WEDDING FLOWERS: Fabienne Delvigne
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Showing posts with label Fabienne Delvigne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fabienne Delvigne. Show all posts
Big Royal Hats of the Week: June 23

Big Royal Hats of the Week: June 23

Ascot doesn't have a monopoly on the big hats, you know.

The Duchess of Cornwall took time out from Ascot to toss a mop on her head and head out with the Prince of Wales to continue the work they started in Belgium, leading the royal party at a St. Paul's Cathedral service to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Cams is wearing her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Small Diamond Clasp and a badge from the Rifles, by the way.)

A big group of royals and other dignitaries gathered in Belgium to do the same, including the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the King and Queen of the Belgians, the King and Queen of the Netherlands, and the Duke of Kent.
'Twas a standard appearance for two of the Ms - Maria Teresa and Máxima, though I am a little concerned that Máx had an altercation with a road line painter on the way to Belgium - and a gorgeous appearance for their royal hostess.
This is the second time in a week I've looked at Mathilde and thought nothing more than she looks goooood. So let's keep that up.

I like to imagine that Queen Máxima realized she missed an opportunity for a big hat there, because she returned home and promptly donned this monster, to open the Design Derby Netherlands:
It takes a lot to overshadow a chapeau like this, but my attention was diverted by what I genuinely thought might be a lobster slung 'round her neck. (She would wear one too, you know she would.)
Honestly, I'm a little disappointed to find out that wasn't the case.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Royal Outfit Grab Bag of the Day: June 10

GREETINGS. Here are some random pockets of fabulousness that I would like to share with you, so that we may bask in the glow of their splendiferousness together:

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel at the Polar Music Prize last night
Victoria occasionally tries to go a little bit edgy for the music stuff, which is fine but not really in her wheelhouse. This is much better. Straight from the music event to cocktails on a warm Ibiza night, this. I hope someone gave her a drink with a wee umbrella in it.
Dress from House of Dagmar, Earrings from Oscar de la Renta


King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia also attended the Polar Music Prize
Here's Sils at the same event. (With a fur, so there goes my Ibiza fantasy.) Fabulous designation goes to the color only; the Yuki-designed ensemble itself is suspiciously Zbornakian.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia commemorated Armed Forces Day on Saturday.
Letizia mixed and matched a previously worn jacket and a previously worn skirt, and the whole is greater than the sum of its two parts. Well done.

Queen Máxima during the official visit to the U.S. last week.
And finally: Máx looks chic, and this brooch (from Queen Sophie, worn by Beatrix on her wedding day) is to die for. This was last week - a MILLION YEARS AGO in internet times - but dedicated Máx fans understand the importance of saving up the chic moments to sustain you during the long droughts, like a camel heading for a Sartorial Sahara that could spring itself on you at any time.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Nelly, Oscar de la Renta

Royal Visit Catch Up of the Day: June 1

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima wrapped up their state visit to Canada last week and have now headed to the United States for an official visit.

Click here for a video
We covered day 1 of the Canadian fun last week, and day 2 continued with another lace and big hat combo in olive, which is sort of drab, but really anything's an improvement on the arrival outfit. I will say this is the first time I've thought that Máx might have reached her hat size limit. Lots of angles where she's taking hat head to new heights...by entirely eliminating her face.

Photo: Governor-General of Canada/Sgt Ronald Duchesne, Rideau Hall
The evening concert hosted by Their Majesties featured a repeat of the red Valentino gown Máx wore to Prinsjesdag last year, which feels so plain without a sash to break up the red sea. Not even a tsunami of a side part can save this one.
This is one bad perm away from the 1980s. But she is wearing something intriguing in the jewel department: pieces from the Ears of Wheat Tiara, detached and worn barrette-style. The Ears of Wheat Tiara is one of the rare diadems that Máx hasn't worn from the family collection. At least not yet.

Day three - just in time for the trip's end - finally brought the best day outfit of the journey. This repeated white Natan frock with another big hat proves that a slight decrease in brim size can make all the difference.
And bonus points for earring style. Always bonus points for that.

