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

Prince Carl Philip & Sofia’s Wedding: The Swedish Royal Family

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The Swedish royal family has a history of turning up the sartorial volume significantly when it comes to big events. Did they succeed at their prince’s wedding? Well…yes and no. Let’s give out some awards and discuss:

(Hint: Click the tiara names to go to their individual entries!)

Best in Predictable
Queen Silvia
I predicted she would wear the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara, most of us predicted she would wear the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara, she wore the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara. And HUZZAH for that, because it is and remains a sparkly wall of diamonds with gorgeous blue at the top, and you can’t go wrong with that.
She added it to a dress in light lilac silk satin with embroidery of lace, sequins, and stones, all of which was a little bit on the shiny side for me. (Silvia in anything embellished and shiny: also predictable.)
With Sofia's parents. Photo: Mattias Edwall/Kungahuset.se
The King wore the mess dress model 1878 uniform of the Admiral of the Fleet with insignia from the Order of the Seraphim, the Order of Vasa, and the Order of the Sword. His medals are Gustav V's Jubilee Medal II, Gustav VI Adolf's Commemorative Medal, the Order of the Polar Star, and the Order of Vasa.

Best in Surprises
Crown Princess Victoria
I asked for some tiara switcheroos, and BEHOLD: the Connaught Tiara, worn for the first time by Victoria. I wanted to see that one on the bride, but I’ll settle for it on anyone!
With Sofia's sisters. Photo: Mattias Edwall/Kungahuset.se
Victoria wore a custom dress from the H&M Conscious Collection – also a surprise because, well, H&M at a royal wedding?! Victoria’s a big supporter of the company but even at that, this one surprised me.
Was it a good surprise? It’s growing on me, I’ll say that. It has the grand scale we’ve come to expect, even if it does appear to be covered in tire tracks. Both Victoria and Prince Daniel were wearing the Order of the Seraphim, and Daniel also wore the Order of the Polar Star.

Best of the Family
Princess Madeleine
I could give this to Madeleine just for getting all dolled up when she’s about to pop, but this isn’t a sympathy best; this is a WOW under any circumstances. This soft apricot pink Elie Saab was smoothly adapted for her maternity needs and her diamonds had all the necessary sparkle. As expected, she stuck with her Modern Fringe Tiara, which I'm guessing is the one she finds most comfortable. She added the Vasa Earrings, huge diamond numbers that date all the way back to the Vasa dynasty, and which are probably anything but comfortable.
Madeleine wore the Order of the Seraphim and Chris O’Neill wore the Order of the Polar Star. They brought Princess Leonore with them, and she topped today’s heirloom baby clothing stakes by wearing a dress that goes all the way back to King Gustaf VI Adolf, her great-great-grandfather. (Leonore seemed fascinated by the tiaras during the ceremony. I think this kid and I would get along.)

Best in Honeybadgers
The Haga Princesses
Princess Christina (in the mulberry dress) and Princess Désirée (in hot pink)
Listen, I think I’m a bit in love with the Haga Princesses, a.k.a. the four sisters of the King. Princess Margaretha is the best dressed here, in her fabulous Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara, but the rest of them could clearly care less what we think, and I just can’t help but love ‘em a bit for that attitude. Honeybadgers don’t care, man! Princess Christina doesn’t care that I’m tired of her picking the Six Button Tiara over and over again. Princess Désirée doesn’t care that she’s sporting the Cut Steel Tiara with what is basically a hot pink caftan.
Princess Birgitta (in the trousers) and Princess Margaretha
And Princess Birgitta REALLY doesn’t care that she’s not, in fact, headed to a beach soirée around her Mallorca home. She’s gonna wear her palazzo pants with a fur tossed on top as the only concession to her northern location, and she doesn't care what you think! I mean, this is basically a jumpsuit with the Baden Fringe Tiara. Don’t you have to love it, just a little bit, at least?? Come on. The absurdity, it’s delicious.

Coming up later: the international guests. Until then…

Who was your best dressed Swedish royal family member?

