WEDDING FLOWERS: Tiaras 2014
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Showing posts with label Tiaras 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiaras 2014. Show all posts

Year in Review: 2014's Tiara Moments

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I'm in it for the tiaras, I think my stance on that is pretty clear. So it wouldn't be a Year in Review without a look at the tiara appearances we covered here and at the Jewel Vault in 2014 (and minus the ones that I forgot, because you know that's inevitable). You can click the links below or scroll through the posts on this blog by clicking here.

It won't surprise you to learn that I am officially crowning Máxima the Tiara Queen of 2014, with not only a large number of tiara events but also a large variety of tiaras worn for those events. Elsewhere, we saw a couple new pieces debuted, and a couple debuts of old pieces on new people. But perhaps the most important thing we saw in 2014 was the return of full state banquets (and thus tiaras) in Spain and Belgium, both countries having taken a few years off in the midst of economy and government problems. Grand returns ended up being the theme of my favorite tiara moments for the year.

January
The year started as it always does with glittering New Year's Court events in Denmark and Japan, giving us our yearly appearance of Mary's rubies, always a highlight in my book.

February
Tatiana Santo Domingo wore a fringe tiara for her religious wedding, although we didn't get a great look.

March
The Swedish royal court put out a new official photo of Crown Princess Victoria and the King, in which she sported her recent favorite, the Cut Steel Tiara. Princess Marie wore her new tiara for the first time for an official dinner, a piece we've been waiting to see in use since 2011. Tiaras came out again in Denmark for a state visit from Turkey, and tiara intrigue came to Sweden when Princess Christina wore the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara to an official dinner, bringing up questions about its ownership. Elsewhere, a state visit from China to the Netherlands brought out the pearls.

April
Tiaras returned to Belgium and Queen Mathilde again wore the bandeau of the Nine Provinces Tiara when the Chinese moved their state visit game over a country. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, and Máxima pulled together a pretty fab look with her favorite Dutch Diamond Bandeau.
Another of my favorite tiara moments came in April too, when the U.K. hosted an historic state visit from Ireland and the Queen used the occasion to bring the Cambridge emeralds back after a long absence.
And we must not forget, April also brought us what seemed like a genuine Tiara Miracle: Charlene finally wore her Ocean Tiara. For a magazine shoot, but we'll take what we can get.

May
May brought several tiara appearances: a look at the Diplomatic Corps reception in the Netherlands, new formal pictures marking Frederik and Mary's 10th wedding anniversary (again with the rubies), a state visit from Israel to Norway, and a state visit from Luxembourg to Poland.
 
June
Prince Albert visited the Netherlands, and there were tiaras even though Charlene stayed home. Plenty of state visits happened in June, including a trip to France for the British and the last state visit of King Juan Carlos' reign. The return of tiara banquets in Spain and Queen Sofia's use of the major Fleur de Lys Tiara as her farewell put this one on my list of best tiara moments for the year.

July

September
A state visit from Estonia to Norway brought us back to our tiara ways after the slow summer season.

October
Princess Noriko of Takamado kicked off the month donning her tiara for the last time as she bid farewell to the Imperial Family before her wedding. The Norwegians had two tiara events in a week, first with a state visit from India and second with their annual gala for parliament. (And in case you're counting, that adds up to a whole year of appearances of the Diamond Daisy Tiara for Mette-Marit, with no variety in sight.) A state visit from Singapore to Britain got thrown in the mix, and the month ended with dueling state visits: Felipe and Letizia hosting the first incoming state visit of Felipe's reign, and Willem-Alexander and Máxima traveling for a state visit to Japan. Máxima's debut outing of the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara coupled with the return of Crown Princess Masako clock in jointly on my list of best tiara moments this year.

November
Amethysts and an excellent Elie Saab gown featured when Luxembourg hosted a state visit from Germany, but a dinner at the Swedish Royal Palace failed to wow me. Princess Margriet brought a tiara to America for the Stuyvesant Ball, wearing the star version of the Pearl Button Tiara for the first time, and a royal wedding in Morocco gave us a little sparkle variety.

December
The Duchess of Cornwall was resplendent in her family tiara for the Buckingham Palace Diplomatic Reception but obviously the main tiara event in December was and will always be the Nobel Prize Ceremony and the King's Dinner! Featuring the return of the Baden Fringe Tiara, another on my list of favorite tiara moments for the year.

