Week in Review: Princess Nikolaos, 13-19 February

Here's what Tatiana wore from 13-19 February:

1.  a, b and c) in Vanity Fair (Spain). What's up with the leafy bits around the neck in 1a, huh?
2. a and b) Attending Samantha Cameron's reception for London Fashion Week at 10 Downing Street, 18 February. As per usual, I care only about the shoes, which are hot enough I'm willing to overlook the red bra peeking out from under the dress in 2a. You know I love Tatiana, but it has to be said: tone down the posing, please! You're at 10 Downing Street, not on the runway.

Best and Worst of the Week

Well, ball gowns always win, so 1b gets the week from me. (What a gorgeous pic, right?) I usually expect photoshoots to be styled to the top, which is why I am extra confused by 1c. Long sleeved shirt under a not-vest not-shirt contraption. No thank you.

Photos: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images/Vanity Fair

Week in Review: Princess Eugenie, 30 January - 5 February

Here's what Princess Eugenie wore the week of 30 January - 5 February:

1. a) and b) Out partying in Verbier, 4 February. Now, this just makes me glad no one's interested in publishing my evening shenanigans in a national newspaper.
2. Skiing in Verbier, 5 February. With these ski pants, she'll be easily located in case of an avalanche. Smart move, really.

Photos:  Bauer Griffin/Zimbio/Isabelle Favre/Bancroft Media/Daily Mail

Week in Review: Princess Mathilde, 23-29 January

Here's what Princess Mathilde wore the week of 23-29 January:

1. Attending Diplomatic Contact Day, 25 January. For Mathilde, I like it. Good structure on this jacket.
2. Concert for the Hungarian EU presidency, 25 January, a) with coat and b) without. This wants to be good, such a simple shift dress, yet it is not good.
3. Attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, 28 January. No good pictures, so meh.
4. Still in Davos, 29 January, and still no good pictures. Somebody needs to have a talk with these photographers.

Best and Worst of the Week

Okay, clearly the theme for this week is Accessories A-Go-Go (this is why she and Máxima get along so well), but looking past that I have to go with #1 as my best. I like the jacket, and I'll even tolerate that giant brooch since it's Mathilde. I shall not, however, tolerate #2, which is just a Christmas decoration gone wild. It's not December anymore, let's move on.

Photos: Reuters/Daylife/PPE/Belga/GDP/AP

Week in Review: Princess Madeleine, 23-29 January

Here's what Princess Madeleine wore the week of 23-29 January:

1.  Attending the Red Cross Ball at Donald Trump's house in Miami, Florida, 29 January. I just want to take the top of this and tug it down a smidge, because that bejeweled waist should be sitting in a more southern location instead of creeping up her ribcage like that. Wherever your tiniest bit is, that's where you want the bling, I say. But if I did that, we'd probably have another candidate for the Wardrobe Malfunction Hall of Fame. So, conundrum.

My favorite part of this event is that look that's plastered on Madeleine's face in place of a smile. Someone must not have properly explained to her what to expect when "classy charity event" meets "Donald Trump's palace" and "Donald Trump's hair". Welcome to America, Madde!

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

Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 12-18 September

Here's what Crown Princess Victoria wore the week of 12-18 September:

1. Launch of a new concert season at Stockholm Concert Hall, 16 September.  This dress is from Moschino, and while it is a stunning color, no amount of under garment trickery can help a girl out with this kind of fabric.  Most unfortunate.

Photos: Svenskdam

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: Princess Letizia, 5-11 September

Here's what Princess Letizia wore the week of 5-11 September:

1. Attending the ballet, 5 September. This outfit again, but different shoes. I like this shirt/trouser combo, but we still need to work on the shoes.
2. Inauguration of a research center, 7 September. Wow.
3. Attending a concert, 8 September.
4. Visiting Onda Cera Radio, 9 September. I like this suit. The shirt sort of looks like a bib when you can't see the sleeves, though.

Best and Worst of the Week

Well, I guess the concert one wins.  Probably because I can't see the shoes.  Normally I hate those shoes on the shorts suit, but on this occasion they might be the best thing.  What we have here is the neutral uniform of a zookeeper or a safari guide.  Yes, and the feet are obviously being protected from the brush by the shoes in question.  As you can see, the hair has been affected by the conditions of the great wild outdoors, while the colors and floral prints are clearly donned to disguise our guide in the wild.  She has cleverly brought a scarf along in case one of the animals needs distracting.  Yes, that must be what's going on here.  Alternately, you could also just call is a hot mess and be done with it.

Photos: Zimbio/Getty Images Europe/Carlos Alvarez/Terra

Week in Review: Princess Letizia, 29 August - 4 September

Here's what Princess Letizia wore the week of 29 August - 4 September:

1. Dinner in Mallorca, 30 August. Looks like she's trying a little Mette-Marit move with the shoes there.
2. Audiences, 31 August. OH NO. She brought back the Hammer pants. Just to spite me, I'm sure of it.
3. Audiences, 2 September. Uh oh, somebody caught the stripe infection from her sister-in-law. Is it just me or is this dress just out of character for her? I mean, I'm surprised she chose it. Doesn't feel like her style.
4. Audiences, 3 September. This one again.

