Runway Monday: Carolina Herrera, Spring 2010 Ready-To-Wear

Princess Máxima recently wore Carolina Herrera to great effect at the birthday celebrations for Denmark's Queen Margrethe:

I'm hoping she's only just grazed the surface of her Herrera patronage.  This designer has a way with bright, bold colors and graphic prints while still keeping everything elegant as can be, which makes her a fine alternative for the NATAN crew of royal ladies (Máx, Mathilde, Maria Teresa, and Claire).  Queen Silvia, Crown Princesses Mary and Mette-Marit and more have already dug into Carolina Herrera; here, from the Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear, Pre-Fall 2010, Fall 2010 Ready-toWear and Resort 2011 collections, is a selection of her most elegant evening gowns, perfect for royal wear.  (We'll talk daywear some other Monday.)

Which dress would you most like to see on the royal red carpet?

Photos: Profimedia/Marcio Madeira/First Look/Maria Valentino/Carolina Herrera

Month in Review: Charlene Wittstock, June

Here's what Charlene Wittstock wore in June:

1. Attending the 40th birthday party for Jimmy'z nightclub in Monaco, 4 June.  Well, it is at a nightclub, I guess?
2. Monte Carlo TV Festival, 9 June.  Glad to see Albert took my everyone's advice on resolving the awkwardness here.
3. World Cup opening ceremony and South Africa vs. Mexico match, 11 June.  I missed a royal in my trend watch, didn't I?  Despite the national scarf spirit for Charlene's home team, the game was a draw.
4. Inauguration of Ikhaya Lemidlalo humanitarian sports and recreation project, 12 June.  Looks like some kind of dress or long top over leggings and knee high boots, maybe?
5. Pre-wedding concert and dinner, 18 June.
6. Crown Princess Victoria's wedding, 19 June.
7. Engagement portraits, 23 June, a) on the runway and b) in portrait.  Have to say I'm shocked she didn't go for an Armani number; Giorgio's been her regular sartorial boyfriend for some time now.  Nice posing on the portrait there - this is a number that looks better from the back and side views.
8. Attending a synchronized swimming event in Monaco, 30 June.  Sleek and simple, though I can't help but think it would have been more at home at a proper cocktail hour rather than in a stadium.  The real question, though - Charlene doesn't seem to have worn her whopper of an engagement ring.  She looks like she's sporting a smaller diamond instead.  Did she get two rings?

Best and Worst of the Month

The beige Armani may have been a near duplicate of the dress she wore the night before, but it's gorgeous nonetheless.  It was a very appropriate choice for a not-yet-engaged girlfriend of a sovereign.  Not appropriate, on the other hand, was that tropical number.  The dress and the hair should have stayed at the beach.

Photos: PurePeople/Abaca/Michelly Rall/WireImage/Stella Pictures/Belga/Marcio Madeira/PPE/Palais Princier-Monaco/Getty Images

Month in Review: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, June

Here's what Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie wore in June:

Beatrice

1. AEGON Tennis Championships, 10 June.  Clearly not expecting to be photographed.
2. Trooping the Colour, 12 June.
3. Leaving Whiskey Mist bar, 15 June.  Blue must be this princess's favorite color, hmm?
4. Ascot, Day 3, 17 June.  The nuttiest of the Philip Treacy hats she put on display this month.
5. Ascot, Day 5, 19 June.
6. Attending Sentebale reception in New York, 26 June.
7. Attending Prince Harry's polo match in New York, 27 June.  Clearly a short trip to New York, as evidenced by the efficiency of the packing: same jacket and bag as yesterday.
8. Elephant Parade auction, 30 June.

Eugenie

1. Trooping the Colour, 12 June.
2. Ascot, Day 3, 17 June.  All Philip Treacy hats, all the time.  This one is my least favorite.  It's so...random.
3. Ascot, Day 5, 19 June.
4. Working at Christie's in London, 23 June.
5. Christie's, 24 June.
6. Christie's, 25 June.
7. Elephant Parade auction, 30 June.  Must be her favorite necklace.

Best and Worst of the Month

Not a bad month for Bea.  She's looking fantastic these days, after getting in shape for her marathon.  I almost picked #6 as best - seriously, she looked fantastic in NYC - but I the more I look at this flapper-style Ascot getup, the more I love it.  This is the kind of sartorial experimentation a young princess should do; it's so much fun.  Sure, the skirt's a little on the short side, but at least she didn't end up in the same situation Eugenie did.  The white skirt Eug sported at the Elephant Parade was even shorter, but at least she didn't wear that to work.

Photos: Ian Gavan/Getty Images/Newspix/Belga/Enigma/Indigo/ActionPress/BEW/FilmMagic/Stuart Wilson/PA Photos/otherimagepress.com/IBL/John Gichigi/WENN.com

Flashback Friday: Princess Marie-Chantal's Wedding Dress

Yesterday, July 1, was the 15th wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller.  Because I can't believe it's been that long, and because it's just under 2 months until the next Greek royal wedding (yay!), let's reminisce about a gown that might just be one of the most expensive wedding dresses ever produced.

