WEDDING FLOWERS: Greece
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Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts

Tiara Thursday (on a Wednesday): The Greek Pearl and Diamond Necklace Tiara

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Programming Note: Tomorrow is a holiday (Happy Thanksgiving!), so there will be no new post. But we won't go two weeks without a tiara feature, so enjoy this week's a day early. We'll return on Friday.

It's rare that I like a necklace tiara more in its necklace form - I'm a tiara girl, what can I say? - but I think that might be the case here. Or perhaps what I'm really after is the pendant that this piece once held...
The Greek Pearl and Diamond Necklace Tiara, in necklace form and in detail
Queen Frederika of Greece (1917-1981) had a necklace of pearls and diamonds featuring a large pointed center motif flanked by repeating motifs of a pearl surrounded by a fine diamond line. Not a lot is known about the piece, but Frederika was pictured wearing it fairly early on and continued to use it until late in her life. She used the necklace in its plain form but also swapped out the center motif for a large sapphire pendant from her collection.
Queen Frederika using the tiara as a necklace; Princess Irene using it as a tiara
And when I say "large" sapphire pendant, I mean LARGE. Large as in 478.68 carats in one stone. The sapphire in question has royal connections prior to Frederika: Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938) wore it first. The cushion-cut sapphire was purchased from Cartier by Marie's husband, King Ferdinand. As you may remember from last time, Marie's jewels had been sent to Russia for safe keeping prior to the Bolshevik revolution and were sadly never returned to her. This sapphire was one of several jewel purchases she and her husband made to replenish her collection. Queen Marie wore the piece on a long diamond sautoir necklace and passed it down in the family, but by the marriage of her grandson King Michael in 1948, the family was in exile and the sapphire had been sold. It was subsequently purchased by a wealthy Greek citizen and presented to Queen Frederika as a private gift.
The sapphire; Queen Frederika using it as a pendant on this necklace
When it wasn't in use as an accessory to that mega sapphire, the pearl and diamond necklace could also be used as a tiara. Queen Frederika's daughter Princess Irene did so on a few occasions in her younger years, and the halo effect created by the side motifs worked well with her of-the-moment hairstyle.
Video, above: Queen Frederika wearing the necklace with sapphire pendant
Irene was the last person (to my knowledge) to be seen using the necklace as a tiara, and it has disappeared from public view. The sapphire also disappeared, only to resurface in a Christie's auction in 2003, where it was listed as the property of a noble family and sold for $1,482,089. It is one of the largest cut sapphires in existence.

Which would you pick: Tiara form, necklace form, or take-the-sapphire-and-run form?

Photos: Flickr/DR/Christie's

Royal Designer of the Day: October 21

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Sad news from the fashion world last night: Oscar de la Renta has died at the age of 82. The legendary designer always produced elegant collections that were just beautiful, plain and simple, and his loss is terribly sad.

So today, we remember him in the best possible way - by celebrating his creations.

His pieces live on in several royal collections around the world. Queen Sofia, a personal friend of the designer, was his biggest royal fan. She wore many of his designs, including the flattering embroidered blue number below (shown with Mr. de la Renta himself, of course).

Her daughter Infanta Elena shares the love. Her Oscar pieces including stunning and vibrant gowns, but my absolute favorite is this too-chic-to-handle day suit.  

Queen Máxima's Oscar de la Renta outfits include a classic coat, and Crown Princess Victoria has a classic print dress.

Princess Lalla Salma has been spotted in some of his outfits, as has Queen Rania. Add this cozy jacket to Rania's collection:

Mary's contribution is princess perfect...

And Princess Madeleine's has a fresh edge, one that nearly made my pick in her closet raid.

And to Madeleine's pre-wedding dinner, Princess Marie-Chantal flew the Oscar de la Renta flag.

I could go on, and on, but I'll stop here and turn it over to you.
Some of the above royal looks on the runway and retail.
What is your favorite Oscar de la Renta look in action?
 
 
Photos: Getty Images, Avoord video, Kungahuset.se, Instagram, Twitter, Oscar de la Renta, Style.com
Royal Wedding Anniversary of the Week: September 19

