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

Royal Coats of the Week: March 13

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COATS. Loads of them. Let's take a gander (and you might want to pop back to yesterday's Cheltenham post, which had a late update with day 3 attendees, while we're in coat mode):

Yesterday was Crown Princess Victoria's name day, and Princess Estelle joined her in the courtyard for the festivities.
TWO PURPLE COATS! A duo after my own heart and also my jumpy claps. (Estelle's coat is new from Swedish brand Livly, by the way.)

Well, I'm done, that's all I need right there, but we'll soldier on for your sake, okay?
Where there be coats, there be the Duchess of Cambridge, obviously. For a visit to the set of Downton Abbey, a new cream maternity coat from JoJo Maman Bebe. And you can pretty much just copy/paste whatever I said for her last winter white coat here, because I like them all.
Racking up the appearances before her maternity leave, she was also out in Margate on Wednesday (and she'll be out today and some next week, and I'm sure we'll be getting to all of that in due time) (DUE time, guys) (heh) (I'm so glad it's Friday, forgive me):
YAY for the return of the Hobbs animal print coat from her last maternity adventure. I like a simple coat in a divine white, but I also like a statement coat - especially when one is prone to basics in the accessory department.

We haven't featured much of Mette-Marit's current events lately, because most of them have been of a quite practical nature, sartorially speaking. Like so:
Here she is attending Kindergarten Day in Oslo this week. This is all fine and good for an outdoor coffee klatch with your wee friends, I get enough of the practical dressing in my actual life if you know what I mean, so I'll give it a pass. But she was just spotted in a rather fetching red trench, so maybe things are looking up.

And this has been your weekly coat report.

Photos: Kungahuset.se and via Getty Images as indicated

Tiara Watch of the Day: March 4

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State Visit Month, I love you. Yesterday gave us two more state banquets to drool over: the state visit from Mexico to the United Kingdom (which has been covered in full over at the Jewel Vault, so please head thataway for discussion) and this one we're about to talk about right now.
Kungahuset.se
Sweden's own King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia headed out for a state visit party at the neighbors' place, a.k.a. Finland. They were received by the Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, and his wife, the always well-turned-out Jenni Haukio (above). Liked the color of Silvia's suit, liked CG in uniform, everybody looks swell, etc. Let's get to the tiaras. (Okay, just tiara. Not plural, because we can't have everything I guess.)
Let's hear it for the Leuchtenberg! The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara with accompanying necklace and earrings, that is. Any time Silvia brings out her blue big gun, it's cause for celebration.
However...(you knew this was coming...) I'm mad at this dress. I don't mind that Sil is doing a little color combining - I like that a lot, actually, because why wait for a blue dress to bust out these baubles? - but the spangles on this most figure skater-y of dresses combined with the collar* are seriously inhibiting my love of the Leuchtenberg necklace. That's too much going on up top. For shame, red dress, for shame.

*Your Order Report: The King and Queen are both wearing the collar of Finland's Order of the White Rose. The President has on the collar from Sweden's Order of the Seraphim, while his wife has the sash of the Order of the Polar Star, a lower Swedish order also often given to members of fellow royal families that aren't either a monarch/consort or an heir. These are the primary ones on display; each is also wearing home order(s) as is typical.

Photos: Kungahuset.se and via Getty Images as indicated

Royal Outfits of the Day: February 27

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Yesterday, King Felipe and Queen Letizia went on one of their annual engagements, the opening of the ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair in Madrid. Letizia debuted a new Felipe Varela dress, a tri-color design with Swarovski crystal accents.
So, like a sedate Mondrian, I can get behind that for an art event. But - and here comes something you won't usually hear me say - maybe we lose the crystals? Only because I'm wondering if the kids got a BeDazzler for Christmas or what.

And since we're in a Letizia mood, here she is in meeting mode earlier in the week:
I like a lady that can make a leather dress look businesslike. This sheath is from BOSS Hugo Boss, and the blazer is also Hugo Boss.
In another style twin coincidence for the week, Leti's love for Hugo Boss crossed paths with Crown Princess Mary's love for the same brand, and they both sported leather dresses. (Okay, less like style twins and more like...style cousins. Second cousins, twice removed.)
Yesterday, Mary was out and about in BOSS Hugo Boss dress with a leather bodice and twill skirt with a partial check pattern. The frock comes from Jason Wu's first collection for the label (Fall 2014 RTW), which featured several other plays on these mixed materials and pattern. Mary added a shirt underneath, which actually fits right in with the rest of the collection. I love the skirt portion, but I could do without the leather on this one. It's a little too armour-esque, no?

