Week in Review: Princess Letizia, 11-17 December

Here's what Letizia wore from 11-17 December:

1. Attending a lunch at the palace, 13 December.
2. At a ceremony for the Prince of Girona Foundation, 14 December. Again with the strangely matched shoes. Why?

We also got a glimpse of the family's Christmas card this week, prepare your awwws:

 

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images

Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 11-17 December

Here's what Victoria wore from 11-17 December:

1. The King's dinner for the Nobel laureates, 11 December. Wow, some of you really hated this one. I don't know...it still doesn't bother me. Mind you, I'm working with a SHOOTIE and non-maternity dress frame of mind.
2. a) Meeting the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, 12 December, in b) a By Malene Birger dress.
3. a and b) Receiving the palace Christmas trees, 15 December. Still looking for an appropriately funky canvas for that Lanvin for H&M necklace, I see.

Photos: Svenskdam/Malene Birger/Kungahuset

Gold Star: Cambridge Black and Bling

Did your teacher give out gold stars when you were a kid? Mine did. And while sometimes those stars were for a job perfectly done, other times they were for progress well made. You know, a little encouragement along the way. It is in this spirit that I award the Duchess of Cambridge her first ever Gold Star.

Because tonight, at The Sun Military Awards, Catherine busted out her first major piece of ice since that tiara she wore that one time - a new necklace and bracelet, a wedding gift. Seems to be a diamond necklace with circles of diamonds alternating with fringes ending in petite flowers made of colored stones, maybe rubies. The bracelet appears to be a part of the demi-parure, as we can see the same motif and colored stones. (And we pause for a FAQ quick hit: What are the stones? Don't know for sure. Who gave them to her? Don't know. Can it be a tiara too? Don't know. Isn't the bracelet just the one she's worn before but with different inserts? Doubt it, as they're different scale and have different spacing.) She paired these pieces with the same diamond earrings we've seen several times before.

These are the most substantial jewels we've seen her wear, and simply breaking them out is something worth a little applause around here. The velvet Alexander McQueen gown is applause-worthy too - simple and black, but it fits her incredibly well. Stunning. And when you have a piece like that necklace, you don't need competition.

Would it have been MAJOR jumpy claps if she would've pulled the hair back? Yes. Are there other things to pick at? Of course, and I'm sure many of you will do so in the comments. But, baby steps. Step 1: put the diamonds on. Step 2: do other things. Gold Star, Catherine.

And another two Gold Stars for her escorts, Cambridge No. 2 and Prince Harry, for suiting up the James Bond way. You can never go wrong with a tux.

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife/Just Jared/Grazia

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 11-17 December

Here's what Charlene wore from 11-17 December:

1. At the Arbre de Noel for Monaco's children, 14 December. See, appearances like this are what get me. Elegant silhouette, great classy hair...beige beige beige.
2. a and b) Spreading more Christmas joy, 15 December. Much better with just even a little pop of blue!
3. Visiting College Charles III (a school), 16 December. If it isn't beige, it's black! This one has a little off-duty nun flair to it.
4. Receiving an award and attending a charity gala in Berlin, 17 December. Color! A whole outfit of it! A shade of red I'll call "almost brown". I think she looks fab, in what I'm guessing is Akris (of course).

Photos: Daylife/GettyImages/Frederic Nebinger/WireImage/Purepeople/Junior/BestImage

Week in Review: Princess Letizia, 4-10 December

Here's what Princess Letizia wore from 4-10 December:

1. Watching the changing of the guard at the palace in Madrid, 7 December, rockin' the shades.

Photo: Purepeople/Best Image

Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes 2011, Part 2

The Nobel Prize celebrations are wrapping up in Norway and Sweden with a second day of tiaras n' dresses at a dinner for the Nobel laureates given in Sweden by King Carl Gustaf and a concert for the Peace Prize in Norway. And as usual, most of the participants took it down a notch from the first day's festivities, but you never know who might strike your award-giving fancy...

(Click here to see day one's awards if you missed them.)

Biggest Change

Crown Princess Mette-Marit

From prairie mama to saucy schoolgirl in 24 hours...ladies and gentlemen, Mette-Marit! She looks fantastic in this sexy Emilio Pucci dress. Could have used a little of yesterday's hair flair, but it's still a change for the better, and my best dressed for day 2.

Best Festive Spirit

Princess Märtha Louise

Well, she's hard to see, but we've got a sparkly skirt and that's a win. Though perhaps the festive style award should belong to Ari instead?

