February 2015 - WEDDING FLOWERS
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Royal Outfits of the Day: February 27

Yesterday, King Felipe and Queen Letizia went on one of their annual engagements, the opening of the ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair in Madrid. Letizia debuted a new Felipe Varela dress, a tri-color design with Swarovski crystal accents.
So, like a sedate Mondrian, I can get behind that for an art event. But - and here comes something you won't usually hear me say - maybe we lose the crystals? Only because I'm wondering if the kids got a BeDazzler for Christmas or what.

And since we're in a Letizia mood, here she is in meeting mode earlier in the week:
I like a lady that can make a leather dress look businesslike. This sheath is from BOSS Hugo Boss, and the blazer is also Hugo Boss.
In another style twin coincidence for the week, Leti's love for Hugo Boss crossed paths with Crown Princess Mary's love for the same brand, and they both sported leather dresses. (Okay, less like style twins and more like...style cousins. Second cousins, twice removed.)
Yesterday, Mary was out and about in BOSS Hugo Boss dress with a leather bodice and twill skirt with a partial check pattern. The frock comes from Jason Wu's first collection for the label (Fall 2014 RTW), which featured several other plays on these mixed materials and pattern. Mary added a shirt underneath, which actually fits right in with the rest of the collection. I love the skirt portion, but I could do without the leather on this one. It's a little too armour-esque, no?

Photos: Europa Press via Getty Images / Hugo Boss / BilledBladet video / Saks Fifth Avenue

Tiara Thursday: The Barberini Sapphire Tiara

The Barberini Sapphire Tiara
So many of the sapphire tiaras we know today are fairly symmetrical, even architectural, in their design, so an asymmetrical floral option makes for a refreshing change of pace. Joining other sapphire floral tiaras such as the Ogilvy Tiara, the Barberini Sapphire Tiara features a flowering wreath design. A rose-cut diamond branch is the base for old-cut diamond flowers with an oval collet sapphire at the center of each, and more sapphires are scattered along the branch. The stones are mounted in silver and gold, and the tiara dates from around 1850.
Other pieces in the set
The tiara is part of a parure that includes a necklace, brooch, and girandole earrings. The accompanying pieces are also notable for their commitment to the floral theme, when many parures might opt for a simpler design for the rest of the set. These were among the jewels that belonged to the Barberini family, an old Italian noble family that counts a pope among its ancestors (Pope Urban VIII) and who gave their name to the Palazzo Barberini in Rome, today the location of the National Gallery of Ancient Art.
The tiara is modeled before its most recent auction
These particular pieces are known to us via their history of auctions, rather than their former owners. The jewels were first sold by Christie’s as a parure in 1971 for $18,850. They were sold again, this time as four separate pieces, in 2009, and brought in close to $250,000 all together ($100,144 for the tiara alone). Floral tiaras are not my favorite overall, but this one does have a charm that makes me wish I’d had the checkbook power to scoop these up.

Sapphires in your floral tiaras, yes or no?

Photos: Christie's / Marco Secchi via Getty Images
Royal Style Twin of the Day: February 26

Royal Style Twin of the Day: February 26

Look at this trouper, visiting EU institutions in Brussels yesterday:
An injured knee (apparently suffered during the family's recent ski vacation) can't keep Queen Mathilde down, and it certainly can't keep her from playing the Natan style twin game. She's giving us flashbacks to Máxima's ensemble from last week, and I think she's coming out on top, because 1) she's restricted her orange accessories to a small pair of earrings, and 2) those are some kicky little flats. I'm not usually a fan of her footwear, but in accommodating her injury, she's managed to up her game.

Since we're hanging out with Mathilde, here's an audience she held earlier in the week (before things got tricky with her knee, I guess):
Color: Yes! Slouchy turtleneck collar: No!

Photos: @hellomag / Dirk Waem/AFP via Getty Images

Royal Flashback of the Day: February 25

My Twitter feed reminded me that yesterday was the anniversary of one special event: the engagement of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling on February 24, 2009! The couple met in 2001 when Victoria was a personal training client of Daniel's at the gyms he owned in Stockholm, and by 2002 their relationship was known to the Swedish press. They tied the knot in June 2010. This was a long engagement, by royal standards, leaving plenty of time for Daniel to recover from the kidney transplant he underwent shortly after the engagement.
Anyway, this means we should talk about the engagement day outfit, no? (Hers, that is. Daniel wore a suit.) Victoria's dress for their meeting with the press has always held a special place in my heart. Because purple, that's why.
It's not just purple, it also has a very special accessory which I adore: a petite diamond flower brooch given to Victoria by Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian, which was a sweet way to connect her big day to beloved family members. And it was a lovely match to her classic diamond engagement ring (which we discussed in our engagement ring series), too.

