Tiara Thursday: The Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara

Welcome to our new feature, Tiara Thursdays! Created specifically for the indulgence of my inner magpie. (And yours, too!) Every Thursday until Kate and Will's Big Day, I'm highlighting some of the British royal family's tiaras that I'd like to see on Miss Catherine. Pure speculation and crossed fingers, of course. Won't you join in?

The only downside to being an ardent royal jewel fan: the secrecy. Those royal vaults are sealed so tightly, and no one wants to talk about these explicit markers of majesty - particularly not in these sorts of economic times. So we guess, and we hope that our favorite pieces have survived through the years.

This one, I'm afraid, might be pure hope.

On her wedding day, Queen Elizabeth received quite the sparkly avalanche of presents. Among the spoils were a diamond tiara and matching necklace from the Nizam of Hyderabad. Made by Cartier, the design is appropriately based on English roses.

Excuse me while I quietly sob in the corner and long for the days when wedding gifts could be as over-the-top as the sender wanted, without fear of media hoopla and public backlash. Sigh.

Okay, I'm back now, and I'm ready to discuss the fate of this diadem.

(Deep breath.) Queen Elizabeth may have dismantled this tiara. Potentially in favor of assembling this...gem:

Argh, the Burmese ruby tiara. Honestly, I just don't get her taste in jewels sometimes. Excuse me, I need to get my tissues again.

These are the facts, or "facts" more accurately, given the absence of official information:

• The Queen hasn't worn the tiara publicly since about the early 1950s. (The last public appearance including the Nizam tiara that I've seen was 1952.)
• Of the Burmese ruby tiara's creation, Leslie Field says in The Queen's Jewels: "The diamonds came from a tiara the Queen had been given as a wedding gift by the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar." (p.69, 1987 ed.) This statement is the main source of the dismantling rumors.
• However, in Tiaras: A History of Splendour, Geoffrey Munn does not include that detail in his description of the Burmese ruby tiara. He writes only briefly of the Nizam piece, saying: "There is also a tiara in bandeau form that was a wedding gift from the Nizam of Hyderabad," implying by use of the present tense that the piece still exists. (p. 1965, 2003 printing)
• The Royal Jewels by Suzy Menkes also neglects to mention the dismantling of the tiara, thus implying it still exists.
• In honor of the 60th wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip, Buckingham Palace's 2007 summer exhibition included a selection of wedding gifts. On display: the necklace, but not the tiara.  Indeed, no mention of the tiara was made.

We do know the set hasn't gone away entirely. The Queen still wears the necklace:

Also, she wears pieces of the tiara: one larger rose brooch and two smaller brooches.

I say, if the tiara has been dismantled, let's put it back together. Though they may have removed the original diamonds, I'm going to make a leap of faith and assume the frame is still knocking about somewhere. It'd be rude to totally throw a wedding gift away, right? One doesn't want to be rude.

I think this would be a great choice for Kate. Based on her past tiara-giving behavior, the Queen opts to gift pieces that haven't been seen in a long time (or ever), rather than her favorites. It's got some heft without being overly large and ostentatious, and heaven knows Kate's got the hair to display it right. This one comes with options, which is perfect for a royal that probably won't have a large jewel collection to start out with: the three brooches within the tiara, and the necklace which has a detachable pendant. Also, it's nice and neutral. All diamond and floral, which is easily matched with lots of gowns.

Your thoughts, dear readers? The Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara for Kate: Yes or No?

Flashback Friday: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's Tiaras

Settle in with some chocolate ice cream and a cocktail, kids: it's time to indulge in some guilty jewel pleasures!

Last Friday, we commemorated the 30th wedding anniversary of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess by flashing back to Maria Teresa's wedding gown. This week, we shall continue by celebrating my favorite thing about my favorite Grand Duchess: her tiara collection. And it is a collection, let me tell you. Commence drooling...now:

(Note: these are the names I use for these tiaras. You won't find anything official here!)

1. Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara. The classic Luxembourg wedding tiara, given to M-T's late mother-in-law Joséphine-Charlotte (a Belgian princess) as a wedding present from the Congo (then a Belgian colony). This was the first of two tiaras she wore on her wedding day: yes, it seems J-C was my kind of girl. As far as I know, it's been a long time since this one's been worn in tiara form (as a necklace, yes - tiara, no); perhaps the next time we see it will be on Guillaume's future bride, or on Alexandra's wedding day?