Most Improved

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

No giant bow in the middle of the sash, and an updo (though it seems like it might be a rather messy one)...it counts, it all adds up. Plus, hand-holding. She also made my tiara prediction come true by wearing the pearl and diamond choker tiara, even though it's far from my favorite Luxembourg piece.

Best Wish Fulfilled

Queen Silvia

Many of you had your fingers crossed for an appearance of the Connaught Diamond Tiara, and Silvia's got you covered. The dress is a repeat of her turn at the wedding ball in Monaco, so I'm thankful she didn't repeat the Nine Prong Tiara also.

Saddest Repeat Title

Princess Christina

Yesterday Christina won my title for Biggest Missed Tiara Opportunity, and today she gets it again by sticking to her tiny pearl and diamond tiara. Aw, man, couldn't we have pulled something from the vaults instead? 

Best Repeat

Crown Princess Victoria

No, I refer not to the dress, which I don't dislike or anything but is not spectacular like yesterday's creation, and I am also not referring to the Baden Fringe Tiara. I'm talking about the huge diamond earrings that she debuted at her pre-wedding celebrations. Just amazing!

Worst Substitution

Princess Madeleine

For those that asked where Madeleine was yesterday, here's your answer: she attended an event in New York City (her home now) commemorating the 100th anniversary of Marie Curie's Nobel Prize. And while she looks lovely - New York really does agree with her, apparently - it's not a valid substitute for tiaras and diamonds. Sorry, Madde.

Is anybody tickling your fancy on day 2? Have any overall Nobel ratings for 2011?

Photos: Reuters/Daylife/Style.com/ANP/Bunte/danapress/SVT/Svenskdam

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 20-26 November

Here's what Máxima wore from 20-26 November:

1. a) Attending the premiere of the film Nova Zembla, 21 November, in a gorgeous black dress from Ralph Lauren (b). It's such a simple dress, and in a color that usually signals boring for me, but she does it just right with the jewels and the (neat!) hair (c-e). The shoulder ornament is a diamond aigrette dating way back to Queen Emma, and is the same one we saw her break out for her 40th birthday. One of the best Máxima appearances this year, don't you think?
2. Visiting the "Children Make Music" project, 22 November.
3. Two events on 24 November. Well, it's not like anything's going to compare to outfit #1 anyway.

Also in attendance at the film premiere were two of Princess Margriet's sons and their wives, Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène and Prince Floris and Princess Aimée. Aimée looks stunning and Marilène...has a lot of hair.

Aimée and Marilène

Photos: Dutch Photo Press/Net-a-porter/PPE/Nieboer/Royal House

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mary, 20-26 November

Here's what Mary wore from 20-26 November:

1. Day 1 of the couple's trip to Australia, 20 November, beginning with (a) flats and a hat to open the Sculpture By The Sea exhibition and then (b) ditching the hat and switching to heels for more events. Prefer the hat version, myself.
2. Meeting the Governor-General, 20 November. Simple but lovely dress, the perfect background for what we're all really looking at: the twins!
3. Day 2, 21 November. Ah, yes! Much better without some strange winter jacket on top.

4. a) Dinner on day 2, 21 November, in (b) a repeated dress from Diane von Furstenberg. Look familiar? It's the short version of the dress Carole Middleton wore to the evening bash after William and Catherine's wedding.
5. Day 3, 22 November, in an outfit that morphed as the day went on. She took a repeated dress (which many of you will be happy to see again, its last appearance was much loved) and topped it with a hat (a) and then wore it without the hat (b) and then added a ruffled front cardi (c - while checking out a portrait of herself, which must be a surreal experience) and also wore it with both cardigan and hat. And that's what we call coming prepared for all eventualities!

6. Day 4, 23 November. I usually just go for whatever picture shows the outfit fully, but I couldn't resist the ridiculous chicness of this pose in that Egg chair. I like the outfit, too, but the chair...sorry, I'm an interior designer. Can't help myself.
7. Dinner, day 4, 23 November, repeating another dress from when she was pregnant with the twins - early on, during Nikolaos and Tatiana's wedding festivities.
8. Day 5, 24 November. Love the more casual shirt with the slim fit white skirt.
9.  Dinner, day 5, 24 November. Oh, no. Not a fan of the random patchwork business.
10. Day 6, 25 November. Hmm...a lovely pop of color and print, or way too much of a 1970s flashback?

