Royal Outfit of the Day: Mary Remixes for the Last New Year's Court

When Crown Princess Mary isn't repeating for her New Year's Court appearances, she's busy remixing her existing pieces. The final reception yesterday involved a remix of one of my very favorite court dress ensembles, a fitted brown velvet jacket and a big pink skirt. And the remixed version is...

Kongehuset

...still a fitted brown velvet jacket (with a belt) and a big pink(-ish beige) skirt, it's just a different big pink(-ish beige) skirt. Okay, so maybe we're using the term "remix" a little loosely today.

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In 2013

There's the original, and you can see what drew Mary to it. Other than the beautiful contrast between the heavy velvet and the light tulle, it's a separate jacket and skirt, so it's ripe for the remixing that Mary loves to do. The skirt's been worn with a different outfit as well, although - much like the jacket, I think - it has yet to match the perfection of the original pairing.

Vogue/Billed-Bladet screencap

The new skirt isn't new itself; Mary wore it in a Vogue Australia photoshoot. It's a ball skirt by Australian designer Rachel Gilbert. Can't ever have too many ball skirts, can you? Of course you can't.

Better one way, or the other? You tell me.

Royal Outfit of the Day: Mary Repeats for New Year's Court

It's a Danish week here, as we slowly inch our way back to our regularly scheduled programming.

It's a Danish week because they don't just start the year with in full gala mode, they continue it with more New Year's Court receptions. There are three, two held yesterday and one today (which we'll also cover); they involve the Queen, Crown Prince, and Crown Princess greeting various groups (on Wednesday, they met the justices of the Supreme Court, the officer corps of the Royal Life Guard and Guard Hussar Regiment, and the Diplomatic Corps). These receptions are held in the day and the ladies wear a modern sort of court dress that calls for long skirts/dresses but no tiaras.

For Crown Princess Mary, yesterday was a chance to pull out something very familiar to us...

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It's that caped plum dream from Lasse Spangenberg that just featured in our best of 2017 vote! She debuted this cape and dress last year at these receptions.

Billed-Bladet screencaps

This year gives us a little better look at the dress underneath. The belt is a tidy way to keep her Order of the Elephant sash in place (I personally love it when a dress incorporates the sash, something we see regularly). There's a little bit of shoulder embellishment too, which I'm not necessarily a fan of, since the look has such clean lines otherwise. Perhaps it is not as destined for future gala use as I previously thought.

For Queen Margrethe, these receptions are all chances to pull out something very familiar to us...

Billed-Bladet screencaps

She settled on this blue and brown fur-trimmed ensemble for these events some years ago, and best of luck to anyone who tries to tell the years apart since.

Kongehuset

A uniform to go with the uniforms, if you will.

Royal Fashion Awards: New Year Receptions, 2018

Greetings and Happy New Year! We always get to start off the year with tiaras around here, courtesy of the sparkling New Year receptions held in Japan and Denmark, and there’s no better way to celebrate. And sometimes, we even get a few early contenders for the best outfits of the new year…

Best in Brand New

Crown Princess Mary

Kongehuset

Red gowns ruled the royal scene in 2017, and if Crown Princess Mary has any say in it, that trend will be going strong right into 2018. In a classic shape pepped up with a little neckline interest – and the perfect sleeve and neckline configuration to wear the golden collar of the Order of the Elephant, so clearly a well-planned design – this red gown is a serious winner. The gown the custom work of Soeren Le Schmidt (as found by Heaven), continuing Mary’s exploration of the best that Danish design has to offer.

DR

Mary always wears her Danish Ruby Parure here, since it’s often the most formal event of the year, which makes the red gown an even better choice. This year her selections from the flexible ruby set include the tiara, the full version of the earrings (oh, do I love any opportunity to see those earrings in their full glory), the hairpins, the bracelet, and the ring. It seems like she might have done some more tinkering with the Ruby Parure Tiara, by the way; the middle seems a little less flat this time around. I wonder if one of the three hairpins has been added back in.