Sunday night, they started their next visit in Washington, D.C. with a dinner at the residence of the Dutch ambassador. Máxima wore the absolute worst spider brooch EVER and it is TRAUMATIZING.
Video here, photos here.
 NOPE NOPE NOPE. That is all.

 
Photos: NOS video, gg.ca, via Twitter and Getty Images as indicated

Royal State Visit and Tiara Watch of the Day: May 28

The King and Queen of the Netherlands have begun their state visit to Canada, and...well, friends, the unthinkable has happened. The Queen of Muchness has out-much-ed herself.
Most people overdo it with the loud stuff, the brights and the sparkle. Not Queen Máxima. She managed to overdo it with a sedate material in a sedate color: navy lace, and way too much of it. Why bother with the "coat" in the first place, I ask you?
In theory, I like the idea of a splash of hot pink with navy lace. In practice, the superfluous lace coat messes and muddies the whole thing up. In theory, this hat is great and just the sort of huge thing Máx can pull off (and she has indeed pulled this same hat off in the past, wonderfully). In practice, the pointless peignoir has already added so much fuss and bulk to the outfit, the hat just drags it down even more.
Hat pin weapon level: ARMED AND READY. Click here for a video.
Ah, well. At least we have the tiaras. The tiara. Singular. The Ruby Peacock Tiara, a nice choice for a black tie state banquet where we're just happy to see any tiara whatsoever.
See? Look how excited everyone is to see the tiara. Tiaras spread joy. It's also possible she just did a shimmy off camera for everyone, because how could you not in this dress?

QUESTION: Approximately what percentage of the clothes in Máxima's closet are tailor-made for shaking it, would you say?
After the darkness of the day outfit, I'm thrilled to see her back in brights - and it is not going unnoticed here that she's got a full day color scheme going, with the pink accents in the day (with ruby and diamond earrings) and the full out pink and ruby scheme at night. This is more like the Máx I love to love. More of this as the visit continues on, please.

Programming note: No Tiara Thursday today. Instead, we have this tiara in action and some tiara fun coming up tomorrow!

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, NOS screencaps
Royal Style Twins of the Day: May 22

Royal Style Twins of the Day: May 22

Okay, so here's what I think happened:
Queen Máxima and Queen Mathilde took one look at what was going on with the sculpture exhibition they were opening in The Hague this week...
...and their mission was clear: TIME TO SEUSS IT UP. And did they succeed? Yes they did indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
I think we can guess which of these brains decided they should be rhyming technicolor cartoons for the day. Sporting a millinery party platter of Seussical costume trimmings, Máxima was outfitted in a coral-y orange Natan coat dress with extra volume in the skirt and sleeves and coral pendant earrings. Obviously keen to live up to their Natan Twins moniker, Mathilde also sported the Belgian brand in an orange and blue print belted frock with a Fabienne Delvigne blue turban and pearl earrings.
I'm telling you, I LOVE this appearance and every bit of ridiculous contained within. Seriously! They made me laugh, they made themselves laugh, and - here's the important part - they did their best to be highly visible for all the onlookers hoping to catch the double queen show at an outdoor engagement. That's a job well done. They can bathe themselves in beige another day.

And in case you have any doubt that this was a plan and not a coincidence, note that Mathilde made an outfit switch just for her jaunt with Máx.
Earlier that day, she was sporting the same hat but with a repeated blue floral Dries Van Noten dress for a pit stop at the residence of the Belgian ambassador in The Hague. Definitely a color scheme designed for an easy flip into twin mode. Also, this:
A joint appearance in 2007
Classic. Oh, you two.

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated

Royal Outfit Grab Bag of the Day: May 7 (Plus a Programming Note!)

I've got a big fat grab bag of outfits from our regulars for you today, and then we're off until Sunday. To the clothes!

