Readers' Favorite Outfits of 2017, Evening Division: Place Your Votes!

And now, it's time for the sparkle. Twenty-five gowns worn in 2017 are here for your evaluation and ranking fun in the evening division, a (hopefully) well-rounded selection of those that were popular in your comments on our Best of 2017 posts and throughout the year.

Links to past coverage are included below. You may select up to three outfits to vote for. Vote in the poll at the bottom of the page. (If you're unable to see the poll, try a different browser.) Voting will be open through noon Eastern time on January 3rd.

UPDATE: The poll is now closed.

One quick programming note before we dig in: Our next post will feature the first gowns of 2018 at the sparkling New Year's event in Denmark (and Japan!) on the evening of the 1st. See you then!

CasaReal, NRK, RVD, Italian presidency, Palais Princier

1. Queen Letizia at the Spanish/British State Banquet in Felipe Varela

2. Queen Mathilde at the Norway Birthday Gala in Armani

3. Queen Máxima at the Italian State Banquet in Jan Taminiau (also worn for King Willem-Alexander's Birthday)

4. Princess Charlene at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Carolina Herrera

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5. Queen Letizia at King Willem-Alexander's Birthday in Stella McCartney

Royal Family/Belgian Monarchy

 6. The Duchess of Cambridge at the Spanish/British State Banquet in Marchesa

7. Queen Mathilde at the Danish/Belgian State Banquet in Armani Privé

8. Crown Princess Mary at the Danish/Belgian State Banquet in Jesper Høvring (also worn for the New Year's Gala Banquet)

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9. Queen Máxima at the Argentina State Banquet in Jan Taminiau

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10. Princess Sofia at the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Ida Lanto

Instagram/NRK/Belgian Monarchy

 11. Princess Tatiana at the Norway Birthday Gala in Celia Kritharioti

12. The Countess of Wessex at the Norway Birthday Gala in Suzannah

13. Queen Margrethe at the Danish/Belgian State Banquet (also worn for the Norway Birthday Gala)

British Embassy/CasaReal/NRK

14. The Duchess of Cambridge in Paris in Jenny Packham

15. The Princess Royal at the Spanish Guildhall Banquet

16. Queen Letizia at the Spanish Guildhall Banquet in Carolina Herrera (originally identified as Armani)

17. Crown Princess Victoria at the Norway Birthday Gala in Elie Saab

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18. Crown Princess Mary at the New Year's Reception in Lasse Spangenberg (though this was a day event, the cape was debuted in the evening at the New Year's Gala Banquet and the overall look seems destined to be repeated for a gala, so let's call it evening)

Palais Princier/Kongehuset/SVT/Instagram

19. Princess Charlene at the Princess Grace Awards in Ralph Lauren

20. Queen Máxima at the Norway Birthday Gala in Jan Taminiau

21. Princess Madeleine at the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Séraphine

22. Princess Tatiana in Australia in Celia Kritharioti

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23. Crown Princess Mary at the Norway Birthday Dinner in Erdem

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24. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie in Cannes in Ralph Lauren

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25. The Duchess of Cambridge at the Diplomatic Reception in Jenny Packham


You may vote for up to THREE outfits. Ready? VOTE:

Readers' Favorite Outfits of 2017, Day Division: Place Your Votes!

Our year end fun continues with, as promised, a little voting action! It's time to pick your official (yeah, right) favorite outfits from 2017...

I decided to split this into two votes: a day division and an evening division, for double the fun. I've picked 25 of our favorite outfits worn in 2017 from each division for your eeny-meeny-miny-moe-ing pleasure - not necessarily the 25 most commented on outfits, but something of a well-rounded selection with (hopefully) something for everyone.

First up: the day division! Links to past coverage are included below. You may select up to three outfits to vote for. Vote in the poll at the bottom of the page. (If you're unable to see the poll, try a different browser.) Voting will be open through noon Eastern time on January 2nd.

UPDATE: The poll is now closed.

(One note: There are a few outfits that could go either way, day or evening, so I just picked and we'll roll with it.)

