WEDDING FLOWERS: Margrethe 75th
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Showing posts with label Margrethe 75th. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Margrethe 75th. Show all posts

Royal Fashion Awards: Queen Margrethe's Fredensborg Birthday Dinner

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The last event of Queen Margrethe's birthday fiesta was a dinner at Fredensborg Palace, not to be confused with the dinner at Christiansborg Palace last night. Did you think we were going to repeat our palaces in the same birthday celebration? Don't be ridiculous.

I had hope that this evening's black tie dinner would be a tiara event. (A similar dinner back in 2010 was with tiaras, for example.) That hope, however, was dashed. SO CRUELLY DASHED. My faith in Margrethe's capacity for sartorial splendor has been shaken to its very core! How will we ever recover from this travesty??

Alright, I'm over it. Let's work with what we've got:

Most Side Eye in Accessories
Queen Margrethe
Sorry, birthday girl, but I'm giving you the side eye real hard here. The accessorizing, specifically - it was a great dress when she wore it to the Dutch state visit, and it still is now. But it's got cool and muted tones, and that turquoise and gold set is all kinds of bright and warm, and the contrast is making me cringe. (The necklace was a birthday gift from Prince Henrik, a new addition to her modern turquoise set which includes pieces he gave her for previous birthdays. Which is fantastic - and the necklace is the best piece of the set! - but still not at its best with this dress.) She also snuck a piece of the Floral Aigrette Tiara in her hair. Ordinarily I'd be all over that, but instead, I'm just wondering why she didn't just make the dinner a tiara thing and let the other ladies play too. It's possible I'm not entirely over it.


Most Likely Best
Crown Princess Mary
Even my faith in Mary's ability to pull off a great outfit is shaken. I think I like this one...I might even like the center part low ponytail. Hmm. I reserve the right to change my judgement.


Most Overshadowed
Princess Marie
Here's Marie again, looking fine again. But I'm not looking at her, I'm looking at Hef over there.


Most...Floatiest
Princess Benedikte
Just go with it, okay? Floaty is the only word I've got for this dress, and you wouldn't have been able to stop me from swooping around with my wings fluttering behind me right in the middle of dinner. That's why she's the princess and I am NOT. (One of the many reasons...)


Most Confusing
Queen Anne-Marie
I thought this was the same dress she wore to yesterday's dinner. But it's not. It's very slightly different. Used up those Best in Usual titles a little too soon, I guess.


Most on the Mend
Queen Silvia
I think the latest addition to our ongoing saga of Silvia and her attempts to stylishly heal her shoulder is a scarf cover for whatever device she's chosen this time. I don't know. Sil, you're adorable.

Most Typical
Crown Princess Mette-Marit
I originally posted this as Most Mysterious, because M-M sure did a good job evading the television camera. But sure enough, it's just another typical Mette-Marit flower power frock by Giambattista Valli.


Most Welcome Relief
Crown Princess Victoria
If we can't have tiaras, at least we have Elie Saab. (Her sister's Elie Saab, to be precise.) And on that sigh of relief...

...we're done! Do scroll through and make sure you haven't missed any of the events. We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming on Sunday.

Who was your best dressed at the Fredensborg dinner?

Photos:via Getty Images as indicated, DR1 video, Elie Saab

Royal Fashion Awards: Queen Margrethe’s Birthday, Day Events

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A morning wake up call with song (and canons!) marked the start of Queen Margrethe’s actual birthday, and the busiest day of birthday festivities. Our visiting royals are now down to the fellow Nordic monarchs, with the addition of Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Crown Prince Haakon, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Margrethe's morning wake up
Some quality balcony time with the whole family and their guests was followed by a carriage ride through Copenhagen for the Queen and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, who were standing in for Prince Henrik, still sick with the flu. With hats in place, they convened at Copenhagen’s Town Hall for a round of interpretive dance (because hey, why not) and a reception. Meanwhile, we convene for our next round of royal fashion awards…


Best of All, Birthday or Not
Queen Margrethe
Actual, audible awws from me when Daisy stepped out on the balcony, in this fresh color, flattering cut, and her whopper of a diamond daisy brooch, made from her grandmother’s stones for her mother and subsequently given to her. She’s the best dressed of them all, and that’s not just a birthday given.