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium christened a ship yesterday with her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, in attendance. 
Is it, like, international week of ship christening for future sovereigns, or what? First Ingrid Alexandra, now Elisabeth. Anyway, I'm liking her little starter "hat" and her mother can't go wrong with that repeated Dior.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale yesterday in a peony floral dress from the Pia Tjelta by Ti Mo collection.
I think this could just as easily have been worn by Princess Elisabeth above, and I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Queen Letizia held audiences at Zarzuela Palace last week wearing a Felipe Varela dress repeated from March's trip to France.
Is this one of those Magic Eye things? Is a dolphin going to leap out from the middle if I stare long enough?

Daniel wore a suit that wasn't black or blue! Write it on the calendar! It's so sad that that's worthy of note! But you take what you can get when it comes to the royal men! (Also, apropos of nothing: Victoria, Daniel, Haakon, and Mette-Marit went on a ski trip in Norway together recently. Which is super cute.)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended a ceremony for Remembrance Day in Amsterdam this week.
I do not usually comment on things like this, but I can't help but note how lovely Máx looked here. I like it when events like this warrant a little extra effort.

They also attended the Liberation Day Concert.
And finally, if I focus hard enough on the emeralds - earrings and a butterfly brooch from the family collection - I can pretend that dress that stole feathers from a Big Bird gone goth didn't make a reappearance.

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated; Kongehuset Facebook and By Ti Mo

Royal Trips of the Day: May 4

Well, if anyone was going to dress up like any part of the fruit basket...
The Dutch King and Queen visited Bonaire for Dia de Rincon.
Shoulda just changed that button jewelry into some little plastic fruits and went the whole Carmen Miranda while she was at it. Missed opportunity.
I'll say this for Queen Máxima: She knows exactly when to let her full CAPS LOCK potential fly. Because her royal banana impression was actually the perfect thing to fit right in with this colorful occasion, while still making sure she stood out as a queen should.

This was a speedy trip for the royal couple to the Dutch Caribbean, who headed for Aruba after their day in Bonaire.
Firstly, where is my tropical drink, hmm? And secondly, this is a hybrid of Mathilde's white Zara dress and Victoria's white L.K.Bennett, and I'm in love. Add this one to the list of frontrunners for my 2015 favorites, because it is perfection.

Wax n' Máx weren't the only ones who decided the time was right to check on the sunnier parts of the kingdom: Princess Beatrix visited Curaçao for an exhibit opening. I like that she adds a little tail to the back of her outfit, like she's throwing a little bone of sartorial interest to those stuck standing behind her.
She also kind of sparkles in the sunshine on video, which is officially the greatest achievement a royal outfit can hope for.

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated, NOS video screencaps

Royal Fashion Awards: King's Day, 2015

Yesterday was Koningsdag, or King's Day, in the Netherlands - a national holiday and King Willem-Alexander's birthday. The party was already rolling from events in the previous days: a palace reception (video link), and the King Games for schoolchildren.

The King is putting his own spin on the celebration, just as his mother and grandmother did before him. So they visited one town (Dordrecht) instead of two as they did in the Beatrix days and the events were a little different. The King and Queen brought their three daughters along (Catharina-Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane), and they were joined by Prince Constantijn (Willem-Alexander's brother) and his wife Princess Laurentien, as well as three of their cousins and their respective wives (Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène, Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette, and Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita).

We had a big royal party, and thus we have a big round of royal fashion awards to give out. Settle in...

Most in Need of a Cape
King Willem-Alexander
Everybody gets a cape except the birthday boy (Princess Alexia had a little wrap for herself later on). Oh well. He seems content enough to just manage the Caped Crusaders for now.


Most Efficient Accessory
Queen Máxima
Máxima looks pretty, no? She's my best dressed for the day, slightly wrinkly dress and all. And as a special bonus, her hat served dual purposes: 1) hatpin weapon storage, as always, and 2) probably a fair bit of confetti storage too. You know, for the after party. She's always thinking, that Máx.


