WEDDING FLOWERS: Emilia Wickstead
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Showing posts with label Emilia Wickstead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emilia Wickstead. Show all posts

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2015, Days 2 & 3

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We took a day off from our Ascot coverage, so let's play catch up with a big roundup of royal racegoers:

Best in Gents
The Duke of Edinburgh (Days 2 and 3)
Ascot is my annual time to give the dapper Duke his due. His top hats are "antique", as the Royal Hats Blog explains, which in this case means they're his from fifty years ago. (Princess Anne: "SEE?") For her part, the Queen delighted me with another amazing brooch from Queen Victoria, Prince Albert's Sapphire, and then did an abrupt 180 the next day in a probably modern and hardly as lavish piece, the Shamrock Brooch. I like to think she just wanted us to save up our jumpy claps, knowing that the Duchess of Cornwall was about to pile on pounds of diamonds that evening. Her Maj is gracious like that. (Oh yes, Camilla had a BIG tiara appearance and it is covered at the Vault!)

Best in Comebacks
Princess Beatrice (Day 3) and the Princess Royal (Day 2)
We might as well call this the Triumph of the White Dresses category, because both of these ladies used that simplicity for accessory success after accessory semi-disasters on Day 1. Beatrice continued to play with color - and with handbags - and I adore it. I also adore Anne with a scarf draped gracefully over her shoulders.
Beatrice's dress from Beulah London, hat from Laura Apsit Livens

Biggest Statements in Patterns
Princess Alexandra (Day 2) and The Princess Royal (Day 3)
Alexandra will win you over to her festival of paisley with her cheery smile and her festive hat trim; Anne will simply dare you compare her to a luxury carpet with her steely gaze. But they both come out pretty well in the end.

Biggest Statement in Feathers
Princess Michael (Day 2) and The Countess of Wessex (Day 3)
Positively swashbuckling, these two - in other words, perfect for Ascot. Well done. (The Countess of Wessex Blog explains that Sophie's Jane Taylor hat looks like a slight remix from a previous Ascot appearance, with some extra stuff added. Can't ever get enough extra stuff to stick on your Ascot hat.)

Best in Couture
Princess Haya (Day 2) and Princess Marie-Chantal (Day 3)
Princess Haya continued her couture Ascot run in Chanel Couture with a Philip Treacy hat, and on Ladies' Day, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece joined in the fun also in Chanel Couture and Philip Treacy. I have to say, it's a good combo.
Haya's suit modified from Spring 2015; Marie-Chantal's jacket from Spring 2011

Best in Forehead-Bolters
The Countess of Wessex (Day 2), Autumn Phillips (Day 2), and Princess Eugenie (Day 3)
I was expecting to like this latest batch of Ascot fashions so much. (It is Friday, perhaps I'm feeling generous.) I don't even mind a round of my least favorite sort of hat, the one that doesn't cover much of your head except for maybe parts of your vision because hey who needs that. I like all these three! Sophie's all stripey, Autumn's all springy, and Eugenie's all swingy.
Emilia Wickstead for Sophie; Hobbs for Autumn (h/t Countess of Wessex Blog); Peter Pilotto dress and Helmut Lang blazer for Eugenie
Bonus points to Eugenie for picking just the right shape of blazer to add to that dress. I think this is my favorite Eugenie outfit in a long time, which makes the York sisters my day 2 and 3 faves, which is also something that hasn't happened in a long time. Stranger things have happened at sea...

Who's your Ascot Best Dressed for Days 2 & 3?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated / Beulah London / Laura Apsit Livens / Style.com / Instagram / ModaOperandi / Hobbs / Saks

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2015, Day 1

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Ascot's first day was a day of statement pieces - the occasional successful one, and then some other statement items which...were also present. Let's discuss:

Best in Surprises
The Queen
I was going to tell you all about how much I love Lilibet in this vibrant cerise from Peter Enrione with an Angela Kelly hat, but every time I look at her I get lost in that brooch and can't find my way out again. This is a VERY EXCITING brooch selection, and you can obvs read all about it at the Vault (Ascot post here, full brooch post here).

Worst in FrankenHats
The Duchess of Cornwall and The Princess Royal
I'm pretty sure Camilla's hat is a perfectly plain brimmed number that just sat right down on top of another, more interesting hat, which is now trying desperately to free itself from below. (Maybe this is why the Duchess of Gloucester's hats always grow those weird stems: safety precaution! No hat's gonna risk sitting on that.) Its saving grace - on top of a busy top half to the outfit underneath - is the single color, but I still can't condone this type of hat-on-hat violence. Which is precisely why Princess Anne's hat gets the real worst in show here.
How many hats had to die in a millinery cage match to make this single mishmash of a chapeau? Somebody needs to put down the glue gun and walk away. Kudos to Anne for still fitting into an outfit from 1980 and all, but please try again in the headgear department.

