30 September 2015

Royal Trips of the Day: September 30

When the UN General Assembly kicks into gear in New York City, the royals come running. Queen Silvia and Queen Rania popped up in our Sunday Tidbits, and today we have a couple more to add to the list.

Queen Máxima, Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for the UN, was there as always to turn in her annual report. (She even brought along King Willem-Alexander, who addressed the General Assembly.)
Among her outfits: this repeated Bottega Veneta dress, which is kindly providing a home for a once perky peplum to live out its final, shriveled days.

Crown Princess Mary also spent a few days in NYC on a working visit. Two outfits:
A slim Signe Bøgelund-Jensen dress in a light print is pretty much the Mary Uniform at its most classic, no?

This, on the other hand, has some potential. Needs to be seen again, but consider me interested. (Clearly a deciding factor for Mary, so I thought I'd make that clear. Obvs.)

 
Signe Bøgelund-Jensen (left) and Bottega Veneta (center, right)
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29 September 2015

Royal Team of the Day: September 29

As someone who prefers Prince Harry in either casual gear or uniform, I am all about this month's run of engagements. The casual gear has been particularly plentiful, including another team up with the Cambridges for some more rugby this weekend. The match was England v. Wales, or Harry (rooting for England) v. William (rooting for Wales).
The winners were: William's team and Kate's floral trousers, which are a nice break from Breton stripes for sporting events (at least, if one isn't going to take the opportunity for jeans or full team gear).

And then, making a surprise visit to The Duke of York's Royal Military School yesterday, Harry fulfilled the other half of my favorites list.
It was what I needed on a Monday, and - go figure - it's what I need on a Tuesday too.

Photos: via Getty Images
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28 September 2015

Royal Celebration of the Day: September 28

The Dutch royal family marked the closing of the celebrations for 200 years of the Kingdom of the Netherlands this weekend, led by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.
Someone's mighty cheery, considering she apparently survived an attack of throwing stars on her way to the theater. (I have to say, though I don't care for this rendition of these decorations - which I suppose are butterflies, though you won't convince me they aren't deadly - ModeKoninginMaxima shows a version from Natan that is infinitely better.)

Honestly, the biggest disappointment for me is that Queen Máxima didn't find a way to wiggle more bling into the occasion. Thank goodness Princess Beatrix knows what's up, sneaking in a diamond rivière and some citrines.

Multiple family members were present for the event, but proving that simple elegance is all you need to rise above the crowd, Princess Irene is the one I need to call out here. This is Addy van den Krommenacker couture and it is A+, no?

Click here for a gallery with more from the celebration.

Photos: via Getty Images, Twitter
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27 September 2015

Sunday Tidbits for September 27: Portraits and Pairings and More

An unexpected amount of reburial news (of all things) this week, but here we go anyway:

--More new official portraits! Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary this time, with Mary wearing the red velvet Birgit Hallstein gown I love so much, and parts of the Danish Ruby Parure (tiara, smaller versions of the necklace and earrings, brooch without pendant, and the ring she's added to it). [Kongehuset]

--Sophie goes Top Gun! The Countess of Wessex suited up for flight during a visit to RAF Wittering this week. She also sported a rather chic black dress at another engagement. [Countess of Wessex Blog]

--It's been nearly 100 years since Tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered by Bolsheviks during the revolution, but the Russian imperial family is still not resting peacefully. Nicholas, Alexandra, and three of their daughters were reburied in St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 1998, but efforts to bury their final two children (Alexei and Maria, whose remains were found in 2007) with them have been halted by the Russian Orthodox Church's desire for further authentication. Nicholas and Alexandra's bones have now been exhumed as part of the investigation. [BBC]

--The heart of Queen Marie of Romania [1975-1938] is finally to be laid to rest in the Romanian castle where she died. She requested that her heart be buried in Balcic, but the area was eventually returned to Bulgaria, and the organ has been moved a few times since. [Guardian]