Kungahuset/Cour grand-ducale/Kensington Palace

1. Crown Princess Victoria at Prince Gabriel's Christening

2. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa at Luxembourg's National Day in Yves Dooms (also worn with a hat)

3. Princess Sofia at Prince Gabriel's Christening in folk dress

4. The Duchess of Cambridge at the V&A in Gucci

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5. Princess Eugenie at Royal Ascot in Preen

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6. Queen Máxima at the Woman 20 Summit in Natan

Belgian Monarchy/SVT/Cour grand-ducale/Casa Real

 7. Queen Mathilde at Belgium's National Day in Natan
8. Crown Princess Victoria at her 40th Birthday in Pär Engsheden
9. Queen Mathilde at the Danish/Belgian State Visit in Esmeralda Ammoun
10. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie at Luxembourg's National Day in Paule Ka
11. Queen Letizia at the Spanish/British State Visit in Felipe Varela

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12. The Countess of Wessex at Royal Ascot in Emilia Wickstead

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13. Queen Máxima at the Mozambique Visit in Roksanda Ilincic (also worn without the hat and with different jewelry)

Jan Taminiau/Casa Real/Belgian Monarchy/MoD

14. Queen Máxima at Koningsdag in Jan Taminiau (with a matching dress and hat; see link)
15. Queen Letizia at Spain's National Day in Felipe Varela (later repeated)
16. Crown Princess Mary at the Danish/Belgian State Visit in Claes Iversen (later worn with purple accessories at the Opening of Parliament)
17. Queen Elizabeth at Trooping the Colour in Stewart Parvin (also worn to a Garden Party)

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18. Princess Madeleine at Crown Princess Victoria's 40th Birthday in Erdem

Kensington Palace/BBC/Billed-Bladet/CasaReal

19. The Duchess of Cambridge in Paris in Chanel
20. The Duchess of Cambridge at Remembrance Sunday in Dolce & Gabbana
21. Crown Princess Mary at the Reformation Anniversary
22. Queen Letizia at the UNICEF Awards in Carolina Herrera (also worn for the Peru Visit)

Instagram/Kongehuset/Kungahuset

23. Queen Rania at Jordan's Independence Day
24. Queen Sonja in a Birthday Portrait
25. Crown Princess Victoria in a Birthday Portrait


You may vote for up to THREE outfits. Ready? VOTE:

Royal Christmas of the Day: The Windsors at Sandringham

I hope you had/are having a pleasant holiday/holidays/regular weekend (take your pick)! The Windsor family is here to ease us down from our sugar hangovers (please say that doesn't just go for me) with their usual hats n' coats act for their usual Christmas Day walk to church at Sandringham.

The Queen, in BRIGHT orange and a whole lotta diamonds, has been covered at the Jewel Vault, as has her Christmas broadcast and the Duchess of Cornwall's Christmas brooch. As for this selection of the rest of the crew, the question is: do we have any last minute contenders for our Readers' Favorite Outfits of 2017 vote?

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Like, say, this chic little take on beige? At her first Sandringham parade, Meghan Markle gave us blergh done right with deeper accessories, an interesting purse shape, and her second great deployment of tall boots. A strong start to a future life of hats, too.

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Perhaps you would prefer something that says, in a more specific manner, This Is My Festive Christmas Coat? If so, the Duchess of Cambridge has your back in her gold buttons and velvet-trimmed tartan.

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Should your tastes find you wishing no scarves, long sleeves, or gloves were needed, the Countess of Wessex has already beat you there with her own version of festive wrapping. Splitting up the electric blues for the day, Princess Beatrice took the hat (with a sadly droopy coat, I am sorry to report) and Princess Eugenie took the coat with some fun color blocking added in.

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And finally, there's new competitor in town for the title of most coordinated family. Well played, Phillips clan (Autumn, Isla, Peter, and Savannah).

What do you think? Any new horses in the Best of 2017 race? I'll see you back here on Thursday and the race will begin...

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

SVT screencaps

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

Instagram/tatianablatnik

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

NRK Screencap

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

RAF

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

NRK screencap

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!

Year in Review: Queen Letizia, 2017's Sartorial MVP

When I sat down to come up with my selections for this year's best outfits, the list of Queen Letizia's contenders just kept growing...and growing...and growing. She's not without her experimentation (who can forget that hiccuping ponytail?), which she balances with a steady diet of stunners. There's no competition here for me, she is our sartorial MVP right now. All hail 2017's top bringer of the jumpy claps!