Phew! Not a bad year, eh? (Remind me of that when we hit a tiara dead spot in 2015.) Now, over to you:

What were your favorite tiara moments in 2014?


Photos: Julian Parker/UK Press, Frank Van Beek/AFP, Pool all via Getty Images / RTE video / Hola / NewsJapan video / SVT video

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

Tiara Watch (Yay) and Tiara Watch (Nay): December 3

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Sometimes those of us on permanent tiara watch don't get what we want. Case in point: The King and Queen of Sweden began a state visit to France yesterday, and hopes of proper state banquet splendor were (somewhat) high. After all, the British state visit to France this summer was black tie and the Queen was all tiara'd up. But alas, it was not to be; the dress code was plain suit and tie and a knee-length outfit for Silvia. The Queen, however, did not leave us hanging.
She sported as much of the Cameo Parure as she could, basically: necklace, earrings, bracelet, and brooch in her hair. She's also got Carl Gustaf's order/portrait miniature on too, and her version is bedecked with some pretty serious diamond sparkle. The Cameo set has Napoleonic roots, dating back to Empress Joséphine, so it was an appropriate choice. But I still like to think it was a bit of a protest from a jewel-loving queen. Atta girl, Sil.

And sometimes, on tiara watch we do get what we want! Over in Britain, the annual Diplomatic Reception was held last night. This is a tiara event, very formal indeed, but it's one that we don't often get a glimpse of. Some were anticipating the Duchess of Cambridge in a tiara and though she wasn't present, the Duchess of Cornwall shined in something besides her usual tiara and that's a delight on its own. Resplendent, I think, is just the word for this lovely look, kindly shared on Twitter:
This is the Cubitt-Shand Tiara, which comes from Camilla's own family. Camilla wore it for her first wedding and her daughter Laura wore it for her wedding (below). I don't usually go for asymmetry in my tiaras, but the slight variation in this design completely works with its intricate floral motif. I love it.
We know that the Duchess of Cornwall has worn this tiara to this diplomatic event in the past, but we don't always get to see, as I said. Any sighting is an A+ Tiara Watch to me!

Photos: Elysee.fr video, Marc Piasecki via Getty Images, @royalfocus1, Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for November 23: A Spanish Farewell, a Tiara Watch, and More

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Just a few tidbits to get things rolling for the week - tiaras included:

--As you probably know by now, the Duchess of Alba died this week. We covered her wedding dresses a few years ago, when she was marrying for the third time, and it's always been one of the most popular posts on the blog. Infanta Elena represented the royal family at the funeral. [New York Times, Semana]

--Tiara Watch! Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and her husband Pieter van Vollenhoven attended the annual Peter Stuyvesant Ball in New York this week, and she wore the Pearl Button Tiara in its star tiara form, a.k.a. Máxima's wedding tiara. Margriet rounded out her look with another piece customized by Máx, the large bow brooch that usually features a sapphire center but was swapped for a citrine earlier in the year by the Queen. [Telegraaf video]

--The article linked above mentioned the unfortunate misunderstanding this week regarding Queen Máxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta. If you heard the reports that he had passed away, I also hope you heard that those reports were incorrect. He is being treated for leukemia, but has apparently been released from the hospital. [NOS, Hello]

--Interesting cardigan/jacket thing sported by Crown Princess Mary for a school visit this week (see video below). Looks like something whipped up from assorted yarn leftovers...except, you know, without the free price tag. [Billed-Bladet video]


--Of general interest to fellow magpies: Sotheby's has been auctioning the collection of the late Rachel "Bunny" Lambert Mellon. The jewels included a blue diamond that went for more than $32 million. [New York Times, Sotheby's]

--In non-sparkly auction news, a hat worn by Napoleon (part of a collection being auctioned by the Prince of Monaco) sold for $2.4 million. [BBC]

--And finally, Prince Harry went to Oman and swords were involved. [Telegraph]

Stay tuned for Monday, when we'll catch up with the happenings in Monaco.

Photos: Telegraaf video

Tiara Watch of the Day: November 19

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Tiaras always cheer me up. And YET...I'm feeling quite bored by last night's white tie official dinner held by the Swedish royal family. Hmmph. Perhaps Queen Máx can spare me some delicious Dutch cheese to go with my fine whine.

