Royal Outfits of the Day: Earrings & Lace with Mary & Kate

Finishing the week with two ladies who unknowingly coordinated on the same fabulous theme: mega earrings with lotsa lace.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Tusk Conservation Awards last night.

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It's baaaaaack! Kate finally repeated the Jenny Packham teal dress that's been a fan favorite ever since she wore it in 2012. Still a fan favorite?

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The first appearance, at the Team GB gala in 2012.

I'm gonna say yes, with the caveat that I miss the updo. She gave it a MAJOR earring upgrade this time, going from faux stones to Diamond Chandelier Earrings on loan from the Queen - but you can only see them in select pictures from the night. (Also, remember the back? Crime to cover that up, really.)

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended a dinner as their tour of Italy continued this week.

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Mary's right in step, making her contribution with a Dolce & Gabbana basic black lace dress. (Italian designers for an Italian trip, see. She also wore some Armani.) And she's still doing her part to further the Purple Is The New Black cause, bless.

Shabana Earrings by Amrita Singh

Also doing her part for today's mega earring theme! Not mega in value, perhaps, but about as mega in scale as you can get. Maybe would've preferred something with a silver tone to go with the purple, though? 

During their trip, the crown princely couple had an audience with the Pope.

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This one works with our theme too. Mary stuck to the traditional choices when visiting the Vatican, black with a veil. Traditional jewelry, even, adding a brooch and wearing pearl and diamond earrings. I detect a collar clash between her coat and shirt, but the rest of this is pretty solid.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Camilla & Kate Lead the Other British Stuff

As the Sussexes wound down their marathon tour, another leading Windsor lady poked her head back out and another leading Windsor couple embarked on a journey of their own.

The Duchess of Cambridge visited the Imperial War Museum.

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Kate had an embargoed engagement this week visiting the Imperial War Museum to see items relating to her own family; her great-grandmother's three brothers all fought and lost their lives in World War I.

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She repeated the blue Jenny Packham dress she wore on arrival in Canada in 2016, which looks quite different with her hair down and covering the collar (it's also covering most of her poppy brooch). I'd still rate it the same as I did when it took home my prize for her best of 2016: prim and proper, but lovely in a thoroughly princess-y way. It's pretty much always going to be appropriate.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall began a tour of West Africa with a visit to The Gambia.

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Meanwhile, Charles and Camilla headed off on another royal tour, and Camilla hit it out of the park on engagement #1. She's settled on long tunic tops and flowing trousers for any travel to warm locales (high temperatures are apparently tough for her) (same, Cams). This Anna Valentine version may be my favorite yet, with rich gold embellishment on a crisp ivory background. Such a great solution for her.

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The evening gown version of that uniform was on order for the official dinner hosted by the President and First Lady of The Gambia. It's your basic sparkleblergh for Camilla (again by Anna Valentine), but I spy her Magic Alhambra Diamond Earrings and those override everything else for me.

Royal Trip of the Day: The Sussexes, Continued

After our lovely tiara-filled break last week, we'll catch up with Harry and Meghan and their ongoing mega tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. Let's just run through the evening highlights:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a dinner in Fiji.
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Notable because it was, well, a color ("Fijian blue"), this Safiyaa dress is caped and therefore A-OK with me. I found this appearance notable for another reason:

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The earrings. Per Emily Andrews, the palace said they were borrowed by wouldn't say from whom, which is unusual. When things are borrowed from the Queen (as usual), they say (and they were happy to note the provenance of other pieces, such as a bracelet she was wearing earlier from Prince Charles). That leads me to believe they're from someone else or a jeweler. We shall have to see if they are ever worn again.

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The couple also attended a dinner in Tonga hosted by the King and Queen of Tonga. 

Sleek and white by Theia, this feels squarely in Meghan's wheelhouse. There's some jewel interest here, too; with her Birks diamond earrings, she wore a diamond bracelet that many have pointed out looks to be one from Diana, Princess of Wales' collection.

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Back in Australia, they attended the Australian Geographic Society Awards.

This might be the first thing Meghan's picked that truly surprised me. In a good way. It's a much-needed dash of fairy princess courtesy of Oscar de la Renta. My only quibble? Harry needed to get on his wife's level. It wasn't a tuxedo occasion, but his standard blue suit with suede shoes just isn't cutting it.