11. a) Reception on day 6, 25 November, wearing b) a new Georg Jensen necklace. (Here's the full fantastic red dress.) This whole trip was a showcase of jewelry from all Mary's regulars: Marianne Dulong, Ole Lynggaard, and of course Georg Jensen. Several items were new, too, which makes one wonder if she's sitting on a stash of unimagined size, or if she's found other ways to work out loans for herself.
12. a) Day 7, 26 November, repeating outfit #2 but adding a brooch (b). Strange positioning there, no?
13. Gala dinner to finish out the official portion of the trip, 26 November. I do believe this is a reworked version of the dress she wore to Victoria and Daniel's wedding - the strange lace on the top has been removed, and the shoulder drape has been added. I did not like it then at all, and now I am in love. Perfect!

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Reuters/Zimbio/Georg Jensen

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 20-26 November

Here's what Mette-Marit wore from 20-26 November:

1. a-c) Opening the Seamen's Church in Miami, 20 November. Those of you that found the first outfit from her Miami trip a little too saucy for church will be happy to know that that was just a dinner and a visit beforehand, and on the day of the actual church opening she was perfectly demure and lovely. I especially like her brooch-to-outfit matching skills here.
2. At a Coldplay concert, 23 November.

Source: Aftenposten/Vg

Week in Review: Princess Mathilde, 6-12 November

Here's what Mathilde wore from 6-12 November:

1. a and b) Visiting Maison de la Parentalité, 8 November. Ah! Another contestant in our Best Red Coat Contest. So, kids, how about this one? I'm a little dubious about the split of the ruffles, but even if I wasn't, the matching shoes kill it for me. The over-matching is a Mathilde trademark, and one I wish she'd wean herself from.
2. At the Antwerp book fair with the family, 10 November.
3. Commemorating Armistice Day at the Menen Gate, 11 November. Love this. It's solemn for the occasion, but it's also just so cute, right down to the oversize poppy.

Photos: Lavenir/Boekenbeurs/Zimbio/Getty Images

Week in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, 6-12 November

Here's what Catherine wore from 6-12 November:

1. a) Attending a dinner for the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal, 10 November, in a custom version of this (b) Jenny Packham gown and (c) a pair of earrings which have been identified as silver with "crystal paste stones" by Beaut Jewellery who supplied this design to Jenny Packham. I won't lie and say I wasn't disappointed to learn she didn't have a new set of diamonds in her jewel box, but they sparkled on video nevertheless, and they're a great Deco-esque design. As for the toga dress, I think it's great but I wish she'd done her hair up (it was only sort of half up on the one side) because I think there's too much going on with the flutter sleeve and the asymmetrical neckline plus all the hair. In other words: an utterly typical assessment from one who is permanently on Team Updo.
2. a) At a meeting for the Prince's Charities Forum, 11 November, in a b) blazer from Zara. Basic wool blazer with an interesting detail: I like it. Can't really make out what she had on underneath, though.

Outside our regular time frame, but no doubt this is fresh on everyone's minds:

1. At the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph with fellow royal family members (top row includes the Duchess of Cornwall, the Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne's husband Vice Admiral Tim Laurence; bottom row is Princess Alexandra of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester), 13 November, wearing a Diane von Furstenberg coat and Jane Corbett hat. Not a huge fan of the forward tilt on Kate's hat or of Sophie's choice to repeat the flamboyant gray hat she wore to Monaco's royal wedding for this particular event; however, it doesn't matter. That's just not what this event is about. 

Members of the royal family that lay wreaths at the Cenotaph. (Front: the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Second: the Duke of York and the Princess Royal. Third: the Duke of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales. Fourth: the Duke of Kent and the Earl of Wessex.)

Photos: Paul Rogers/Daily Mail/Just Jared/British Monarchy Flickr/Zara/Getty Images/Daylife

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 30 October-5 November

Here's what Máxima wore from 30 October-5 November:

1. Continuing the visit to the Dutch Caribbean in Bonaire, 31 October. Favorite outfit of the trip.

2. In Curacao, 1 November. Another visor hat!
3. Another Curacao outfit, 1 November. The return of the first visor hat! Woe is the top of her head, in the Caribbean sun. I do think the suit itself has potential, though. Get some non-Natan heels and a chignon up in there and we'd be in business.
4. Evening outfit, 1 November. I can't be objective when so many pics show this one needing another inch or two at the hem. As is, she's going to have to clasp her hands in front and swing that skirt like the bell it is to win my affections.
5. Second day in Curacao, 2 November.
6. Evening outfit, 2 November.

