Flashback Friday: National Day, the Princess Grace Way

It's time for National Day in Monaco, and for the first time in 30 years there will be a Princess of Monaco by the sovereign's side. Charlene made her first official appearance at National Day while engaged last year, and she certainly made a splash. It seems appropriate now to take a look back at what Charlene's predecessor, that epitome of elegance Princess Grace, brought to the occasion and what Charlene might be able to bring back. Because trust me here, friends, the sartorial side of National Day has changed in the years that Princesses Caroline and Stephanie have been in charge.

1950s

Obviously any return to the ladylike days of yore is always welcome; in that respect, Charlene did quite well last year. Maybe we could live without the return of the snowball hat, though.

1960s

What I'd really like to see a return of is color. In the past couple of years, Caroline and Stephanie have stuck with black and gray - a mourning palette. So much so that people docked Charlene last year for the exuberance of her beige outfit...and you know something's wrong when beige and exuberance end up in the same sentence. But color isn't foreign to National Day if you look at years past, not even when it comes to Caroline and Stephanie themselves. So let's have it!


1970s and 1980s

Maybe not have it in the form of electric blue feathers smushed atop the head...though that would be entertaining. Yes, it definitely takes the panache of Grace to pull that one off (ditto for anything in the realm where "striped" and "fur" cross paths).


Gala appearances at the Opera

You already know which Grace trend I most want Charlene to bring back, don't you? Tiaras for the evening gala! Grace made it the fanciest night of the year in Monaco every year (here using mostly her Small Diamond Tiara, though the one with the blue wrap is one of her unknown tiaras), while Caroline has gradually taken the formality down a notch, never wearing a tiara and even in the past couple years going without her Order of St. Charles sash.

But while we wait to see if Charlene will do it her own way or do it her sister-in-law's way, at least we have Grace. I may hope that Charlene will bring back a bit of Grace's sense of occasion - that's a movie star for you, always knowing how to make things memorable  - but there's a lot here she couldn't, shouldn't even, bring back. There's only one Grace, after all. My hope? Charlene will do it her own way...just so long as that way happens to include a tiara.

Do you have a favorite Grace moment from National Day?

and

What do you hope Charlene will bring to the occasion?

Photos: The Royal Forums/Corbis/Rue des Archives/Scanpix/Hola/Getty Images

Flashback Friday: Charles and Diana's Wedding Guests

Today marks 30 years since the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. I've already had my say on Diana's infamous wedding gown. Instead, let's mark the occasion with some glorious 1980s fashions from a selection of their royal guests!

Princess Anne debuted the yellow-flowered wonder - topped with a steaming vat of boiling nacho cheese, by the looks of it - that she would repeat 27 years later to win her a place on my list of the Top 10 Worst Dressed Royal Wedding Guests. Princess Margaret appears to have some sort of one-shouldered cape in place, which must have been nothing but pure fun to wear. The Queen's in blue, but the real story of course is the magnificent and ultra-sparkly Williamson brooch on her shoulder. (Drool.)

Continuing the drooling, the best of the royals for the day simply must be the Queen Mother, and not just because of that hunk of diamonds on her shoulder.

It's like a mint green ostrich ran straight into her, full speed, and spontaneously combusted. Amazing.

Plenty of other royals were in attendance for the big day. Anybody up for a rousing game of Pin the Tail on the HRH?

Sadly, not that many good photos of the foreign royals are still around today (if they even existed in the first place). Most royal families were in attendance with the biggest exception being Spain, who objected to Charles and Diana boarding the royal yacht at Gibraltar for their honeymoon.

If you squint real hard, you'll see:

1. Queen Fabiola of the Belgians, awfully elegant in her print.
2. Crown Princess Sonja of Norway (now Queen), overdosing on her print.
3. Queen Silvia of Sweden, sticking out of the crowd in lime green.
4. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, completely tasteful in baby blue.
5. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, partially in hiding but looking terribly typical.
6. Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg, another elegant lady in blue.
7. Princess Grace of Monaco, rather chic in her giant hat.
8. Princess Georgina of Liechtenstein, utterly appropriate for an English floral wedding.

Just in case you're feeling nostalgic, the entire wedding can be viewed on the internets. You didn't have anything better to do with your Friday, did you? Here's Part 1:

Photos: Corbis

Flashback Friday: The Elvis Gown

Today would have been Diana, Princess of Wales' 50th birthday. (Doesn't seem possible, does it?) I thought one of the best ways to pay tribute to this true style icon would be to remember her finest moments. So today, I'm talking about my favorite Diana look of all time: the Elvis gown.