State Banquet, State Visit to the United Kingdom

House of HM the King

I'm still dead from this Felipe Varela gown, and really this entire visit, which was one of my favorite things in 2017. There's no immediate hope for revival.

The jewels! The sparkle! The skirt! The RED! 

King Willem-Alexander's 50th Birthday Party

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Speaking of the RED, this Stella McCartney dress is flat out fabulous. And she brought her new best friends, the twin bracelets of the joyas de pasar, along for the party! Taking every opportunity to use these gems is my new favorite thing about her style.

State Banquet, State Visit from Argentina

House of HM the King

Her first joyas de pasar appearance still resonates for me. That simple black velvet column of a dress loaded down with diamonds...so chic.

Runners up:

• A Chinese-inspired Varela dress at the Princess of Asturias Awards with a pleasing level of swish.
• A black and white Carolina Herrera dress that's summery and flippy and desperately in need of its own yacht.
• An olive cape ensemble, because capes!
• And a lovely summertime mantón de Manila dress.

What were your favorite Letizia outfits in 2017?

Year in Review: Queen Mathilde and Crown Princess Mette-Marit's Bests of 2017

The pink ladies welcome you to the next installment of 2017's bests:

Queen Mathilde at the Indian State Banquet

Belgian Monarchy

Although Philippe and Mathilde's state visit to India didn't include any tiaras in the luggage, the day was saved with her rich gown selection. Hot pink color, rich embellishment, a flattering silhouette, oh yes.

Runner up:

• Saucy and sparkly and red on the second night of the Danish state visit surely warrants a mention - and nearly took the top prize.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit at the Annual Parliament Dinner

A post shared by Koma by Marte (@komabymarte) on Oct 28, 2017 at 1:13pm PDT

I'm not going to lie to you, I had a real tough time coming up with a best list for our friend Mette-Marit. I settled on this pale pink Koma by Marte dress not just for the dress (although it's lovely and pastels work well with her coloring) but because she chose to pair the Amethyst Necklace Tiara and parure with it.

VG screencap

Her default seems to be the Diamond Daisy Tiara and that would have been a natural choice with the pink. The unexpected, that's what I love. (And the purple.)

Runner up:

• Her appearance at King Harald and Queen Sonja's 80th birthday gala banquet, once again for the unexpected tiara choice.

What were your favorite Mathilde and Mette-Marit outfits in 2017?

Year in Review: Crown Princess Mary and Crown Princess Victoria's Bests of 2017

Welcome one and all to the monochrome section of our 2017 yearly bests!

Crown Princess Mary at a New Year's Reception

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Mary is usually one of the first to rack up a contender for her best list each year, thanks to one of the most formal occasions on the Danish calendar falling on January 1, the New Year's Banquet. Except in 2017, she baffled me by tossing a seemingly unrelated plum cape over her sublime gold gown. Fast forward a couple days, and the pieces all fell into place: the cape belongs to this, a splendid new Lasse Spangenberg outfit perfectly suited to these court dress occasions, requiring a long dress and no tiara (because it's in the daytime). Love.

Runners up:

• That Jesper Høvring gold gown was sublime, so it does earn a spot here as repeated with the Danish Rubies for the Belgian state banquet.
• A Sabrina turn in black and white floral can't be forgotten, either.

Crown Princess Victoria at Prince Gabriel's Christening

Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se

Victoria's best is often drawn from December - usually from the Nobel Prize ceremony, but for this year, I have to give it to the sharp red skirt and jacket she wore to Prince Gabriel's christening. Excellent color, excellent proportions, excellent all around.

Runner up:

• I'm still partial to that floral ball gown from Nobel Night #2, and if the fabric wasn't quite so shiny, it would have taken my top prize.

What were your favorite Mary and Victoria outfits in 2017?

Year in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Máxima's Bests of 2017

I'm picking my best 2017 outfits from our most frequently featured royal ladies in a series of posts this week and next. I'll also have a post of favorites from other royal women. Make sure you hop down to the comments as we go along to share your own personal favorites - I'm paying attention, and maybe we'll do a thing...

These two ladies have two bests with one thing in common: NECKLACES, baby. The bigger the diamonds, the better.