Royal Wedding Anniversary of the Week: September 19

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King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary in Greece this week - they hit the big 50 year mark yesterday. They were young when they married, she was 18 and he was 24, but even then their story was a long one.
They first met in 1959. Anne-Marie was the 13-year-old daughter of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark, and Constantine was the Crown Prince of Greece, on a state visit to Denmark with his parents, King Paul and Queen Frederika. By 1961, a romance was in the works. Their engagement came early - too early, King Frederik thought, being concerned that his daughter was still just a teenager and still in school. He asked them to wait until Anne-Marie was 18 and had finished her education to marry, and so they did. They were intended to marry in January 1965, but things were moved up when King Paul died in March 1964 and Constantine took the throne. The wedding was set for September 18, 1964, just after the end of official court mourning. Less than a month after turning 18, Anne-Marie became a queen.
Her wedding gown has always been a sentimental favorite of mine, but then I'm apt to fall in love with any kind of simple, classic style paired with a lace veil. Designed by her mother's favorite couturier, Jørgen Bender, the gown has an elegant silhouette: a wide neckline delicately accessorized with a cross pendant, an empire waist, three-quarter length sleeves, and a split front skirt with a detailed edge and train behind. The whole affair was turned into a true queen's gown with a massive 20' long train flowing out from behind and requiring several royal bridesmaids to manage.
Video: Starting with the glittering pre-wedding ball. Attended by an enormous group of royals, in this clip alone we can see Anne-Marie in the Greek Emerald Parure, Queen Frederika in Queen Sophie's Diamond Tiara, Queen Ingrid in the Danish rubies, Queen Juliana in the Stuart Tiara, and more! 
Queen Anne-Marie was the youngest of Frederik and Ingrid's three daughters but the first to marry, and she set in place several trends that would be echoed by other brides in her family. Dress designer Jørgen Bender would go on to design the wedding gowns of her sisters Margrethe and Benedikte, as well as Benedikte's daughter Alexandra and Margrethe's daughter-in-law Alexandra. Though she already had a tiara collection of her own by this time (the Antique Corsage Tiara from her family, as well as the Greek emeralds and rubies, turned over to her by Queen Frederika), Anne-Marie borrowed a diamond tiara from her mother for the wedding. Her use of the Khedive of Egypt Tiara started a tradition that continues today with Ingrid's female descendants. She also borrowed the family wedding veil, solidifying a tradition that is still alive in the family.
The wedding placed two young, glamorous, fresh faces at the helm of the Greek monarchy, but the institution had a turbulent past and a less-than-stable footing, and it wasn't long before things got rocky once again. In 1967, the young couple and their family left Greece; by 1973, the monarchy was abolished. They remained in exile for many years, eventually settling in England, but in recent years they have returned to live once again in Greece.
At their golden wedding party, with most of their children and daughter/son-in-law (not pictured: Prince Nikolaos and wife Tatiana)
They may be former monarchs, but thanks to their family connections, they show up at many royal events (in addition to the Danish ties, King Constantine's sister is Queen Sofia of Spain and they are related to many royal houses going further back). Family members have joined them in Greece to celebrate, click for more: the party at the yacht club (also shown above - loving Marie-Chantal's ribbon belt), and a gathering the evening before.
Photos: Keystone/Hulton Royals, Keystone France/Gamma-Keystone, and Milos Bicanski, all via Getty

Tiara Thursday: Princess Marie Bonaparte's Olive Wreath Tiara

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Princess Marie Bonaparte's Olive Wreath Tiara
Using wreaths as head ornaments is a tradition dating back long before the creation of the tiaras we know today. But it is a tradition that continues on in the form of the wreath tiara, a classic tiara design category, often depicting laurel or olive branches in diamonds and other precious stones and metals. Cartier's production of floral and foliage design tiaras really kicked in after 1900, and today's tiara is a grand example of the work of that famous French house from the Belle Époque period.
Marie Bonaparte
It was made for Marie Bonaparte in 1907, for her wedding to Prince George of Greece and Denmark. Bonaparte became a psychoanalyst, scholar, and author with close ties to Sigmund Freud later in life, but the trousseau set out at her wedding was geared for a more expected path as a royal bride. The amount of jewelry was lavish enough that Cartier devoted a window to the display, this tiara included. The olive branch design was a perfect fit for this particular situation, being both a symbol heavily linked to Greek history (the groom was the son of King George I of Greece) and bridal history (brides wearing olive wreaths can be found dating back to ancient Greece), and being reminiscent of the styles popular in the Napoleonic era (the bride was the great-grandniece of Napoleon I). In the photographs that exist of her wearing the tiara, she tends to wear it with the branches close to lying flat on the sides of her head - as worn above, she uses it in the fashion that would have been popular in those times.
The window at Cartier displaying Marie Bonaparte's wedding jewels. To the right of the tiara on the top shelf sits a small hair comb of a similar wreath motif, accented with pearls. That comb was eventually placed on a frame as a tiara.
In this tiara, two olive branches of pavé set diamonds in platinum meet to surround a large central pear-shaped diamond pendant. Dotted throughout are large diamonds representing the fruit of the branches. These diamonds can be swapped out for emeralds set in gold (in fact, it was originally displayed in the emerald version), or even possibly rubies. The central pendant can be removed at will; for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, Princess Marie wore the tiara with a diamond star in the central spot. (Marie her husband were in attendance to represent their nephew King Paul, but showing where her true interests lay, she spent the ceremony engaging the man next to her in a round of psychoanalysis. Her seatmate happened to be the future President of France, François Mitterrand.)
With emeralds
Marie Bonaparte passed away in 1962, and the tiara was eventually sold. It was acquired by the Albion Art Collection, which generously loans out their collection for exhibitions around the world. They show it in its diamonds-only version. It was included in Cartier's mega-exhibit, Cartier: Style and History, in Paris earlier this year, and I heard from a few of you that were blown away by its sparkle in person. With this amount of diamond power and this type of tried-and-true design, it would be hard to go wrong.