First Royal gala event of 2018. This evening Queen Margrethe of Denmark holds a New Year Reception and Banquet at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Januari 1, 2018. #crownprincessmary #crownprincefrederik #queenmargrethe #royal #denmark #newyear #2018

A post shared by The Royals (@the_royals_kungligheter) on Jan 1, 2018 at 11:32am PST

A post shared by The Royals (@the_royals_kungligheter) on Jan 1, 2018 at 11:32am PST

Most Coordinated in Repeats

Queen Margrethe and Princess Marie

Kongehuset

All of the Danish royal ladies were very gown-to-accessory coordinated this year. Queen Margrethe has worn this green lace dress for this occasion in the past (with these jewels) (and with her trusty Yeti wrap, obvs) and it’s a natural match for the Danish Emerald Parure. The emeralds are part of the Crown Jewels.

Kongehuset/DR

Princess Marie wore this gold and white Rikke Gudnitz dress to the Belgian state banquet last year. It shines even more here as it picks up the gold in her Order of the Elephant chain splendidly. She wore her Diamond Floral Tiara, as she usually does.

Best in Bulk Diamonds and Pearls

The Japanese Imperial Family

ANN

You can always count on the Japanese ladies to start your year with all the diamonds and pearls your heart desires. Empress Michiko, who no longer wears tiaras, led the way draped in her favorite diaphanous cape sleeves and multiple strands of pearls.

JNN

Because she'll be marrying in 2018, this was Princess Mako's last appearance at this gala, and the countdown of her last appearances in her tiara and parure continues. Her mother, Princess Kiko, was also in her own tiara and parure.

ANN

In addition to the multiple ladies that appeared in front of the cameras, Crown Princess Masako was seen arriving in the Japanese Pearl Sunburst Tiara. See her, and more pics, in this gallery.

Who makes your best dressed list for 2018's gala New Year receptions?

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 6

OHHHH, so that's what that cape was for.

Wednesday: Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, and Crown Princess Mary attended the third day of the New Year's Court receptions.

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The cape worn by Crown Princess Mary to the New Year gala banquet - which looked out of place atop her regal gold Jesper Høvring gown - is much more at home atop its matching dress, giving a simple dress that extra something special to make it suit this daytime court event. It's a plum dream by Lasse Spangenberg (h/t to Heaven). Well. Turns out all you need to do to restore my cape love is to put that cape back where it belongs.

Which one was your favourite look? Very difficult choice for me, I think she look stunning this week! 🙌🏻 - #princessmary #princessmaryofdenmark #crownprincessmary #crownprincessmaryofdenmark #marydonaldson #hrhprincessmary #weadmiremarydonaldson #princefrederik #princechristian #princessisabella #princessjosephine #princevincent #royals #denmark #2004 #royalfamilies #royalfamiliesofeurope #europeroyals #danishroyals #danishroyalfamily #crownprincefrederik #princess #maryelizabethdonaldson #maryoftasmania #Kronprinsessemary #princessmary

A photo posted by HRH Crown Princess Mary (@hrhprincessmaryofdenmark) on Jan 4, 2017 at 2:22pm PST

Might even be my favorite ensemble from her this week...

Royal Redo of the Day: January 4

Well, well, well. Just last year, I was singing the praises of one of my favorite Crown Princess Mary ensembles; this year, we discover she's been up to her old dress renovation antics.

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2013

There are two days of New Year receptions for various groups in Denmark, and the formal dress code means that Crown Princess Mary has several outfits in her closet tailored to this event. (It's a modern court dress, really, where a long skirt is needed - but because these are daytime events, there are no tiaras and many evening gowns don't fit the bill.) One of my favorites was this silvery blue number with a short jacket from Heartmade, first worn in 2008 and repeated again in 2010, 2012, and 2013.

I guess she reached the repeat limit, because yesterday...

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2017

...she revealed a remodeled version with the top swapped out for a soft blue blouse and no jacket. I'm not gonna lie, I have some mixed feelings about seeing a personal favorite subjected to the scissors, but it does look excellent this way too. I'm just also hoping that it can still be worn the other way, or at least with a different top and the three-quarter sleeve jacket again.

See video from Billed-Bladet here. The Danish royal court has also put a couple videos on their Facebook page.