Links for galleries: Aftonbladet, Svenskdam, Expressen.
Okay. So let's break it down, one royal lady at a time. 

First up: Sofia Hellqvist, who sported a lined red lace gown by Tadashi Shoji. Colored lace is dubious to start, and - through no fault of her own - she's falling at the end of a long run of royal lace gowns. So this is not getting much love from me. She did not wear a tiara, which was to be expected since she's still in fiancée territory, but I was sad to see she didn't even get to practice tiara hair. You know I'm always on Team Updo to start with, but here I think it would have helped make up for the fact that she's the only one in the royal party without a little bling.

Next: Crown Princess Victoria. She repeated the long Escada gown she wore to the Dutch inauguration. It's definitely better with tiara and without the hat, and it probably sparkles something fierce, but it's a little blergh to stand on its own. She paired it with the Cut Steel Tiara, which is great and all - but I'm starting to miss the rest of the Swedish tiaras. It's been a long time since we've seen Victoria in anything but a cut steel piece. Wherefore art thou, Baden Fringe? Eh?

And finally, Queen Silvia, who took my best dressed for the night. Past outings of this dress include the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2010, where she masterfully paired this great green with the Leuchtenberg sapphires. I miss those luscious blues, even though the downsized Connaught Tiara is a more appropriate choice for the event.

Well, I did warn you about all the complaining. But I'll end on a hopeful note: Nobel festivities, less than a month away. Keep the fabulous tiara dreams alive.

Photos: Saks Fifth Avenue, Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images, Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for November 16: Royal Weddings, Royal Auction Results, Royal Etc.

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Nothing like a Sunday of weddings and sparklies to get your week started on the right foot, right? Right.

--Royal Wedding Alert: Morocco has been celebrating the nuptials of Prince Moulay Rachid, brother of King Mohammed VI, and Oum Keltoum Boufares. The bride wore a rich green dress and veil for one ceremony followed by a white ensemble with tiara for another event. Sheikha Mozah was among the dignitaries in attendance. Some links for you: Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Article and gallery. [YouTube and Hello]

--British Prince Update #1: Friday was Charles' birthday! This commemorative gallery features both penguins and awkward dancing pictures and I can't think of a better way to celebrate. [Express]

--British Prince Update #2: Harry, dressed in uniform, rescued a lady's hat which had blown off in the wind, because of course he did. [Express]

--British Prince Update #3: William stepped in for the Queen at an investiture on Friday and got to knight Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis. [British Monarchy Twitter]

--For your future viewing pleasure: Netflix is ordering a series based on Queen Elizabeth II called The Crown, debuting in 2016, and a biopic called Frederik's Young Years focusing on Crown Prince Frederik (spoiler alert: it's about his young years) is in the works in Denmark. [Deadline Hollywood, Hello]

--Breaking News: Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a bright color. She and Haakon were hosting a dinner at their home. [VG]

--Two jewel auctions we've mentioned here in the past went down this week. Christie's sold Empress Eugénie's Feuilles de Groseillier Brooch for a cool $2,365,700. (Although that was far from the highest price brought at the auction - that honor went to a necklace containing a 392.52 carat sapphire which brought in more than $17.5 million.) Sotheby's sold Queen Josephine's pearl necklace for $3,426,669, and the aquamarine tiara previously worn by the Duchess of Kent went for $204,500. So if any of you get an extra special surprise in your stocking this Christmas, let me know. [Christie's, Sotheby's]

--The Princess Royal headed up to Canada after her stop in the U.S. and I think I might really like the dress she wore to a dinner during her trip. [Canadian Heritage Flickr]

--Bit of sad news: The funeral for Princess Kristine Bernadotte was held at the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace and attended by members of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families. Princess Kristine was the widow of Prince Carl Bernadotte, son of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, and uncle of the present King of Norway as well as Belgian Kings Albert II and Baudouin. The late Bernadotte couple were particularly close to their Norwegian relatives. [Aftonbladet]

--Are you in or around Denver? You have a chance to see some serious jewels in action. Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century is at the Denver Art Museum today through March 15, 2015. [Denver Art Museum]

Photos: YouTube screencaps

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