Video: The press conference
As it turns out, the dress was actually quite a tip off to what her wedding dress would ultimately look like. The open neckline and the wide waistband would both feature prominently in her wedding gown, and the purple dress was made by Pär Engsheden, which ended up being an early hint at the wedding gown designer. No surprise I enjoyed her selection, then, since the wedding dress (and the wedding itself) are personal favorites.

Photos: Pool via Getty Images

~ Roses are Red ~




Hey,


This isn't one of my usual posts but I would like to change things up and add more lifestyle posts to my blog, instead of just beauty. I think roses are the most beautiful flowers and I received 18 from my boyfriend on valentines day! So...I took a few snaps with them and liked the outcome - it was really fun editing them too. These edits looked really cool and I wanted to share them with my viewers ;-) 


Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this little change in post. Promise to be back with more beauty stuff this week!

Love 

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 24

I was excited to see the Oscar party scene yield a pair of familiar faces:
Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Princess Marie-Chantal attended the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
I was slightly less excited to see Princess Marie-Chantal's gown, sadly. Listen, I consider myself a fan of her style; even when I don't like the exact pieces she selects, there's an easy elegance to her styling that I admire - she manages to make interesting choices without looking like she's playing dress up. But this Alexander McQueen dress seems doomed from the start. I'm not sure any amount of tailoring can make this satin behave when it clearly wants to make all kinds of folds and puckers at the slightest sign of movement or curve. But I still like the softness of the color palette and the floral design.
As shown in the Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2014 collection, far left; and in the retail version, full-length in ivory satin with floral embroidery in nude and silver.
Another part of the reason I like following Marie-Chantal's looks was well on display in spite of all that: her jewels. She has a collection of unusual pieces and she doesn't make them wait for a vanilla outfit to go on parade. These earrings, which I believe are from JAR, one of her favorites, are a great touch to bring out the pink tones in the dress. Yet another piece for me to covet...

P.S.: My fave from the Oscar after parties? Diane Kruger, making me love a red jumpsuit in Donna Karan Atelier. That's some serious style power, right there.

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain and Venturelli via Getty Images / Alexander McQueen / Matches
Family Visit to London - Feb 2015

Family Visit to London - Feb 2015


We wanted to show off our city to our first family visitor! 



We walked from the Waterloo Bridge to the Shard. It's about a mile and a half walk along the river Thames so we got to see some iconic London sights on the 30 min walk on the Southbank. 





First stop: Get the view from the Top of the Shard. This is the tallest building in Western Europe. It houses a hotel, corporate offices and

Potential Royal Fashion of the Day: February 23

It's Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear runway time, so let's waste away our Monday looking at some pretty things and dreaming up a wish list for royal fashion to come. As always, click the designer names to be taken to the full collection...

I'd just like someone to wear that one up there on the left for me, please. Anyone. Thanks.

From pastels to orange tartans and back, there are a few things here that we could see pop up in one form or another on the Duchess of Cambridge or the Countess of Wessex. Probably not the black PVC numbers, but one never knows.

Mixed materials and patterns characterized the collection from Queen Letizia's new favorite designer (well, the designer I'm pushing until it becomes her fave, that is).

And a few more, for good measure:
  • Here comes a bunch of designers we've seen a time or two on the Duchess of Cambridge, starting with Temperley London.
  • Anything Mulberry for Kate this season? There's a poncho in there I wouldn't mind getting my hands on.
  • We haven't seen much Jonathan Saunders on the Duchess, but from what we've seen so far she'd probably go for only tamer pieces, and one at a time.
  • Some Boss, designed by Jason Wu, for Hugo Boss fans Crown Princess Mary or Queen Letizia, perhaps?
  • Here's some Diane von Furstenberg, whose classic wrap dresses are in many royal wardrobes.
  • I'm sad to say the first Oscar de la Renta collection without the master himself didn't flip my skirt like it usually does. (Sidebar: I did like the dress from this collection which appeared on Sienna Miller at last night's Oscars, though.) (Sidebar to the sidebar: Was fairly underwhelmed by Oscars fashion on the whole this year. Anyone else? Just...less than memorable. Meh.)
Photos: Style.com

Sunday Tidbits for February 22: Birthday Girls, History Girls, and More

In this week's tidbits, we've got some current events and some way way back events and everything in between...