Most Adequate in Black and White
Lady Sarah Chatto, Autumn Phillips, Princess Michael of Kent
Okay, Sarah Chatto's is brown too, but whatever. It matters not. These are all okay. Mostly, I'd just like to know why Princess Michael didn't go all in with a half black/half white eyepatch.

Most in Need of De-Fussing
Princess Beatrice
This is a bold skirt for her, and I love it! I just wish she'd cut back some of the extra fuss on the shoes and the hat so the skirt could shine, instead of being the third piece in the outfit fighting for your attention.
Roksanda Ilincic skirt

Best Runway Omission
Princess Haya
I wouldn't have thought to turn a couture gown into an outfit for the races, but at least she left off the boots, which were thigh high and vinyl and all over the latest Dior couture runway. Princess Haya (daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, and wife of Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai) usually stops my heart at least once with her Ascot couture parade each year, but we're not quite there yet on Day 1.
Christian Dior Spring 2015 Couture

Best in Statement Pieces
The Countess of Wessex
Yessssss. This is how you do it! Sophie's white Emilia Wickstead dress is simple enough to let the hat take center stage, but isn't boring on its own. Second place to only Her Maj in my eyes.

Best in Gents
Prince Harry and Mike Tindall
On the one hand, the long reign of terror of Prince Harry's infamous yellow waistcoat, worn to all things for all time, is over - or, at least, temporarily interrupted by a dashing new blue number. (It won Zara Phillips' approval, saying hello in cheery yellow from Paul Castelloe.)
On the other hand, Mike Tindall's curtsey game is strong. So I'll call it a tie.

Who takes home your Ascot Best Dressed Crown for Day 1?

Photos: Via Getty Images as indicated, Moda Operandi, Style.com
Royal Garden Party of the Day: June 3

Royal Garden Party of the Day: June 3

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The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace yesterday in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Women's Institute. As is only fitting given the honored organization, Camilla was joined by a group of fellow royal ladies ready to brave a little wind and get their garden party on.
And as is only fitting since this quartet includes some of the loveliest Windsors that we don't talk about nearly enough, we shall take this opportunity to lavish some much-needed attention on them (and their gems!).

Navy and cream is a good combo on Cams, no? It's hard to go wrong with the classics. I love the larger of her two diamond and pearl chokers, I like her Diamond and Sapphire Butterfly Brooch (which is as far into the realm of bug jewelry as I am willing to go, MÁXIMA ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME) and I like that she also wore her Women's Institute Badge. And you know the hat's a good one when even Crown Princess Mary owns a similar model.

The Duchess of Gloucester wears this light blue ensemble a lot - in fact, she wore it to another garden party just a few days ago - but I can't say I blame her. It is simple yet flattering.
And most importantly, it's a good background for plenty of sapphires, diamonds, and pearls. Go Birgitte, go! She always seems to have something interesting going on the jewel department, and it's a crying shame that she ends up in the background at so many royal gatherings. Just think of all the sparkly fun we could be missing...

Princess Alexandra looks like a walking garden party, which is as it is always is and always should be.
No slouch in the gem department herself, we've got diamonds and pearls and a classic diamond flower brooch that has a sister in the collection of her cousin QEII.

And finally, the Countess of Wessex. I thought I stole this Emilia Wickstead horse print dress for myself, but I suppose as long as she keeps wearing it, we're good. LURVE.

P.S.: Later that evening, Cams got her tiara on! A surprise Tiara Watch is over at the Jewel Vault for your delight. Spoiler alert: Dame Joan Collins was involved.

Photos: WPA Pool via Getty Images

Royal Style Twins of the Day: April 24

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Today, we're flashing back...way back...to a week ago, in Copenhagen, where the reception for Queen Margrethe's birthday at City Hall featured some style twin moments worthy of a closer look.

First up: Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Princess Victoria and their twin appearances with, uh, themselves.
Above, in Copenhagen in 2010 for Margrethe's 70th birthday, and below, also in Copenhagen for Margrethe's birthday, five years on. Mette-Marit's even wearing the same gold headband, which (as the Royal Hats Blog points out) she's worn in several different ways.
"So, whaddya think...same thing this time, except different?" "AGREED."

For the same same thing, you need look no further than the Mexican state visit to the United Kingdom a month earlier.
Mexico's first lady, Angélica Rivera de Peña, sported Mette-Marit's Alexander McQueen coat first. It's an A-line crepe coat in ivory with a double lapel detail, and the only surprising thing about this is that one of the British royal McQueen fans didn't beat both ladies to it. (Perhaps they will join the party later on. I'd love to see this one belted, just to shake it up.) Unusually for one who loves the colorful accessories, I prefer the First Lady's black touches to the Crown Princess' gold/red/nude mix in this Who wore it best? battle.