--Let's pull out of somber mode with another queenly pairing! Queen Silvia and Queen Rania teamed up for the World Childhood Foundation Gala in New York City this week, and I'm gonna go ahead and say that the good cause is reason enough to overlook that dubious choice of trousers. (There are always lots of royals roaming around NYC and DC this time of year, thanks to the UN. Silvia's visit was pretty quiet, but here's one article.) [Washington Post]

--And finally, I do not cover first ladies or female politicians here because this is not a place to discuss politics, but I enjoyed this gallery and maybe you will too: Michelle Obama's state dinner fashion, and how she often ties her dresses in to her honored guests via designer selection. We see royals do this all the time, and she's the best non-royal example I can think of when it comes to using clothes as a nod to the occasion. [New York Times]

Coming up this week: Anniversary celebrations in the Netherlands, and more...
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25 September 2015

Royal Flashback of the Week: September 25

As I saw commemorations earlier this month marking the anniversary of the death of Princess Grace of Monaco, who passed away on September 14, 1982, I decided that we were overdue for some time spent with one of her most famous, and loveliest, moments: her wedding to Prince Rainier, and (of course) the epic wedding gown that came with. Periodic reflection on Grace's gown is basically a requirement when one studies royal wedding dresses (and that, we certainly do) - after all these years, it still seems that only the smallest hint of lace in a new wedding dress is all it takes for the Grace Comparison to emerge yet again. There have been many popular royal wedding gowns in the years since, but do any of them garner so many comparisons?

Video: Black and white newsreel footage of the religious wedding and the gala performance the evening before, at which Grace wore the Bains de Mer Tiara.
Designed by Helen Rose at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, where Grace Kelly was under contract when she met Prince Rainier, the dress fascinates on a construction level alone, because it is not one garment but several assembled together to create the overall look. (We last discussed the dress in 2012, when it came in #2 on your list of favorite royal wedding gowns. Further details can be found there.) This time, we have video - and I will say, though this dress remains a firm favorite of mine, I think it's not at its best in movement. It's a little stiff in action, which is surprising because the wedding was not only guaranteed to be the subject of news coverage, but also the topic of a special film from MGM, which you can see below.

Video: MGM's The Wedding in Monaco in color, Part 1 (above) and Part 2 (below). Part 1 is mainly introduction and Grace's arrival in Monaco; Part 2 includes the civil wedding, gala performance, and religious wedding.
There's a non-wedding bonus in the video above, too, if you're looking closely enough: Princess Charlotte, Rainier's mother, can be seen wearing the Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara now worn by Princess Caroline. A rare sight, but I'll take any teensy glimpse of my favorite Monegasque tiara at work!
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24 September 2015

Royal Hats of the Day: September 24

No Tiara Thursday today! Alas! But let's look at some other sorts of queenly head decoration, shall we?

Princess Beatrix and Queen Sonja jointly opened the Munch : Van Gogh exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam yesterday.
I'm all for exhibits that bring royals together on the regular (you may remember, these two teamed up to open the show in Norway earlier this year). I'm also all for the wee bows on Queen Princess Beatrix's shoes and and color coordination, intentional or not. I'm pretty much all for everything here...though I am a little concerned that a footstool in the palace back in Oslo is feeling naked without its upholstered top.

Video: Princess Anita and Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau were also present for the opening


Queen Máxima opened the new visitor center of the Netherlands Bank on Tuesday.
I often find that Máx's daytime accessories are a little overdone, but here's a case when I think she got it just right - the long necklace adds some interest without taking over her repeated blue dress. Of course, she then added a purse with an enormous horse tail tassel on it, but I'm quitting while I'm ahead and calling this some A+ queening.

Photos: via Getty Images
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23 September 2015

Royal Portrait of the Day: September 23

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.
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22 September 2015

Royal Earrings of the Day: September 22

We've talked previously about the film currently being made about Crown Princess Mary's life. So, I saw this...
...and, well, I decided we should talk about some of her real jewelry instead. (Does my pickiness about teensy details like jewels and sashes prohibit my enjoyment of most royal biopics? Yes, yes it does. Sorry, Mary Movie. I shall never be satisfied.)