2. Diamond Floral Tiara #1. This wee bit of floral bling is the only one that we've seen Princess Alexandra wear, and it was loaned out to niece Marie Christine on her wedding day. It almost sits flat back on the head sometimes, which is odd.

3. Diamond Floral Tiara #2. Mostly, I hear reference to only one diamond floral tiara in the Lux family (#1), but I do think this one is different. More of a vine structure than flowers, it looks to me, plus it appears larger and to have a different shape than #1. You know you're talking about a jewel collection of substance when it includes more than one diamond floral tiara!

4. Joséphine-Charlotte's Diamond Belgian Scroll Tiara. This sparkler was the second tiara Joséphine-Charlotte wore on her wedding day, for pictures, and it was another wedding gift. I love this tiara so hard, you guys. I can't believe they almost sold it: it was part of a proposed auction of some of J-C's jewels after her death. Public outcry was such that the Grand Duke ended up canceling the sale, thank heavens! I'm ever so glad it's found a secure place in the royal vault since that little mishap.



5. Luxembourg Empire Tiara. Too big, you say? Too much? No, I say, you are wrong. Because: BAM! This is a tiara, right? All hail the big guns! Maria Teresa didn't wear this bad boy until after Joséphine-Charlotte's death, but she's found a few choice occasions for it since. I will concede that this is a hard one to orchestrate the hair around, though.

6. Aquamarine Bandeau Tiara. There aren't that many good aquamarine tiaras out there - especially aquamarine tiaras that come with a parure to wear alongside - and I think this is one of them. 

7. Chaumet Emerald Tiara. It's Wonder Woman, I know. You've got to watch your tiara hair with this one, but I still love it. It's like you just plopped a duck egg of an emerald on your head. That's my kind of super hero. (Also: that choker was also on the proposed jewel sale. Outrage!)

8. Joséphine-Charlotte's Van Cleef and Arpels Emerald and Diamond Convertible Tiara. Longest tiara name ever? (I'm just trying to be servicey with the details.) This is...odd. I think I prefer it as a necklace. Maria Teresa just wore this for the first time during the state visit to Portugal last fall. She wore it to a black tie event at which she was the only one sporting a tiara, so the scale was probably right, but I much prefer this on a younger princess. Like Tessy, who wore this on her first-ever tiara outing for National Day 2008.

9. Topaz Tiara. (I'm guessing topaz here. Don't really know.) This one hasn't been seen since the early days of Maria Teresa's marriage. I think it's time for it to come out of retirement: it's unusual, in a good way. It'd be another good option for a younger princess, such as Alexandra or Tessy. (Also: holy earrings, Batman! My ear lobes ache just looking at them!)

10. Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide's Tiara. I haven't done the math or anything, but I think we could proclaim this one the most frequently worn tiara of the lot. Maria Teresa sure seems to like it, but I'm not so convinced. Sometimes it seems like it sits too high up on the head for my tastes. 

11. Amethyst Tiara. Needs more bling. Seriously, you can hardly see it up there! And visible framework sends shivers down my magpie spine. It's a shame, too: the world needs more fabulous amethyst tiaras.

12. Pearl and Diamond Choker Tiara. As the name states, the lattice portion of this can also be worn as a choker, and you have to admire any jewel that gives you more bang for your buck. That said, I don't like it. Looks like a diamond barbed wire fence atop the head to me. Which, I mean, if you're going to put a fence on your noggin, you might as well make it sparkly, but still: I'm not a fan.

13. Turquoise Tiara. Methinks this one might be a new addition by Maria Teresa in the past few years, which I'm always in favor of. It's definitely a tiara for the younger generation, though: it's far more suited to Tessy (who wore it for National Day 2010) than to M-T. She needs...more.

Without question, one of my favorite jewel collections. Lucky girl, that M-T!

And now it's time to pick and choose: which one's your favorite?

Flashback Friday: Máxima's Tiaras

Willem-Alexander and Máxima celebrated their wedding anniversary this week. (They were hitched on 02-02-2002 - that's one way to make sure you don't forget the date!) Since I've already sung the praises of Máxima's wedding dress, I thought I'd mark the occasion by singing the praises of my other favorite thing about Máxima: her bling.