On to New Zealand, and a reception with the Governor-General and Prime Minister.
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Good dress (by Gabriela Hearst), better speech. Watch it below.

While we're Sussexing, let's note that their wedding exhibition at Windsor Castle has opened. It will be on display until January 6, 2019, then move to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from June 13, 2019 to October 6, 2019. The display includes Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara, plus the outfits worn by Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

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The couple provided commentary for the exhibition. In their comments, they revealed a bit about something countless people have wondered: how exactly are the tiaras chosen? Meghan said:

"When it came to the tiara on the day I was very fortunate to be able to choose this very gorgeous Art Deco-style bandeau tiara. Harry and I had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with Her Majesty the Queen to select one of the options that were there, which was an incredibly surreal day, as you can imagine. That was the one that I think, as we tried them on, stood out. I think it was just perfect because it was so clean and simple, and I think also at that point an extension to what Clare and I had been trying to do with the dress, which was have something that could be so incredibly timeless but still feel modern."

Harry added that it was "every girl's dream to be able to try on a tiara and funnily enough the one that suited the best, the one that looked the best on you without question. I shouldn’t have really been there; it was such an incredible loan by my grandmother."

I think they're really the first that have commented on how that choice is made - apart from many articles dealing in speculation. How many tiaras and what else she might have been picking from...well, that remains a mystery.

Tiara Watch of the Day: It's Denmark's Turn to Sparkle

Tiaras were out on Monday (Belgian state visit to Portugal); tiaras were out on Tuesday (Dutch state visit to Britain); tiaras were out on Wednesday (we're going to talk about them in two seconds); tiaras will even be out on Thursday (Norway has a banquet tonight, which of course we'll do our best to cover). That might be some kind of record?! We're just trying to keep up:

The Danish royal family hosted a gala banquet for members of the government, parliament, and the European parliament on Wednesday night.

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Yes, Queen Margrethe definitely had to get in on this week o' sparkle. She wore her Floral Aigrette Tiara and her trusty Yeti pelt. This is the dress she wore for Crown Prince Frederik's 50th birthday gala. You can always tell when she's loving a new look, because she'll wear it a whole bunch. (I kinda love that about her.)

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All of the princesses went dark and sparkly, starting with Princess Benedikte in her Floral Tiara. The extra band of bling around the waist on this dress helps make it something special, I think.

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Princess Marie repeated a dress and used her Diamond Floral Tiara too. A solo Crown Princess Mary - Crown Prince Frederik is in Australia for the Invictus Games - wore her Wedding Tiara. We haven't seen that one in a while, since she's been using her Diamond, Ruby, and Spinel Necklace Tiara. But it's not the return that delights me most: the Bambi dress is back!

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The original appearance, 2014

This Jesper Høvring ensemble became an instant favorite when Mary was presented with a BAMBI Award in 2014. It's not a dress, actually; it's designed as a top and skirt. The skirt was worn with a blue velvet top for the New Year's Court gala in 2016. It's always good to see the classics back in rotation.

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A coral headliner and her navy back up singers, fabulous. (You can see here how Margrethe has wrapped the Floral Aigrette pieces around her 'do and how interesting her necklace is - it's a bracelet that she likes to use as a choker. Lest you think Máxima is the only one getting creative in the jewel department...)

Breaking Jewel News: Máxima Wears the Full Stuart Tiara, Kate in a New Loan and an Order, and More British/Dutch State Banquet Surprises

Máxima makes breaking news with the same tiara twice in one year and THAT’S NOT EVEN ALL. What an event. (As ever, click the individual jewel names for more info!)

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima started their state visit to the United Kingdom today; you can find the day events covered in full at the Vault. Part of the Dutch couple’s day agenda included a stop at Westminster Abbey, where they paid their respects at the graves of King William III and Queen Mary II. William and Mary were owners of the Stuart Diamond, the magnificent 40-carat pear-shaped rose-cut diamond that features in the center of the Stuart Tiara.