Royal Fashion Awards: New Year Receptions, 2017

Happy New Year! We're here to start things off as we always do: with tiaras, courtesy of glittering New Year events in Denmark and Japan. A gala banquet in Denmark is one of the most formal events of the year for the Danish royal family, where they wear the golden collars of the Order of the Elephant. In Japan, the imperial family gathers for a formal reception, and it's tiaras all around for everyone. We'll start our awards in Denmark:

Most Heavily Adorned

Queen Margrethe

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Queen Margrethe always arrives to the New Year banquet in a flurry of fabric and jewels, with her trademark Yeti pelt fur wrap swinging. This year was all of that times ten, because her gown - a repeat from her 70th birthday celebrations - ended up looking like she was wearing two gowns at once under that wrap.

DR screencaps

She's also wearing the stomacher from the Danish crown pearl, ruby, and diamond set as a necklace. That's a lotta look by itself, let alone with the gold chain and the Pearl Poire Tiara and all the rest. Luckily, she's a woman with enough gravitas to pull it all off.

Biggest Test in Capes

Crown Princess Mary

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Crown Princess Mary opted to start the new year by testing my love of capes. This is the first time we've seen her Jesper Høvring gown in action (she wore it in a portrait last year), and it is a golden dream, very swoopy and grand in motion. (Check out video of the royal family's arrival here or here.) I'm just afraid it's being let down by the cape, which doesn't feel magnificent enough to go with this gown.

DR

I'm with her on the rest of it, though: the Danish Ruby Parure with the full version of the earrings, the hair pins in back, and the brooch used at her neckline. Fabulous.

Most Slinky in Metallics

Princess Marie

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I couldn't believe it when Princess Marie got out of the car: could she really be wearing a simple, slinky metallic sheath? She usually adds some froof to the equation. And so she had and I just didn't see it right away, in the form of a ruffle at the side of this new Ole Yde gown.

DR

The ruffle is subtle, and the bronze color makes an excellent showcase for her golden collar. Her Diamond Floral Tiara is never a bad idea. I think this might be her best New Year outing in quite some time.

Most Impressive in Group Sparkle
The Japanese Imperial Family

ANN screencaps. See video here.

An impressive amount of sparkle here even with fewer tiaras than usual, because some family members are still observing mourning for Prince Mikasa. Empress Michiko no longer wears tiaras, but was elegant in pearls; the ladies of the Akishino family came with the full force of their diamond parures (Princess Kiko in the Akishino Tiara, plus Princess Mako in her tiara and Princess Kako in her tiara.) Crown Princess Masako arrived in the Japanese Pearl Sunburst Tiara.

Who's your best dressed to kick off the new year?

Royal Flashback of the Day: February 9

Because Crown Princess Mary just had a birthday, because birthdays should be celebrated with favorites, because any day should be celebrated with favorites, and mostly because I just felt like it, today we flashback to one of my favorite Mary dresses for the New Year's Court day receptions.

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With an updo in 2010

Julie Fagerholt of Heartmade designed this rich outfit with a long dress and matching short jacket with three-quarter sleeves. This much of a fabric like this probably should be overpowering, but the soft silvery blue color is an understated choice that helps it avoid the Too Much territory.

In action in 2008

The flare of the skirt is perfection, and it sits just right an event like this, where she stands still for long periods of time. I love when jackets partly cover a sash, especially during these types of day events (and yes, that's an entirely appropriate thing to do, see Queen Margrethe's own ensemble in the video above), and the shorter length of this jacket means the Order of the Elephant sash is still plenty visible. Mary's worn this outfit several times, three of which are illustrated here, but these little details keep me interested time after time.

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With her pearl and diamond wedding earrings in 2013

I must admit, there was a time when I wondered if this ensemble aged her. I'm over it now. (Obviously.) It is a classic design, something that wouldn't have been out of place in, say, our recent early 1960s Princess Beatrix flashback. But the classics have their place, and I imagine this one was designed to be worn for many more years to come.

Photos: via Getty Images

Royal Outfits of the Day: January 8

I regret to inform you that Court Dress Week went out with a whimper.