The nickname, used by the Princess herself, is the stuff of pure cheese - a nod to Elvis and his sequin jumpsuits, long past his prime - but the look is pure regal elegance.

The strapless white silk gown is entirely covered with oyster pearls and sequins, as is the matching bolero jacket with popped collar and cropped sleeves. Catherine Walker was commissioned to make this ensemble for the Wales' 1989 trip to Hong Kong, but it ended up making its debut at the British Fashion Awards before departure. The original destination, though, served as the inspiration for the design: Walker later said that pearls had seemed appropriate for a visit to Asia. The gown's embroidery was completed by S. Lock Ltd.

As one of the gowns Diana chose to auction off for charity in 1997, the Elvis dress raised £81,203 (about $130,000 today). It was the second most expensive gown at the auction, bested only by the midnight blue Victor Edelstein gown that Diana wore while twirling with John Travolta at the White House.

The gown was originally purchased by the owners of souvenir company The Franklin Mint, who then proceeded to sell a Diana doll wearing a replica of the gown. The doll spurned an intense legal battle with the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund over use of Diana's image. After the lawsuit was settled, the gown was donated to London's Victoria & Albert Museum, which still holds it today.

See the elegance in action in Hong Kong:

This has always epitomized princess style to me. It's fashionable, it makes an impression, but it does so while being demure and understated. Perfection!

Tell me: what is your all-time favorite Diana look?

Wedding Wednesday: Civil Wedding Dresses

You know, I wouldn't mind being a bride in one of those countries that requires a civil ceremony in addition to a religious one. Why? Two wedding dresses. (Did you even have to ask?)

In advance of Charlene Wittstock's upcoming two wedding dress affair, we're taking a look back at the other brides that have done the same: a separate wedding dress for a separate civil wedding. (Note: I'm excluding those that had the civil wedding in their religious wedding outfit, and those that had only a civil wedding.)

Left to Right: Sibilla Weiller weds Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg; Tessy Antony weds Prince Louis of Luxembourg

We'll kick things off with a few of the lovely ladies of Luxembourg that meet our requirements. Sibilla took an unexpectedly casual turn in 1994, while Tessy and Louis looked like a couple of 12-year-olds in 2006. I mean, they were a couple of 12-year-olds, basically (they were married at the age of 20 after becoming parents earlier that year), but those shoes on Tessy aren't helping. The rest of it is lovely, though!

L to R: Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz weds Prince Michael of Kent; Camilla Parker Bowles weds the Prince of Wales

The Brits don't usually do the civil wedding thing, but there are a few exceptions to the rule. Prince and Princess Michael had a civil wedding first in Austria, and a religious wedding a few years later. Camilla and Charles married at the Windsor Guildhall before heading for a religious blessing, which is enough cause for me to post another picture of her amazing wedding ensemble. Another Windsor with a double wedding under his belt is Lord Nicholas Windsor, who married Paola Doimi de Frankopan in London with a religious ceremony following in the Vatican. (Lord Nicholas, of course, is one of the Kent members of the family that has converted to Catholicism.)

Participants in our most recent religious royal wedding, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Alexander Johannsmann, were civilly married last year with Nathalie pregnant with their first child. (Many many thanks to reader Caroline for sending this one in!) Nathalie wore the same pink outfit she wore earlier in the year to her aunt Queen Margrethe's birthday celebrations: elegant and classy maternity wear!

L to R: Grace Kelly weds Prince Rainier of Monaco, and a close up of her wedding outfit; Princess Caroline of Monaco weds Philippe Junot

Nobody does ladylike better than Grace, and this is pink perfection. Her daughter Caroline tried to recreate the demure magic later on, but the infiltration of the 1970s styles didn't result in quite as timeless a result. Tremendously unflattering hat there.

L to R: Marilène van den Broek weds Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau; Annette Sekrève weds Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau; Anita van Eijk weds Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau; Aimee Söhngen weds Prince Floris of Orange Nassau; Laurentien Brinkhorst weds Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands

If you want something done with some flair, get yourself a Dutch princess, I always say! Though some of our Dutch friends opted to have their civil ceremonies on the same day as their religious ones and in the same dress (Máxima and Mabel, for example), those that separated the two made up for the overly white nature of their religious gowns with waves of color. From Jackie O. imitations to hats that float about as if unattached to the head, no one holds a candle to dear Princess Anita. WOW. That is some...outfit. Sea life in coat form, with coral reef embellishments. And matching yellow print shoes. That's one way to keep the attention on the bride without the big white gown!