--Princess Leonore of Sweden (daughter of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill) turned 1 this week! New pictures were released by the Swedish court to mark the occasion. [Kungahuset]
Brigitte Grenfeldt / Kungahuset.se

--And we have two more birthday girls over in Luxembourg: Princess Stéphanie turned 31 and Princess Alexandra turned 24. [Wort, Royalista]

--From the Royals We Hardly Ever Cover category: The King and Queen of Tonga were received by the Pope at the Vatican this week. [Vatican Radio, RomeReports]


--The first part of the BBC documentary Reinventing the Royals, which was slightly postponed after apparent legal intervention from the royals, is available for viewing at the BBC site (geo-restricted) or on YouTube. [Radio Times, BBC Live Player, YouTube]

--Crown Princess Mary visited Ethiopia as part of her work on women's rights and health. Here's an article in English, and photo gallery 1 and gallery 2 from the trip. [Sydney Morning Herald, BT]


--Interesting: Facial recognition software indicates that a painting thought to depict Jane Seymour may in fact be Anne Boleyn. [Artnet News]

--The Hairpin takes the history of celebrity stylists waaaaay back, profiling Rose Bertin, stylist to Marie Antoinette and others in her court. [The Hairpin]

--A Russian tycoon has donated items formerly belonging to the Yusupov family (you may recall them from our discussion of their long lost rock crystal tiara) back to the Russian national archive. The pieces include a Faberge egg and a pocket watch made for the last tsar's coronation. [Daily Mail]

--Heads up, America: Chaz and Cams are on their way! The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will visit Washington, D.C. and Louisville, Kentucky from March 17th-20th. Their visit will include a meeting at the White House with President Obama and Vice President Biden, and a visit to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. You can read more about the visit at their official site. [Clarence House]

--And finally, don't ever tell me being a royal isn't all glamour, all the time: Here's the Prince of Wales celebrating the 150th anniversary of the London sewer system this week. [BBC Video]

Stay tuned for next week, we'll be checking out the fruits of fashion week and more!
Old people.

Old people.

I just finish this book, 30 advice from american experts, well if  the title to be modified I'm pretty sure it probably be "30 advices by old senile people".  Anyway, this shit is good. It is as good as my double shot latte or daily kopi pekat without gula.  It took a while for me to finish reading it considering my snail pace in reading any material more than 50 pages.  Now, the old people told me this:

  • If you are to find a partner, girlfriend or boyfriend, one must not follow the normal principle, i.e explore all options. One must find from his/her own kind, so fatty with fatty, skinny who likes banana with skinny banana. Which I find it repulsive at first, who on earth would want a generic life? we want crazy things, paragliding on monday, bull ridding on wednesday. The old people put it this way, marrige/cohabitant is not a temporary things, impromptu & adventurous life would be nice for first few years, it will eventually will become less interesting and sooner or later you will get tired of it, Correct what?
  • YOLO. and you thought this concept was invented last year by some random rapper? hell no. Old people have it renamed, live in the moment. Begitu... I like this concept, people are so caught up with perfection, try to prepare for the future, most of the time, and eventually when you have everything you ever wanted, you have no strength to enjoy it. 
  • Cant remember others advices, should be goodlah since I managed to read it cover to cover.
On lighter notes, I overhauled my room, now looking awesome, image man crib, with wall shelving and comfy bed, and metal locker.  

F love it. 

period.


Royal Coats of the Week: February 20

Royal Coats of the Week: February 20

We've reached the point in winter - at least in my neck of the woods - when I begin to lose all hope of ever being warm again. Can humans hibernate? I'm investigating. Until then, we indulge in another edition of the Royal Coats of the Week. It's the only logical thing to do.
Here's Letizia's entry, a chic white number. This is a very luxurious look, and I'm all for it. (I know some of you are going to say it looks like a bathrobe, but hel-lo people, what is more luxurious than that?! More excuses to wear bathrobes in public, that's what we need.) Tangential to today's topic, but I will also show you the outfit underneath the robe coat:
The King and Queen opened The First Picasso exhibit, among other engagements.
This is my favorite version of her high-waisted full black skirt yet, I think. Kicky.