Best in Accessory Additions
Crown Princess Mary
Mary reused a gorgeous navy Oscar de la Renta coat dress with an embellished neckline, and I loved that she went with gray accessories instead of trying to coat herself in navy from head to toe. I also loved her hat, which looked quite familiar and for good reason: Zara Phillips has worn the same one, and the Countess of Wessex has worn a similar model. It’s by Jane Taylor.


Biggest in Accessory Additions
Princess Marie
I speak not, obviously of her hat – which still did not manage to stay on the good side of the wind gods despite its wee stature – but of her brooch. Everyone wore commemorative birthday medals, but Marie added an enormous bird on the other side. I'm loving that choice with this outfit, actually, just wishing that pesky medal wasn't competing. (But I suppose politeness has to win every now and then, le sigh.)


Best in Sisters
Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie
Yeah, I’m running out of ways to say they’re typical as always, these two. They both had fab ruby earrings, and Benedikte wore her famous koosh ball hat, and that's all I got.


Most Dubious in Hats, Part 1
Crown Princess Mette-Marit
Is this a prop from The Tudors, or what? This has to be a prop of some sort. Yeah, from the same Gothic horror set that gives us those skull earrings, perhaps.
Otherwise, M-M in white, check and check.


Most Continued Sartorial Dedication
Queen Silvia
And how did Queen Sil accommodate her arm injury today? A purple cape. A PURPLE CAPE. Omigod. She's going to force me to declare her my favorite royal of EVER by the time this is done, isn't she.


Most Dubious in Hats, Part 2
Crown Princess Victoria
Points for a Georg Jensen daisy brooch, okay, but that hat. Hmm. I thought it was just a novelty, a little sentimental touch, when she imitated an old hat of her mother’s at Princess Leonore’s christening. But now there’s a second version in white. It's not terrible or anything, but...this is the hat you bulk buy, V? Really?
Also shown: Victoria's Chanel dress, runway version

And that's that!

But it's not really that, because there is one more birthday event left to come: a dinner at Fredensborg Palace. The open post is still up and running with all your live link info and a place to chat about that if you like.

But as far as this post is concerned...

Who was your best dressed at the day events?


Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, DR1 video, Lyst, Jane Taylor Millinery, Style.com

Royal Fashion Awards: Queen Margrethe’s Christiansborg Birthday Dinner

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Queen Margrethe and the Danish royal family were joined for an official dinner for her 75th birthday by fellow European sovereigns, and: YAY. That's all I have to say. Well, I have quite a lot more to say, as you will see from this lengthy and picture-laden entry, but that's the gist of it.

A couple notes: If we’ve covered these jewels in the past (and we usually have!), there will be a link. Most of these people are wearing the light blue Order of the Elephant from Denmark, which is usually given to sovereigns and their spouses, plus those in the Danish family. If foreign royals are wearing a different sash, it’s because they haven’t had a chance to receive the Order of the Elephant yet (they’re usually given at state visits, and occasionally at other times; here's my explainer post on that).

Now, to the awards:

Best in Coincidences
Queen Margrethe
Tuesday’s post featured a flashback to an epic Margrethe outfit using the Floral Aigrette Tiara and pieces of the ruby, diamond, and pearl set from the crown jewels – and that’s precisely what she gave us again! And in a flowing red dress, because why not? She is the birthday girl, after all. (And she flew solo, because Henrik is out with the flu.)


Best in Repeats
Crown Princess Mary
You saw me die over this Birgit Hallstein gown when Mary wore it previously. And then you saw me die over it in another format when Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wore something similar to the New Year’s Court in 2014. And here we go again! Mary paired it this time with the tiara, small earrings, bracelet, and hair clips from the Danish Ruby Parure. This is both stunning and understated – in other words, the perfect choice. And in an inadvertent twin episode, PM Helle wore her version again, too!
Helle Thorning-Schmidt on the right

Best in Old Favorites, Part 1
Princess Marie
Marie loves a good peplum gown and she loves her Diamond Floral Tiara (which is her only solid option for an event like this, having just one other tiara at her disposal which is much more informal), so this navy lace peplum and tiara combo was entirely expected. But it’s also entirely lovely! She's also wearing a brooch from Queen Alexandrine as a pendant, so she's fully loaded with her family heirlooms.

Best in Old Favorites, Part 2
Queen Anne-Marie
I almost did another flashback to the birthday celebrations in 2010 today, which would have featured this exact same gown and Greek Emerald Parure pairing on Anne-Marie. She wears the heck out of her gowns and she wears the heck out of those emeralds, and I can’t say I blame her on either count.

