Royal Outfit of the Day: February 26

Royal Outfit of the Day: February 26

Comment   

Queen Mathilde joined King Philippe for a visit to the media corporation Medialaan yesterday. Her black Natan dress is owned by Queen Máxima in gray. Click here for a video, offering the best looks at the outfit.

They're baaaack! The Natan twins, of course, for another round of Who Wore It Best? And though I still feel the toga-esque shoulder flourish is baffling, I'm giving this one to Mathilde - the gold belt and gold bracelet are making the look. (I'm not used to giving matchy-matchy Mathilde props for her accessories, this feels a little strange.) I suppose the benefit of the one-shouldered deal is that you can always look at it from one side only, and that's just what I'll be doing.

Photos: VTM/Getty

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 24

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 24

Comment   

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (left) wore a modified version of a runway look from Elie Saab Fall 2012 Couture (center) for her son Guillaume's civil wedding to Stéphanie de Lannoy in 2012; actress Lupita Nyong'o (right) wore the runway version earlier this year.

Lupita (or LUPITA!, as that will always be said in my head) is the talk of this awards season, and she's quickly becoming one of my new girl crushes. Our discussion of her appearance at the Golden Globes reminded me that she herself has worn a royal repeat, wearing the runway version of an Elie Saab Couture look previously modified by Maria Teresa. But despite my Lupita love, I'm going to give this battle to MT - this conservative number suits a grand duchess better than it suits a younger actress, no?

Speaking of Elie Saab Couture, the Spring 2014 couture shows have been happening in Paris, and it's all kinds of pretty.

Links for some of the collections we might see on royal parade:

• Valentino: The opera meets The Lion King. Interesting, this collection. A potential for Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Máxima, Princess Marie-Chantal, Sheikha Mozah, and more.
• Giambattista Valli: Some nice ball gowns here. We've seen this designer on Mette-Marit and Charlotte Casiraghi, to name two.
• Elie Saab: Always and forever my fave, and a favorite of the Luxembourg ladies plus Crown Princess Victoria. Clotilde Courau was in the audience for the show; she was at a couple other shows too, including Valentino.
• Christian Dior: Not as often seen on our regular line up. Current Dior designer Raf Simons is Belgian, which always makes me wonder if we'll see any of this pop up on Queen Mathilde.
• Chanel: For the ladies of Monaco, naturally. At least the sneakers Karl Lagerfeld sent down the runway would be an improvement over Princess Caroline's pedicure shoes...or would they?...
• Armani Privé: Sometimes dresses Mathilde or Queen Paola for special events, and can be seen on other royals too. Bit meh, I thought.
• And one extra: Zuhair Murad, a designer I wish we'd see more of on the royal scene. There are some really beautifully detailed things coming from this label.

Photos: Getty Images/Style.com

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 17

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 17

Comment   

 

Last summer, Princess Marie-Chantal (left) wore an Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 embellished dress (runway, center) for Princess Madeleine's pre-wedding dinner. At this year's Golden Globe Awards, Michelle Dockery of "Downton Abbey" fame (right) sported the same look.

You know, I very nearly included M-C's look in my honorable mentions for 2013, and when I saw it pop up this past weekend at the Globes, my appreciation for the royal styling grew even more. In the epic battle of "Who wore it best?", I have to give this one to M-C because the shoes and her overall bearing are making the look. This is one dress that benefits from the eh, I wear couture to grab the morning paper attitude, if you get what I'm saying. Et toi?

(Celebrity fashion isn't within our normal scope here, but I can't let a reference to the awards pass without saying LUPITA! and CAPES! That is all. If you missed the Globes gown parade, Buzzfeed's got the quickest fashion wrap up.)

Photos: Getty Images/Style.com