Heaven knows I love a tiara, and among her peers, Máxima reigns supreme with the greatest variety of sparkly headgear. By my rough count, Máxima has worn 12 different tiaras. Twelve!! Let's put that in perspective, shall we? (I'm no expert, by the way. This is what's in my Swiss cheese memory, correct me in the comments.)

• Mathilde: Only 2 tiaras - and one she wore only on her wedding day, never since. 
• Mary: 3 tiaras - and the Midnight tiara is said not to be owned by her, or the royal family, but is rather available as a loan when she needs it. The other two of course are her ruby tiara and her tiny little wedding tiara.
• Camilla: Also 3. One (the gigantic Delhi Durbar) has only been worn once, and another (the Shand-Cubitt tiara) is her family's tiara. Before Camilla, Diana only had use of 2 tiaras - again, one belonging to her family, and only one from the Queen.
• Letizia: 3 tiaras worn so far, the Prussian (worn at her wedding), the shell, and the floral, with a fourth new one that hasn't been worn yet.
• Mette-Marit: 3, the diamond daisy tiara she wore on her wedding day, the amethyst necklace tiara, and the pearl and diamond tiara she wore to Victoria's wedding. Oh, and she did wear the Vifte tiara as a necklace, I guess.
• Victoria: Even a future Queen Regnant can't compete - V's sported a solid 8 tiaras, but most of the rest of the Swedish collection is used only by Queen Silvia. There's the Cameo (will she wear it again after the wedding day, or will it go back to the Queen only?), the 6- and 4-button tiaras, the amethyst necklace tiara, the Baden fringe, the steel cut tiara, the diamond necklace bandeau which is more like a hair ornament than a proper tiara, and her 18th birthday tiara (and that hardly counts, as it's mostly wire).

And now, here's Máxima:

1. Mellerio Ruby Tiara
2. Emerald Tiara, with pearls
3. Ruby Peacock Motif Tiara
4. Emerald Tiara
5. Mellerio Sapphire Tiara
6. Aquamarine Tiara
7. Diamond Bandeau Tiara
8. Diamond Festoon Tiara
9. Pearl Button Tiara topped with Queen Emma's Diamond Stars
10. Mellerio Sapphire Tiara, diamond setting
11. Antique Pearl Tiara, no pearls
12. Antique Pearl Tiara, with pearls

Plus, she wore a diamond haircomb at Victoria's pre-wedding celebration. (Did I miss any?)

Clearly, without being a Queen and having access to whatever you want, whenever you want it, Maxima's got the best deal around.  And the Netherlands has one of the best jewel collections - tons to pick from, and many of the pieces are convertible so you can switch it up. I can't wait to see what goodies she busts out for us this year!

Tell me: which one's your favorite? I'm partial to #5 and #12, myself.

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 16-22 January

Here's what Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore the week of 16-22 January:

1. a, b, and c) New pictures released from the family's travels for Ingrid Alexandra's 7th birthday, 21 January. Good traveling outfits, nothing much to see here.
2. a, b, c, d) New official photographs released, 22 January; e) the Valentino gown on the runway.

A week of photographs that aren't actually from this week, but we'll go with it since it's been a while since we've seen Mette-Marit. No new gowns on display for the official pictures, but it is nice to see these repeats in a posed manner - all the better for the details.

And hey, look what's back:

Quite the selection, there, Queen Sonja. Now we know the layers are alternating pleats, lace AND ruffles. The full trifecta for this ruffled wonder.


Photos: Norwegian Royal Court

Flashback Friday: Mary at the New Year Courts

The Danish royal family kicks the new year off in my kind of fashion: with tiaras ablaze and orders all shined up at the New Year Courts. Sadly, though, this year just didn't live up to past years for me.

Margrethe in that green dress we've seen time and again, and Marie in a great dress with an unfortunate neckline (for the occasion) that happens to bear a stark resemblance in form to Mary's orange number from last year. Sartorially speaking: very boring, with the exception of the run away zipper on Prince Henrik's trousers...and I won't post a picture of that. (You're welcome.) I mean, for the second reception, she even wore precisely the same thing she's worn for the past few years to the same event:

I miss Mary (she took the year off to gestate the royal twins). Good or bad, she brought more to talk about. So let's flash back to her previous New Year's appearances, just for kicks:

Here we have Mary showing us the two sides of dressing for these types of occasions. The good way, on the left: well fit, great color, appropriate for January weather. And the bad way, on the right: upholstery.