Best and Worst of the Week

I don't mind the striped dress, but the jacket adds a little Miami Vice flair to it that I can't get with. So the best has to be the blue one, school-girlish as it is, because the silver get up just doesn't make my skirt fly up. Nothing, though, is worse than the Hammer pants.

Photos: Terra/Zimbio/Abaca/Purepeople

Month in Review: Charlene Wittstock, August

Here's what Charlene Wittstock wore in August:

1.  Visiting Graceland, 5 August.  Why in heaven's name did these two visit Graceland?  Seriously, anybody have an answer for that?  I imagine compared to the usual tourist attire seen there, this is quite a dashing sartorial selection.
2. Midsummer Garden Fete for the Princess Grace Foundation, 7 August. 
3. Charity gala dinner at the German International Club of Monaco, 28 August.

Best and Worst of the Month

This blue Roberto Cavalli is lovely; the print isn't eating her alive as prints can sometimes do, and it fits like a glove.  On the other hand, just a fraction of that fit would have done wonders for this blue sack worn at the end of the month.  Is she also trying to stir up maternity speculation?


Photos: ET Online/Huffington Post/Profimedia

Month in Review: Princess Madeleine, August

Here's what Princess Madeleine wore in August:

1.  At Villa Solliden, 1 August.  I can't tell if that's a sweater or a jacket.  But I kinda like it.
2. Evening out with friends, 19 August.  This is a lovely dress, but something I'd expect to see out on a royal engagement, not out for a night on the town.
3. Bernadotte 200th anniversary, 21 August.  A sea of pastel purple.
4. Evening celebration of the Bernadotte anniversary, 21 August.  Simple and lovely, but I wish she hadn't worn black shoes with it.
5. Arriving in Greece, 24 August.
6. Pre-wedding party for Nikolaos and Tatiana, 24 August, a) on the Oscar de la Renta runway and b) in action.
7. Boating in Greece, 25 August.  Here's a princess that never misses a chance to sport a bikini.  And hey, if I looked like that, I'd be the same way.
8. Out and about in Greece, 25 August.
9. Greek wedding, 25 August.  Still looks like produce threw up on her.
10. Changing planes in Copenhagen on the way back from Greece, 26 August.  
11. Attending the 10th anniversary of the "My Big Day" Foundation, 29 August.  I love this!  Every bit the modern girl, but still a princess.  And a great choice for a youth-oriented engagement.
    

Best and Worst of the Week

At first glance, I liked outfit #3.  But looking further...the jacket's adding fictional pounds to her body, the headband looks like something you could buy at the discount store for little girls to play dress up with, and the lavender shoes are taking the color theme a bit too far (and this is coming from a girl that LOVES a purple shoe!).  No competition for the repeated Oscar de la Renta worn to the party the night before the wedding.  Perfection.

Photos: Abaca/PurePeople/PPE/Nieboer/Marcio Madeira/Style.com/Svenskdam/Sevenpixnews/ANP/Diario Feminino

Top 10 Worst Dressed Royal Wedding Guests: #10, 9, and 8. The Ladies Who Went Too Far

10. Princess Beatrice at the Wedding of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly

9. Princess Maxima at the Wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Anita van Eijk 
(Religious Service)

8. Princess Laurentien at the Wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Anita van Eijk 
(Civil Service)

These three go together because they've all committed the same sin:  TOO MUCH!  The focus is supposed to be on the bride, not on your crazy ass hat, ladies.

Take Princess Beatrice, for example.  On its own, I love this ensemble.  Seriously - LOVE it.  The outfit comes from Alexander McQueen's Spring 2008 Ready to Wear collection, which featured hats created by Philip Treacy and was, in and of itself, a tribute to the late Isabella Blow (a lady who was never without something crazy perched atop her head).

The dress is a work of art, and the butterfly fascinator is one of the most original things to come out of a millinery studio in a long time.  But.....at a wedding?  Let's leave it to Ladies Day at Ascot, where craziness is the entire point of the day.  Whenever you have to ask yourself if more people might remember your outfit than the bride's, you need to revise your choice.  It's common decency.   

Princess Anita ended up the victim of a double attack of sartorial one-upmanship at her wedding; first, Laurentien assaulted our visual senses at the civil ceremony, and then Maxima dealt the final technicolor blow at the religious service.

Maxima, now, she's one of the rare people that can pull off a lot of look.  The lady is tailor-made for bright colors and crazy headgear.  But this, with its fuchsia and red shoes, red coat and MAJOR Fabienne Delvigne pink and red hat, has crossed a line.  I'm not sure where a better spot would have been to showcase this look (perhaps a trip for Royal Ascot to join Bea at Ladies Day?) but poor Anita's wedding wasn't it.  And as for Laurentien...I'm pretty sure this is too much for all occasions on all days.  Just....no.

Photos: Michel Porro/Getty Images/Anwar Hussein/Wire Image/Marcio Madeira/Style.com