The King and Queen of Spain suited up for Pascua Militar, a military ceremony, for which Queen Letizia will wear something with a floor-length skirt each year.

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And this year's version is....fine? Serviceable and such, I suppose. It's from Felipe Varela, obviously. I think it's the jacket that I want to tweak the most. Maybe?

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She doesn't know either.

Crown Princess Mary also brought the mehs on the third day of the New Year's Court receptions.

Princess Mary dazzles in her third ballgown in one week https://t.co/43jPz2KM0b pic.twitter.com/0oZ5iKGtL5

— Daily Mail Femail (@Femail) January 7, 2016

This blue dress - reportedly from Prada - was worn last year with a sparkly collar, which has been exchanged for a repeated pearl Marianne Dulong necklace. With these moody shades of blue and gray, maybe what we need here is the Midnight Tiara to bring some interest. (Okay, and then a totally different event, I suppose...)

Last year's appearance of the dress

Photos: via Getty Images, Twitter, Billed-Bladet video screencap

Royal Outfits of the Day: January 6

It's Court Dress Week, didya know? Celebrate appropriately!

In Denmark, the New Year's Court receptions continue on two consecutive days. These are events that require formal dress - long dresses, orders, gloves, etc. - but are held during the day, so tiaras are not worn. (Spain also gets in the action this week, and I intend to cover that and today's events in Denmark separately.) Two receptions were held yesterday in Denmark, with the Queen, Crown Prince, and Crown Princess present. Prince Henrik will no longer attend as part of his retirement.

Billed-Bladet video

This is Margrethe's uniform for these events, and she's worn nothing but this fur-trimmed blue ensemble from Jørgen Bender to these daytime receptions for several years now. She has hinted that the rich outfit she wore to Prince Joachim's first wedding might take over some day, so I guess I'll be crossing my fingers for another twelve months.

Billed-Bladet video

Mary, on the other hand, continued to bring the reuse intrigue. She repeated the white Birgit Hallstein gown she debuted at last year's evening New Year banquet, but without the original belt and the side fabric embellishment for now. In its place, a pale pink belt emphasizes the pale pink stone pendant on her large pearl necklace. (The pink stone was seen in 2014.)

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The white dress at the Dutch state banquet last year 

She's on a run already, and you know I love it. Just so long as I pretend the coat she wore on arrival is really a fabulous cape instead of a regular coat draped over her shoulders, that is.

Princess Mary of Denmark looks gorgeous in wintry white: https://t.co/7eq0yaequC pic.twitter.com/fuIAQGEkMZ

— HELLO! (@hellomag) January 5, 2016

Royal Fashion Awards: New Year Receptions, 2016

Happy New Year! I love starting a fresh year, and love it even more so because we get to kick it off here with some serious sparkle. In Japan, they bring together all available family members for a state reception filled with tiaras; in Denmark, they attend the New Year’s banquet, one of the most formal events of the year and an occasion to wear the golden chains of the Order of the Elephant and some of their best jewels.

In Japan...

Most Sparkle Power

The Imperial Ladies

Left to Right: Kiko, Princess Akishino; Princess Mako of Akishino; Princess Kako of Akishino; Hanako, Princess Hitachi; Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa; Princess Akiko of Mikasa; Princess Yōko of Mikasa; Hisako, Princess Takamado; Princess Tsuguko of Takamado; Princess Ayako of Takamado

 Click here for photos and here for a video.

Like I always say, for sheer tiara quantity, you can’t beat a mass gathering of the women of the Japanese imperial family. Each woman has her own parure to wear, and though the use of strictly white jewels can start to appear monotonous (what a thing to say about diamonds, right?!), there’s a style here for every taste. We've only featured two of the tiaras on display: the Akishino Tiara and Princess Kako's Tiara.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko

2012 was the last time we saw Empress Michiko wear a tiara to this event. She’s stopped wearing them altogether, probably because of problems with the added weight. I do miss the Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara, but I also can’t argue with that wonderful large brooch pinned in stomacher fashion. The Empress doesn't lack in sparkle simply because she goes tiara-free, that's for sure.