Best in Beach Cover-Up Gravitas
Princess Benedikte
On anyone else, this floaty top layer would be a swimsuit cover-up, tossed on as they flew in from a day at the beach. But Princess B. can carry anything off, and now it's magically part of a gala gown (mind you, the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara and a solid smattering of diamonds doesn't hurt, either!).

Best in Extended Tiaras
Countess Sussie and Princess Elisabeth
Married to Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, cousin to the Queen, Countess Sussie (on the left) usually brings us a sighting of Queen Alexandrine’s Fringe Tiara, and so it is here. Also a cousin of Queen Margrethe, Princess Elisabeth (on the right) usually brings us a sighting of Princess Thyra’s Sapphire Tiara, and so it was yet again. File both these tiaras under "not a fave, but lovely to see."

Best in Solo Gentlemen
King Harald and Grand Duke Henri
I make no excuses for paying more attention to the ladies around here, but a little love for the gents in attendance without their better halves: Harald and Henri! Dashing in their uniforms all on their own (and I love Harald completing the Scandinavian Sovereign Trio there, which should be the name of their a cappella group). An engagement in New York is occupying Queen Sonja, and I'm not sure what happened to Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

Best in Splendor Dedication
Queen Silvia
Silvia injured her shoulder a while back, and it appeared she had some sort of support fashioned out of her dress material for her bad arm, not for one second risking her sartorial splendor for some random injury. THIS IS TRUE DEDICATION, PEOPLE. All the applause to you, Queen Sil. (And to your fabulous Leuchtenberg Sapphires too!)

Best in Big Guns
Queen Mathilde
Together with her almost unbearably shiny repeated Armani Privé gown, Mathilde gave us a tiara debut: the full version of the Nine Provinces Tiara! She's worn the bandeau, but this was the first time she's added the top arches in. I think this might be the first time I've actually liked this pointy wall of diamonds, so credit to Mathilde for making that happen.

Most Meh in Understated
Queen Máxima
Well, she can’t bear full responsibility for bringing the jumpy claps every single time, I suppose. And leave it to Máxima to wear a tiki hut skirt and still make my understated list, eh? She went standard with the Diamond Bandeau Tiara, her favorite, but she did pin the brooch from the Stuart Tiara parure to her waist. She's just teasing us, at this point, keeping us waiting for an appearance of the elusive beast itself.

Best in NEW TIARAS!
Queen Letizia
Never mind that Máx went standard, Letizia picked up the slack with an elusive tiara of her own! Made by Ansorena and reportedly a gift from Felipe, we've been waiting years to see this one in action. The center brooch has been seen, but not the tiara. It was nearing apocryphal status, for heaven’s sake, but a foreign tiara engagement proved the perfect place to finally bring it out of hiding.
We will have to give this one the full Tiara Thursday treatment later on (a couple Spanish articles about the tiara: one, two).
I'm reserving judgement until then. But for now, for simply showing us something I had completely given up on, she wins all the jumpy claps!

Stay tuned...the festivities continue with a full day of events tomorrow and another dinner tomorrow. For now:

Who was your best dressed at this dinner?

Photos: Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images, DR1 video, Ansorena
Queen Margrethe's Birthday: The Open Post

Queen Margrethe's Birthday: The Open Post

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Helllloooo! Do you have a supply of birthday cake at the ready? I hope so.

This is an open post, which means it's a space to chat for anyone who wants to watch the events of Queen Margrethe's 75th birthday celebrations live, or who is itching to discuss before my posts go up.  This post will be the open post for both days of events.

Below is the official schedule, which I also included on Sunday's post. Some small time changes have been made, but the biggest change is that Prince Henrik is out with the flu, and unfortunately won't be able to participate in the festivities.

TV2 and DR1 are broadcasting events. Please share tips to watch in the comments too! 


These are local Copenhagen times:
  • Wednesday, 15 April
    • Dinner at Christiansborg Palace, 20.00, for officials of Denmark (including visiting royal guests). Guests are expected to start arriving around 19.00.
  • Thursday, 16 April (Her actual birthday, in case you've lost track in the midst of this party extravaganza.)
    • Morning wake-up at Fredensborg Palace, 8.30.
    • Queen and royal family appear on balconies at Christian VII's Palace, Amalienborg, 12.00.
    • Coach ride from Amalienborg to Copenhagen’s City Hall, 12.20. Frederik and Mary will ride along in Henrik's place.
    • Official reception at Copenhagen’s City Hall, 13.00, for official Danish representatives, visiting royal guests, and the royal family. The Queen will appear on the balcony afterwards, at 14.00.
    • Dinner at Fredensborg Palace, 20.00.