Are you a wreath tiara fan? Where do you rank this one?

Photos: Albion Art/Cartier

Tiara Thursday: The Leeds Cartier Pearl and Diamond Drop Tiara

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The Leeds Cartier Tiara
Today's tiara belonged to Princess Anastasia, wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, son of King George I and Queen Olga of Greece. Prior to their 1920 marriage, Princess Anastasia was no princess at all, but rather an American with a past that included two previous marriages. She was born Nonie May Stewart in Ohio and by the time she met Prince Christopher in France in 1914, she was known as Nancy Leeds and was a wealthy widow following the death of her second husband. (Her Wikipedia entry - yes, I know, apply your own Wiki cautions - is full of slightly dubious details. For example, regarding Prince Christopher's claim that he married her for love alone and not for her money: "Whether he ever knew that she was, in fact, a decade older than him and had a living ex-husband is unknown." JUICY.)
Princess Anastasia
Anyway, this tiara actually predates her days of royal intrigue. Mrs. Leeds was a frequent client of Cartier, and ordered the tiara for herself from the famous jewelry firm in 1913. The diadem is composed of intertwining diamond circles outlined by a row of small pearls. The interior of each circle is accented with more small pearls. From each circle hangs a pendant, alternating pear-shaped diamonds and drop pearls around the tiara. The pendant diamonds range in size from 9.85 carats to the largest at a staggering 21.60 carats; the pearls at their smallest are 35 grains and at their largest, 64.60 grains.
Detail of the center of the tiara, and the side view
This is a tiara often confused for the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara so famously (and frequently) worn by Queen Elizabeth II, and indeed the design was based off of that very piece. According to Hans Nadelhoffer's Cartier: Jewelers Extraordinary, Grand Duchess Vladimir left her tiara temporarily at Cartier in Paris, and Cartier's close examination of the remarkable piece became the basis for the designs for three more tiaras. These included Mrs. Leeds' tiara shown here, as well as a tiara with large diamond drops made for Princess Paley in 1911 from an existing tiara. Today, we can add the reworked version of Queen Victoria Eugenia's Aquamarine Tiara to the list of similar designs - and, along with the Vladimir Tiara, it is one of this type of design still known to be in existence today. Nancy Leeds/Princess Anastasia died in 1923, and the whereabouts, or even the sheer existence, of her pearl and diamond drop version today remains unknown.

Of the similarly designed loop tiaras, which is your favorite?

Photos: Cartier/Wikimedia Commons

Tiara Thursday: Princess Alexia's Diamond Tiara

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Princess Alexia's Diamond Tiara
Today's tiara belongs to Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark, oldest child of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie. It is said to have been a gift to Alexia from her parents. The tiara is a densely packed design of varied motifs that form ovals around a center line of round diamonds. The largest diamond in the diadem is a pear-shaped diamond mounted at the very top.
Alexia
In her early years, Princess Alexia borrowed her mother's Antique Corsage Tiara (on at least one occasion), and she followed family tradition as a descendant of Queen Ingrid of Denmark and used the Khedive of Egypt Tiara on her wedding day. But for the most part - exclusively, in years since her wedding - Alexia wears her own tiara. She loaned it for the first time to her younger sister Princess Theodora for Princess Madeleine of Sweden's wedding in 2013 (which Alexia did not attend); at that wedding, their sister-in-law Princess Tatiana was also present, wearing the Antique Corsage Tiara that Theodora usually borrows.
Theodora
I've always thought this was a great medium-sized tiara for someone that only uses one (and wouldn't we all love to have just one...). The design is, as I said, densely packed, so that from afar it blends together and creates rather solid looking piece; yet when the light catches the tiara just right, the design takes on a delicate lacy feel. Despite the fact that the Greek royals were deposed long ago and hold no tiara events of their own, they have close ties to other monarchies and so their tiara collection still gets a lot of use (particularly in Denmark, as Queen Anne-Marie is one of Queen Margrethe's sisters). And it's always a treat to see Alexia give this one a show.

How do you rate this tiara?

Photos: AOP, Dominique Charriau/WireImage and Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

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