WEDDING FLOWERS: Jan Taminiau
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Showing posts with label Jan Taminiau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jan Taminiau. Show all posts

Tiara Watches of the Day: October 30

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Big stuff happening in Tiara World. BIG stuff. So, in lieu of our regularly scheduled Thursday posts, we're going to have one big, fat round up of state visity goodness - featuring tiaras from the Netherlands, Japan, and Spain! Read on for sparkle...

The Dutch King and Queen are on a state visit to Japan, and you know this is when Máxima brings it.
And it has been brought, my friends, starting with a fun full skirt dress in a pumpkin shade, totally brought to life by a gold belt and gold shoes. The dress is from designer Mattijs van Bergen, worn with another donut hat from Fabienne Delvigne.
This visit heralded the return of Crown Princess Masako to the state visit stage, and she was ready to go, even sporting an orange outfit to welcome her Orange guests (and matching her friend, Queen Máx). Awww.

In the evening, the Emperor and Empress held a state banquet, and Máxima continued to BRING IT.
Why yes, this is the first time she's worn the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara, one of the family big guns that was one of Beatrix's favorites when she was queen. A perfect choice, stepping it up for her first state visit to another monarchy. She's also wearing a downsized version of the bow brooch from the Stuart parure. I'm not in love with the gown - a Jan Taminiau from Prinsjesdag 2013 - paired with this particular riband (the Order of the Precious Crown, awarded to her by the Emperor) but give me a mega tiara and I magically forget all of that.
The Empress did not wear a tiara, which was predictable; she's opted out of tiara-wearing in the past couple years, apparently for health reasons, the weight of a tiara being pretty substantial. The rest of the Japanese ladies were out in full force (even those that we don't see here), including Princess Kiko wearing the Akishino Tiara (bottom left, above).
Video, the banquet
Masako, who looked happy to be at her first state banquet in more than a decade, gave us the best look yet at the Japanese Pearl Sunburst Tiara (and its accompanying parure). There's a lot more detail there, an intricate center section and some variation  in the style of the fringes underneath the pearls, and a whole lot of sparkle. Fantastic.


Next! Over to Spain, where yesterday the King and Queen welcomed the President of Chile. This is the first formal state visit of Felipe's reign.
I think the suit Letizia chose for the official welcome belongs on Queen Sofia, to be honest. But! Once again we have redemption at the state banquet, with tiara in place.
Letizia wore the Spanish Floral Tiara, no surprise there - predictably, she didn't bust out anything reserved for the queen right away. On this occasion, it was the perfect match to her delicate gown. (Easy for me to say, it is my favorite Spanish tiara.)
She donned another Carolina Herrera dress, and this one is the best yet! Yes, we're back to the lace trend, but this is the kind that's right up my alley. I like delicate patterns and I like black and I like this, 100% like it. The trumpet flare at the bottom would be a disastrous silhouette on so many people, but for Letizia, it's fantastic.
I'm putting this under serious consideration for Letizia's best of the year. You've been warned.
And one hair shot, just for good measure.


Ahhhhhh. Talk amongst yourselves, I'll be over here, collapsed in a tiara-filled daze......

Photos: Getty Images as indicated, News Japan and ANN News video, Neiman Marcus

Royal Outfit of the Day: August 29

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When it comes to raiding Queen Máxima's closet, there's just one true question at hand: could I resist the urge to steal a cape for my very own? Sporting a cape makes everything 112% better (scientific fact). Very tempting indeed. The daywear section wouldn't hold much of a draw for me, but the cape would have some serious competition from more than a few numbers from the gown section. Temptation all around...
Máxima, and her family, on the evening of the King's inauguration, 2013.
...but ultimately, I think this little number would give the cape its greatest challenge. Of course, it's related to the cape - a cape cousin - since it is also Jan Taminiau and belongs to the same day and same massive occasion, Willem-Alexander's inauguration (both outfits are pictured below). But the raspberry gown is delicious in its own right. I'd just need some diamond stars to stick in my hair just like the new queen did, and I'd be set. (Surely they wouldn't miss it if I nabbed a few of those while I was at it...)

Which outfit tempts you most from Máxima's closet?

P.S.: It's a three day weekend! We'll be back on Tuesday.


Photos: NOS/Jan Taminiau
Bonus Royal Outfit of the Day: June 9

Bonus Royal Outfit of the Day: June 9

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These days I stick to official events around here, but apparently there's a rare exception for cases of extreme fabulousness, because...
Queen Máxima (along with the King, their daughters, and Princess Beatrix) attended the wedding of her brother Juan this weekend in Vienna.
...wow. Just...wow.

To me, this feels like a dress ordered to do double duty for her official gala business, and I'm already looking forward to seeing it paired with a tiara in the future. But as is, this is glorious. I know some of you might think she overdid it for a family wedding, especially one with the men in morning suits (this reminds me of the Wessex wedding, late enough in the day for gowns on the ladies but without going the black tie route). But I personally love that she gave her brother's wedding the full MAX effect and treated it like the special event that it was.