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So what else was Queen Máxima going to wear for the evening’s state banquet?! Of course she had to debut that big blue-gray stone. The complete Stuart Tiara hasn’t been worn since the reign of Queen Juliana. Máxima debuted a smaller setting of the tiara, without the showpiece Stuart stone, earlier this year in Luxembourg. She also wore the large “House Diamond” stomacher/brooch and the diamond earrings that belong with the set of jewels Juliana regularly wore with the Stuart. Her dress is Jan Taminiau. This might be the first time I'm saying this, but: I want her to lose the cape.

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Other surprises abounded! For Queen Elizabeth II, a favorite set of jewels – the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara with the George VI Festoon Necklace – was joined by a rarer pick: the Cullinan III and IV Brooch. The Cullinan Diamond was cut by Asscher in Amsterdam, so that’s no random choice. (You can find a deeper dive on the Queen's jewels at the Vault, here.) The Duchess of Cornwall was in her usual Greville Tiara, though she did pep up her entirely white ensemble with the Pink Topaz Choker.

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(Order check: King Willem-Alexander wore the Order of the Garter, given to him today by QEII. QEII wore the Order of the Netherlands Lion. The Prince of Wales wore the Dutch Order of the Crown. Orders weren't exchanged for Máxima or Camilla, so they wore their usuals: Netherlands Lion and the Royal Victorian Order.)

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The Duchess of Cambridge loaded up on the surprises. With the Lover’s Knot Tiara and Diana’s Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings, she wore a new necklace loan from the Queen: Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace. It was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and hasn’t been seen since the Queen inherited it. Makes a gorgeous assembled parure all together, no?

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Kate also wore something many of you have been seeking for years: the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II. We only know when this order has been awarded after we see it in use, as we are seeing here on her blue Alexander McQueen gown. Apparently, it is in fact the second time she’s wearing it, after debuting it at December’s Diplomatic Reception. Whereas other examples of this brooch include ivory, the Duchess of Cambridge’s uses glass. (William is against ivory.)

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Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau, sister-in-law of King Willem-Alexander, was invited to the banquet; she is London-based. She is wearing the Dutch Sapphire Necklace Tiara, which is a first for her.

Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Michael Michael of Kent amongst the Royal Guests arriving for tonights State Banquet. pic.twitter.com/UryIp5TL8J

— Mark Stewart (@RegalEyes) October 23, 2018

Captured on their way to the banquet, it's the Cartier Indian Tiara for the Duchess of Gloucester and the Kent Festoon Tiara for Princess Michael of Kent, who was also wearing quite a collection of aquamarines:

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The Countess of Wessex was in aquamarines as well, with an Emilia Wickstead dress and the Five Aquamarine Tiara. The Princess Royal attended in a light blue dress.

Tiara Watch of the Day: Queen Mathilde in Portugal

It's a multi-tiara event week, buckle your seat belts. (Speaking of which, don't forget that you can find our quickest coverage of the British/Dutch state visit over at the Jewel Vault, before it is covered here.)

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde began a state visit to Portugal yesterday.

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First up in this week's state visits are the Belgians in Portugal. Queen Mathilde arrived in a repeated Armani outfit with a delicate lace coat and satiny dress, topped by a Philip Treacy hat. This outfit was debuted last year during events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.

With the President of the Portuguese Republic
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Mathilde originally wore this for the Last Post ceremony, an event that went into evening. I think maybe that suited it better - although it's certainly easy to see why she categorized it as an outfit special enough for a state visit. That lace is like gossamer. (Also, she should wear more Philip Treacy hats.)

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The Queen rolled that gossamer feel right into the state banquet, wearing a new gown in a soft shade of sparkle blergh. The sash situation here is tricky. Making both the Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator and a sash look neat and tidy is a feat that's eluded two queens in a row now.

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Anyway, this state banquet managed to provide multiple tiaras for us. Firstly, the Queen wore her Laurel Wreath Tiara. It was a wedding gift and her primary tiara for years and years; it's now one she's used for other visits like this one, to a republic.

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The Duke and Duchess of Braganza are also regulars at these banquets. (The Duke is a claimant to the defunct Portuguese throne.) The pink-clad Duchess still has a few tiara options at her disposal; this one is a lovely necklace piece.

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Also present (and kindly sharing on her Instagram) was Princess Diana d'Orléans, Duchess of Cadaval, with her husband Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans. The Portuguese noblewoman wore the Cadaval Tiara, a tiara of diamonds and pearls she wore on her wedding day.