Naturally, Leti's white coat reminded me of another white coat we've seen recently:
The Duchess of Cambridge visited Portsmouth last week.
From She of Many Coats, Kate, comes this Max Mara option, the same model seen previously on Princess Eugenie. Liked it then, liked it now, can't go wrong with a winter white. Underneath (below) she sported a boat print dress from Alice Temperley - a bit literal for a nautical engagement, I think, but fades into a generic print from a distance.
And this week, she added another Max Mara coat for our consideration, this time in a blue to complement the Seraphine floral dress underneath (which we have seen previously):
This week, she visited the Emma Bridgewater factory.
I'll take any and all of the above, I'm not picky. Even these are a dream when the temps bottom out. Reality is a little more like so:
The Swedish royal family has been attending the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Click here for a gallery.
But without the fun ski competition to distract. SIGH.

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated

Tiara Thursday: Queen Marie José's Beauharnais Pearl Tiara

Today's tiara is unusual for a variety of reasons.
Queen Marie José's Beauharnais Pearl Tiara
First, of course, is the design. Pearl tiaras are often more diamond heavy than pearl heavy, but the design of this coronet-like piece relies on small pearls to outline the engraved gold base and the triangular and fan motifs above it, with small diamonds just as accents. It was made around 1829 in Paris, making it one of the older tiaras still in existence today - but adding another point in the unusual column, it looks mostly the same today as it did back then. Many diadems dating back that far have been remodeled heavily over time, but this one has only been modified to add an extension piece at the back.
Stéphanie
The tiara belonged to the adopted daughter of Napoleon, Stéphanie de Beauharnais (1789-1860). Stéphanie married the Grand Duke of Baden, and she was pictured wearing the tiara (above). The tiara made its way to the Belgian royal family, who are related to Stéphanie courtesy of her granddaughter Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders (1845-1912), and it eventually ended up in the possession of Princess Marie José of Belgium (1906-2001), daughter of King Albert I and granddaughter of the aforementioned Countess of Flanders. (It should be noted that some references to this tiara tie it back to Empress Joséphine, Napoleon's first wife, who died prior to the reported approximate creation date of the piece, and some paths of ownership tie it to Empress Charlotte of Mexico, born a Belgian princess, at some point.)
Marie José
The tiara's main modification came in 1924, when the band was extended at the back so that Princess Marie José could wear it in the fashionable style across the forehead to her first court ball. In 1930, the princess married the future King Umberto II of Italy. The tiara stayed in Queen Marie José's possession until her death in 2001, when it passed to her daughter, Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy. It was auctioned at Christie's in 2007 (as were other pieces from the late queen's jewel collection, including the Empress Joséphine Tiara), and it sold for $85,190. Adding another layer to the rarity of the tiara's tale, it did not disapper into a private collection but was bought by the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. They purchased the tiara because of its link to the history of Mannheim Palace, which was the home of Stéphanie de Beauharnais. It is now part of the museum collection at the impressive Baroque palace.

As pearl tiaras go: Yay or Nay?

Photos: Christie's, Wikimedia

Royal Accessories of the Day: February 19

Another day, another chat about Máxima's accessories.
The King and Queen visited the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe this week.
My love for a colored accessory is clear, but look at Máx go, pushing my affection to the brink: orange top, orange shoes, orange earrings, orange purse, orange gloves. Orange.Gloves. Single-handedly keeping the colored glove industry in business, this one.

Queen Máxima visited some Oranje Fonds projects last week.
And then we had this. A perfectly lovely, professional gray dress (from a Dutch brand, LaDress, per ModeKoninginMaxima)...with giant spider brooches crawling all over it.
The brooches are from Argentine jeweler Celedonio, and are very skillfully crafted to be sure. But a little too skillfully crafted for me, you know what I mean?
Because NOPE NOPE NOPE. {Nightmares.}

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated / LaDress

Top 5 | Concealers



Hey guys!
So today I have decided to put together my top 5 go-to concealers, featuring 4 inexpensive blemish hiders and a slightly pricey one for those who love splurging on a good ol' highend face product. 

Collection Lasting Perfection (RRP £4.19) - Although this is the least expensive, I would say that this concealer has the best coverage over them all. When you first buy this, the formulation is creamy, blend easily, hides any redness and rids any dark under eye circles. The only issue is that the texture can become cakey on the face and very drying; it usually only remains creamy if you use the whole thing in less than a month. Personally, I would buy this if you are in need of a good under eye concealer but go for a more expensive one if you want to get longer use of your money.