If you ask me, Crown Princess Mary has one of the fastest growing private jewel collections in all the lands. She doesn't top the list for number of tiara options, but she's amassing quite a group of modern pieces, both for casual wear and for serious gala wear. Her wedding day was the first sign of what was to come.
Not only was her tiara a newcomer, a gift from Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik and thought to be an antique purchased for her (it's not the most popular tiara, but adding to an overall family collection these days has merit of its own), her earrings were custom pieces made for her wedding day.
Designed and hand made by Marianne Dulong, they feature pendants of large South Sea pearls inside hoops of white gold with brilliant diamonds around the edge. The Danish firm has remained a favorite jeweler for the Crown Princess, and was responsible for the revamp of the Danish Ruby Parure as well as the later addition of removable pearls to her diamond wedding tiara.
Since the 2011debut of that optional pearl tiara setting, the wedding earrings are an even better match. They've become my favorite part of the set of pearl jewelry Mary has built for herself, elegant and modern but also pretty serious pieces of jewelry on their own.

Photos: Twitter, via Getty Images, Steen Evald/Kongehuset, AOP
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21 September 2015

Royal Returns of the Day: September 21

It's nice to see an appropriate level of enthusiasm when one is returning to the royal rounds, isn't it?
Prince Harry, birthday boy last week, is back on the royal scene and bearded to boot. Among other engagements, he attended the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup on Friday. His blue suit was so lonely without him.
 Click here to watch the opening video
Added bonus: Harry, Vice Patron of the Rugby Football Union, made a sneaky cameo in the opening ceremony video! Bearded Harry or clean shaven Harry, the choice is yours.

Now, as you know, nothing brings the royals together quite like sportsball, so Harry had no trouble rounding up some friends to come along for the ride. Speaking of blue suits...
Ye, the Cambridges are back too. We've been running low on new coat debuts during Kate's absence, so she got right to work filling our quota with this sharp and bright Reiss number.
REISS
Lucky for me (and my wallet), I didn't find out they made it in lilac until it was already sold out.

Photos: via Getty Images, World Rugby screencap, Reiss
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20 September 2015

Sunday Tidbits for September 20: Reigning Visits and Raining Visits

Our return to weekend tidbits begins, unfortunately, on a sad note.

--Tragic news for Dubai's ruling family: Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, has died of a heart attack. He was just 33 years old. [The National]

--A partial gathering of reigns in Europe: The annual informal meeting for heads of state of German-speaking countries (those with German as at least one of their official languages, that is) was held in Liechtenstein on Thursday, hosted by Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie. The King and Queen of the Belgians and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg were present on the royal side, along with the German, Austrian, and Swiss presidents. [Luxarazzi]

--For those in the Netherlands: Check out Queen Máxima's magnificent Jan Taminiau inauguration dress, which just went on display as part of an exhibit on Dutch fashion at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. [Gemeentemuseum]

--Princess Mako of Akishino, granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, has been studying at the University of Leicester for a year, but they've just had a press opportunity. This description of the press conference is...well, typical of the imperial court, I guess. [Leicester Mercury]

--Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit made a county visit to Akershus last week. They seem to have spent most of their time getting thoroughly drenched in the rain, but Haakon's commitment to wearing ties remained strong despite the foul weather gear. Three galleries from the trip: one, two, three. [ParisMatch]

--Over at the Jewel Vault, we've been talking about luscious earrings and modern brooch sets.

--And finally, which tiara of Queen Elizabeth II's turned out to be your favorite? The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland, of course! I kinda figured that would be the case, but I admit, I'm surprised to see it wasn't a closer race.
I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly feeling quite sad for the poor Five Aquamarine Tiara.