The Duchess of Cambridge at the Diplomatic Reception

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I wouldn't normally consider something like this for my yearly best list. We can't even see the dress properly! (Though the lovely Heaven did receive confirmation that, as many suspected, it was a bespoke Jenny Packham gown.) But here's the thing: the best bit about Kate's sartorial output in 2017 was, for me, the new things she got to borrow from the Queen's jewel vault. And none gave me the jumpy claps more than her use of a basic diamond collet necklace - the height of opulence, while not overwhelming the design of any outfit. So I'll just stick my blue ribbon right on that car window and that'll be that.

Runners up:

• An Armani Collezioni suit made for one of her sleekest and most professional appearances of the year.
• Another blue sparkly Jenny Packham at the Royal Variety Performance was my favorite of her evening dresses this year - of those we could legit see, that is.

Queen Máxima at the State Banquet for the President and First Lady of Argentina

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Now this dress, on the other hand, is likely to make my best list every single time it appears. And Máxima topping her repeated Jan Taminiau princess dress with the ULTIMATE necklace from the family collection vaults it right into the top spot. Wearing the Stuart or House Diamond Necklace feels like one step towards a possible reappearance of that Stuart Tiara, though it's staggering all on its own. (Her jewel digging also unearthed the necklace of the Ruby Peacock Parure this year, for bonus points.)

Runners up:

• Her bold Taminiau caped dress on the second night of the state visit to Portugal actually beats out her tiara appearance on the first night for me, in hindsight.
• Wouldn't be a Máxima list without some serious sleeve-age, right? So obviously her turn at that popular Roksanda Ilincic dress nabs another spot.
• And...a jumpsuit?! Can it be? Honestly, black and white from Roland Mouret might have been her sleekest appearance of the year.

What were your favorite Catherine and Máxima outfits in 2017?

Year in Review: 2017's Tiara Happenings

What better way to kick off our 2017 wrap up than with a recap of the best news from the world of sparkly headgear, hmm? This year brought us several surprises, from tiara changes to rare sightings to newly enthusiastic wearers of big guns...

Queen Letizia Wears the Fleur de Lys Tiara

House of HM the King

I'd been waiting for Letizia to break into the "joyas de pasar", the jewels intended to be passed from queen to queen in Spain per Queen Victoria Eugenia's will, since King Felipe took the throne in 2014. She finally busted out the good stuff in 2017 and she did so with gusto. For February's Argentina state banquet, she wore the earrings, bracelets, and the crowning jewel: the Fleur de Lys Tiara, a.k.a. La Buena. Spain's grandest diadem also made the trip to the U.K. for another high profile state banquet appearance.

Princess Sofia's Emerald and Diamond Tiara Shows its Range

SVT/Kungahuset.se

When Sofia appeared at her wedding wearing a new tiara topped by emeralds, many wondered if those could be swapped out. 2017 has an answer for you: yes they can, and more! After leaving her Emerald and Diamond Tiara alone for several months (while she took the opportunity to try out several new tiaras from the family vault, including Queen Josephine's Amethyst Tiara and the Six Button Tiara in 2017), it reappeared with a more open frame, first without the emeralds as an all-diamond tiara and then with the emeralds replaced with pearls. And then with the emeralds back in place, just to show a full range of tricks. It's the best surprise from the Swedish family stash this year, when we were also given debuts of Crown Princess Victoria in the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara and Princess Christina in the Cut Steel Bandeau.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit Wears the Vifte Tiara as a Tiara

NRK

Mette-Marit has worn Queen Maud's petite Vifte Tiara as a necklace in the past, but using it as a tiara is rare and not something she'd tried before. Until the big gala dinner celebrating King Harald and Queen Sonja's 80th birthdays, that is. It's a charming piece - and even more charming to see her try something new. (Even if it takes a candelabra to the head to see it properly.)

Two German Tiaras Get New Appearances

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I'll celebrate the appearance of any historic tiara hailing from royal houses that don't have frequent tiara occasions. Two German weddings gave us a chance to see two big German tiaras this year: Ekaterina Malysheva in the Hanover Floral Tiara and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia in the Prussian Meander Tiara.

Which tiara delighted you the most in 2017?

 (If you're in the mood for a nostalgic and sparkly look back, you can revisit all the tiara appearances we covered this year by clicking here.)