Photos: via Getty Images and SVT video, Mattias Edwall/Kungahuset.se
Royal Events of the Day: June 9

Royal Events of the Day: June 9

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After their mixed bag evening concert appearance marking the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Constitution and women's suffrage, the Danish royal family united themselves in millinery and tried again on Friday. A more universally successful outing this time, I think:

Queen Margrethe turned up in her birthday suit, and I mean that literally, as this is the suit she wore for her big birthday celebrations this year. It's been put in her regular wardrobe rounds, which is great because a) she looks fab and b) I get to keep calling it her birthday suit.

Crown Princess Mary showed off the versatility of her wardrobe, as she is prone to do, by taking reused pieces and remixing them into a new ensemble. I find myself wishing that the white coat was a color other than bright white, but that's a piddly complaint for a great look.

And though she plonked her hat on her head at a most unfortunate angle, Princess Marie was also standard but nicely put together on the whole. Rounding out the royal crew was Princess Benedikte, elegant in pink, and her look can be seen in this gallery. Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim were there as well. They wore suits.

While we're in Denmark, one other big event happened this weekend: Princess Isabella baptized a ferry which was renamed in her honor on the island of Samsø. It's the first time she's taken the lead on her own official engagement. Naturally, she brought along a lady-in-waiting for some support:
Very handy when your lady-in-waiting doubles as your mum, I would think. And like her mum, she's clearly already received her membership to Team Updo. Fancy bow and all!
Isabella even received a gift of jewelry for her troubles, a mother of pearl bracelet and necklace with multiple pendants. It's no Festoon Tiara, but it's a nice gift for a young princess.

The mother/daughter team was dressed a little more casually for the event than we usually see when royals christen ships (hats, that sort of thing).
But then again, most royal ship christenings are not directly followed by fishing, strawberry picking, and hanging out with a variety of wild animals. When in Rome, etc.

Photos: Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images

Royal Trip of the Day: June 8

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The Swedish royal family celebrated National Day on Saturday. Before Crown Princess Victoria got to that, though, she embarked on a two day trip to Portugal that revolved around the Volvo Ocean Race and included a stint sailing with Team SCA in addition to other engagements. I'm going to say...tentatively...she's officially got her style mojo back. Celebrate! (While knocking on wood, come on now, don't jinx it.)

My love for this Preen dress is REAL, and I will tell you about it every chance I get. Take note.

MY LOVE FOR PURPLE DRESSES IS ALSO REAL. And this one is so, so great - so great she couldn't help accessorizing with lavender earrings.
More pieces for her collection of Shourouk costume jewels, which is going to grow at an exponential pace if matching gems to dresses is required.

And this one is the best use of her big Jenny Packham collar/necklace we've seen yet. Success at last! 

As they have done in past years, the family released a new picture of Princess Estelle as a greeting for National Day. (Photo: Kate Gabor / Kungahuset.se)
Victoria's trip lasted right up until National Day. A little too close to National Day, actually, because flight troubles in Denmark on the way back resulted in her having to travel overnight by car instead, cutting it close with a packed day of engagements waiting at home for her. That day began with a fun white look for Victoria at a citizenship ceremony and ended with the rest of the royal family at the annual concert.

The concert means national costume for everyone! Well, for the ladies. The gents don't play along. Sofia Hellqvist added to the blue and yellow festival this year, missing only the white kerchief which is for married women.

A very pregnant Princess Madeleine modeled a maternity version of the national dress, wisely opting out of the bumpy carriage the rest of the family took. Just a few more days left to hang in there...

Photos: via Kungahuset and Getty Images as indicated, Lyst

Royal National Day of the Week: May 19

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Sunday was national day in Norway, and you know what that means...
It's Bunad Time! One of my favorite Times, second only to Tiara Time. And Big Gowns With Trains Time. And Royal Wedding Time.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess and their whole family - Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, Marius Borg Høiby, and labradoodles Milly Kakao and Muffin Kråkebolle - gather outside their Skaugum home to watch the local children's parade go by. Traditional costume (bunad) all around, and even a festive bow for the pups.
The bunad Mette-Marit wore this year is from Vest-Agder, the county where she grew up. Each version is related to a specific area and M-M has several to choose from, which is a luxury as they are not at all cheap. The craftsmanship is wonderful, and I just love seeing these traditions alive and well.