Of course, it's no surprise that the Miller family would go all out.  They are rich, Rich, RICH, and clearly pride themselves on their 3 daughters making excellent marriages: M-C here married a royal (obviously), Pia married a Getty (and then divorced one), and Alexandra married a von Furstenberg, which gave her both the title of Princess AND immediate access to the designs of the fabulous Diane von Furstenberg (she's divorced now too, losing the Princess but keeping the DVF connection).  Straight out of an Edith Wharton novel, this family.

Accordingly, Valentino was called in for the couture job.  The ivory silk gown was studded with rose appliques and finished with a lace bodice and sleeves decorated with more floral motifs.  Twenty five seamstresses worked on it, and twelve different kinds of lace were used.  On top of it all, the Antique Corsage Tiara borrowed from Queen Anne-Marie anchored a Chantilly lace veil featuring a scalloped edge and butterfly embroidery that was four and a half meters long.  Rumor has it, this confection cost £150,000.

I remember the first time I saw this dress.   There was a television special about royal weddings that I taped (VCR, old school - this was the late 1990s, maybe?), and it included footage of their Greek Orthodox ceremony in London's St. Sophia Cathedral.  Oh my God, I watched that thing over and over again until the tape ran wonky.  I don't have it anymore, but I spend a shameful amount of time wishing I did.  I'm still holding out for someone to put it on YouTube.

Anyways, my point is - back in the day, I loved this.  It seemed perfectly princessy and prim, Grace Kelly-esque in its use of lace.  But the passing of time hasn't been kind; these days, the enchantment factor is lost to me.  Now, all I see is a gown that's swallowing its bride whole.   Marie-Chantal is a tiny lady, and this is just too much.  Too stiff and too high, and too much embellishment on the dress itself; rather than seeing a radiant bride, all I see is the lace bodice competing with the lace veil for my attention.

It also looks a whole lot like Máxima's gown to me - which of course was also by Valentino.  Now, perhaps Máxima is the unoriginal one since she was married 7 years after Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, but I like hers better.  She's not so petite, so her figure can stand up to a formidable dress, and the simplicity of her gown works better with her veil.  Or perhaps Máxima's thousand watt smile just does a better job of overriding what could possibly be too much dress.

What do you think - too much dress, or is this one of your favorites?

Photos:  Lichfield/Getty Images/Corbis/Hello/Tim Graham/Andrew Winning/AFP

Month in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, June

Here's what Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore in June:

1. Solemn Return of the Luxembourg Bar, 4 June.
2. Sporting Day for Those With and Without Disabilities, 5 June. 
3. 25th Anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, 13 June, (a) on the NATAN runway and (b) on official duty.  I'll just say that I'm glad she doesn't patronize NATAN for all her evening wear too.
4. Visit to social groceries, 14 June.  Couldn't find very good pictures of this - looks like MT kept on her trench jacket the whole time.  All I can tell you is that she has a blue dress on under there, and that I'm bored.   
5. Visit from the President of Lituania, 15 June.  I'm pretty sure this is NATAN, and a much better showing at that; short cut jackets over dresses is always a good look for her.
6. Pre-wedding dinner and concert, 18 June.  This appears to be a wrap over the dress, but she didn't take the wrap off all evening (from what I can tell).  And that's a shame, because it's shapeless like this.  Focus on the gorgeous aquamarine necklace instead - it's one of the best of the Luxembourg parures (in my humble opinion) and I love combining it with the brown. 
7. Crown Princess Victoria's wedding, 19 June, a) on the runway and b) the variation worn on the blue carpet. Much better shape this time - and way to bring out the big guns with the Luxembourg Imperial tiara.  How much do you think that sucker weighs?  Our fair Grand Duchess is a brave woman.
8. National Day, Part 1: Diekirch visit and evening fireworks, 22 June, a) the cardigan on the Elie Saab runway, and b) on Maria Teresa.  Oh no.  I can't believe I'm going to say this - but I think we have an Elie Saab fail on our hands.  The ruching just isn't doing MT any favors.
9. National Day, Part 2: Te Deum and military parade, 23 June.  Back on form!  Amazing suit.  I even like the crepe paper hat.
10. National Day, Part 3: Gala, 23 June, a) on the Elie Saab runway and b) in action.

Best and Worst of the Month

 Busy month for the Grand Duchess, with the wedding and National Day.  So much to choose from, but the pale blue with major jewels is the hands down winner for me.  A little too often lately, Maria Teresa's been using wraps around her sleeveless dresses more as permanent parts of the dress to cover up her arms than as the accessories that they truly are.  The great thing about this Elie Saab is the unique way it incorporates the shoulder and arm coverage right into the dress while still maintaining a waist shape (unlike the brown dress in #6).  Also creating a waist shape - but a tragically wrong one - is this jail bird jacket from NATAN.  It's even making the model look wide (which you'd think would be impossible), and the shape is just so ridiculously dated.  I can only hope we won't see the full on stripe extravaganza we see on the runway modeled in Luxembourg anytime soon.

Update:  An additional outfit from preparations for the gala, screen capped from this video:

Now, this is a good fit!  Flattering as can be.  More of this, please!

Photos: Royal Press/Nieboer/Belga/Cour Gr Ducale/Marcio Madeira/Mark Renders/Getty Images/Wire Image/Stella Pictures/RTL