Most in the Spirit
Princess Laurentien
Somebody has to wear orange, right? I'm pretty sure it's in the rules. The rest of this look is entirely random, but that's par for the Laurentien course.


Most in the Season
Princesses Marilène and Anita
A pretty floral on a sunny April day is always right in my books, and I'm loving both of these (that's Marilène above and Anita below). Carry on, ladies.


Most Princess Proper
Princess Annette
Slap a hat on this and she could compete with Máx for the queenliest of them all. But the hat game is not one in which you want to tangle with the Caps Lock Queen, so it's probably smart of everyone else to leave her to it.


Oh yes, and while we're going Dutch...and speaking of caps lock hats...

Most Eccentric Accessories, Other Birthday Division
Queen Máxima
You ever notice how, the crazier the hat gets, the bigger the Queen's expressions get? She knows what she's done. On Saturday, the royal couple continued the celebrations of the kingdom's 200th birthday (not to be confused with the King's birthday, okay, he's only 48) and Máxima repeated a turban she's worn a few times. But it doesn't get any less eye-popping, no matter how many times she sports it.
Didn't your mother ever warn you not to take cake from strangers with teddy bear pelts on their heads??


Photos: RVD/Het Koninklijk Huis, and Getty Images as indicated

Royal Color Scheme of the Day: April 22

The King and Queen of the Belgians visited Strasbourg, France yesterday, and Mathilde wore something a little bit familiar...
...but not really, because it's new. Apparently the pleated red dress, jacket, and hat worn when the couple made their introductory visit to Germany in 2014 weren't enough to fill the "folded effects/red division" portion of the royal wardrobe, because now we have a slightly darker and slightly simpler red dress with similar details hat. The dress detailing is confined to just one side of the skirrt, which is both an interesting detail and possibly not an interesting enough detail for a fairly basic outfit.
Dior shoes (worn by Mathilde in a different color)
The primary point of interest can't be seen on the above photo, I'm afraid (click here for a gallery, though, or here for a video). Floral shoes! They are (per ModeKoninginMathilde) from Dior, but instead of the green version above, they are pink/red. And they are possibly the best pair of shoes Mathilde's ever worn. WANT. Oh, and P.S.: Look, Ma! Heels and no crutches! Queen Robocop has left the building.

Since we're on Red Queens from Benelux Countries - Mathilde has her specific wardrobe sections, we have our specific coverage sections - Queen Máxima headed from Denmark to Washington, D.C. last week as part of her work in financial inclusion. She repeated a red Natan frock that I thought was a hit originally, and I think is a hit on the second go too.
Who knew talking about finance was such a kick, huh?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, RTL video, Dior
Royal Visit of the Day: March 23

Royal Visit of the Day: March 23

I think Willem-Alexander has found his signature THE KING HAS ARRIVED pose.
Following their cheery Danish state visit last week, the Dutch King and Queen made a two day stop in Germany for an official visit before heading home. With arrival on her own home turf so close she could smell it, Máxima returned to her main man Natan for a couple more outfits.
The first one was possibly a contest to see how many different colors and fabrics could fit in one ensemble. I hope the prize was a good one.
Day two was all about the accessories, a sea of red as far as the eye can see with only a pair of snazzy glasses for viewing the eclipse to break it up. And also a bug on her shoulder, can't forget that.
The accessories and their overdose of red were distracting me from what was really kind of a lovely dress underneath. You can't go wrong with a basic red dress, and this one has an extra wave of fabric to add some interest.

Basic with distractions continued to be the theme as the Dutch couple arrived home and headed off to a concert engagement. No rest for the wicked, or something like that, eh?
I suppose it's possible that Máx felt at risk for falling in a canal or something and needed to bring her floaties along just in case. I mean, it was an exhausting few days. Safety first.
But once again, matters were drastically improved when the basics underneath were allowed to stand on their own.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

State Visit and Tiara Watch of the Day (Part 2!): March 19

The state visit fun continues, and we shall forgo our usual tiara feature in favor of another lengthy state visit recap! (Gotta feast while you can, right? One never knows when the famine will return.)