Qualifies as an A+ tiara turnout, I'd say! That's a good start to the week.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia at the Princess of Asturias Awards

For Queen Letizia's dress at year's Princess of Asturias Awards, Felipe Varela took last year's theme of intricate embroidery and turned it up to 11.

King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Queen Sofia attended the Princess of Asturias Awards on Friday.
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Letizia wore a brocade patchwork midi length dress featuring hand embroidery completed in thread with crystal and metal, using shades of dark blue, cerulean, slate, and nude.

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It almost has the look of embellished boiled leather, a dress of armor to give the fanciest costumes from Game of Thrones a run for their money. (It is not, however, a terribly stiff thing. You can see it in movement here; the skirt sways nicely.)

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There's not a single simple thing about this. Not even the hair, which is deceptively more complicated than a plain tucked behind the ears look; not even the earrings, nicely loaded with history as part of the joyas de pasar. One thing's undeniable, though: this is ART. Hundreds of hours of hand embroidery! She's wearing a museum piece.

Letizia also usually wears Varela to the concert that's held before the awards. She broke with that tradition this year, opting for an Emporio Armani dress.

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 It is black; it has a ruffle; it will not be remembered. (By me.) No matter, though.

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Because when you're rocking not only the big earrings from the joyas de pasar but the twin diamond bracelets, I'm not going to focus on much else anyway.

Royal Trip of the Day: Back to the Sussexes in Australia

Jumping right back into the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's tour of Australia with some of the latest: 

The couple visited Bondi Beach and met with a local surfing community group raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing.

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So this is what variety looks like in the land of neutrals: stripes of neutrals in a Martin Grant maxi dress. Chop it from a maxi to a midi and you'd have my very favorite look of the trip thus far.

They next visited a high school in Sydney.

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But currently the stripes won't compete with this number for my reigning trip fave. (So much more trip to go, though.) Roksanda is an interesting designer for the Duchess; modern, clean lines - which Meghan seems to love - but much more playful use of strong design features and color. This particular dress is basically just dipping a single toe into the Roksanda pool. A promising dip.

Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Bride and Bridal Party

We’ve done a deep dive on the tiara surprise at Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank; click here for all of the posts on this wedding.

The Bride

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Princess Eugenie revealed in a pre-wedding interview that she was using a British-based designer for her wedding gown. British-based rather than just British set off a guessing game that was heavy on Erdem and very light on the actual correct answer: Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, founders of the British-based label Peter Pilotto. (Pilotto is Austrian and Italian; De Vos is Belgian and Peruvian.)

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I associate Peter Pilotto with innovative use of prints in intriguing silhouettes, something brought to life in royal wedding gown format through complicated construction and a custom jacquard fabric. The fabric was designed by Pilotto and De Vos to include several meaningful motifs: thistles for Scotland because the couple is fond of Balmoral, shamrocks for Ireland as a nod to the Ferguson family, York roses, and ivy since the couple live in Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. Those symbols were crafted into “a garland of rope like motifs, woven into a jacquard of silk, cotton and viscose blend.” The design was then translated into a jacquard weave in Italy.

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The silhouette was identified after the designers researched previous dresses worn by members of the royal family, with close involvement from Princess Eugenie. The dress is constructed in multiple layers, including a corset, a complex underskirt, a fitted bodice, and a full pleated skirt.

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The neckline folds around the shoulders and dips into a low back. Eugenie specifically requested a low back because she wanted the scar from her scoliosis surgery at age 12 to be on full display. "I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that," she said in an interview before the wedding. She’s been very open about her battle with scoliosis; she’s patron of the hospital where she had her surgery. It’s a powerful statement. Quite a beautiful one as well.

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She went without a veil; a veil would have covered up the scar – and probably would have turned into a logistical nightmare, given the wind was snatching hats left and right today. The veil-free choice was all the better to display the best part of the gown: the full-length train. The back view was simply stunning, perfect for standing at the altar and walking down an aisle as grand as St. George’s Chapel. I didn’t love the neckline, but whatever it took to get to that low back is worth it.

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The wedding was the first time we’ve seen Princess Eugenie in a tiara and she certainly made a splash: the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara was a mystery before the wedding and hadn’t been previously worn by a member of the royal family. We’ve covered it in depth here. She paired the tiara with diamond and emerald earrings which were a gift from her new husband. Her wedding shoes were satin peep-toe heels by Charlotte Olympia.