Next, they joined up with the King and Queen to greet the Oslo children's parade from the balcony of the Royal Palace. Traditional dress is gone, and hats are in place instead. I never give the gents enough credit for upping their own game with top hats here. King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon, consider your brownie points awarded.
With her fedora and her shades, Queen Sonja looks like her efforts to go incognito were deviously foiled by a family that refused to give her the dark coat memo. Crown Princess Mette-Marit's in Prada, and against all odds (Prada = not usually my fave) I am COVETING that coat. Shame about that thing crawling up the side of her head.
Prada Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated and Style.com

Royal Pre-Wedding Event of the Day: May 18

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Yesterday, a service was held for the marriage banns of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, followed by a reception. Similar services were held prior to the weddings of Carl Philip's sisters, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine, and they each yielded some interesting looks.
Group photo, with Sofia's family / Kungahuset.se
This time, around...we seem to be stuck in a sea of blergh, alas. (At least as far as the bride and ladies on the groom's side are concerned, that is.)

The bride and groom received gifts at the reception. Although I do like the thought of them just randomly posing with props.
This is a perfectly princess appropriate outfit on Sofia, which may just be my problem with it. It's appropriate-d itself (you know what I mean) all the way out of any sort of personality. But I'm also still a card-carrying member of Team Sofia, so I also kind of just want to pat her on the head for trying. (By the way, the court made it official: she'll be Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland after the wedding.)

Here are the King and Queen. Looking like they usually do. Silvia's outfit could be interchangeable with Sofia's, honestly.

I originally thought Victoria must have been wrangling Estelle at some point, resulting in a severely disheveled skirt and waist, but nope - the dress is indeed designed with that two level hem and loose pleats at the waist. Still, I'll take the dress any day if we could get rid of the forehead bolted Philip Treacy hat.
Dress by Filippa K
Also, Princess Estelle was in Marie-Chantal Children, the children's clothing line by Marie-Chantal of Greece. And Prince Daniel was in a suit.

Finally, Princess Madeleine (carrying Princess Leonore, also clad in Marie-Chantal). Not only does her Treacy hat mimic the curls of her hair in a fun way, she managed to keep it off her forehead, and thus is my default best dressed for the day.

Photos: via Kungahuset and Getty Images as indicated, and Filippa K

Royal Fashion Awards: Monaco's Twin Christening

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Prince Albert and Princess Charlene christened their twins on Sunday in a day filled with sunshine and Dior and royal fashion awards:

The Stars of the Show
Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella
The babies wore Dior, as though it could be any other way: bespoke Baby Dior cotton christening gowns embellished with Calais lace, floral embroidery, pleated detailing, and each baby's own monogram. Matching bonnets were worn on arrival at Monaco Cathedral. That's Jacques with his mother and Gabriella with her father, by the way.
Royal christenings often feature heirloom christening gowns, and while I have no idea if that was an option for this princely event, new gowns were a nice way to handle the logistics of a twin baptism. Plus, the monograms were a posh way to make it easy to distinguish between the two kids. They also had pink and blue pacifiers with their names on them.

Best Dressed
Princess Charlene
The proud mother could make my best dressed based on the wattage of her smile alone, but her outfit was killer too, staying true to her minimalist self while adding a little bit of a retro flair. She was also dressed in Dior couture (the only kind of Mommy and Me dressing I can get behind) in a dress with a three-quarter sleeved short top and a skirt with a slight fullness. The small ribbon of the Order of St. Charles is pinned to her top.
Charlene went the Mette-Marit route, docking her hat waaaay on the back of her head. And though I'm itching to move it forward, this outfit is a winner no matter what.

Biggest in Hat
Princess Caroline
As though compensating for the lack of millinery on her immediate family members, Princess Caroline went straight for the XXL size with her own hat. A striking selection, all the better to draw attention as she cutely fussed over her new niece.