Coming up this week: the younger Windsors return to the scene, and more.
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18 September 2015

Royal Trip of the Week: September 18

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

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

The trip also gave us a few evening outfits, mainly of the squint-and-head tilt variety (for me).
Day 1, on Capitol Hill and the Spanish Embassy
A new Nina Ricci outfit with a top and pencil skirt in navy bouclé tweed with sequins is a texture extravaganza that might be overdoing it, throwing itself into dish scrubber-esque territory. (Nicole Kidman also wore this top with the skirt from the runway version.)
Nina Ricci separates from day 1 (Runway: Vogue.com, Top: Barneys)

Later on, things took a flapper turn.
Yesterday in Florida (where the trip will finish up), visiting Miami Dade College and the Spanish Film Festival
It's not that I don't like Letizia in Sassy Mode - because I certainly do - but these events seemed to involve an awful lot of business suits for a dress that brings along party atmosphere to spare. Eh. Not a bad thing to give the sartorial seesaw a little tip towards the overdressed side, anyway.

P.S.: The weekly tidbits post is moving back to Sunday now that more royals are back in action! See you this weekend...
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17 September 2015

Tiara Thursday: The Eisenhower Necklace Tiara

The Eisenhower Necklace Tiara
It's not often that we get to talk about a tiara with a presidential connection, but this little gem gives us just such an opportunity. With silver-topped gold, fourteen button-shaped pearls, and diamonds in various cuts (single, rose, and old mine-cut) totaling around 4.7 carats, this scroll design has detachable sides and can be worn as a tiara or a necklace. It has a fitted case stamped Carrington & Co. Jewellers, the English firm, but we know it from its American association: the jewel belonged to Mamie Doud Eisenhower (1896-1979), the wife of Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
Mamie Eisenhower (second left) wearing the necklace as First Lady in 1959
I don't know if Mrs. Eisenhower ever wore it as a tiara, but she did wear it as a necklace during her time at the White House, as shown above. Tiaras are so associated with royalty today, it would certainly cause an uproar to see one worn by a first lady in the United States (as it would in many other countries). Even taking the tiara portion out of the equation, a substantial jewel collection alone could be turned into a controversy now. But fifty-odd years ago, Mrs. Eisenhower had some nice pieces in her collection, and she wore them to official functions when appropriate.
 
That collection is how we come to know of this tiara/necklace, because it is among pieces belonging to the Eisenhowers that are now being offered for sale at Sotheby's. This one has an estimate of $2,000-$3,000. Another piece up for auction is a platinum and diamond necklace and earclip set that boasts around 35 carats of diamonds all together and was worn, among other occasions, for a state banquet at the White House in 1957 for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
The Eisenhower pieces will be sold at the Important Jewels sale on September 24th and 25th. They'll also be among those exhibited at Sotheby's Runway of Jewels opening on September 19th.

Would you make this a part of your collection?

P.S.: It's a two post day! Keep scrolling.

Photos: Sotheby's / Getty Images / White House
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Royal Event of the Day: September 17

Sweden's opening of parliament was once very grand, with elaborate court dress and tiaras and all that (see that uniform in depth here). Now it looks like this:
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King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia attended a church service in connection with the opening of parliament on Tuesday. Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Princess Madeleine, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Sofia also attended.

A simple black and white dress code, with hats (or fascinators, or bows stuck on the back of your head, or whatever). The men, they wear suits. Victoria's repeating a jacket that she wore to this event when pregnant with Estelle, and Sofia and Madeleine have an accidental twinsy thing going on, but what can you do? Such things are bound to occur when everybody's digging for whatever they've got in white and black only.
Victoria's jacket from Milly , and Madeleine's from Paule Ka

There's also an evening performance (see a gallery here, including my least favorite cape of the year - plus,  The Royals and I spotted a blue velvet coat on Silvia from the 1970s), and Crown Princess Victoria wore a shorter, slightly different version of that Adrianna Papell gown she wore the other night. Actually, the shorter version is a repeat, and came before the longer version.
Buy your favorites in every possible color and variation - sure, why not? I do the same. With sweaters or whatever and not beaded eveningwear, but still. Royals: they're just like us!