My favorite year, ever. I absolutely love this red velvet dress, without reservation. It's just so medieval. (Loved it when she wore it for King Harald's 70th birthday too. Very sad it didn't get to make a reappearance this pregnancy.) And the blue/purple color is divine, with the darker portion on the bottom adding just the right amount of interest.

Part of me loves that purple gown, and part of me thinks the cut plus the fabric sheen plus that pink/purple color so often seen on the tutus of small girls equals a costume from a Disney princess movie. And part of me loves the blue dress, and part of me thinks it ages her. (I do love the hair, no matter what.) Make up my mind in the comments for me, would you please? Many thanks.

Woe is me, the upholstered coat makes a return. Better than 2006, without the necklaces cluttering it up, but still: it's a sofa. In coat form. She makes up for it by repeating one of her pretty pre-wedding gowns, this lovely ice blue. I do love that color combination with the rubies.

And now we come to the orange gown, subject of conflicting opinions in the comments on Mary's Best of 2010 post. I like the gown itself, but I do not care for the orange. With the rubies, and the gold...my eyes are starting to burn. What we need is this neckline, combined with the color of Marie's gown from this year. That would be a winner. Next up we have the repeated blue, which as you know I can't make up my mind about, and this meringue-ish dream of a third outfit. Now, this is a princess costume I can get down with.

Tell me: what's your favorite (and un-favorite) gown? And what did you make of the ladies this year, in Mary's absence?

Photos: PPE/Colourpress/Christophersen

Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes, 2010

I meant to post over the weekend, my lovelies, but I ended up snowed in miles away from my laptop, a blizzard keeping me from my snark. Good thing reader Deidre emailed today to remind me of the overwhelming need for a post. I've never met Deidre, but I sense she's got that Claudia Schiffer look to her, topped off with an Einstein brain. Anyways: we shall continue forward in the spirit of "better late than never", for it is the most wonderful time of the year - that's right, time to award some Nobel prizes!

Norway kicked things off, awarding the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday with a concert on Saturday, and the rest of the prizes were of course awarded on Friday in Sweden with the traditional King's Dinner following on Saturday. To the clothes!

Most Typical

Queen Sonja at the Peace Prize ceremony, Princess Christina at the Nobel Banquet, and Queen Silvia at the King's Dinner

Nothing much to see here, friends. Queen Sonja held down the sartorial fort in Oslo with Mette-Marit out and about on her world travels, and she didn't venture a foot outside her comfort zone. I mean, sure, the hat's kinda oddball, but that IS her comfort zone. Princess Christina turned in a perfectly respectable appearance at the Nobel ceremonies in Sweden on Friday, and Queen Silvia did the same on Saturday (though I do not like that tiara and I can not be convinced otherwise).

Best Black Tie

Crown Princess Victoria at the King's Dinner

I can't hate on Crown Princess Victoria in a jewel-toned Elie Saab gown. That would be sacrilegious. But I can admit that this just wasn't the right occasion. There's too much going on at the neckline here for a necklace and a sash. Plus, that's some black tie hair right there. (What is up with that 'do? Part of the reason why the Nobel functions are so fabulous is because the Swedish ladies turn the tiara hair volume up to 11. This does not go to eleven.)

Best Repeat

Princess Christina at the King's Dinner

Yes, we've seen this one before, at Victoria's wedding. But it's fab, and thus she shall be excused from repeating a gown during the Nobel festivities. Yet again I fall prey to the allure of a luscious jewel tone.

Best Overall

Crown Princess Victoria at the Nobel Banquet

 

Oh, yummy. Elie Saab again, and this time absolutely perfect for the white tie event. The draping, the back - I mean, jumpy claps! It's even managing to make that steel cut tiara look alright (Napoleonic dress, Napoleonic tiara - nice), though this is yet another piece I can not get down with. It's just so...plume-tastic. And there's no diamonds on it! Come on now.

Best Use of Color

Queen Silvia at the Nobel Banquet

Combining colored jewels with colored gowns is dicey business. (Think back to Mary's combo of rubies and that mint-ish green dress at Victoria's wedding, or Sonja's coral and emerald pairing at the same event. Risky business.) But this - now, this was a good call. The sapphires and the green dress just play so nicely together. Well done, and the hair gets an A+ as well for having just enough volume to balance out the weight of that tiara.