Wednesday Tidbits for December 13: A Farewell, a New Portrait

Let's go:

--King Michael I of Romania passed away last week at the age of 96, after a life so packed with history an obituary can barely scrape the surface. His funeral is on Saturday; the Prince of Wales, the King and Queen of Sweden, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain will be among the mourners. Michael’s heir is his eldest daughter, Margareta, who has been styled as Her Majesty the Custodian of the Romanian Crown by the royal household since his death. (House law signed by King Michael in 2007 states that the head of the household has the title of king or queen, whether the family is reigning or non-reigning.) [New York Times]

--A new portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh was released and it is fantastic. Per the palace: “The portrait, by Australian born artist Ralph Heimans, has been produced for display at the Natural History Museum of Denmark at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark. The Museum is holding a retrospective exhibition of Mr Heimans' work in 2018."

 "Part of the exhibition explores the historical connections between the Royal Families of Great Britain & Denmark. The portrait is set at Windsor Castle and The Duke of Edinburgh is depicted wearing the sash of the Order of the Elephant, Denmark's highest-ranking honour. Windsor Castle holds special significance in regard to The Duke of Edinburgh's ancestry. At the end of the Grand Corridor is the Tapestry Room where His Royal Highness' mother, Princess Alice, and maternal grandmother, Princess Victoria were born.” Prince Philip was, of course born a Prince of Greece and Denmark. Mr. Heimans also painted a Diamond Jubilee portrait of the Queen, which is also fantastic. [National Portrait Gallery]

--Here’s Queen Mathilde, trying to sneak in another contender for her best outfit of the year just under the wire. This pink gown was paired with the Wolfers Necklace Tiara in necklace form and was worn to receive the Honorary National German Sustainability Award.

Belgian Monarchy

Belgian Monarchy

--And finally, an opportunity to see some historical royal fashion in person: the Fashion Museum in Bath has a family tree of royal clothing going on exhibition in 2018, including items worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret. "Royal Women" runs from February 3, 2018 to April 28, 2019. [Telegraph]

Coming up this week and next: It's time to start wrapping up 2017...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!

Tiara Watch of the Day: A Second Night of Nobel Sparkle

They’ve gone and done it again, those Swedish royal ladies. For the second night in a row, I am charmed by one and all. And they’re going for the title of Year’s Most Color Coordinated Family while they’re at it.

The royal family with laureate Kazuo Ishiguro and wife Lorna MacDougall.
Kungahuset.se

A pastel spring palette for all, anchored by the deep blue of Queen Silvia's Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure. The whole thing starts with Crown Princess Victoria's floral dress by Camilla Thulin. Man, I love a floral ball gown.

Kungahuset.se

And that is a BALL GOWN, make no mistake! Grand with a bit of whimsy. With a nature-themed tiara in Princess Lilian’s Laurel Wreath, she’s perfectly coordinated.

A post shared by Expressen Kungligt (@expressenkungligt) on Dec 11, 2017 at 12:18pm PST

Princess Sofia’s throwing in the greens with a caped (!) dress and the return of the emeralds on her wedding tiara. The elastic (or whatever) at the waist seems a little flimsy for the rest of the drama, though I'm prepared to overlook it since we have a case of Tiara Hair Worn Down done right.

Kungahuset.se

It's good, right? As is Princess Madeleine (another member of the list of royals that can handle a tiara worn with hair down, incidentally). Madeleine’s appearance at Carl Philip and Sofia’s wedding in this Elie Saab gown is one of my all-time favorite maternity gala appearances; it’s just as grand the second time, paired again with the Modern Fringe Tiara.

Shall we catch up with the Norway Nobel crew, while we're at it? For their second night, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. You'll never guess what she wore...

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It's more Erdem x H&M! We knew it was going to be popular, we just didn't know how popular. We should have made Bingo cards with these pieces, guys. Missed opportunity.

Erdem x H&M

Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes, 2017

For the first time in quite some time, I really like all the ensembles our Scandinavian royal friends wore for the Nobel Prize ceremonies – in both Norway, where the Peace Prize is awarded, and in Sweden, where the rest are awarded. This is particularly great in the case of the Swedish royal ladies, because we can focus on the tiaras. And they gave us a lot of tiara fun to talk about… (Revisit our open post for links to watch the ceremonies.)