Photo: Getty Images

Royal Outfit of the Day: May 2

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Video: King Willem-Alexander's inauguration was held on April 30, 2013. Queen Máxima wore a blue caped Jan Taminiau gown for the ceremony with the Dutch Sapphire Tiara.
This week has been a time to remember a certain British royal wedding for many of you, I know. But for me? This event right here is where I'm devoting my weekly memories. It's been a year since we said farewell to Queen Beatrix and welcomed King Willem-Alexander, and the two day festival of tiaras and capes and court dress has made it on to my list of all-time favorite royal events. Click here for full coverage, in case you were looking for a way to waste some time this Friday.

Photo: NOS

Royal Outfit of the Day: April 7

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The King and Queen of Sweden made an official visit to the Netherlands.
This is "only" an official visit, the type of which would typically warrant a black tie dinner rather than full white tie with orders, and might be an occasion to skip the tiaras. But these kids busted out the full show for us because they remembered they're royal and they can, and we thank them profusely, don't we? We do.

Queen Máx repeated a Jan Taminiau gown from her 40th birthday celebrations, to which she's added a belt (a much-needed change, if you ask me). She accessorized with her favorite Diamond Bandeau, and showed off her jewel creativity yet again by adding a citrine brooch to the center of a previously sapphire brooch. The color scheme played perfectly off of the yellow and blue of her sash, Sweden's Order of the Polar Star, a lesser order which she has had for a few years now. She'll probably one day be upgraded to the highest order, the Order of the Seraphim (as seen on her husband and Princess Beatrix), but that's something more suited to a proper state visit. Everyone here was wearing previously awarded decorations. During Day 1 she also repeated the outfit she wore to Princess Ariane's christening, which would be amazing if it didn't look so much like a tin man in need of a tailor.

Click here for a gallery from the visit...

Queen Sil repeated a red gown that will force me to repeat my figure skater comparison. She paired this with the Connaught Diamond Tiara, and the Order of the Netherlands Lion (her husband was decked out in the same) (same order, that is, not same tiara) (although I would pay to see that). Queen Princess B was lovely in lavender and her favorite tiara, Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara. Sparkles and lovelies all around, but Queen Máx reigns over them all. That's a tough color scheme to make work, that butterscotch color, but it's a wonderful combo with the blue of the sash and she comes through with flying colors, no?

Photos: Parool/RVD/Het Koninklijk Huis/PPE

Year in Review: 2013's Bests From Our Regulars

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We have a handful of leading ladies around here that we follow regularly, and now it's time to reminisce about the best they looked this whole year - one of my favorite things to do. So! Much! Pretty!

I always enjoy going back through the year as a refresher, but in truth, I'm looking for the outfits that made such an impression they require absolutely no refresher. We're talking about the best of the whole year, after all. And you guessed it, those often come from those extra special events. These are my personal favorites, one for each lady...

Queen Máxima
Look at that, I'm sneaking two in right away: I think the glory that was Queen Máxima on inauguration day deserves a second best, which is excellent because I've recently decided that I am just as enchanted by the lace gown she wore during the evening celebrations as I was by the caped wonder she sported for the inauguration ceremony. (Both by Jan Taminiau, of course.) We know now that she has dipped back to her old ways in the months since, but never mind. We'll always have April 30th.

Queen Mathilde
Mathilde took a much lower key approach to her outfit the day her husband became king, but the official portrait they released included all the regal fierceness you could want: a simple Natan gown done in a strong color which played beautifully off of the purple of her Order of Leopold, a mega diamond brooch, and a new-to-her tiara development in the form of the bandeau from the Nine Provinces Tiara. A queen indeed!

Crown Princess Victoria
This one is easy. Soooo easy. Victoria's stunning Fadi El Khoury gown at her sister's wedding has certainly earned a spot on my list of all-time royal faves, right up there with Máxima's double best. Plus, everyone knows that WEE ESTELLE and a purse- and pacifier-toting Prince Daniel are the ultimate accessories. We got some jewel news out of it, too: this was a first appearance for Victoria in Lilian's Laurel Wreath Tiara and in the necklace Lilian so loved to wear.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit
Another number from Madeleine's wedding, Mette-Marit and her Emilio Pucci gown paired with her amethyst tiara. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: all this one has to do is bust out a train in pastel and there's a 95% chance I'll be sold.

Crown Princess Mary
Mary's Birgit Hallstein gown for the pre-inauguration dinner in the Netherlands took my breath away when she wore it, and it still does. Just so darn elegant. Add this to the list of all-time faves.

Princess Letizia
I'm surprising myself here, but the heart wants what it wants. This is the lone best of the year that came from a regular event (an audience) and not a big fancy special occasion. And yet there's something about her Felipe Varela combo that just sticks - it's classic, but the animal print makes sure it still has that Letizia stamp on it.

The Duchess of Cambridge
As much as I would like to put her second-ever tiara appearance here, we don't know much about what that dress looked like! I'm going with wee George's christening instead, in custom cream Alexander McQueen.

Yes, we will have a look at some bests from other ladies (and also some worsts...), so stay tuned for those. Until then:

Which outfits make your list of personal bests for our leading ladies this year?

Photos: Getty Images/Jan Taminiau/Belgian Monarchy/Fadi El Khoury/Felipe Varela/PA

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