7. Moving on to St. Maarten, 3 November. Yeah, I would have been fine if we could have had just this red hat only, and not this red dress at all.
8. Another St. Maarten outfit, 3 November. Jewelry aside, this is another favorite look: simple but bright and cheery!
9. Evening outfit, 3 November. It's...a toga?
10. Visiting St. Eustatius, 4 November.
11. Visiting Saba, 5 November. Probably shouldn't like the repeated painting dress...but I do! Go figure.

Accessory and hair glimpses:

A bit dicey, this trip. Apart from her tiara appearances, Máxima is always at her best when she's on these pre-planned excursions - as opposed to her daily grind - but I'm still feeling a little let down. I shall seek consolation in the sapphires.

Photos: PPE/Nieboer/Dutch Photo Press

Week in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, 30 October-5 November

Here's what Catherine wore from 30 October-5 November:

1. a) Visiting the UNICEF aid center in Copenhagen with William and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark, wearing an LK Bennett coat (b) cinched with a Reiss belt, along with Stuart Weitzman boots, her gold leaf earrings, her gold charm bracelet, and a most unfortunate construction hat (c, feel free to play "caption this"). Great coat, this one, and a very elegant appearance. 

Photos: Reuters/Daily Mail/LK Bennett

Week in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, 23-29 October

Here's what Catherine wore from 23-29 October:

1. Hosting an event for In Kind Direct at Clarence House, 26 October - her first solo engagement, filling in for Prince Charles who was away paying respects to the recently deceased Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. She wore an Amanda Wakeley gown and accessorized with her standard diamond earrings and bracelet (and engagement ring, obviously) as well as those sparkly Jimmy Choos first seen in L.A. I really think she knocked this one out of the park. She looks fantastic! Even the hair is just right - out of her face, but still adding some shoulder coverage.

Photos: Just Jared/Paul Burns/Clarence House/Zimbio/Daily Mail/Mirror/Net-a-porter

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 23-29 October

Here's what Máxima wore from 23-29 October:

1. Opening an exhibition at Dutch Design Week, 24 October.
2. a) Two events on 25 October with an accessory swap (b and c) in between, starting with creepy spider brooches and ending with a gorgeous pair of earrings. This isn't the first time she's done this dress with gray tights and brown shoes. It baffles me.
3. Attending the "Development of Business" conference, 26 October. I told you I love capes and I won't be swayed, even if this is a bow-tie mess.
4. Arriving in Aruba for a 10 day official visit to the Dutch Caribbean with Queen Beatrix and Prince Willem-Alexander, 27 October. Mustard! Now there's a statement color.
5. a) Official arrival ceremony on day 1, 28 October.  Okay. Let's talk about this. At first glance, my reaction was: "FABULOUS!" She looked so glam. And then I sussed out what was really happening with the hat (b). And then I thought: "Is she making a pit stop poolside in Boca Raton later?" So...there you go. At least I still think her shoes are fabulous, even if I do fear for her toe circulation.

6. a) Visiting a music festival on day 1, 28 October in a hat fit for Mango from Saturday Night Live (b).
7. a) Official welcome reception, day 1, 28 October, repeating a dress worn at Nikolaos and Tatiana's pre-wedding reception. At least there's a brooch (b)!
8. a) Visiting a national park and a residence on day 2, 29 October, with hat (b) and some serious earrings (c). Oh, you don't pull out your bling for a trip to the national park? How sad for you.
9. a and b) At a women's shelter on day 2, 29 October. And this is exactly why our Máxima is particularly well suited for a Caribbean tour. Well, that and this too:

Right at home, no?

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Purepeople/Abaca/24ora.com/DutchPhotoPress/PPE/Nieboer

Royal Fashion Awards: The Queen in Australia

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have just wrapped a much-publicized trip to Australia which some have been billing as her "last" trip Down Under. I doubt it myself, but that doesn't mean we won't give her the applause she deserves in the form of a single person edition of the Royal Fashion Awards. It's QEII vs. QEII, head-to-head-to-head-to...let's just get on with it:

Best Outfit

Perfectly Pink in Melbourne

Click to enlarge

Tip o' the hat to outfit #7 - a repeat of sunshine from the royal wedding - and the divine white and silver #5, but the pink of #10 wins the trip. Perfectly vibrant color, perfect hat shape, perfect all over. Plus, it resulted in this bit of cuteness:

Twinsies!