 Photos: via Getty Images / Neiman Marcus / Instagram
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16 September 2015

Royal Event of the Day: September 16

Yesterday was Prinsjesdag, or Prince's Day, when King Willem-Alexander addresses the Dutch parliament to outline the government's plans for the coming session. It's definitely my favorite royal September event, because who doesn't love a good government speech delivered in a language you don't speak? (Me! Me!) (Not me.) No, my true love is an old dress code that allows for a little flair in the sartorial department, and when you combine that with Queen Máxima, you never know what you'll get.

But you do know that she'll give you something to talk about, and we need to talk about this dress. It's from Jan Taminiau, and it is hand-painted silk organza accented with different types of embroidery and beading, all inspired by the Japanese room at Huis ten Bosch Palace. Having a dress made in the theme of a room from one of your many residences should really be the dictionary definition of couture.

The Prinsjesdag dress code is a sort of court dress, which was once much more popular for royal events but survives here in the form of long gowns, sashes, and hats for the royal ladies. It means that there's always a fine line to walk between dressing for a day event, which this is (hence no tiaras), and an evening event, for which most of these dresses were really made. Máxima walks the line every year, but this might be the closest she's come to pure eveningwear territory. 

Certainly the fact that she opted for a subtle floral headpiece (you can't see it here, alas) instead of a hat is causing some of that, but I think the larger reason is that this dress is very clearly designed for the tiara events it will see after this day is done. Most of her Prinsjesdag dresses do turn up at state banquets and other tiara occasions later on, after all. I'll be curious to see which jewels she'll pair with it in the future, after her interesting berry picks this time around. In the mean time, I think we have another contender for Máxima's best of the year.

The King's brother, Prince Constantijn, and his wife, Princess Laurentien, also attend Prinsjesdag.
You also never know what you'll get with Laurentien, and, well, I sure wouldn't have bet on a green zigzagged knit with cape sleeves. The dress is by Hardies, and she paired it with emerald and diamond jewels, a pair of earrings previously worn by Máxima, her Order of the House of Orange sash, and a beige hat.
She always keeps it interesting, you have to love her for that. Even when not a one of those interesting things goes with any of those other interesting things.

Photos: via Getty Images and NOS screencaps
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15 September 2015

Royal Outfit of the Day: September 15

Video: Crown Princess Mary addresses the delegates
Crown Princess Mary hopped from a gathering in Norway to a meeting in Lithuania yesterday, in her capacity as Patron of WHO Europe.

Photo: Robertas Dačkus, via Presidental Press Service, lrp.lt
This is Mary in classic business mode, just a simple short-sleeved navy dress with a belt, appropriate as can be for the discussing of important matters. Not usually something that would catch my eye on the sartorial front, except that I seem to have fallen hard for the shawl she tossed over her shoulders on arrival.

Mary was greeted by the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė
Photo: Robertas Dačkus, via Presidental Press Service, lrp.lt
Maybe it's because we're approaching the time of year when the leaves turn colors and I start wanting to pumpkin.all.the.things!, but swooping about in a big tartan shawl sounds real good to me. Need it. Right now.


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14 September 2015

Monday Tidbits for September 14: A Big Royal Gathering and More

Everybody's been hanging out in Norway:

--The next generation heir group (the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark, the Crown Princess of Sweden, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, plus assorted kids and minus Prince Daniel, who stayed home with a cold) got together in Norway this weekend, and nobody invited me, but it's fine, whatever. The group is looking a little sparse since their last officially unofficial gathering in 2013, because abdications have moved the Dutch, Belgian, and Spanish couples up the ladder.
Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, Det kongelige hoff

--Was last week International Give Hairnets A Chance Week? We already talked about Queen Máxima, who visited a cheese factory in an outfit made better by mandatory protective coverings; the Prince of Wales covered up for a dairy visit in Yorkshire; and the Countess of Wessex protected her cute Erdem dress while at a bakery. And now I'm hungry. [ParisMatch, Countess of Wessex Blog]

--Princess Sofia is hitting the ground running, already making a solo foreign trip (to the Global Child Forum in South Africa) and making a well-received speech there. Here's a link to video of her speech, which she delivered in English. [Hello, YouTube]

--Another royal in a figure skater dress - but this time, literally: Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Princess Caroline, skated for Monaco in the ISU Junior Grand Prix. One of her programs is below, and here's a link to an interview with her in English. [YouTube]

--I'll file this one with the rest of the outfits I wouldn't ever pick off the rack, but which work surprisingly well in action: Princess Beatrice at the Rebecca Minkoff show in NYC.