Maybelline Instant Anti-age Erase Eye (RRP £7.99) - My latest concealer purchase is this little beauty. I have been using this for the past month and loving the results. I would say this concealer can last 2-3 months, so not too bad. Also, the formula is very creamy, thus won't cling to any dry patches on the skin. I have this in the lightest shade so it can also be good for slight and subtle highlight in the centre of the face.

Helen E Cover It (RRP £8.00) - Cover It has to be the one for those who love to brighten their under eye area. Unlike the Collection one, it doesn't give great coverage but instead brightens your under eyes so they are practically glowing! I always apply this, or a shade from my E.L.F concealer palette, before applying a coverage giving concealer.

NYX HD Photogenic (RRP £8.49) - The one for intense highlight definitely has to be the NYX HD Photogenic concealer - this is incredible for Kim Kardashian under eye highlight. I apply shed loads of this stuff on my dark circles when I've been getting little sleep or going to a party to help highlight my face. This concealer is also great for central highlight, so looks amazing blended onto the forehead, nose, cupid's bow and chin.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (RRP £25.00) - Although the packaging can get a little messy, like the Maybelline one, I love how easy the application is with this styled concealer. Little product is wasted, as all is pushed to the brush and it doesn't dry out as easy as the ones with plastic wands. My favourite things about this concealer is that it is very long lasting, remains on the face for the entire day, still holds highlight even when held with powder and makes my face looks so healthily radiant.

Let me know you favourite concealers in the comments below. I love trying out new concealers, espeically ones with extremely high coverage! Thanks for reading X

Love

Charlotte Xx


Royal Bling of the Day: February 18

Royal Bling of the Day: February 18

Cams, you saucy minx.
The Duchess of Cornwall, along with the Prince of Wales, attended the Royal Film Performance of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel last night.
Here I thought she might be done with mega ruby breastplates necklaces, seeing as the last one she wore caused a bit of a fuss. But nooooope, she's got another up her sleeve. Here's the necklace worn previously:
Worn in Philadelphia, 2007.
The 2007 appearance featured a necklace that was among three sets of jewels picked up by Camilla during a tour of Saudi Arabia in 2005 (from various members of the vast and super rich ruling family; necklaces previously covered here or here). From afar, you might wonder if the necklace from last night was a remodel of the earlier version, but since the stones are different shapes and sizes, they are two different pieces. Talk about building a jewelry vault for yourself, my oh my.
Now we're back to last night.
Last night's was a suite of pear-shaped rubies in tiers with garlands of diamonds, a necklace accompanied by matching long earrings and also a ruby and diamond bracelet, which you can just see peeking out from the sleeve of her rich velvet gown. The whole set looks like another Middle Eastern gift to me; Camilla's official gift list for 2013 included a parure (no further details, alas) from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and I wondered if this might be the one, worn as a tribute to the recently deceased king. But that's just speculation on my part. Whatever its origins, I'm so glad they gave it to Cams. I mean, who else could pull this off?
Shout out to Chaz's getup last night, too. Takes a dapper man to make a simple tux worthy of notice in the face of such gem power, but there he is with his fancy cuffs and his checked pocket square, and I can't help but take notice. Nicely done as always.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
A walk in the park

A walk in the park


After a quick trip to the LDS church, I decided to take a walk around the area. Take a walk with me!





The V&A museum. Victoria and Albert. Now there's a love story for the times. 







Charming London houses EVERYWHERE. If you ever visit London and attend LDS church services on Sunday travelling by tube, you would walk right past this.






Museum of Natural History. One of the most

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 17

I asked for more Carolina Herrera...
The King and Queen of Spain attended the National Culture Awards yesterday.
...and I got it! Oh, how I love when that happens.
I'm all about this dress, man. The color blocking adds some fun shading and curve, and the slight flip of the skirt in movement and keyhole at the neckline give a bit of a feminine twist to this take on Letizia's typical shift dress.
The Carolina Herrera dress, worn by Letizia with Magrit shoes and a Uterqüe clutch
And with that, I'll go ahead and renew my official request: moooooore of this, pretty please.
Video, above.