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The bouquet was created by Patrice Van Helden Oakes, sister of Rob Van Helden, the main floral designer for the wedding. It included Lily of the Valley, Stephanotis pips, hints of baby blue thistles, white spray roses and trailing ivy, in addition to the traditional sprigs of myrtle from Osbourne House. That tradition goes back to Queen Victoria.

The Bridesmaids, Page Boys, and Special Attendant
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Blue and green were the big colors in this wedding, something emphasized by the outfits of the bridesmaids and page boys. These were designed by Amaia Arrieta of Amaia Kids. The colorful sashes around their waists are patterned with the same Mark Bradford artwork included in the Order of Service. A playful detail in action that I assume is also of some meaning to the couple.

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Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor was a special attendant in the bridal party, a.k.a. the designated wrangler of all the young ones. Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to find a decent pic of her (at the time I'm writing this), but she hit a nice note between grown up guest and color-coordinated bridal party member with her Claudie Pierlot dress Emily London hat.

The Maid of Honor and Mother of the Bride

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Princess Beatrice was named Maid of Honor. Rather than the position of train-wrangler in a matching gown you might have expected, it seems to have been more of a special designation for someone close to the bride. Beatrice wore a royal blue outfit from Ralph and Russo and a hat by Sarah Cant, plus a diamond buggy brooch on her side. Can we get MORE RALPH AND RUSSO for her, uh, right now?! She looked very sharp indeed.

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Sarah, Duchess of York was also quite sharp, I thought, in her green outfit by Emma Louise Design and a statement hat from Jess Collett Hats. She also had a meaningful touch in her outfit: her vintage Manolo Blahnik bag was carried by her own mother, the late Susan Barrantes, at Sarah and Andrew’s wedding in 1986. Sweet touches all over, just how it should be.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Accessory Interest with Kate and Mary

First: The royal family announced yesterday that they will stream Princess Eugenie's wedding via the Royal Family and Duke of York social media sites and YouTube. That will be open to all, so huzzah for those in countries not broadcasting and those without cable. We will have an open post for the occasion.

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The Duchess of Cambridge opened the V&A's Photography Centre last night.

Wasn't planning on doubling up on Kate posts this week, but then she went and wore one of the most interesting things she's worn in quite some time. I loved this Erdem dress when Carey Mulligan wore it last year and I love it now. Plus, we're dabbling in purple (-ish, just let me have this one) accessories again. So you know I approve.

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(Might actually like it in the shorter retail version if you're going to add the belt, though? And then leave the longer without the belt, like Carey Mulligan did? Not a deal breaker either way.)

The Danish royal family attended a performance celebrating 100 years of Iceland's independence last night.

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Crown Princess Mary has also been dabbling in purple accessories. Now, the shoes here almost look like she mismatched the dress color, but it appears she's also wearing her amethyst earrings, which says intentional. I don't think the overall thing is working. So I'm gonna blame that on the dress. (Princess Marie has a late entry to our green theme, you can click through the rest of the family above.)

Royal Events of the Day: Denmark & Norway Open Parliament

Two more monarchies checked the opening of parliament off their autumn to do list yesterday:

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In Denmark, the primary members of the royal family watch the proceedings from a balcony (rather than the monarch giving a speech, as happens in other countries). Queen Margrethe's cheery blue outfit provided a welcome dash of color on a rainy day.

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Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie seemed appropriately bundled up, Marie even adding a turtleneck under her repeated Paule Ka coat (which Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie also owns). Mary is channeling Jackie O in this jacket and pillbox hat - with some skirt color to pep things up - which is pretty much a foolproof strategy.

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My winner for the day, though, is the perpetually elegant Princess Benedikte. She arrived in a brown wrap over a pumpkin dress with a feather in her hat. If autumn itself needed a parliament opening outfit, this is the outfit autumn would wear. Perfection.

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For Norway's parliament opening, King Harald reads the speech; he's accompanied by Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon. The gentlemen steal the show here as always in their uniforms. Queen Sonja pretty much has her own uniform, usually wearing black and/or white with some red thrown in some years. Can't really argue with that.