Biggest in Bright
Princess Stephanie
Caroline pulled herself away from the pack with her hat, and Stephanie did it with her bright blue and bold white graphics, making her instantly recognizable on the steps there. It's a much fresher choice than we usually see her make, and I'm actually surprised how much I like it.

Best in Hat
Beatrice Borromeo
Caroline wins on hat size, but when it comes to the best of hats, I think I have to go with the woman who will be next to officially join the Casiraghi clan. She's partially hidden but so far, so chic.

Most Color Coordinated
The Duchess of Castro
And finally, it's not a big Monaco event without Prince Carlo and Princess Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the Duke and Duchess of Castro. Picking up something of a blue theme among many of the other guests, the other royal Camilla added a harlequin spin. And if you're at all familiar with her style, you would expect no less.

Who was your best dressed at this twin christening?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Monaco info screencaps

Royal Outfit Grab Bag of the Day: May 7 (Plus a Programming Note!)

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I've got a big fat grab bag of outfits from our regulars for you today, and then we're off until Sunday. To the clothes!

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium christened a ship yesterday with her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, in attendance. 
Is it, like, international week of ship christening for future sovereigns, or what? First Ingrid Alexandra, now Elisabeth. Anyway, I'm liking her little starter "hat" and her mother can't go wrong with that repeated Dior.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale yesterday in a peony floral dress from the Pia Tjelta by Ti Mo collection.
I think this could just as easily have been worn by Princess Elisabeth above, and I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Queen Letizia held audiences at Zarzuela Palace last week wearing a Felipe Varela dress repeated from March's trip to France.
Is this one of those Magic Eye things? Is a dolphin going to leap out from the middle if I stare long enough?

Daniel wore a suit that wasn't black or blue! Write it on the calendar! It's so sad that that's worthy of note! But you take what you can get when it comes to the royal men! (Also, apropos of nothing: Victoria, Daniel, Haakon, and Mette-Marit went on a ski trip in Norway together recently. Which is super cute.)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended a ceremony for Remembrance Day in Amsterdam this week.
I do not usually comment on things like this, but I can't help but note how lovely Máx looked here. I like it when events like this warrant a little extra effort.

They also attended the Liberation Day Concert.
And finally, if I focus hard enough on the emeralds - earrings and a butterfly brooch from the family collection - I can pretend that dress that stole feathers from a Big Bird gone goth didn't make a reappearance.

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated; Kongehuset Facebook and By Ti Mo

Royal Birthday of the Week: May 5

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Sweden's King Carl Gustaf celebrated his 69th birthday last week as he usually does with music and military outside the palace, and he was quite dashing in his uniform (as was Prince Carl Philip). This year, because he's a grandpa and it's a classic grandparent move, he let his two squirmy granddaughters run the show. "Let" might not be precisely the right word. I trust he won't mind if we focus our attentions elsewhere too.
Princess Estelle couldn't resist displaying a few of her famous dance moves, but she was totally calm in comparison to her cousin Princess Leonore, who used up all her patience charming the pontiff earlier in the week and was good and DONE with sitting still, thankyouverymuch.
Kids will be kids, right? And coats will be coats, by which I mean they will be in beige and in mass at any royal gathering, guaranteed. A trio of Swedish brands for Sofia Hellqvist, Crown Princess Victoria, and Princess Estelle, while Princess Madeleine wore a beige version of the Seraphine coat worn by the Duchess of Cambridge in blue a few months ago. (Madeleine was also in Seraphine for her Vatican visit, a jacket she paired with a dress from another Kate favorite brand, ASOS.)
Coats from left to right: Sofia's from Tiger of Sweden, Madeleine's from Seraphine, Victoria's from Filippa K, and Estelle's from Livly
I can accept this sea of blergh as a background for Estelle's splash of blue and primarily for Queen Silvia's repeated purple cape. Anything to showcase a purple cape.