Worst Use of Color

Queen Sonja at the Nobel Concert

Well, this is amusing. Army green and fuchsia? Really? With a black cummerbund? Someone please tell me this is a recycle from an era gone past. I think what I like best is that she took such an overwhelming color combo, busied it up by contrasting the fabrics, paired it with an overwhelming pattern on the top, and then topped the whole thing off with MORE pattern - brooches and a choker that might as well be part of the dress, that neckline's so high. The magpie in me can't help but admire the spirit.

Who made your best dressed list for the Nobel Awards this year? Speak! Type!

Photos: Svenskdam/Daylife/Getty

Gold Star: Sheikha Mozah's Glamorous State Visit

You know, we've been seeing a lot less designer clothes lately. Royal families are trying to be a little more down to earth, I guess, not going around shoving the fact that they have money in the faces of those that are dealing with recession and unemployment. Buckingham Palace went out of it's way to point out that the Queen has an evening dress with detachable ornamentation for maximum reuse, and that it was made by her dresser. Victoria's been out and about in H&M, and then of course you have the Queen (or Princess, rather) of this: Letizia, and her wardrobe of high street staples.

Nothing wrong with that, quite sensible really. Sheikha Mozah, though...now she seems to belong more in the "you know I'm rich, I know I'm rich, let's not play games about it" camp. Her wardrobe from the recent state visit to England is pure couture: Armani Privé, Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, Chanel, Dior.

I love it. It's like eating a decadent dessert after a day of salad. And if there's a woman alive that can carry off those names without looking like she's trying to hard, it's the Sheikha.

It's not just the clothes, either. How about those jewels? Bestill my little magpie heart.

And while we're accessorizing...

Heh. The mind of Karl Lagerfeld at work. Couture is the highest form of fashion as art, which means sometimes you'll get it and sometimes you won't. I say if you're going to go couture, go all the way, fug or not.

Gold star: awarded for pure glamour.

Photos: Getty/AP/HuffPo

Flashback Friday: Queen Margrethe's Birthday Celebrations, Part 3

And so we've arrived at the last of these fond memories of Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations.  The last event was a dinner with a black tie and tiara dress code...

Best of the Satiny and Shiny

L to R: Carina Axelsson, Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Princess Mary, Princess Nathalie

Apart from that embellishment around Carina's waist, which I think cheapens the whole thing, not a bad category.  I had to give it to Mary's repeat dress - great color, great cut, and bonus points for being a great canvas on which to showcase that Midnight Tiara.

Worst of the Chiffony and Floaty

L to R: Princess Marie, Princess Benedikte, Princess Alexia

For the record, I like Marie's dress, I just think it's more Hollywood starlet than tiara-sporting Princess. And as for Benedikte and Alexia...oh, no, dears.  Not flattering.  Benedikte isn't so bad, it's just the sleeves there, whereas Alexia's being choked by that forced empire waist.

Best of the Hmm...

L to R: Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Interesting selections from these three ladies.  Margrethe's doing her usual Margrethe thing, but this one just seems excessively...wide.  Victoria's just busted out of jail in her BCBG Max Azria gown, though I will submit that she's rocking it as much as anyone can rock a prison uniform.  Mette-Marit's also gone the love-it-or-hate-it route with her flower-iffic ice blue and magenta combo.  I vote for 'love it' - something about the color combo with the hair and make up just works.

Best of the Best

L to R: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Princess Máxima, Queen Silvia

What we've got here are three women doing exactly what they're known to do, in exactly the right way: Maria Teresa is doing her floaty Elie Saab thing, but this time she's made a flattering silhouette out of it; Silvia's dignified in Jacques Zehnder as always but well-fit and well-colored; and Máxima's loud yet lovely.  Here's why Máxima's Carolina Herrera wins it for me: this is the perfect dress to wear for a black tie and tiara shindig.  It makes the most of her sapphire jewelry, but couldn't be worn to a full gala occasion since the print would mess with all the orders and what not she'd need to wear.  And I'm all for capitalizing on an opportunity.

And Finally, the "Whoa!" Category

L to R: Queen Sonja, Queen Beatrix

Just thought we'd end on a humorous note.  That's all.

So, my lovelies, there you have it.  Who wins your overall best dressed award for the whole celebration?