Photos: Europa Press via Getty Images / Hugo Boss / BilledBladet video / Saks Fifth Avenue
Royal Bling of the Day: February 18

Royal Bling of the Day: February 18

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Cams, you saucy minx.
The Duchess of Cornwall, along with the Prince of Wales, attended the Royal Film Performance of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel last night.
Here I thought she might be done with mega ruby breastplates necklaces, seeing as the last one she wore caused a bit of a fuss. But nooooope, she's got another up her sleeve. Here's the necklace worn previously:
Worn in Philadelphia, 2007.
The 2007 appearance featured a necklace that was among three sets of jewels picked up by Camilla during a tour of Saudi Arabia in 2005 (from various members of the vast and super rich ruling family; necklaces previously covered here or here). From afar, you might wonder if the necklace from last night was a remodel of the earlier version, but since the stones are different shapes and sizes, they are two different pieces. Talk about building a jewelry vault for yourself, my oh my.
Now we're back to last night.
Last night's was a suite of pear-shaped rubies in tiers with garlands of diamonds, a necklace accompanied by matching long earrings and also a ruby and diamond bracelet, which you can just see peeking out from the sleeve of her rich velvet gown. The whole set looks like another Middle Eastern gift to me; Camilla's official gift list for 2013 included a parure (no further details, alas) from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and I wondered if this might be the one, worn as a tribute to the recently deceased king. But that's just speculation on my part. Whatever its origins, I'm so glad they gave it to Cams. I mean, who else could pull this off?
Shout out to Chaz's getup last night, too. Takes a dapper man to make a simple tux worthy of notice in the face of such gem power, but there he is with his fancy cuffs and his checked pocket square, and I can't help but take notice. Nicely done as always.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
Royal Necklaces of the Day: February 5

Royal Necklaces of the Day: February 5

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Queen Máxima loves her jewelry, this we know, and she's not picky about the difference between heirloom pieces worn to impress and modern pieces worn for a fashion statement. I like big stones (and I cannot lie), but Máxima tests my love with some of the hardware she hangs around her neck, and some of her recent selections deserve a closer look.

Attending a symposium yesterday
Take yesterday's outfit, for example. Love the idea of a patterned jacket with a statement necklace; do not love the use of leftover Christmas tree decorations as said necklace.


At an event in Utrecht, January 15
This one looks like something made of rocks found by the kids down by the river. But in a world where the rivers are lined with gold, like Willy Wonka's factory for magpies.


At a financial inclusion conference in London, January 19
This one is also a riverbank finder's paradise. This is the same outfit worn when Felipe and Letizia visited the Netherlands, and at that time, Máx paired it with another mega necklace/possible display of medieval weaponry. So either the plain neckline is proving irresistible to the larger side of Máx's jewelry box, or maybe she got a makeup stain on the neck and ugh those things are hard to get out. (Maybe that's always the case. If so, Máx, I retract my entry and I'm with you 100%.)

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
Royal Outfits of the Day: January 19

Royal Outfits of the Day: January 19

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A red suit showdown!
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde attended another New Year's reception last week
Mathilde's entry is a repeat from the couple's introductory visit to Germany last year, a red suit with pleated details by Pierre Gauthier.
The original appearance, in Germany
Better without the hat? I think so. The suit's plenty of pleating all by itself.

And over in Spain, on the same day, an entry from Letizia:
King Felipe and Queen Letizia gave out the National Research Awards last week
I've always liked this Felipe Varela suit, with its delicate scalloped detailing, and red is definitely Letizia's color. Both she and Felipe were wearing bracelets from ARHOE, an organization that promotes more rational working hours and a better balance between work and life in Spain. The group was included in one of the couple's recent palace audiences, and they've apparently won some royal support. A yellow bracelet with a red suit is certainly an effective way to draw attention.
So, who comes out on top in this style duel? Red suits in general, probably. More of that all around would be fine by me.

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 14

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You think she heard your cries for some color yesterday?
Maybe that wave was just for you. A bright red Queen Máxima kicked off the year at the annual New Year's reception with Princess Beatrix (in her patterned best), Princess Margriet (in a particularly rich-looking jacket), plus the King and Pieter van Vollenhoven (in...wait for it...suits).
The Natan dress is a repeat, of course, worn this time with more refined shoes and a bigger statement earring. She's swapped rubies and diamonds for a gift from Dutch jeweler LOTT. gioielli, and while I always miss rubies and diamonds when they're gone, it's nice to see her lend her support to brands close to home.
Previous outing of the dress
Good then, good now. Welcome back, Máx.