Photos: Carlos Alvarez via Getty Images, Neiman Marcus

Native Spring Wedding Flowers


October is a brilliant month for native flowers.  A bride is spoilt for choice!  Last October I was privileged to be able to provide flowers for a wedding at MONA in Hobart.  The bride and groom were from Sydney so NSW Waratah's were a perfect choice.  My Telopea Speciosissima hybrids were just bursting with colour.  


The bride was wearing gold, so the red was really a standout colour.  I added Dryandra Formosa flowers to tie in the gold.  They are at their height in early to mid spring.  


The Dryandra leaves also add a  lovely textural quality to the bouquet.  They have a fine, zig-zag shape and fall at nice angles.


For the flower girl's bouquet, I chose some smaller waratahs to keep the size and weight manageable.   The bright pink is added by Boronia which not only creates a burst of colour, but smells divine, making it a pleasure to handle.  I used Leucadendron Lemon Spice, a selection of the female Leucadendron Discolour.  In spring its colour is spectacular, changing from a sage green to a gorgeous creamy ivory with a pink blush.  


Another ingredient I loved using for this wedding was some fresh green eucalyptus pods, immature and not ready to flower until summer.  In their immature state, they are bright green, and the textural quality adds another layer of interest to a bouquet bursting with spring goodness.  


In early October, the Berzelia or Button Bush is just ready to begin picking.  The "buttons" are green and they add another fresh textural layer to the spring native bouquet.  


One of the things I loved about this wedding was that the bride was particular about the boutonnieres.  The groom wanted white.  For the Fathers, I was given pictures of the suits and ties they were wearing, so I could create something that worked well.  It was a great way to work.  


White was a little tricky with so much colour available!  I used both wax flower and thryptomene (another duo that are fabulously perfumed) teamed with Berzelia and an immature Leucadendron Silver Tree cone.


The Silver Tree cone really glows. 


For the Fathers' boutonnieres, I used small waratahs.  I usually cull these smaller flowers, pruning them off the bushes and leaving them.  They are pretty but too small and often at odd angles so no good for selling wholesale.   I decided that they were perfect button holes for this spring wedding though - like a scaled down version of the main bouquet flowers. I like the way the red bracts surrounding the flower sit at interesting angles.


For the other boutonnieres, I used Dryandra.   These Australian Natives have a strong almost citrusy smell that can be a bit overpowering when they are first picked so I pick them a week early and sit them in the cold room till it fades a little.  They are teamed up with Lipstick Boronia and wax flower.  


Such a joyous combination of spring goodness! 
Natives are a vibrant and memorable choice for a spring wedding.




Royal Hats of the Week: February 16

Royal Hats of the Week: February 16

Honestly, it's a little sad how happy I am just to see a hat with a crown and a brim on display. Such a simple thing, yet so often refreshing in a world of fascinators and other such things. So my sincere thanks to the Belgian royal family for a better than average showing last week:
Attending an annual mass in remembrance of deceased family members.
I don't know if Queen Mathilde has been watching as much Downton Abbey or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries as I have, but her cloche is right on point and extremely cute. We have a brimless nod to Princess Margaretha and her classic pillbox, just behind Mathilde above, and Princess Claire tossed in a navy number. I can't even be mad at Princess Astrid's pairing of her large black hat with a coat in...khaki mustard? I don't even know.
Just a crown and a brim, and I'm good to go. (Until there's one of those that I don't care for, in which case never mind.) Anyway, back to the cloche: sooo much potential for an unflattering look with that style, but this gets a well played from me. For a gallery from this event, click here.

Photos: Dirk Waem/AFP via Getty Images, @VTMRoyalty

Sunday Tidbits for February 15: Diamonds and Wine and Other Stuff

And to balance out the extravagance, we'll start today's tidbits with an Anne Update:

--The Princess Royal spent some time in uniform this week, which is how you know that all is right in the world. She handled a Buckingham Palace investiture, including bestowing a damehood on fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, and made a naval visit. In uniform with her signature sport shades and a hard hat = the ultimate Anne experience. [BBC, Royal Navy Facebook]

--Also, here's a little peek at that infamous 'do of hers, while attending a reception this week:

--Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein is celebrating his 70th birthday, and Luxarazzi is posting long interviews (which they have very kindly translated into English) with him and his family members. It's a nice glimpse into the lives and personalities of this low profile reigning family. [Luxarazzi]

