Royal Outfit of the Day: August 18

Royal Outfit of the Day: August 18

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Luxarazzi asked me which of the grand ducal Elie Saab gowns I'd pick if I were to whisk one away (I went with Stéphanie's wedding gown, because I'm subtle like that), but what about the rest of the royal closets? I know which jewels I'd grab, but what about the clothes and the other stuff? If you could have just one item from a certain royal closet, which would you go for? It turns out that planning a life of fictional sartorial thievery is an entirely pleasant method of procrastination, so let's start with one of the most thoroughly examined wardrobes.

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The Duchess of Cambridge at a gala in 2012.

This slice of Jenny Packham pretty for me please, thanks. Just so I can look at the color, which is glorious and one of my current favorites, forever.

If you could have just one item from Kate's closet, what would it be?

Photo: WPA Pool via Getty

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 7

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 7

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The Swedish royal court released a new official photo of the King and the Crown Princess. Victoria is wearing a repeated Jenny Packham gold gown and the Cut Steel Tiara.

Let's end the week on a sparkly note, shall we? We've seen this combo of dress and tiara on Victoria before (this could have been taken at that time). I'm still not sure about this complicated dress with its pattern and its neckline detail as a background for sashes and the like, but this view gives us a new appreciation of the benefit of a shimmery metallic gown: it'll make you glow in black and white. (Also, the Cut Steel is a surprisingly good match here, and you have to give credit to the Swedish collection for having that kind of tiara variety on hand. Although it would be interesting to see the Baden Fringe Tiara paired with this gown to echo the neck detail...)

Photos: Brigitte Grenfeldt/Kungahuset.se/Style.com

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 12

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 12

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Video, above: The Duchess of Cambridge attended a gala at the National Portrait Gallery wearing a repeated dark blue Jenny Packham gown with the diamond Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace, on loan from the Queen's collection, and a pair of diamond earrings she's worn several times.

The last time we saw this dress, many of you cried out for a necklace, and voilà - here ya go! This is an interesting loan from the Queen, one of her wedding presents and a necklace she's continued to wear over the years. (For more on the piece and its history, click here for the Jewel Vault.) My verdict? Dress: Love! Diamonds: YAY! Hair: Let's talk about the diamonds again!

Here's Kate, the center part of her necklace (all that lovely detail does get a bit lost when in use), and her gown. Click here for another video - diamonds are always worth seeing in action. Pictures for your in depth exploration here, here, or here.

Photos: ITN/Royal Collection/Jenny Packham

Wedding Wednesday: Victoria at Royal Weddings

Wedding Wednesday: Victoria at Royal Weddings

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Since we're inching closer to the sparklefest of the Nobel Prizes in Sweden in December, and since I'm still thinking about Crown Princess Victoria's appearance at her sister's wedding earlier this year, I decided to dig up Victoria's royal wedding appearances over the years: the bold, the beautiful, and the bland. She's been attending royal weddings for a long time and she goes to, well, pretty much all of them, so there's no shortage here to discuss - in fact, there's too much, and this is not comprehensive.

And we're off! To a very bland start, I'm afraid. With the exception of the amethysts in Norway in 2002, these are a primarily forgettable bunch - style still under construction.

Something about Spain in 2004 brought out her experimental side, because yes, that is a jumpsuit with an attached cape there in the blue. The orange for the day wedding with barely a fascinator in place was quite a departure too. We also have here a wedding repeat (2008 and 2010), and a tiara repeat (poor Denmark, always with the Four Button).

Victoria's style has much improved, but it's still a bit of a mixed bag - the day weddings are greatly enhanced by the evening appearances, and forever saved by that dreamy creation from Madeleine's wedding. Certainly on my list of favorites for the year, and absolutely, without competition, my favorite here.

Which one's your favorite?

Photos: Getty Images/Rex/Polfoto/Scanpix/IBL/WireImage