Photos: bt.dk/zimbio

Flashback Friday: Queen Margrethe's Birthday Celebrations, Part 2

And now it's time to glance back to the next event of Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations back in April.  The morning after the gala, the royals attended a luncheon.  We'll get to that in a second, but first - because we need some bling to sustain us - a gala held prior to the big shebang.

Left to Right: Princess Benedikte, Princess Marie, Crown Princess Mary, Queen Margrethe

I must say, this is a pretty good showing all around for the ladies of the Danish house, but Benedikte and Mary here are absolutely schooling Marie and Margrethe in Gown Sleeves 101.  It's all about fit, fit, fit, and Margrethe looks unnecessarily large and Marie looks a little like she's playing dress up, no?  Total toss up between naming Benedikte and Mary the best of this evening, but Mary wins because I just love that red dress.  Looovvvee.


Anyways, now onto the day event of our flashback.  We're back to the day after the gala event we've already discussed, and by this time a few more royals had been able to figure out their transport situations and join the party.  Bit strange, I thought, to don hats for an indoor lunch event, so let's see how the royals handled it:

Best of the Large Hats

L to R: Carina Axelsson, Princess Benedikte, Crown Princess Mary

Oh, not a fan of any of this.  Nope.  Carina's dress looks like someting from The Golden Girls.  Mary's trying to contrast the froufy lines of her skirt and her hat with that strong coat and she is not succeeding.  Benedikte looks like something out of the conservative early 1990s, but who knows - she's probably had this outfit since then, so I'll allow it.

Best of the Small Hats

L to R: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Alexia, Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Silvia, Queen Margrethe

Much more conducive to eating, these hats.  Except Mette-Marit, who's got some sort of ribbon trailing down from some headband she bought at the dollar store.  Also taking a cue from the school of fascinators for little girls: Alexia.  Silvia and Victoria went feathery, while Margrethe went with some kind of curly thing - but flattering colors and cuts on the clothes for all of them.  Victoria wins because come on, how good does she look in her white dress and sky-high heels?

Best of Retro

L to R: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Máxima, Princess Nathalie, Princess Marie

Lots of cues from eras past on show here; thank you, ladies, you know I eat this kind of thing right up.  Maria Teresa channeled a 1940s vibe, fur wrap and all.  Anne-Marie went all Jackie Kennedy with her simple coat and pillbox.  Also from the 1960s: Máxima and Nathalie.  Call me the victim of a Mad Men overdose, but I love Máx's look here.  Crazy flattering coat, and she's just nuts enough to pull off the matching turban.  Nathalie's got a more universally flattering thing going on, though, and she gets bonus points for being stylish while pregnant, so she wins.  And as for Marie...this is late 80s, early 90s at best and the hat is just an upturned cloth bucket. No.

Photos: Profimedia/IBL/bt.dk

Flashback Friday: Queen Margrethe's Birthday Celebrations, Part 1

You know what we need more of in our daily lives, kids?  Sparkle.  Call me shallow if you must, but a good tiara is my favorite part of royal watching, hands down.  Even though I understand all of the reasons why the Greek wedding couldn't have been as glitzy as the Swedish wedding was, it still left me longing for a giant event of proper royal glam to drool over.  Though I have no idea when the next such event will be, I have a feeling it will be a long, long time from now, and that gives me the sads.

So, I thought:  let's dig one up anyways!  This wee blog was but a twinkle in my eye back in April when Queen Margrethe celebrated her 70th birthday.  This is a Queen that knows how to party: 3 tiara events, 2 of which were massively attended by other European royals sporting the finest in diamonds and other sparkly delights.  Now, you'll remember that right about this time that nasty volcano Iwouldntspellitrightanyways reared its ugly head to rain on the royal parade, but it still managed to be a grand event, and we'll be flashing back one event at a time for the next three Fridays.

Firstly, we'll take on the first event with big royal attendance: a white tie gala concert.  Let's give out some (retroactive) awards, shall we?