In Denmark...

Best in Repeats, Standard Division

Queen Margrethe

Queen Margrethe is a champion dress repeater, and I'm all for that when it means my favorite of her new gowns - the one worn to 2015’s Dutch state visit and to one of her birthday dinners - comes back. She paired the dress again with the Pearl Poire Tiara; her necklace, brooch, and earrings come from the pearl, diamond, and ruby set belonging to the Danish crown jewels.

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Prince Henrik made his first appearance since the surprising announcement that he would be retiring from most public duties in 2016. I wasn’t surprised that the Prince Consort made the decision – he’s 81, and seemed to have more trouble getting around lately – but I was surprised that Queen Margrethe decided to make a big official announcement as part of her traditional New Year’s Eve speech. (Since I know someone will ask, Queen Margrethe has said in the past that she will not consider abdication.) He'll still make the occasional public appearance, so he's not disappearing.

Best in New Déjà Vu

Princess Marie

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Princess Marie’s white skirt and top are new, but the shape and the combo of a detailed top and plain skirt give me flashbacks to her blue/gray peplum outfit from 2014. It’s a good look anyway, and I love her hair with her usual Diamond Floral Tiara.

Best in Repeats, Creative Division, and Best in Show

Crown Princess Mary

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Mary is also a champion dress repeater, and you just knew she had something up her sleeve when she wore a separate top and skirt for her amazing BAMBI Award appearance in 2014. When she first emerged from the car this evening, I thought she had a blue version made of her beloved reconfigured red velvet gown, but no! 

Crown Princess Mary attends a New Years Day reception at Amalienborg Palace #Copenhagen #Royals #Australia #NY2016 pic.twitter.com/klA42KDvNl

— Rookie (@royalfocus1) January 1, 2016

There’s a creative reuse twist: the skirt from her sparkling navy blue Jesper Høvring ensemble has been recycled here with a new navy velvet top with a built-in train (the train on the original blue skirt was still there, underneath the velvet). The matching embellishment on the sleeves tied the pieces together, and the skirt was quite swoopy and spectacular in movement. ADORE.

She paired it with the Danish Ruby Parure (tiara, earrings, and hairpins), which is what she wears every year for this event.


A most auspicious start to 2016, I'd say. So tell me:

Who are you declaring the best dressed of the night?

For more: Click here for a video, and here for a gallery.

P.S.: Next post will be a new tidbits edition on Monday!

Photos: ANN News video screencap, Twitter as noted, Getty Images, DR1 video screencap

Royal Outfits of the Day: January 9

Programming note: Our next weekly Tidbits post will be up on Monday instead of Sunday.

The Danish royal family held their last two days of New Year's courts earlier this week. Unlike the gala evening from last week, these are held during the day (no tiaras, it's very sad). And also unlike the gala evening, the only royals participating here are the Queen and Prince Consort and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Yesterday, the Danish Royals hosted the New Year's levee for the Diplomatic corps at Christiansborg. pic.twitter.com/lXJkZwITdd
— Scandinavian Royals. (@crownprincely) January 7, 2015

The first day brought another new dress for Mary, quite a treat after a run of repeats and remakes. It's a fairly plain dress, navy with a wide waistband, leaving the metallic embellished neckline to be the star of the show. At first I was a little dubious about that - why fake the look of jewelry with your clothes when you've got the real deal sitting at home, eh? - but then I saw it in action (video link below) and was predictably swayed by the sparkle.

Click here for a video from Billed-Bladet and here for a gallery.

The second day was a return to repeats, but oh, it was one of my favorite court outfits to repeat.

Click here for a video from Billed-Bladet and here for a gallery. 

All the jumpy claps for the return of this chocolate jacket and baby pink skirt, a perfect blend of colors and textures. This is the kind of over the top princess-ing I prefer on Mary. She first wore it in 2010 and repeated it in 2013, as seen below. This time she's added a belt, which I could take or leave, honestly. It's a gem of an outfit either way.