Who did civil wedding the best?

Photos: Corbis/Wort/ANP

Flashback Friday: Oh, Canada!

After extensive research including strenuous minutes of googling, I've come to a conclusion: strange things happen in Canada. Well, to the royals at least.

The Queen wears trousers! Prince Philip listens to...rapper-type people!

William and Kate are heading off to Canada (with a pit stop in California) soon (peruse the Canadian itinerary here and the American one here), and all eyes are on the fashion. All my eyes are, at least. There are some serious fashion hurdles ahead of the Duchess, so I thought we'd take a look back at how past royals have handled these Canadian obstacles, and what handy trip tips we can offer to the lovely Kate.

Hurdle #1: The Cowboy Hat

William and Kate will indeed be sporting ten gallon cowboy hats during their trip, just as multiple family members before them have. I think the fashion question here belongs not to the Duchess, but to the Duke: will William wear a bolo tie? Dear God, let's hope not. That's not a good look for anyone.

Hurdle #2: The Action Trip

The trip itinerary has spawned the greatest comparisons to the Canadian tour undertaken by the Duke and Duchess of York at the height of their popularity (yes, they were popular, once). The Yorks had an action trip, mucking in instead of observing. That's exactly what the Cambridges are doing; their events include playing street hockey, captaining dragon boats, cooking, and more. Let's hope they dress more appropriately for their boating turn, and that they remember this one simple fact: strangling people, no matter how fun, is never royal.

Tip #1: Dress thyself in red and white.

Hurdles aside, one thing Kate must be sure and bring along for a successful Canada trip is plenty of red and white. The whole purpose of the trip is to fly the Canadian flag, so she might as well jump full in and make it her uniform. Especially when the couple's going to be there on Canada Day and all. There shouldn't be too many opportunities for evening wear for the Cambridges, so perhaps we'll be spared another attempt at crafting a gown from the Canadian flag.

Tip #2: Bring on the maple leaves.

Same goes here as for the red and white: if it's on the flag, it should also be on the royals. Brooch it up, bedazzle something - Kate can do whatever she pleases with the leaf du pays...but I say once again, there's no need to be comical about it. Let's stop just before we reach Fergie territory. (Sound advice for life, really, not just for maple leafage.)

Tip #3: Put it on with a smile.

This one's universal, but since it's the Cambridge's first big trip, it's worth saying: no matter what someone hands you, you're gonna have to put it on and smile. Doesn't matter if it's actually cool (Roots gear, anyone?) or terribly odd (bedazzled 3D specs? Huh?), just grin and sport your new present. And if you start to feel ridiculous, just remember: it could be much worse.

Sometimes they make you get ALL dressed up, just for photographer giggles. It's a hard knock royal life.

What are you hoping to see from our next feature film, The Cambridges Take North America? Do you have any extra tips to offer?

Photos: Getty Images/Tim Graham/Anwar Hussein

Flashback Friday: Diana at Trooping the Colour

Tomorrow, the Queen will celebrate her birthday for the second time this year with that grand parade we know as Trooping the Color (excuse me, colour - I'm American, I don't have time for excess vowels). The whole royal family will show up, but the media will only have eyes for one. Yes, unless Beatrice pulls another meme out of her hat box, Kate will be the name of the game. So today, we're flashing back to the last time Trooping the Colour was a one-woman show: the Diana years.

Behold, Diana's inaugural Trooping the Colour appearance. At first glance, you might think this is a maternity outfit, but then you squint at the date and realize that she's still just a royal fiancé. A royal fiancé in a most unfortunate outfit for carriage-riding, I might add.

Now we have the maternity wear years. Though not at all summery, her heavily pregnant 1982 outfit is surprisingly harmless for 1980s maternity fashion. 1984 is much more the smocked costume that was so typical back then. Whose idea was it to dress pregnant ladies like preschoolers, anyway? (Don't miss wee towheads Zara and Peter Phillips on either side of Prince William there!)

For the high years of Diana's Eighties experimental fashion, these are all quite plain; the most notable being 1986's repeat of her famous "flag" outfit (you remember, of course: she visited Japan, wore this dress which emulates the Japanese flag, and caused a sensation - as she was prone to do). My favorite is the structured affair from 1987, but that might just be because I love Harry there, climbing on the Buck House balcony. And since we're talking cute, don't miss William's sailor outfit from 1985. (And since we're talking sailor outfits, check out poor Lady Gabriella Windsor here.) Oh, the things we do to kids.

