she was hopping on board a royal mini-trend for these D&G dresses. Her guipere lace dress in a plum shade was paired with accessories in similar shades.
The dress itself, I love. I don't find it too evening-ish (not any more so than the rest of her lace dress collection, really), but at the same time, I'm waiting to see it at an evening event with an updo so that lace turtleneck collar can breathe, and also for maximum Edwardian flair.
The state banquet on Tuesday was handled at the Jewel Vault with full coverage and full jewel identifications for all family members, but since I like babbling about tiara stuff and since it never hurts to look at pretty gowns more than once, let's sum up the big Cambridge state banquet debut.
Kate's first state banquet appearance proved she paid particularly close attention to the Sartorial Symbolism section of her How to Royal It Up: The Right Way handbook. Her bespoke Jenny Packham gown is red, the color of joy and good fortune in China. And while I rejoice that she wore the Lotus Flower Tiara again just because I like it so much more than her wedding tiara, there's more to it since the lotus symbol has significance of its own in Chinese culture.
Video: Short look at the state banquet. A longer version, including the royal family's entrance and both speeches, is posted at the Vault.
Those seeking some internal royal family symbolism in the form of a royal family order for Kate were in for a letdown when she turned up order-free. (Count me among the unsurprised; the rest of those yellow-bowed brooches were handed out to those doing the "full time royal" gig, and we know the Queen doesn't give honors out like candy. Kate's future holds plenty of RFO-wearing, anyway.) But if jewel loans are anything to go by, all is copacetic between Cambridge #1 and the Boss Lady: the tiara, her diamond chandelier earrings, a diamond bracelet from Queen Mary via the Queen Mother, andthe bracelet Prince Philip designed for the Queen as a wedding present were all on loan to the Duchess. The Wedding Gift Bracelet, known so well as a personal part of Her Maj's collection, was an extra special surprise.
Now that we have all that blah blah blah aside, did ya like the look? For me, well, it has a swishy skirt. And you know my stance on Things That Are Swishy. (Which is, to be clear: WANT.)
Photos: via Getty Images, Net-a-Porter, Telegraph video screencap
Updates from some leading ladies that don't always cross our sartorial radar make up this week's edition of tidbits:
--The most interesting royal outfit this month (well, without a tiara involved) goes to Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, for wearing a long kimono made of recycled aluminum pull tabs - oh yes! - by Walleska Ecochicc. I could tell you that this was for Sustainability Day, but you probably already guessed that, right? She was at a school, reading a children's book about sustainability that she co-wrote, and this is one sneaky sartorial move to get kids to talk about her cause. Put those kooky fashion powers to use for the greater good, I say! [ParisMatch]
--In other top-notch royal engagement news, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence joined Princess Astrid of Belgium in Brussels to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Edith Cavell. Cavell was a British nurse who helped advance modern nursing in Belgium and whose efforts to help Allied soldiers escape occupied Belgium in World War I ended with her execution by a German firing squad. This particular royal pairing seems the perfect choice to honor this heroine. [Telegraph, Facebook]
--And finally, here's a bit of non-royal tiara news for you: In China, actress/model/singer/megastar Angelababy borrowed a diamond and pearl tiara from Chaumet to wear with her Dior haute couture gown at the lavish celebrations for her wedding to actor Huang Xiaoming. This particular tiara was previously worn by the Countess of Paris. Angelababy also wore another diamond Chaumet tiara for photographs. [Chaumet, Pinterest, Harper's Bazaar]
Ms. Angelababy expresses a look of grandeur in her wedding dress stunningly complemented by CHAUMET’s antique jewels pic.twitter.com/RyJrOeQJRB
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde headed out for a state visit to Poland yesterday. I wasn't sure if we'd see any tiaras, but Mathilde proved she was prepared to BRING IT while visiting her mother's home country.
I see where they were trying to go here - volume at the back and a cinched waist at the front, a silhouette she's experimented with in the past - but going there with this heavy of a print accidentally spreads that volume all over the place. (View it from multiple angles in this gallery, plus more looks at the evening event.) Also, these topless hats drive me nuts.
I'm ready and willing to forget all that, because then it was time for TIARAS! And yes, that is tiaras plural, despite the fact that Queen Mathilde was the only one tiara'd up. She wore two tiaras, one of which was new to her. Attagirl!