View image | gettyimages.com

As for the rest of the family members present, they're all in their respective uniforms, military for the gentlemen and a self-imposed uniform of a blue dress with fur for Queen Margrethe. She's worn the same outfit for both days for several years now. She's the Queen and she'll do as she pleases, thankyouverymuch.

Photos: Billed-Bladet video and as indicated

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 6

Many of you were just as enchanted as I was with Crown Princess Mary's evening cloak from the other night (and many of you were not, fair enough, more cloaks for me), which brought up some of the cloak's previous wearings. The concert for Queen Margrethe's jubilee in 2012 is one example; another is the same New Year's Court event from 2008:

View image | gettyimages.com

Which reminds me, we should talk about this purple dress. It's an interesting one, that's for sure. Not necessarily in keeping with Mary's current style, but that's because it dates from the days before her style was fully defined.

View image | gettyimages.com

The gown was first worn in 2004 during a state visit from Romania, shortly before Mary and Frederik were married (hence her lack of orders above), and was made by Henrik Hviid from fabric purchased by Mary at a market in her hometown in Tasmania. You can actually see her buy the fabric in a documentary filmed after the couple's engagement (video link).

View image | gettyimages.com

Based on the dress alone, you might guess it came from the closet of then-Princess Alexandra, now Countess of Frederiksborg, Prince Joachim's first wife. And with good reason: Hviid was one of her favorite designers. But despite my love for Alexandra's over the top early princess style, and despite my love for a purple gown, this one has never been a favorite. I think it mainly leaves me glad Mary went on to develop a style of her own, if you know what I mean. What's your verdict?

(By the way, there was also quite a bit of discussion about what color that evening cloak is, exactly. It's dark velvet, so that's naturally going to take on a few different shades. Given that Mary paired it with a purple purse this year, purple earrings in 2012, and a purple dress in 2008, I'm going to guess it's more purple in person.)

(And also by the way, the daytime New Year's Courts are happening in Denmark, and we'll check back in later this week to discuss.)

Photos: Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images

Royal Fashion Awards: New Year's Receptions, 2015

Happy New Year! We get to kick it off in style with tiaras ablaze - which is the best way to start a new calendar, if you ask me. The first day of January brings us sparkling events in Denmark and Japan and plenty of royal fashion awards to go around.

Best in Quantity
The Japanese Imperial Ladies

We start in Japan, where the Emperor and Empress, accompanied by the imperial family, received New Year's greetings from dignitaries. I always find it a little tricky to comment on the gowns here, since they are all conforming to the strictest protocols and there's not really room for personal expression. But you can't beat them when it comes to sheer numbers of tiaras on display. Each woman of age that is able to attend does, and they all have at least one parure to wear. The Empress has not worn a tiara for a while now, and that continues this year, but the rest are all sparkled up and ready to go. In the mix for the first time this year is Princess Kako, daughter of the Prince and Princess Akishino and granddaughter of the Emperor and Empress. She just turned 20 and got her brand new tiara, and we'll be chatting about that in depth soon.

Video, above. For pictures and more video, click here.

Next we go to Denmark, where the royal family holds a gala banquet for members of government and other VIPs. It is always one of the most formal events, if not the most formal event, of the year, and aound their shoulders they wear the collar of the Order of the Elephant, Denmark's highest order of chivalry. Click here for a gallery.

Most Anticipated Repeat

Queen Margrethe

View image | gettyimages.com

Margrethe is big on repeating gowns and she usually picks between two tiaras for this event (the Pearl Poire or the emeralds from the crown jewels; one notable exception was the year she wore her brand new tiara). So to see those emeralds and a green lace gown we've seen several times was entirely expected. She's also quite prone to wearing this particular giant fur wrap, so everybody say hello once again to the infamous Yeti Pelt.

Most Surprising Repeat

Princess Marie

View image | gettyimages.com

Princess Marie has had a run of new gowns for this banquet in years past, so I suppose she was due for a repeat. Still, I wouldn't have guessed she'd pick this particular one, worn to Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill's wedding in 2013. I quite liked it as a light choice for a summer wedding, but I'm not sure it can stand up to a heavy gold collar. She wasn't all surprise, though, as she stuck to her standard diamond floral tiara.