--And finally, in too cute not to link news: Princess Anne and granddaughter Mia Tindall make for an adorable duo. [Daily Mail]

Coming up this week: Prinsjesdag in the Netherlands, Parliament opening in Sweden, and a trip stateside for Spain.
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11 September 2015

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.
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
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10 September 2015

Tiara Thursday: The Tiaras of Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen just passed a big milestone (PERHAPS YOU'VE HEARD). I covered the festivities over at the Jewel Vault yesterday, but we'd be remiss not to give her some love here too. Our Thursday treat, then, will cover not one tiara but many: the tiaras of Queen Elizabeth II. A tiara retrospective, if you will, from decades at the helm of what may be the greatest jewelry collection known today. The tiaras below are in that collection and have been worn by the Queen. As always, click the name of the tiara for more information - and try the tabs at the Vault if you want to hunt down the other pieces of jewelry on display here!

Associated Press via Wikimedia Commons
My tiara affections go back and forth from one piece to another, but at the end of the day, they always come back to the trusty Girls tiara. It's my favorite, and the Queen's, too.

Royal Household
The Vladimir is probably the tiara in the collection with the most suspenseful backstory, and definitely the tiara in her collection with the most flexibility (don't forget the emerald drop option, as seen on the video below, or wear it with no drops at all).
Video: Irish state banquet, 2014
Worn most often in its pearl format, it's among the Queen's favorites.
Royal Household/John Swannell
Also known simply as the Diamond Diadem, this symbolic tiara has become more of a ceremonial piece during her reign.


Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara
Video: Mexico state banquet, 2015
A tiara that deserves to be seen in motion, this is a wall of diamonds in the best possible way.


Royal Household
Though it must be a sentimental piece for Her Majesty, having worn it on her wedding day, she's worn this classic fringe tiara only a couple times since inheriting it on the Queen Mother's death in 2002.


I love this tiara from Queen Victoria's collection and so did the Queen Mother, but it's been worn just once (so far) since it returned to the Queen in 2002.

Ricardo Stuckert/PR, Agência Brasil via Wikimedia Commons
Created to match a set of aquamarine stones given to her by Brazil, I can't hide the fact that this is my least-favorite tiara the Queen wears. But even at that, I can't argue with the magnificence of these blue stones.


Library and Archives Canada, e010994340, via Creative Commons
The tiaras added to the collection by the Queen during her reign usually draw the most divided reactions. This is one, added in 1963, is no different.

And here we are again: another tiara created at the Queen's own commission, and another of...divided opinions.

Wikimedia Commons
A wedding gift later broken apart with the stones donated to the Burmese Ruby Tiara, this classic floral tiara was a staple of her early tiara-wearing years, and deserves a mention on its own. Three brooches from the tiara and the accompanying necklace are still in use in the Queen's collection.

Although it wouldn't really become famous until she loaned it to Diana, Princess of Wales, the Queen wore Queen Mary's tiara in the early years of her reign. It's now back in the vault, awaiting its next wearer.
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Worn, it seems, just once by the Queen, this tiara has now found recognition via a loan to the Countess of Wessex, who has worn it on several occasions.


A dozen tiaras worn from her collection, but is this all of them? Maybe not. Her private collection is larger than we can know, so any retrospective is bound to be a selection only. There are others that she has loaned to family members but is not known to have worn herself, and others she may have worn privately (the Halo Scroll Tiara and the Meander Tiara, for example, were both gifted to the Queen, but she hasn't been pictured in either). Plus, there may be other treasures as yet unknown to us, the tiara-loving public.

But this is plenty to play with, so tell me: Which one is your favorite? Vote in the poll embedded below!

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