Wearing her pink Armani dress from Crown Princess Victoria's 2010 wedding, Mathilde donned her Laurel Wreath Tiara as a necklace and added the Wolfers Necklace Tiara on top as a tiara. This is the first time we've seen her in the diamond Wolfers piece. (We've covered these in depth in the past, so click their names for more.) The tiara belonged to Queen Fabiola, who received it as a wedding gift from Belgian industry, and I can't help but smile when I see the volume of Mathilde's hair magically increase to accommodate a piece once perched on Fabiola's famous bouffant.
Fabiola left her estate to charity when she passed away last year, but Mathilde has been slowly reintroducing jewels that belonged to the late queen, including the pearl and diamond earrings she wore at this banquet. Apparently advance gifts or some other planning must have occurred with at least part of Fabiola's jewel collection, which is lovely to see since Mathilde and Fabiola were close. The wait continues to see if other pieces, such as the Spanish Wedding Gift Tiara, are also in Mathilde's possession.
It's also exciting to see Mathilde wear another tiara, period. She's never had much of a selection at her disposal, and she's been sticking with the Nine Provinces Tiara since Philippe took the throne. And seeing her inner magpie come out to play? Priceless. Keep it up, Your Maj.
The Swedish royal court has released a new official picture of Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, and Princess Estelle! Well, technically it's not new, but they newly posted it on their site, and I never say no to a chance to gaze at the Baden Fringe Tiara.
Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Kungahuset.se
Nor would I turn down an opportunity to see the necklace created from a stomacher belonging to Queen Josephine, a diamond favorite of the late Princess Lilian, even when it conflicts with a neckline. Victoria wore this dress and these jewels last December for the King's Dinner for Nobel laureates, which may be when the posing occurred. The improvement this portrait makes over December's event? It conceals the back of her dress, where there lives a bow so large it threatens to take flight. And it includes ESTELLE, obviously, who is an instant improvement to any situation. I actually love the portrait - regal and fun is not an easy combination to hit, but this one does it well.
Speaking of Sweden: Victoria was out and about yesterday, visiting the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control at the Karolinska Institutet and joining King Carl Gustaf to welcome a gathering of the Association for Space Explorers (astronauts!) to the palace. (Click here for more photos.)
Photo: Kungahuset.se
COLOR! And a ponytail instead of her usual bun, which feels like it should be a bigger deal than it actually turned out to be, since Victoria's among those most tied to a particular 'do. But, COLOR! A repeated pink patterned Pucci dress under a solid pink coat is super basic design stuff, but the color alone is a welcome relief for those of us that remember her style while pregnant with Estelle.
Pucci
Victoria also deployed the shift dress + matching coat strategy for an event the previous evening, and it's a classic royal pregnancy dressing strategy I wouldn't mind her sticking with.
Everything's coming up Queen Elizabeth II as she approaches the day she takes over as the British monarch with the longest reign (September 9!). A few links for Her Maj to start us off:
--Queen Letizia held audiences in a repeated white Felipe Varela skirt with purple flowers. I like this (because, purple), but I'm also 99% sure I had that bedding set in 6th grade.
--Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited Trondheim this past week, focusing on research and innovation projects. This is one of her classic repeated dark suits, but it does...uh...suit her. [NTNU Trondheim Flickr]
--And finally, a mini Tiara Watch! This Vogue slideshow includes Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis wearing her mother's Christian Lacroix couture and her family's heirloom emerald drop tiara, plus a look inside their family castle. [Vogue, h/t SydneyLux]
The King and Queen of Spain are certainly getting in their fair share of state visits this year. Just recently returned from Mexico, they welcomed the President of Peru and his wife for a visit to Spain with all accompanying fanfare.
Queen Letizia kicked things off with a bang. A sleek bang though, a streamlined and chic single firework.
NAILED IT. We've seen this Hugo Boss top before, but it's even better with a white pencil skirt. And it's even even better with shades. #TeamSunglasses
BOSS Hugo Boss top
She saved her big fireworks for the state banquet:
Wearing the Spanish Floral Tiara, her diamond wedding earrings, and securing her Peruvian order sash with a diamond double clip style brooch we saw on her in Denmark earlier this year, she donned a new embellished blue ballgown from her main man Felipe Varela. And never has "ballgown" been more appropriate.
Newbury Races
-
*The Queen attended the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend at Newbury
Racecourse.*
Embed from Getty Images
You might think this outfit would provide a n...
Posts
