Royal Gathering of the Day: September 2

Royal Gathering of the Day: September 2

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Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands this weekend, the Dutch King and Queen were joined by the King and Queen of the Belgians, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and the President of Germany and his partner.

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What percentage of crossover is there between these three royal closets, do you think? I mean, they share a favorite designer (Natan, worn here certainly by Máxima and Mathilde, and probably by Maria Teresa too) and a favorite milliner (Fabienne Delvigne, again worn by Máx and Mathilde, though it appears MT has branched out for this occasion). Their names even share the same first letter (not relevant, but I'm just saying).

When you start thinking about it, it almost becomes impressive that they managed to rustle up three different looks for this one event. Would have been some kind of epic if they'd done the Natan triplet act properly, though...
 

Photos: Pool via Getty Images, and NOS screencap

Royal Event of the Day: August 27

Royal Event of the Day: August 27

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The Swedish royal family attended the Polar Music Prize festivities last night.

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled wardrobe theft game for refreshing change of pace (in these summer days, at least): an actual event! Half of the royal ladies were only present for part of the event (Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine joined in later, Silvia was typical Silvia and Madeleine was...not her best in an Ida Sjöstedt dress), but still, the Swedish royal family is trying their best for us. We do appreciate the effort.

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Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, above. Click here for a gallery of arrivals, including the King, Chris O'Neill, and a glimpse of Princess Christina and husband Tord Magnuson.

Is this the official Dress of 2014? Victoria's sure trying to make it so. This year has already brought us an outing for Victoria in the dark version and one previous outing in this light version, plus an appearance for Mette-Marit in the dark version. And that's just since June! It's a great dress, and a perfect choice for this event. But I think the question is: too much of a good thing, or never enough?

The dress is from the H&M Conscious Collection.

(By the way, Victoria will have her day in the closet theft sun later on.)

Photos: Anna Lu Lundholm via Getty Images, and H&M

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 of the Day: April 4

Royal Outfit of the Day: April 4

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Crown Princess Victoria wore a custom Elie Saab gown in beige silk with embroidered and beaded details on the bust and sleeves to the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony in 2010. She also wore the Cut Steel Tiara.

Bit of a dismal run from Victoria in the current events department lately. Dismal bordering on disastrous, occasionally. And I've had a few requests to pull something, anything, out of the archives to remind us of the full force of her sartorial power. So here we go, one of the all-time bests.

Video: Victoria at the Nobel dinner

It's the best outing of the Cut Steel Tiara I can think of, and it gives me an opportunity to once again post an enlightening video - you might not guess that a tiara with no diamonds or other gemstones could possess such sparkle. I can only imagine that the gown was made specifically to accompany the Cut Steel Tiara, because it is a perfect modern interpretation of the type of dress that was the fashion in the Napoleonic era, when the tiara was crafted. Victoria has worn this dress again, but this appearance remains the gold standard.

Photos: Getty Images/All Over Press/Kungahuset