Worst of the (Literal) Eveningwear

Left to Right:  Princess Marie, Princess Benedikte, Queen Silvia

These ladies took their outfits a little too far into the evening by sporting downright bedroom-inspired ensembles.  With a few snips of the fabric, Marie could have herself a nice little lingerie ensemble.  It fits her like a glove, but why is that little belt thing necessary?  Benedikte's adapted the lingerie theme to an outfit more appropriate for her age.  I can't see a silk gown covered by floating lace without thinking nightie, sorry.  But the worst one here is Silvia, who ran in exactly the opposite direction and swathed herself in one giant nightgown.  She and the King arrived late to the concert because of volcanic travel issues, so there were no pictures of the couple.  What you're seeing here is a screencap from the concert broadcast along with pictures of the red Yuki (a designer, not an opinion) dress as it was worn for the Nobel ceremony a few years ago and her sapphire tiara from another outing.  Yuki is famous for his draping; he typically uses large pieces of fabric with very few cuts and seams.  Sure, there's art there, but I find everything he's done for Silvia to be totally disappointing (see also this dress).

Best of the Tapestries

L to R: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Alexia

These heavy floral fabrics are more reminiscent of a wall hanging than anything in the sartorial realm.  Sure, they can be successful on a dress, but one must tread lightly...unlike Mette-Marit.  I just think this dress looks like it weighs fifty pounds, and it's attempting to age her fifty years.  Fabric overload.  Anne-Marie's is age appropriate, but all that pattern is fighting with emerald weight on her necklace.  You should always let the emeralds win.  Now, Alexia I think came the closest to getting it right.  She limited the tapestry to the jacket of the dress, and it's cut well.  I don't even mind the little 80s pouf on the sleeves.  Well played.

Best of the Frills

L to R: Carina Axelsson, Crown Princess Victoria

Victoria's gone full-on foufy here.  I like it, don't get me wrong.  But that kind of ruffle overload needs to stand on it's own, without the orders and everything else.  Plus, that train was hazardous: her brother stepped on it on their way up the theater stairs and nearly caused a right royal wardrobe malfunction.  Thus, Carina wins by default.

Best of the Best

L to R: Princess Nathalie, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Mary

Now we're talking!  These ladies hit the sartorial jackpot.  Nathalie's wearing a borrowed gown that's simple and lovely, and a choker was the perfect jewel to pair with it.  Maria Teresa's sporting my fave Elie Saab again.  This dress is magically magnificent; so intricate!  The jewels need help, though.  That Wonder Woman tiara needs a better hair pedestal to live up to its full potential.  If I was writing this in April, I probably would have named Mary the best of the best, but she's worn similar things since then, so it doesn't quite have a full "Wow" factor working for it in retrospect.  So the prize must go to the birthday girl herself.  She repeated this for Victoria's wedding, and why not: she looks fantastic.  Totally flattering, and that color is just out there enough to suit this Queen's taste.  Plus, is there any better way to say "I'm the Queen!" than to show up in neon apple green with mounds of diamonds and emeralds all wrapped up in a fur package?  I think not.

What was your favorite dress from this event?  Has your opinion changed since April?

Photos: bt.dk/svenskdam/zimbio/getty



Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 22-28 August

Here's what Crown Princess Victoria wore the week of 22-28 August:

1. Pre-wedding party for Nikolaos and Tatiana, 24 August.
2. Greek wedding, 25 August.
3. Commemoration of the 'White Buses' mission with Crown Prince Haakon, 26 August, a) with the coat and b) without.
4. 200th Anniversary of the Karolinska Institutet, 27 August.

Best of the Week

My friends, I present to you the most color coordinated royal week in the history of royal fashion (well, in the history of this blog anyways).  And why not?  The girl can wear the pink.  I don't have a worst outfit this week; I like them all.  But this fuchsia gown from the end of the week is the clear standout. She looks ah-mazing.

Photos: Zimbio/Getty/IBL

Top 10 Worst Dressed Royal Wedding Guests: #1. Laurentien Does It Again

1.  Princess Laurentien at the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson
 

It takes a lot to top the Mabel's disastrous performance at the Swedish wedding.  Only a woman with the sartorial sense to make this list twice has it in her. 

We've got cape-like sleeves that fly about as if independent from the rest of the gown.  We've got heavy quilted fabric that's made to add pounds to the body.  And then...we've got the chest.

If you were forced to compliment Mabel's dress at the Swedish wedding, you'd at least be able to say that she had a good body under there.  This one....well, you can not say that.  This is not just an undergarment (or lack-of-undergarment) fail, the dress appears to have been made to create a pointy chest - look at the way the fabric is seamed and the way it drapes.  An upper body that could hurt someone.  WHY?  Saggy torpedo boob takes the cake.

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images/AFP/Sven Nackstrand