Royal Fashion Awards: Queen Margrethe's Birthday in Aarhus

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As you may know, I am just a TEENSY bit excited for Queen Margrethe's birthday festivities this month. Things got off to an official start today with celebrations in Aarhus, and naturally, I'm all over it. (I'm posting early and Tiara Thursday will be up on Friday, on account of my jumpy claps.)
Accompanied by Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, and Princess Marie, the birthday girl arrived in town for a luncheon and a little bit of balcony waving. The ladies were all brooched up and hatted up in classic fashion, as though Daisy had sent out a memo decreeing that their very best prim n' proper royal-ness should be turned up to 11 for the occasion.

Best in QUEEN
Queen Margrethe
Queen Margrethe also wore this white number for a luncheon for her jubilee in 2012, and it is just the thing for a day when one is the center of attention. (I mean, she's the QUEEN, and so she's always the star of the show, but for special spotlight days.) I can just picture her at her closet, "Ooh, get the white one. Yes! I look excellent in the white one." She does indeed.

Best in Sapphire Buildup, Part 1
Crown Princess Mary
With her basic coat, dress, and pill box hat, Mary wore one of her best brooches, an heirloom piece with a large sapphire, diamonds, and pearls. It came from Margrethe's grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, and has been worn by Queen Ingrid and Queen Margrethe. It was given to Mary after Prince Christian was born, and it is stunning. (See it in detail here.) I'm actually pretty bored by the rest of this outfit, but anything to showcase that brooch is fine by me.

Best in Sapphire Buildup, Part 2
Princess Marie
Marie wore another heirloom brooch, one that belonged to Queen Alexandrine. It is also sapphire, diamond, and pearl, so her navy accents went right along with the show. The princesses were building up to the big show that night, apparently...

Best in Sapphire Show
Queen Margrethe
Because at the evening's gala performance, Queen Margrethe wore the biggest sapphires in her collection. This is a flexible demi-parure that comes from Queen Alexandrine, and is said to have had a Russian past before that. Her navy dress was super simple with a bit of lace at the top, really just a background for those gobstopper stones (as it should be).
She was also sporting a new birthday gift from Aarhus on her dress, given to her earlier in the day. The gold brooch is designed in the form of the railings that surround trees in the town, and it is studded with stones to represent her eight grandchildren. Just the thing for a modern jewelry-lovin' monarch. (Read more and see a picture here, or see a video here - all in Danish, of course.)

Best in Intrigue
Crown Princess Mary
Continuing the jewel festival: MARY! She and Frederik were joined by Prince Christian and Princess Isabella, and Mary wore a repeated midnight velvet Prada gown which has been altered since the last time we saw it. (Actually, it's been altered more than once, and we'll be looking at its evolution in the near future.) The newly square neckline is 1) so flattering, 2) the first thing I've really loved about this gown, and 3) the perfect thing to display a new necklace!
I'm told the commentators on Danish television said this was a tiara worn as a necklace, but I don't know if that is fact or an educated guess - it is quite similar to her wedding tiara, which can be worn as a necklace. It's new to Mary (and the earrings look like they might be new too), and all the question marks are up as to whether it is borrowed for the evening or a permanent addition to her collection, and whether it can indeed be worn as a tiara. But for now, JUMPY CLAPS!

Best in...Something Else
Princess Marie
Oh, poor Princess Marie. I always seem to use up my jumpy claps before I get to her. {Shrug.} But she's lovely anyway! Her hair was fantastic and this was a good show for her. And she gets points for her dapper dates, Princes Joachim, Nikolai, and Felix.

Best Guest List Addition
Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg
Bless the Danes for keeping it classy and still welcoming Prince Joachim's first wife into the fold. Alexandra, with her husband in tow, was lovely as ever in a gray lavender gown, and a welcome addition to the guest list.

We're off and running to a great start, don't you think? My excitement for next week is officially off the charts.

Who makes your best dressed list for the beginning of the birthday celebrations?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, TV2 video

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