Royal Flashback of the Day: March 27
This week, Queen Margrethe opened a new exhibition of her dresses, put on in honor of her 75th birthday (coming up in April, have I reminded you of that often enough?).
rain reign coat makes the cut for an exhibit alongside couture gowns is everything I love about Queen Margrethe in a nutshell, by the way.)
No time like the present, then, to get back to our flashbacks to her 2010 birthday celebrations and cover one of my favorite gowns from her current rotation:
The dress now has its own place in history, with a starring role in a portrait by Mikael Melbye which was placed on stamps to celebrate her ruby jubilee. The artist wanted a monochromatic look in order to focus the painting on her expression, so the green dress was painted in silver. It works in silver, it works in green, and I wouldn't mind it if she had a few run up in every other color of the rainbow. When it works, it works.
Photos: via Getty Images/DR
You can see a few of the outfits on display in this gallery, including her wedding gown (minus the front lace panel and the daisy brooch), the gorgeous floral print gown she wore under a pink coat for Fred and Mary's wedding, and that floral rain coat she so cheerily and so memorably wears. (The fact that a
No time like the present, then, to get back to our flashbacks to her 2010 birthday celebrations and cover one of my favorite gowns from her current rotation:
This apple green dress was created for the gala performance on the first night of those 2010 celebrations. I've been working my way through Dronningens Kjoler by Katia Johansen, which is all about her fabulous clothes and includes the Queen's own thoughts on some of the creations she's worn throughout her years; according to the book, this color was selected specifically because it would pop against the red and gold inside the theater. (And that it did, you can see video of her arrival and seating here).
Created by Birgitte Thaulow, Margrethe's current favorite designer, the gown is made from heavy silk zibeline bought by the Queen in London. It features a square neckline, elbow-length sleeves, and a shape created by an interesting gathering of pleats to a central sash. For the birthday celebrations, she played off the green and wore the tiara, necklace, brooch, and earrings from the Danish Emerald Parure, part of the crown jewels. The silhouette is theatrical enough to suit this drama queen, but the color gives it a new glow. And it has enough interest to stand on its own while still being plain enough to work with all sorts of orders and jewels.
Margrethe's big on repeating gowns, so of course we've seen this one several times. She wore it to Crown Princess Victoria's wedding just a few months later, in 2010 (seen above), and this is my favorite appearance so far. The green is so fresh, it looks amazing with the lightness of the pearl jewelry (the Pearl Poire Tiara and its assembled parure). She's also worn the dress with the emeralds again for the New Year's Court gala in 2011 and 2014.
Photos: via Getty Images/DR