Photos: @koninklijkhuis / RVD, photo: Jeroen van de Meyde / Michel Porro via Getty Images

Royal Outfits of the Day: January 5

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The Windsor family's own Benjamin Button, the Countess of Wessex, turns 50 this month, and to mark her big birthday, she spoke with the UK edition of Harper's Bazaar.
She's worn a fair few pieces from Peter Pilotto, and the label's signature bold style is well represented here. My favorite of the looks is the red number above, which was also worn recently by Alyssa Milano on the red carpet. And Sophie wore it better, if you ask me.
Two Peter Pilotto dresses and a Nina Ricci coat
I also like the play on patterns in the shot below. The look pairs a textured Nina Ricci coat and another Pilotto printed dress (which the Countess of Wessex blog points out was already worn by Sophie earlier last year; the blog offers these identifications and more).
Of course one of her favorite designers, Emilia Wickstead, is also represented, in a dress modified from the retail version to remove the v-neck (I kind of miss the original neckline, though):
Wearing favorite brands and repeats gives this whole thing a bit of a different spin, I think. Features like this for the senior members of the royal family are not so common, and it feels appropriate that this isn't a version of Sophie we don't recognize, done up in cutting edge designs just for the sake of a photoshoot. Instead, she's portrayed in some of her favorite designers and is posed casually at her home, Bagshot Park. (Well, "casual" for a home that looks like it comes with its own dress code, that is.)
Emilia Wickstead dress, retail version
It's a nice feature, but more than anything it's just nice to see the Countess get some attention for both her work and her style. (And it's nice to see those things without them falling under a headline about some fictional competition within the royal family, honestly.) You can read the Harper's Bazaar feature here and in the February issue of the magazine.

Photos: Harper's Bazaar via Twitter; Lyst; Moda Operandi

Royal Holiday of the Day: December 29

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Hello again! I hope your celebrations - if you were celebrating - were plenty merry. Better late than never, we have a couple royal Christmas celebrations to check in with today.

In Denmark, Queen Margrethe packed the house (er, palace, Fredensborg Palace to be precise) with family this Christmas. For the first time since 2006, her two sisters, Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Benedikte, and most of their associated families joined the Danish royal family for the holiday. The result is one impressive group portrait:
Photo: Steen Brogaard
Nothing says Christmas quite like a game of who's who with the family photo. Extra snaps to Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik and their color coordination.

Over in Britain, at Sandringham, the Windsors gathered for the holiday and made their traditional Christmas church run, starting with the Queen in the brightest color of them all.
Her unusual brooch choice as well as her Christmas broadcast have both been covered at the Jewel Vault, as always.
Princess Anne led the charge, as it should be, but she and her mother were alone in their colorful coats. We needed those shots of color, really, because most of the rest of the family defaulted to their favorite neutrals.
Princess Beatrice sported a RED Valentino coat, previously worn to Ascot, and some serious shoes that leave me applauding her shoe spirit if nothing else. (Let me update this to add: RED Valentino is a brand, an offshoot of Valentino, and not a reference to the color of her clearly un-red coat, for those of you that think I've gone color blind.)
The Duchess of Cambridge looked nice and cozy in a long Moloh coat, but I have to admit I preferred Autumn Phillips' touch of fur when it came to added winter warmth.
She and Princess Eugenie, with a welcome dose of pink in her hat, took my best dressed prize (apart from QEII, who as always is on her own level), but it was a pretty average showing on the sartorial front. To be expected, really. But the Countess of Wessex was determined to make up for it with her showing at church the Sunday after...
I mean, Sandringham is a hunting estate. Maybe she took this bad boy down herself.

That's all for now, folks. We're heading back into our semi-hiatus and will return at the end of the week for the year's first tiara events, the sparkling New Year's Courts!

Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes, 2014 (UPDATED)

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Phew. There’s a lot going on right now. We’ll check in with Monaco’s big news tomorrow, but for now, we have tiaras to deal with. The Nobel Prize ceremonies happened yesterday in Oslo and Stockholm and the Norwegian and Swedish royal families were out in force. Obviously these events are about the Nobel laureates and not the royals, but as usual, I'll stay in my wheelhouse. (With one exception: I will share this article about the gown worn by laureate May-Britt Moser and its special significance, which I think is pretty cool.) Now, to the awards – and this is a long one, so settle in…

Best in Standards: Non-Tiara Division
The Norwegian Royal Family
The Oslo ceremony is for the Nobel Peace Prize and understandably omits the fancy tiara-wearing dress code (it’s also held earlier in the day), and we usually get a pretty standard showing from King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Mette-Marit wore the same headpiece (we won’t call it a hat) with a white outfit just a couple years ago, but it’s one of her standards that suits her particularly well. She also stuck to her standards by wearing one of her floral prairie dresses for the evening dinner (click here to see), but somehow I don't mind this one as much as I usually mind her covered wagon business. Anyway, a passing grade to all.
A couple screencaps including a look at Mette-Marit's hairdo, and Sonja's velvet jacket from Emilio Pucci. Mette-Marit's coat is from Valentino.

Over in Sweden, the rest of the prizes are given out in one of the most formal events of the year and the Swedish royal family was up to the task, turning out in force.
So many family members were present (the King, Queen, all three children with their respective significant others, plus Princess Christina and her husband) that only four members were on stage and everyone else had to join Christina in her usual spot in the front row.

