Royal Outfit of the Day: May 9

Royal Outfit of the Day: May 9

Comment   

Mary Donaldson married Crown Prince Frederik on May 14, 2004.

You knew this was coming, didn't you. (You did, no question mark required.) Yes, if you pay attention to your royal dates, you were probably expecting that we would have something here to mark Mary and Frederik's 10th wedding anniversary, and so we will - a week of celebrations! Yippee. Next week, we're focusing on some of the outfits worn by the guests at this memorable event. (We won't be ignoring current events though, not to worry.)

To get us in the mood, here's Mary's divisive wedding gown. Is it a milk maid, or is it the best ever? These seem to be the two schools of thought. My opinions on royal wedding gowns often change over time, but when it comes to Mary, I'm consistent: Yes to the bodice, Meh to the skirt, NO to the hair. Oh, and fun fact: the dress was designed by Uffe Frank, but the one in charge of making it was Birgit Hallstein, who has made other bespoke dresses for Mary since (including some of my favorites, like the burgundy velvet gown, or my pick for Mary's best from last year).

Video: Part 1, Frederik's arrival. For more: Part 2, Part 3 (Mary walks down the aisle), Part 4, Part 5

Click here for my full post on the dress. And above, video of the ceremony in multiple parts, if you're in the mood. (I never miss a chance to see Mary's entrance to Zadok the Priest, myself. Chills, every time.)

Photos: Steen Evald/Kongehuset.dk

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 28

Royal Outfit of the Day: March 28

Comment   

Crown Princess Mary wore this red Uffe Frank gown to the gala held before her wedding to Frederik in 2004. She wore it with the full Danish Ruby Parure. The dress has appeared several times since, including at an exhibit and for an official portrait.

So I was watching the documentary De Kongelige Juveler (The Royal Jewels) the other day - again - as one does - and I was reminded just how much I adore Mary's pre-wedding gala gown. Actually, it's not really the gown so much as that entire first appearance, because the whole thing was geared to make the most of the ruby set. She'd already worn the rubies with her hair up and a pale gown during the pre-wedding events, so swapping to red to make the most of their color and framing them differently by wearing her hair down really had great impact. She's worn the dress since with her wedding tiara instead, but it's just not the same.

Video: The pre-wedding gala, Mary and Frederik's arrival

But worn just like this - without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite royal gala appearances.

My re-watch was inspired by a lovely reader that wrote in about discovering the documentary. We've talked about it here in the past, but if you've never seen it, it's well worth your time. Part 1, focusing on Scandinavian jewels and featuring interviews with Queen Margrethe, Queen Silvia, and Mary herself, can be found here. Part 2 focuses on Russian jewels, and that can be found here. Enjoy!

Photos: Reuters/Scanpix/Kongehuset