 

Best in New

Crown Princess Mary

View image | gettyimages.com

Flipping things around, Mary - who has worn a repeated gown for the last few years - opted for something new. And I guess my love affair with white will continue strong in 2015, because I can rarely find fault with a simple belted white gown. I love it with her evening cloak, which always makes me want to buy an evening cloak just so I could say evening cloak more often in my daily life, and I love it with the elements of the Danish ruby parure. She always wears the rubies for the New Year's banquet, and this time she's gone for the tiara, the stud earrings with pearl drops, the simplified version of the necklace, the bracelet, and the ring. Lovely, and (no surprise here at all) my favorite for the night.

View image | gettyimages.com

Updated to add: A video of the royal arrivals for you, below, and you can click here for a video on the terribly grand table setting for the banquet.

Who was your best dressed from this year's opening round of sparkle?

We return to our regularly scheduled programming on Sunday!

Photos: ANN News video, FNN video, Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 7

Crown Princess Mary's four appearances in her burgundy velvet Birgit Hallstein gown. By planning ahead with extra fabric, they were able to drastically alter it from a maternity gown to its current state, according to the designer.

Mary had a birthday this week! She turned 42, and that requires a celebration. I prefer to celebrate with tiaras and gowns, how about you? (She's been out and about this past week, but nothing birthday worthy, I say.) I compiled a list of my favorite Mary outfits when she turned 40 and would certainly have more to add by now, but this is a classic favorite. There's a sort of medieval feel to the original maternity gown (worn twice while pregnant with Princess Isabella) that I just find delectable, and the gown's debut featuring the full necklace and earrings from the ruby parure with the tiara as Queen Ingrid wore it will always be one of my favorite royal gala appearances. I'm not as much a fan of the current version, but I love that it shows the evolution of her style - planning ahead since maternity wear has limited use, and reflecting the new flexibility of the ruby set that she's so clearly enjoying. Either way, regal as can be, and totally birthday worthy.

Photos: PPE/BT/Scanpix

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 9

Crown Princess Mary attended the third day of the New Year's receptions. Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, and Crown Prince Frederik were also in attendance.

Aha! A new-and-yet-still-old repeat! Now we've got old pieces combined to make a new court outfit: the striped skirt was worn previously for evening use, and the basic black peplum top from Hugo Boss has been used for day outfits (Mary owns it in white too). She's also dressed it up with a prim updo and a string of pearls around the neck. See, I like this approach. These outfits are tricky to repeat, but combining a little of this and a little of that really works. Clever Mary.

Updated to add: Lots of questions about why she only has one glove on. It's an etiquette thing - it's considered polite to remove the glove to shake hands. The other hand remains gloved and carries the second glove. Not everyone does this, but keep an eye out and you'll see it done this way more often than you think.

Note: This is a new feature! Click here if you missed the announcement.

Photo: Scanpix

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 7

Psst...: Yes, this is a new feature! See today's other post for details.

Queen Margrethe, accompanied by Prince Henrik and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, attended the second day of the New Year's Court festivities, a reception for the Diplomatic Corps. The video above shows the event from 2012.

Yes, the video is showing you this event from a couple years ago - but guess what? It doesn't even matter, because the ladies wore the same stuff this year! Repeats ahoy, and that's why our outfit of the day is really from Margrethe. Some of you gave Mary a hard time for repeating her gown for the gala event, but here's her example: Margrethe wears this fur-trimmed blue outfit (from longtime couturier Jørgen Bender, if I'm not mistaken) for two days in a row for these daytime courts and has done so with the same dress for quite a few years. It's how she rolls, and it makes me appreciate any amount of variety from Mary all the more, no matter how small.

Margrethe, Mary, and Mary's brooch (as shown in the documentary De Kongelige Juveler)

Mary's gown is another altered repeat, but she wore the lovely sapphire brooch Queen Margrethe gave her when Christian was born. It's a family heirloom from Queen Ingrid's mother, and it's always a treat to see in use!