First up, day two of the Danish/Dutch state visit, featuring King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima out and about with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.
Máxima is a tailored Indiana Jones and Mary is a von Trapp on the lam and they are ready for an ADVENTURE and is it too much to ask that they take me with them??? I'm too busy plotting a movie staring these two as renegade explorers on a high stakes quest to bother complaining about the lack of color on hand here.
Máx conquered the wild Danish frontier in a Claes Iversen camel coat with LK Bennett shoes and a Fabienne Delvigne fedora. Mary rode alongside in a fedora of her own with a gray cape/poncho/thing which I need in the worst way and her tall taupe Valentino boots which I also need in the worst way. The gentlemen were also present. They wore suits.

Hang on, got an idea for that movie plot: Máxima Jones and The Quest for the Return Dinner Tiaras.
Yeah, no tiaras for us at last night's event. But Máxima continued to hit up that Dutch/Danish connection with another Claes Iversen design, the best one of the trip (and I say that as someone who doesn't particularly care for orange). She added a nice big diamond collet necklace, because this is MAX we're talking about, but the dress sparkled on its own.
Máx's outfit is an easy thumbs up, but I can't say the same for Mary's repeated empire waist ruffled black thing. The big gold Portuguese earrings are the only thing I'm enthusiastic about here, so I give it a meh overall.
Other things I'm not particularly feeling: Princess Marie's ensemble. The geometric sparklies are reading very dated to me on the top here. (For a video with Marie in full plus other attendees like Princess Benedikte and Princess Elisabeth, click here.)
Queen Margrethe is also not rousing my enthusiasm - that color is...not a favorite - but HOLD UP is Henrik really wearing a purple tux jacket or is that the light? Doesn't matter, he WINS. Game over.

Across the sea, another state visit was in progress - and this one did take care of our tiara needs. Travel with me to Norway...
president.lv
...where the President of Latvia just arrived yesterday for a state visit. Mette-Marit at the welcome ceremony is turning me into one of those people that gets twitchy about dress vs. coat length with her Valentino ruffle overload. Also, Sonja's hat is...interesting.
Mette-Marit's Valentino coat and dress
The evening state banquet delivered our tiara watch for the day. The Latvian president somewhat awkwardly sported his Norwegian order (there's a reason the riband isn't usually worn with black tie, and this is it right here), and the royal family wore their Latvian orders, and they all basically look the same unless you squint.
This is another of Queen Sonja's frequent repeats, and it is...also interesting. Gotta do something with your fabric scraps, I suppose. Anyway, she wore the big version of Queen Maud's Pearl and Diamond Tiara. More importantly, Mette-Marit wore a new white dress with the Amethyst Necklace Tiara and the necklace (click here for more)!!
It's like she knew there weren't going to be any tiaras in Denmark, and she threw us a bone by leaving Ye Olde Diamond Daisy Tiara at home for a change. Bless.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Billed Bladet video, Latvia President, Valentino
Royal Outfits of the Day: March 6

Royal Outfits of the Day: March 6

If you had asked me to guess which of our royal ladies would be sporting a leather top and a bedazzled animal print skirt...
I would not have picked Mathilde, that's for sure. I suppose she is one of the ones capable of taking these materials (which on description alone sound like a reject from the Pretty Woman wardrobe department) and making them queenly, so there's that. (Here's a gallery with photos from this and other appearances.)

While we're catching up on our Benelux queens, Máxima opened the Máxima Channel yesterday (namesake aquatic transportation routes: just another perk of being royal) wearing a patterned Natan dress with beige accessories.
Not too shabby, I'd say. Of course, this is the front view, which is the safe side. From the back, one must beware the ninja hat pins, ready at a moment's notice to cut you down or maybe knit you an emergency scarf, I'm not really sure. (Here's a gallery.)

Photos: @Monarchie_Be, Remko De Waal/AFP via Getty Images
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

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