Best Brooch

The Australian Wattle Brooch

Click to enlarge

First, the brooch lineup:

1. The Australian Wattle Brooch
2. A sapphire, diamond and ruby brooch that was a gift from her parents in 1945
3. A diamond and pearl brooch from the Queen Mother's collection
4. One of her diamond bow brooches, looks like one of the three Queen Victoria had made in 1858
5. Flowers in precious and semi-precious stones, a gift from a Sri Lankan state visit in 1981
6. A diamond and gold rose brooch
7. A diamond paisley brooch from the Queen Mother's collection
8. The Jardine Star, a gift from Lady Jardine and one of HM's faves
9. A diamond lily brooch, a gift from the City of London in 1947
10. Rubies, diamonds and gold in a modern design
11. Repeat! See #3.
12. A sapphire flower, again from the Queen Mum's stash
13. The Rhodesian flame lily brooch, a gift from the children of Rhodesia for her 21st birthday

And now, the undisputed best of the trip: the Australian Wattle. It's not just one she brings out of duty to the Australian people, who gave it to her in 1954, it's actually one of the gifts she wears on the regular. And who wouldn't? It's just lousy with white and yellow diamonds (in the form of a spray of wattle, the national flower).

Biggest Omission

The Andamooka Opal

Hey, Your Majesty, speaking of Australian gifts: why have you left the Andamooka opal in the vaults for so long? The people of south Australia gave this massive 203 carat opal to you in 1954, you wore it once, and you've neglected it ever since. I know opals are an acquired taste (they're not my favorites either), but I think Angela Kelly could come up with a gown to make this baby work. Or maybe that's just my absurd fondness for a statement necklace shining through.

Worst Hat

Teal in Perth

Brim's all kinds of stumpy, ornamentation is just too much...giant no to this one.

Best Picture

Meeting Elizabeth Cambage

Ha! Extra props to Ms. Cambage because she had heels on. I mean, when you're 6'8", what's the point in playing around?

Best Only Tiara

The Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara

This parure stems from a set of aquamarines QEII received as gifts from Brazil. It's gone through a lot of changes through the years (a story for some future Thursday), and the redesign merry-go-round stopped on this clunky thing. Can you tell it's not my favorite? I want to like it, I really do - who am I to argue with stones that size? - but it just fails me in the execution department. And you know how irrational I get when faced with sparkle let-down.

What were the trip highlights for you?

Photos: Daylife/Zimbio/Getty Images/Reuters/AP Photo/Royal Collection

Flashback Friday: Silvia and Her Tiara Hair

You didn't think we were going to talk about tiara hair without spending some time on the ladies that do it best, did you? Of course not.

Obviously, that means the Swedish ladies, and the queen of them all in every way, Queen Silvia. You wouldn't have guessed it from her royal debut...

An engaged Silvia Sommerlath, 1976

...but Queen Silvia is the one royal lady with a true sense of adventure when it comes to her evening hair. I suppose it only takes one or two Nobel Prize banquet dinners, at which the photographers come right up and snap from behind you, to realize that you're better off giving them something to focus on.

Over the years, she's given us plenty of basic tiara 'dos with the volume kicked up to 10 or so.

But she's at her best when she kicks that volume right up to 11. Were all of these good ideas, in hindsight? No, perhaps not. But that just makes it more entertaining for us.

There were cascades of curls and knots and braid-like formations:

And then actual braid formations - "formation" here meaning a truly structural phenomenon...

This is not really what I had in mind when I said ladies can use a discreet plait to help hold a tiara in place.

I suppose it's natural for popular culture to creep in, as unfortunate as that may be when one is a queen through the Star Wars years. The half-Leia pastry formations continued well past the proper galactic time frame, though.

Perhaps they extended long enough to inspire Queen Amidala's look? I wonder what her hair is wrapped around. What's underneath there? Styrofoam? Snacks for later? Is this the original sock bun?

As entertaining as Silvia's hair can be, sometimes there's a real reward back there for those that care to look.

Flowers, sure, why not? You know I'm really talking about the jewels here. Extra strands of pearls and diamonds, brooches (including half of the arrow brooch that pierced Victoria's chignon at her pre-wedding dinner)...because sometimes a tiara is just not enough. In conclusion: I love Queen Silvia. Even though she's toned it down in the last couple years, we'll always have the memories.

Do you have a favorite Silvia tiara 'do?

Photos: Corbis/IBL/BEW/Svenskdam