Queen Silvia at the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony, 2005
Or, at least, it's what I consider classic when it comes to Queen Silvia in her recent years. It's a big gown with a big train and big fabric (brocade embellished with crystals to give it a little something extra under the lights), but she wears it with such ease. Designed by Jacques Zehnder, Paris, it was already a repeat when she wore it to the December ceremony in 2005.What I love about this particular appearance is her choice of jewels. The Cameo Parure would not have been my first guess for a blue dress, but it worked perfectly with this cornflower shade. Nestling the tiara in one of her signature elaborate updos (works of art she seems to be phasing out these days, alas) makes for one of the best Cameo Tiara ensembles I've seen.
A peek at her hairstyle, with Crown Princess Victoria in the Baden Fringe Tiara and Processional Necklace
I know the Cameo Tiara is not universally adored, but my appreciation for the unusual and - to use the technical term - the mega-historical has only grown over the years, which means I've fallen hard for the Cameo. Is it too much to ask for this tiara to appear again, hmm? This is forever my Nobel hope. (Maybe on Victoria, hmm? Not to be too picky or anything.)My enjoyment of this gown is also swayed by one of its later appearances, at Queen Margrethe's Jubilee banquet in 2012. This time around, Queen Silvia went for the more conventional blue choice of the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure.
Video: The Swedish royal couple enters around 13:38
What stands out here is how she wore the gold collar of Denmark's Order of the Elephant. Those collars are regal but also big and clunky, and can look messy if you're not careful. But Silvia, with what must have been a few sneaky stitches here and there, tamed it easily. A dress that can do justice to those special collars is a royal dress indeed.Photos: via Getty Images
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