Our other twin - nay, triplet! - moment from the City Hall event comes from Crown Princess Mary and the gray hat she paired with her Oscar de la Renta coat dress.
As soon as she emerged with this chapeau, I thought it looked familiar - Kate-esque, I said - and indeed it was. From favored royal milliner Jane Taylor, this is a hat we should know well by now.
Zara Phillips sported the same gray version to Cheltenham over a year ago. She paired it with a truly unfortunate outfit that I will pretend I did not see since baby Mia was just a few weeks old at the time. But the original royal example comes from the Countess of Wessex, who wore a version in a different color and material to Ascot in 2013, paired with an Emilia Wickstead outfit in gorgeous vibrant teal. (An outfit that would get a lookalike of its own when the Duchess of Cambridge wore a similar number in New Zealand last year. It's just a chain that never ends.)
Mary's got the lock on sophistication in accessory pairing, but Sophie's version is a welcome shot of color. I'll call this one a tie and I'll take both for myself, outfits and all, thanks very much.

Your turn: Which versions of these twin appearances are your faves?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Net-a-Porter, ITN video

Potential Royal Fashion of the Day: February 23

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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

Royal Closet Raid of the Day: January 23

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As promised, one last thing before we stop celebrating the Countess of Wessex's 50th birthday: her closet raid! This is our time-honored tradition (eh, well, it's been around for a few months) of taking a look through a royal wardrobe and seeing which pieces we like so much we wish we had them for our very own. Praise with a dash of selfishness thrown in, just the way I like it.

When it comes to the Countess, I knew precisely the outfit I was after:
Emilia Wickstead is a favorite of Sophie's, and with good reason. This dress, debuted at the Luxembourg royal wedding in 2012, is a good example of Sophie's style on the whole: basically classic, but with a bit of quirky fun too. It also happens to be my personal favorite, because full skirts, belts, square neckline, three-quarter sleeves, and fun prints that aren't too cartoonish are just a few of my many favorite things.

A few more of my favorite Sophie things, for good measure:
A fun floral dress in a flattering cut, yes please.
Purple Prada coats, YES please.
And cute clutches, ohhhhh yes. Now, your turn:

What do you covet from Sophie's wardrobe?

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain, Max Mumby/Indigo, Ian Blakeman via Getty Images, and Emilia Wickstead

Royal Outfits of the Day: January 5

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The Windsor family's own Benjamin Button, the Countess of Wessex, turns 50 this month, and to mark her big birthday, she spoke with the UK edition of Harper's Bazaar.
She's worn a fair few pieces from Peter Pilotto, and the label's signature bold style is well represented here. My favorite of the looks is the red number above, which was also worn recently by Alyssa Milano on the red carpet. And Sophie wore it better, if you ask me.
Two Peter Pilotto dresses and a Nina Ricci coat
I also like the play on patterns in the shot below. The look pairs a textured Nina Ricci coat and another Pilotto printed dress (which the Countess of Wessex blog points out was already worn by Sophie earlier last year; the blog offers these identifications and more).
Of course one of her favorite designers, Emilia Wickstead, is also represented, in a dress modified from the retail version to remove the v-neck (I kind of miss the original neckline, though):
Wearing favorite brands and repeats gives this whole thing a bit of a different spin, I think. Features like this for the senior members of the royal family are not so common, and it feels appropriate that this isn't a version of Sophie we don't recognize, done up in cutting edge designs just for the sake of a photoshoot. Instead, she's portrayed in some of her favorite designers and is posed casually at her home, Bagshot Park. (Well, "casual" for a home that looks like it comes with its own dress code, that is.)
Emilia Wickstead dress, retail version
It's a nice feature, but more than anything it's just nice to see the Countess get some attention for both her work and her style. (And it's nice to see those things without them falling under a headline about some fictional competition within the royal family, honestly.) You can read the Harper's Bazaar feature here and in the February issue of the magazine.

Photos: Harper's Bazaar via Twitter; Lyst; Moda Operandi

Royal Outfit of the Day: April 14

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Video: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended church in Dunedin during their New Zealand tour.
Behold, the most New Zealand outfit yet: dress by Emilia Wickstead, who is based in London but was born in New Zealand, plus the Queen's New Zealand Fern Brooch again. Even the Jane Taylor hat looks a little fern-ish. Click here for more pictures.
This dress gives me a bit of déjà vu, and for good reason - we've seen it in pink in the past. My favorite Emilia Wickstead? Nah. But I am in love with this color, and would take it any day over the pink.
What say you: teal version, or pink?

Photos: ITN/Reuters/AP

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