--A 100 carat "perfect" diamond, touted as the largest perfect emerald cut ever to be auctioned, will be sold at Sotheby's in New York in April. The pre-sale estimate? A cool $19-$25 million. [ITV, Observer]

--Queen Letizia once again sported her combo of red ex-crop top dress and rainbow earrings on a visit to a winery with her husband. Add that to the list of royal engagements I'd gladly take on. [Hola]

--And finally, have some more wine, why not: Here's a video of Prince Felix of Luxembourg showing off the wines at the vineyard he and Princess Claire run in France, Château des Crostes. [Video in French. Azur TV, via Luxarazzi]

Photos: Getty Images, Twitter, and Instagram as noted
Wicked lovely Valentine's Day

Wicked lovely Valentine's Day


I am catching up, slowly but surely. I will be throwing these posts up whenever I feel like they are done even if it's out of chronological order (which is what has held me back) and it'll all sort itself out. Here goes!



My sweet husband likes surprises. Because of how incredible he is at planning and executing a heart-warming surprise, I have decided to try and be more like him in that

Tiara Watch of the Day: February 12

Last night it was time for a representation dinner in Sweden. I've come to realize that these are the tiara events most likely to produce, uh, mixed results. Yeah, let's go with that. (You're going to want to see the gallery at this link, by the way.)
Queen Silvia passes muster in a gold dress and the Connaught Tiara. Sofia Hellqvist did okay for herself in black, but - hang on, let me check - nope, I'm still worn out on black lace dresses from last year. Just behind her in the picture below, you can spot Princess Christina. She was wearing the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik again, so the intrigue around its ownership continues.
A lavender-clad Princess Madeleine wore her 18th birthday tiara, the Swedish Aquamarine Bandeau, in a low riding position, an example to one and all of why these things get labeled Cyclops tiaras. Isn't that ever so helpful of her? (I don't begrudge her wanting to wear a light tiara or doing something different, but...yeesh.) Oh well. Points added for the dress and the earrings, which are great.
It was down to Crown Princess Victoria to give me a bit of hope for tiara events to come. The outfit was basic, a repeated pastel pink and purple Escada dress she first wore at the ball after Albert and Charlene's wedding in 2011 and the Six Button Tiara, but she also wore the earrings, brooch, and bracelet from the Cameo parure. With this particular outfit, it makes for an incredibly random pairing - I mean, the Cameo stuff needs an outfit with nods to its colors or to the intricacy of its design and this feels like it was laundry day in the gown closet and nothing else was left - but for someone (ME) that hopes to see her in the Cameo Tiara again, I'm just glad to see her use what she can.

P.S.: The blog will return on Sunday!

Photos: Kungahuset.se

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 11

Photo: HRH The Duke of York
To celebrate the joint 50th birthdays of the Earl and Countess of Wessex (his was last March, hers in January), the Queen held a reception at Buckingham Palace last night for representatives from the couple's many patronages and affiliations. The Duke of York was present too, and he shared the family photo above on his Facebook page. Cute, right?
If you're part of the reason the event is being thrown, you might as well turn up looking fab-u-lous, and Sophie was all over it in a chic black dress from Victoria Beckham's label. (The Queen wore one of her favorite evening suits, which she paired as usual with her favorite Aquamarine Clip Brooches from Boucheron.) (Edward wore a suit.)
The dress is a simple LBD, ripe for a little jeweled embellishment, and Beckham has very kindly taken care of that by adding a "hand-embroidered wave shaped detail that includes crystals, metallic beads and metal mesh, all sewn onto a silk organza panel and inset into the left shoulder." It wraps over the top of the shoulder, adding a little interest to the back as well.
Victoria Beckham
I'm not always a fan of built-in jewels, but this is perfect. The Countess kept the rest of her accessories to a minimum, also a good choice. The dress was previously worn on the red carpet by model Arizona Muse, who added a necklace which was a little unneeded:
I've been wondering when we'd start seeing more of the Victoria Beckham collections on our British ladies. We've seen a bit on other royal ladies, such as Crown Princess Victoria:
This Victoria Beckham shirt was worn during a meeting with John Mullins last month, and during Victoria and Daniel's San Francisco visit.
Photo: Kungahuset.se, My Theresa
But I like that Sophie's taking the dive. A lot of VB's stuff has a sleek and modern line to it, not unlike Roland Mouret, which is already a favorite label for certain Windsors. I'm ready for more.

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