Since it's a day for grandfather/granddaughter outings:
Over in Norway, Princess Ingrid Alexandra christened the lifeboat Elias for the Norwegian Society of Sea Rescue with some support from her grandfather, King Harald. Throw in a fancy braid and some pretty purple flowers for them both, and you've got yourself a recipe for aww.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, SVT video screencaps, Tiger of Sweden, Seraphine, Filippa K, Livly, and Redningsselskapet via Creative Commons

Royal Visit of the Day: April 29

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Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine, with her husband Chris O'Neill and daughter Princess Leonore, have been in Rome and Vatican City this week. They were there primarily to attend a conference focusing on child trafficking (below), organized in part by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Queen Silvia has been an advocate on this subject for some time and opened the conference; Princess Madeleine is joining in her mother's work in this area and with the World Childhood Foundation.
It also happens to be an area of focus for Pope Francis, and Queen Silvia dropped by for an audience on Monday, and she brought the whole family too. Chris O'Neill is Catholic, no doubt a reason why he and little Leonore tagged along.
I was surprised to see the family put on one of the most formal papal visits we've seen in a while, dress code-wise. Both wearing traditional black, Queen Silvia stuck with a long skirt and heavy pearl jewels, while expectant Princess Madeleine wore a black dress and short jacket with a long single strand of pearls. The royal ladies wore heavy black mantillas and their portrait brooches.
Vatican dress code protocol has gotten much less rigid in recent years. We've gone from the days of tiaras and veils to optional head coverings and daywear; even the color code of white for those with privilège du blanc and black for others has been relaxed under Pope Francis. (The current pope has much more pressing concerns than dress code, like hanging out with his tiny new BFF.)
I always love a good mantilla appearance, but I love it even more as it becomes more of an optional thing, honestly. It's up to them and they chose to go fancy, and that's always a decision I can get behind.
Video: The audience

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Royal Fashion Awards: King's Day, 2015

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Yesterday was Koningsdag, or King's Day, in the Netherlands - a national holiday and King Willem-Alexander's birthday. The party was already rolling from events in the previous days: a palace reception (video link), and the King Games for schoolchildren.

The King is putting his own spin on the celebration, just as his mother and grandmother did before him. So they visited one town (Dordrecht) instead of two as they did in the Beatrix days and the events were a little different. The King and Queen brought their three daughters along (Catharina-Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane), and they were joined by Prince Constantijn (Willem-Alexander's brother) and his wife Princess Laurentien, as well as three of their cousins and their respective wives (Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène, Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette, and Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita).

We had a big royal party, and thus we have a big round of royal fashion awards to give out. Settle in...

Most in Need of a Cape
King Willem-Alexander
Everybody gets a cape except the birthday boy (Princess Alexia had a little wrap for herself later on). Oh well. He seems content enough to just manage the Caped Crusaders for now.


Most Efficient Accessory
Queen Máxima
Máxima looks pretty, no? She's my best dressed for the day, slightly wrinkly dress and all. And as a special bonus, her hat served dual purposes: 1) hatpin weapon storage, as always, and 2) probably a fair bit of confetti storage too. You know, for the after party. She's always thinking, that Máx.


Most in the Spirit
Princess Laurentien
Somebody has to wear orange, right? I'm pretty sure it's in the rules. The rest of this look is entirely random, but that's par for the Laurentien course.


Most in the Season
Princesses Marilène and Anita
A pretty floral on a sunny April day is always right in my books, and I'm loving both of these (that's Marilène above and Anita below). Carry on, ladies.


Most Princess Proper
Princess Annette
Slap a hat on this and she could compete with Máx for the queenliest of them all. But the hat game is not one in which you want to tangle with the Caps Lock Queen, so it's probably smart of everyone else to leave her to it.


Oh yes, and while we're going Dutch...and speaking of caps lock hats...

Most Eccentric Accessories, Other Birthday Division
Queen Máxima
You ever notice how, the crazier the hat gets, the bigger the Queen's expressions get? She knows what she's done. On Saturday, the royal couple continued the celebrations of the kingdom's 200th birthday (not to be confused with the King's birthday, okay, he's only 48) and Máxima repeated a turban she's worn a few times. But it doesn't get any less eye-popping, no matter how many times she sports it.
Didn't your mother ever warn you not to take cake from strangers with teddy bear pelts on their heads??


Photos: RVD/Het Koninklijk Huis, and Getty Images as indicated

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