Royal Fashion Awards: Easter 2011

Happy Easter, you little fashion bunnies. Whether you celebrate or not, we can all rejoice in the royals coming out to play after an unusually quiet royal watching week.

Let's get started in Mallorca, where the Spanish royals have commenced with their annual Easter vacation:

Best In Business

Letizia and Elena

I have a tendency to dock Leti for being a little too business-like at events like this, but today, she fit right in. In fact, she gets points for softening it up, while Elena looks stiff as can be. It's Easter, ladies! Embrace the pastel and frilly!

Best in Color

Cristina

It's not easy to steal attention from some cute mini-royals, but Cristina's making a play in her oh-so-red sheath. I'm so thankful she brought some serious color to the occasion, I'm overlooking the not-so-red-hot fit on that dress.

Most Random in Floral

Sofia

Here's the Queen, looking Queenly as ever, but am I the only one that feels like the florals look like last-ditch iron-on decals from the craft store added to make a regular old outfit a little more Easter-iffic?

Best in Show

Leonor and Sofia

Well, I really don't see how you couldn't name these two the best of the day. Now, this is how you do Easter.

And now, to Windsor, where the Windsors are celebrating per usual at Windsor Castle:

Best in Princess

Beatrice and Eugenie

These two spend so much time in short skirted club-hopping attire, it's just lovely to see them look like the princesses they are. I hope this is the level of appropriate we see on Friday, but if I may make one request: ditch Bea's hat and all the variations it comes in. It's been done too many times. Back to Philip Treacy for something new!

Best in Uniform

Anne

You know, this is kind of kicky, with that little cape action. But I can't shake the feeling that she might have come straight from her last round of working the beverage cart on British Airways. Or possibly from her shift at the front desk of the Holiday Inn. Perhaps the royal family is taking a personal interest in the tourism industry in advance of The Wedding?

Worst in Distraction

Sophie

I must say, Sophie's been looking good lately. The longer hair, the figure...everything's been working. And she's brought it all out for show today: she looks slim in that navy frock, and those legs (and those heels!) are easily competing with the two twenty-somethings flanking her. So why, WHY, did she top the whole thing off with a dead dandelion stuck on a headband? Don't distract from the fabulous, Sophie!

Best in Show

Elizabeth

This is also how you do Easter, if you're over the age of 5 (or 50). It's the Queen at her best; a flattering coat in a flattering color with a matching hat and a brocade to fancy it up. Pearls and a killer brooch, and the day is yours. Well played, QEII.

Who are you doling out Easter awards to?

Photos: Daylife/Reuters/AP Photo/Daily Mail/Getty Images

Royal Fashion Awards: Monaco Rose Ball 2011

Monaco's Rose Ball usually brings us a whole array of fashion to gawk over, but that wasn't so much the case this year. The royal family bowed out due to the recent death of Princess Antoinette (Prince Rainier's sister and Prince Albert's aunt). Still, there were a few appearances worth discussing (and awarding), so let's get to it:

Most Appropriate

Andrea, Charlotte, and Pierre Casiraghi

The Casiraghi trio were sent to man the festivities in the absence of Albert, Charlene, and Caroline, and they made their mother proud. The gentlemen stuck to basic tuxes (because you can't ever go wrong with a James Bond move) and Charlotte opted for Lanvin. It's not something I would have in my closet, but it's perfect for her: sticks to her couture-without-a-care style without venturing into flashy, inappropriate territory. And she accessorized with a brooch handed down from her grandmother, Princess Grace, as the icing on the cake.

Worst Boho

Tatiana Santo Domingo

Andrea's long-time girlfriend, socialite Tatiana, has an interesting style indeed. It's a talent, really: the ability to take any piece of clothing, no matter how expensive (such as this Missoni gown), and turn it into something that looks like a thrift store find. A talent or a curse, I suppose - you be the judge.

Best Duchess of Windsor Move

Beatrice Borromeo

With Charlotte's style toned down for mourning purposes, Pierre's other half turned hers up to an animalistic level. Does that necklace not scream Wallis, Duchess of Windsor to you? That's all I can think about. Such ornamentation is typically not my drug of choice, but I find this quite intoxicating nonetheless. It's either tacky or fashionable, depending on your taste I suppose. I think she's working it.

Worst Royal Barbie

The Duchess of Castro

Here we have the Duke and Duchess of Castro, also known as the other Charles and Camilla. (Charles is one of two claimants to the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.) Camilla here is clearly trying to fill the fashion void left by the absence of Caroline and Charlene, to a most disastrous plastic end. Yikes.

What did you make of the showing at this year's Rose Ball?

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain/Zimbio/Getty Images Europe/Pool

Flashback Friday: Mary at the New Year Courts

The Danish royal family kicks the new year off in my kind of fashion: with tiaras ablaze and orders all shined up at the New Year Courts. Sadly, though, this year just didn't live up to past years for me.

Margrethe in that green dress we've seen time and again, and Marie in a great dress with an unfortunate neckline (for the occasion) that happens to bear a stark resemblance in form to Mary's orange number from last year. Sartorially speaking: very boring, with the exception of the run away zipper on Prince Henrik's trousers...and I won't post a picture of that. (You're welcome.) I mean, for the second reception, she even wore precisely the same thing she's worn for the past few years to the same event:

I miss Mary (she took the year off to gestate the royal twins). Good or bad, she brought more to talk about. So let's flash back to her previous New Year's appearances, just for kicks:

Here we have Mary showing us the two sides of dressing for these types of occasions. The good way, on the left: well fit, great color, appropriate for January weather. And the bad way, on the right: upholstery.

My favorite year, ever. I absolutely love this red velvet dress, without reservation. It's just so medieval. (Loved it when she wore it for King Harald's 70th birthday too. Very sad it didn't get to make a reappearance this pregnancy.) And the blue/purple color is divine, with the darker portion on the bottom adding just the right amount of interest.

Part of me loves that purple gown, and part of me thinks the cut plus the fabric sheen plus that pink/purple color so often seen on the tutus of small girls equals a costume from a Disney princess movie. And part of me loves the blue dress, and part of me thinks it ages her. (I do love the hair, no matter what.) Make up my mind in the comments for me, would you please? Many thanks.

Woe is me, the upholstered coat makes a return. Better than 2006, without the necklaces cluttering it up, but still: it's a sofa. In coat form. She makes up for it by repeating one of her pretty pre-wedding gowns, this lovely ice blue. I do love that color combination with the rubies.

And now we come to the orange gown, subject of conflicting opinions in the comments on Mary's Best of 2010 post. I like the gown itself, but I do not care for the orange. With the rubies, and the gold...my eyes are starting to burn. What we need is this neckline, combined with the color of Marie's gown from this year. That would be a winner. Next up we have the repeated blue, which as you know I can't make up my mind about, and this meringue-ish dream of a third outfit. Now, this is a princess costume I can get down with.

Tell me: what's your favorite (and un-favorite) gown? And what did you make of the ladies this year, in Mary's absence?

Photos: PPE/Colourpress/Christophersen