Royal Group of the Day: August 5

Royal Group of the Day: August 5

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Yesterday, many services marked the centenary of the First World War. Among the dignitaries joining the King and Queen of the Belgians for various events in Belgium were the King of Spain, the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.

Video, above.

Two royal ladies in a sea of suits, and "appropriate" is the word of the day. It goes for both Mathilde and Kate, and I'm not finding many remarks beyond it. While that might be damning with faint praise in another situation, for a more solemn event like this, it's just right. A respectful sartorial nod to them both.

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Photo: Pool via Getty

Royal Balcony Appearance of the Day: June 16

Royal Balcony Appearance of the Day: June 16

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Trooping the Colour, the Queen's official birthday parade, went on in London this weekend. Hats and the upper two-thirds of outfits, here we come:

The Queen and her Duke first, of course (more on her gems at the Vault), followed by her Royal Colonels on horseback. (Shown at right are the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, and the Princess Royal. William's in the middle.) Everybody's all very smart and such, not my favorite of the Queen's outfits but there are enough uniforms around her to distract me.

Any time Camilla wears her pink topaz pearl choker, she wins, those are the rules. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a brooch that looked pretty faux to me, but she still stood out as her smart suit was quite a bit smarter than what's going on with Sophie and Eugenie, I'm afraid to say. Yeah, I'm on Blergh Patrol today.

Over on this side of the balcony, we've got a selection of Kents for you, looking very neat and tidy all around. Well, I'm not sure what's happening with Lady Helen's outfit (she's the one in raspberry), but I'm sure it's all very fashion-y. Anyway, it's always nice to see Lady Gabriella (center) hasn't lost her fondness for a proper hat.

And finally, a selection of Gloucesters and some trailing Kents. We could talk about all of them individually but we won't because CAPE ALERT! Princess Michael has arrived. Dramatic (so we know it's still her), but tasteful too. Well played.

P.S.: Garter Day is on tap for tomorrow!

Photos: BBC1 video

Royal Garden Party of the Day: June 11

Royal Garden Party of the Day: June 11

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At Buckingham Palace yesterday, the Queen hosted a garden party with several members of the royal family in attendance.

And who was the best dressed royal at the garden party, you ask?

The birthday boy, of course! The Duke of Edinburgh turned 93 yesterday, and he's still one of the most debonair royals around. Look at this coordinating tie/boutonnière/top hat game! And on a gray morning suit no less, a very sophisticated color palette. Yes, he takes the bite-sized garden party-appropriate cake here.

The Queen was my second best dressed pick, but that's what my other blog is for, so click here.

And after those two kids comes, well, everybody else. Line up, ladies!

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Thank you, very helpful, let's work from left to right: We've got the Duchess of Gloucester, very understated but elegant by default. The Princess Royal seems to be wearing a hat purchased in the last decade for a change, always a delightful surprise, and she's got lovely aquamarine accessories (including a brooch that used to be the central part of her Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara). The Duchess of Cambridge is repeating an outfit I loved the first time around, but she removed the ribbon belt and changed up the hat and accessories. As much as I appreciate trying to shake it up for a repeat...I, uh, really miss the original belt and hat. Oh well. On the bright side, Princess Eugenie's got some shoe interest happening, and that will always cheer me up right quick. Well done.

For more: here's a gallery, plus photos at the Daily Mail (including the day's earlier engagement for Kate).

Photos: British Monarchy instagram and WPA Pool/Getty Images

Royal Outfit(s) of the Day: April 23

Royal Outfit(s) of the Day: April 23

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Video: The Cambridges visited Elizabeth (the suburb, named for the Queen) as the Australian leg of their tour continued.

Time for another drive-by peek at the royal tour! Simply put: this is pretty. Soft pink separates, with a v-neck and a bit of fullness in the skirt to add some interest. And McQueen, so obviously impeccably fit. Lovely. Here's a look from the Daily Mail.

The day before, they visited Uluru, where Kate arrived in a Roksanda Ilincic dress hilariously similar - but different - from one she already owns. Later, she brought back a dress from Hobbs that I have always liked and wore a necklace given to her while there. Here's a piece from PopSugar.

Video: Their visit to Uluru.

The fashion news here belongs to William, though - he didn't wear blue! He wore khaki. Big day, kids.

Photos: Reuters

Royal Outfit of the Day: April 10

Royal Outfit of the Day: April 10

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Video: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge laid a wreath at the Blenheim War Memorial during their tour of New Zealand.

Hey, look at that - Kate took that coat Sophie wore earlier this year (covered here), and made all the critical changes: removed that top peplum flap thingy, and made it an actual color! Well done. It's definitely a coat that has enough architectural features to stand on its own, so it works quite well at this non-hat occasion. She also added sapphire and diamond earrings, and obviously those make everything better. (And yes, you can actually see them for she has - gasp - worn her hair up. All the way up. Let's call it the Hallelujah Ponytail.)

The coat is from Alexander McQueen, a custom combination of retail styles. She's also wearing a commemorative poppy pin for remembrance on her shoulder, as did others.

So which royal wore it better, do ya think? Going with the Duchess, myself.

Photos: Reuters/Net-a-porter

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 11

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 11

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Gallery: The Earl and Countess of Wessex attend the Commonwealth Observance, Westminster Abbey, 10 March 2014. http://t.co/LLGfhAh2DG
— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) March 10, 2014

Yesterday, the British royal family attended a service at Westminster Abbey to mark Commonwealth Day. The Countess of Wessex was present, wearing a Jane Taylor hat and Alexander McQueen coat.

Here's an interesting take on those love 'em or hate 'em peplums: the back support belt! I kid, but this is an interesting coat - I may not be entirely sure about this peplum style, but without it, it wouldn't be worth a second glance. It's signature McQueen, toned down by the covered up coat underneath.

Top folded down: better or worse?

We're featuring Sophie because I hear those of you that feel she's being ignored, but Camilla's hat is an interesting discussion piece too - click the link in the tweet above, or click here for pictures (plus more from the first engagement of the day for the Wessexes - it was Edward's birthday!) from the Daily Mail. And for the colorful Queen's jewels, you can find those at the other blog (she wore an interesting brooch to the evening reception too).

Photos: Alexander McQueen/Net-a-porter