Best in Standards: Tiara Division
Queen Silvia and Princess Christina
Queen Silvia has worn a variety of tiaras for the Nobel ceremony, but her two most frequent choices are the Leuchtenberg Sapphires and the Nine Prong Tiara. She picked the sapphires this year for the main event and I am ever so thankful for that. Princess Christina also went with her usual, the Six Button Tiara. And as I always say, if someone has to wear ye olde buttons, let it be Christina, since she makes the most of them.
A very shiny and embellished dress for Silvia, also a standard (for better or for worse).

Best in Nobel Spirit
Crown Princess Victoria
Queen Silvia has toned down her Nobel looks as time goes on, and it’s nice to know that someone is picking up the slack. Hello, Victoria! This is a proper ball gown if there ever was one. You know I love it and all its OTT splendor, including the fact that she had trouble moving around in it. (Dedication to the splendor cause, man!) It was designed by Pär Engsheden, her wedding dress designer.
She also delivered on the jewel front, finally bringing back the Baden Fringe Tiara and continuing her recent streak of debuting something new to her for each Nobel season. This year, it was the large diamond cross from the family collection, worn by Victoria for the first time. She also sported a large diamond bracelet, ruby brooch on her front, small brooch on her back, diamond earrings, and diamond lozenge brooch in her hair.

Most Curious in Nobel Spirit
Princess Madeleine
I want to like this but I’m finding it so curious. She did go big for the occasion, opting for an embellished dress from Fadi El Khoury (a designer I’ve longed to see the royals wear more often). But the print is almost an animal print, but not quite; the dress is almost a full skirt ball gown, but not quite.
She used most of Queen Josephine’s Amethyst Parure (earrings, brooch, bracelet), but stuck to the Modern Fringe Tiara. Almost, but not quite.

Best Tiara Potential
Sofia Hellqvist
Let’s get this out of the way: the dress (by Ida Sjostedt), it’s not great. In these photos, I think it looks quite fine actually. But on television, under the lights, it suffered from a serious case of S.O.S. Yes, Sequin Overload Syndrome. And I say this as someone who would like nothing more than to see her show up looking classy as can be and blow all her haters out of the water.* But luckily, something else did catch my eye: that hair!
She hasn’t been issued anything from the family vault yet (that brooch, whatever it’s made of, is certainly not part of the historic pink topaz set, as some originally guessed) but she’s all ready to go, hair brooch and all. I’m looking forward to next year already!

For more Nobel fun:

The tiara fest in Sweden isn’t over just yet – this evening is the King’s Dinner for the laureates at the palace. Stay tuned. The Norwegians still have the Nobel concert to go. Until then…

Who was your best dressed for Nobel 2014?


*Since posts including Sofia tend to end up with comments that dip into personal feelings about her background, let me just issue a friendly preemptive note for my lovely commenters: Let’s not go there.


UPDATE: Night #2 of Nobel festivities!
In Sweden, the traditional King’s Dinner for the Nobel laureates was held at the palace. You can click here for a gallery.
Queen Silvia came down with a case of ADLD (Another Dang Lace Dress, it’s been going around. Like the flu, but prettier) and matched it with the Connaught Tiara. Sofia Hellqvist toned down her sequin dress for a grade of Most Improved and she wore another brooch in her hair – but like last night, the palace stated that she wore private jewels. (You can see her hair embellishment here.)
Both Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine repeated last night’s tiaras, as did Princess Christina (I FROWN IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION, LADIES) (THOUGH I AM ALSO GLAD TO SEE THESE AGAIN INSTEAD OF THE FOUR BUTTON OR THE CUT STEEL BANDEAU, SO MAYBE I’M NOT THAT UPSET). Madeleine gave us déjà vu to a dress recently worn by her sister, and Victoria stuck a bow on it.
How you wear that dress without feeling like the angel in the Christmas play, I don’t know (maybe that is what you feel like and maybe that’s the point), but I applaud her bringing back the corsage necklace used by Princess Lilian, even if it’s not the best with this neckline.

And over in Norway, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their children attended the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. And Mette-Marit wore a dress adorned with frolicking magical creatures, because of course she did.
UNICORNS AND CHERUBS, people. And let me tell you something: I AM ALL FOR IT. (This busy royal week has driven me to caps lock mania. It’s not my fault.) This dress comes from British brand Mother of Pearl (via Minmote). Victoria went for a fairytale vibe with last night’s mega ball gown and now Mette-Marit’s going for a more literal interpretation. And I’m not kidding - I really am totally charmed by a dress covered in unicorns. The world needs more unicorn prints.


Photos: Getty Images as indicated, SVT video, Lyst, Kungahuset.se, Moda Operandi

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