Biggest Tiara Surprise

Crown Princess Victoria

SVT

I always seem to predict a nice jewel tone for Victoria, so this light blue was a big surprise. An even bigger surprise: Victoria wore the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara for the first time! She made it her own by adding a diamond rivière to the base. (She’s done this sort of temporary addition in the past to the Button Tiaras.)

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Queen Silvia’s diamond floral earrings were a good balance for the large collar on this Jennifer Blom dress. You could take that down a notch and be none the worse, my single quibble with this otherwise delightful mass of light blue pleats.

Most Improved Tiara

Princess Sofia
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Sofia just showed us that her Emerald and Diamond Tiara could lose its emeralds and open up its shape. She wasn’t done showing us her tiara’s many tricks, apparently, because now she’s replaced those emeralds with pearls. This tiara has never looked better.

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The dress is from designer Ida Lanto, and that’s a princess dress if I ever saw one. Between that and the intense sparkle from her tiara, Sofia was operating at her highest princess level tonight.

Best Tiara Showcase

Princess Madeleine

SVT

Queen Josephine’s Amethyst Tiara isn’t an easy one to wear. Amethysts good enough to eat, but a wide circumference that’s tripped up many an experienced tiara model. Unless you’re Princess Madeleine. This is the second time she’s aced an amethyst outing.

SVT

She added other pieces from the Amethyst Parure to her look, which was just the first in a purple group tonight (much to my delight). Her bespoke dress from maternity label Séraphine is “pure mauve silk, featuring sumptuous hand-beaded overlay in precious gold silk.” Sumptuous indeed.

Achievements in Tiara Tackling

Princess Christina

SVT

She’s the best wearer of both the Dreaded Button Tiaras, she makes the tall Cut Steel Tiara look right at home, and now she’s tackled the Cut Steel Bandeau like a champ and came out on top. Princess Christina, folks. Give her a round of applause.

Most Predictable Tiara

Queen Silvia

SVT

As demonstrated by our recent flashback, Silvia’s been alternating the Leuchtenberg Sapphires and the Nine Prong Tiara for several years now. Last year we had the sapphires, so…Pronger, you’re up. She’s predictable but on trend with that purple dress, at least according to Pantone’s Color of the Year. It’s a repeat from the state visit to Germany by designer Georg et Arend (per The Royals and I).

Most Predictable in Daywear

Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize

Holding down the daywear fort, the Norwegian royals attended the Peace Prize ceremony earlier in the day and this is both exactly as you would expect (oh look, Mette-Marit’s worn a floral!) and even better than you’d expect (but get that floral in my closet right now, that looks rich). Well done, ladies.

Nobel fun continues with a dinner in Norway and, on Monday, another tiara dinner in Sweden. Stay tuned!

Who wins your prizes at this year’s festivities?

Open Post: The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony, 2017

Here's your open post for those wishing to watch the Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies in Stockholm live today. The gala ceremony begins at 4:30 pm local time (that's 10:30 am Eastern). It's scheduled to last until 6:00 pm. At 7:00 pm the Nobel Banquet begins and this is also broadcast for several hours, so there's lots of time to check in.

Streaming is available via the Nobel Prize organization and through Swedish broadcaster SVT.

Livestream links:

SVT - Nobel Banquet

SVT - Awards Ceremony

Nobel Prize YouTube - Awards Ceremony

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded earlier in Oslo. You can click here for video.

We will have a full recap post of both ceremonies later in the day. Until then, please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!

Update: Post is up!

Royal Coat of the Day: The Duchess of Cambridge in Manchester

Programming Note: We will be up and running on Sunday for the Nobel Prizes! An open post with streaming links will be up for the Swedish ceremony, which begins at 4:30 pm in Stockholm. (That's 10:30 am, Eastern.) And we'll have our post up after the festivities are over.

***************

There's been another addition to the Royal Coat Museum, and maybe I want to steal it. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Children's Global Media Summit in Manchester on Wednesday.

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I mean, I won't, okay. Unless you could get rid of those top two pocket flaps, and in that case, funnel allllll the houndstooth (as the brand refers to it, for those quibbling about pattern description...) right over here. Right. Over. Here.

Kensington Palace

Red was a good combo with the coat. (Although I'm not sure what wouldn't be a good combo with it, such is the case with the good ones...)

L.K. Bennett Delli Check Coat and Goat Elodie Dress