Photos: Polfoto/Scanpix/De Kongelige Juveler

Royal Fashion Awards: New Year, New Sparkle

And so it is time, once again, to ring in a new year of royal splendor in the way we always do: with tiaras! The Danish royal family wastes no time busting out their finery, holding the first of a series of New Year's events with a banquet on January 1. It's time for tiaras, gowns, uniforms, and the extra fancy collars from the Order of the Elephant:

Video: The royal family arrives

Best Repeated Variety

Queen Margrethe

The Queen can be counted on to repeat a gown for the event, but she's the only one of the three ladies here that changes up her tiara choice from year to year, so there's that. This year she repeated a favorite apple green gown which is quite flattering and paired it with her traditional Yeti pelt fur wrap and the Danish Emerald Parure from the crown jewels. She also wore this combo in 2011 for the same event.

Most Stretched Repeat

Crown Princess Mary

The banquet has become Mary's yearly opportunity to display just how creative she can get with the many pieces of the Danish Ruby Parure - and normally, I love it. But...maybe sticking the brooch on a piece of velvet and calling it a choker is stretching it just a tad, hmm? The choker is a new incarnation of this burgundy velvet dress, which is making its third appearance at the event and has been revamped from its original maternity form.

Best in New

Princess Marie

Making sure we don't drown in repeated gowns, Marie's here to save the day in a new number with a printed peplum top and a solid skirt with a train. The way she's pinned on her collar is just lovely, but I'm missing the small portrait brooch of Queen Margrethe (as worn by Mary) - we've seen Marie wear the honor previously, but not tonight. A picky request, though, from a completely elegant appearance. She is wearing her regular diamond floral tiara.

And an Honorable Mention to...

Helle Thorning-Schmidt

I know basically two things about Denmark's prime minister: she likes a good selfie, and she knows exactly how to dress herself for gala events when she's thrown in with tiara-wearing ladies. All politics aside, she's my tiara-less best dressed for the evening. I mean, this is just gorgeous.

There are two additional receptions in Denmark to be held yet (neither with tiaras, but still fancy court dress).

UPDATE: And here's the sparkly event in Japan, in the video below!

For the second year in a row, Empress Michiko has chosen not to wear a tiara, I believe for medical reasons (extra weight on the head can be troublesome if you have a back issues and things like that). At the beginning, we see the Crown Princess arrive in the pearl-tipped diamond fringe tiara. She does not appear at the audience itself, so the arrival is all we get. The rest of the imperial ladies are sporting their individual tiaras.

Who wins your best dressed award?

Photos: DR1/BilledBladet/Scanpix

Royal Fashion Awards: More New Year's Fun

After donning tiaras and assorted finery for the January 1st banquet, the Danish royal family continues on for two more days (on the 3rd and 4th) with more courts, or levees, or receptions, or whatever you wanna call 'em. They are held for specific groups of people, and feature Margrethe, Henrik, Frederik, and Mary (no Joachim, and no Marie). They ditch the tiaras because these are daytime events, but the court dress is still gloriously old school.

Best in Repeats

Crown Princess Mary

These are my two favorite outfits she's worn in the past for these events, and she's brought them back like a parade of greatest hits for my enjoyment (even sticking one of her ruby hairpins in on the second day for a little bit of fancy)! I get the repeating - these are expensive outfits, and are hard to reuse elsewhere - but I do hope that she will refrain from repeating the same stuff every single year, like someone else...

Worst in Repeats

Queen Margrethe

It's not just that she wore the same outfit two days in a row, it's that this is what she does every year. (Click here for last year, for example.) It's a very Margrethe thing to wear and it suits her, no doubt, but...can we leave the uniforms to those representing the military?

Best in Sparkle

The Japanese Royal Family

The Danish royal family is not the only family that holds a New Year's event, of course. The Japanese royal family makes an equally sparkly appearance on the 1st.

Unfortunately, this year it seems the Empress has gone without a tiara (we usually see the Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara). Luckily, she brings back up in the form of many princesses and their army of tiaras. They might not be as high on the radar as other royal families around the world, but when they really get rolling, it's hard to compete with their sparkle.

Who's your favorite in this last batch of New Year fun?

Photos: Getty Images/Scanpix/Kongehuset