And oh, the things kids to do us, in all fairness - cheeky Harry in 1988! Perhaps he'll give us something as notable this year and take some of the attention off Kate for a change. Now, to the fashion: as the Nineties neared, Diana's style lost its Eighties dare. And with the exception of that bow from 1989, her Trooping the Colour appearances were no different. I find myself loving 1988's green number, despite it being so matchy-matchy (even Harry matches, for heaven's sake), but the hat from 1992 might be my favorite of them all.

Fitting, I guess, that she went out on a high note: 1992 is where our road ends. Diana and Charles separated, and her balcony invitation expired. Do you have a favorite? Is there any certain year that epitomizes Diana's style to you?


Photos: Corbis/Getty Images/Tim Graham

Tiara Thursday: The Bains de Mer Tiara

Here's one of the more unique tiaras in the Monaco collection: the Bains de Mer Tiara, a wedding gift to Grace from the Société des Bains de Mer. SBM runs casinos and many of the high-end hotels in Monaco, and is today the largest employer in the principality. I've seen this tiara referred to with different variations of the company's name, but I'll keep it simple and stick with calling it the Bains de Mer.

This piece was created by Cartier for the new Princess of Monaco. The central elements are three detachable brooches made of diamonds and cabochon rubies set in gold and platinum. The rubies total 49 carats.

For a woman so creative with her jewels, Grace must have been in heaven with this piece. In addition to wearing the brooches (in hair, on clothes), it also works as a necklace:

And of course, in full tiara format:

This just really makes me wish she a) had bigger jewels to play with and b) had more occasions on which to play. Grace had the fashion + tiara hair + gravitas that makes for such a majestic picture.

Princess Caroline now wears the brooches, though I've never seen her wear the full tiara.

These brooches are usually on display with the touring Grace Kelly exhibit that is currently in Brazil. Most of the tiaras that we know to be owned by the Monegasque house are typically shown with that exhibit, in fact. It will be in Brazil until July 10, adding even more mystery to the question of what (if any) jewels we might see at Albert and Charlene's wedding.

Though I like the versatility of this piece, the shapes of the brooches sometimes strike me as little insect shapes, or possibly something extraterrestrial in nature. Are you a fan, or are you seeing shapes too?

Tiara Thursday: The Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara

Let's talk about my favorite tiara from Monaco, shall we? (This one makes my list of all-time favorite tiaras, by the way.) This tiara was made by Cartier Paris as a wedding gift for Princess Charlotte, mother of Prince Rainier, grandmother of Prince Albert. It was a gift from her husband, Count Pierre de Polignac (Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois, as he became).

 

(Yes, that is another tiara around her neck, and yes, that one will get its very own post.)

The tiara is made of platinum and white gold, and features diamond scroll work with hanging pear-shaped pearl drops, which is why I'm choosing to call it the Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara.

There are no pictures (well, as far as I know, at least) of Princess Charlotte wearing this piece. There are also no pictures of Princess Grace wearing it, so we jump to Caroline. Princess Caroline hasn't even worn it that often, really just in the photoshoots you see here and for King Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th birthday celebrations in Sweden (above).

Because Grace never wore the tiara publicly, many have assumed it passed directly to Caroline. Princess Charlotte was said to not have approved of Grace, so perhaps she did not leave her jewels to her daughter-in-law. I have no idea if Charlotte's will was ever public, which would be the only way to know for sure. And I think you have to consider that Charlotte died in 1977, and Grace died in 1982 - not giving Grace many years to wear it, if indeed the tiara did pass to her to stay in the reigning line.

There are plenty of hanging pearl tiaras out there - I'm thinking of the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara, and Queen Margrethe has one as well - but this is my favorite. The proportions and the scroll work are just divine. I'm very much hoping, whatever the chain of possession may be, that this will find its way to Charlene's head in the future.

UPDATE: This portrait of Grace hangs in the Royal Palace in Monaco, and it is possibly the Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara - owing for artistic license, of course.

Many thanks to commenter Sunshine Awesome from the lovely Luxarazzi blog for pointing this one out!

Tiara Thursday: Some of Grace's Tiaras

The countdown is on for the wedding in Monaco, and you know what that means: it's time to start talking about tiaras. (When isn't it time to start talking about tiaras?)

When Grace Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco, she didn't inherit a large jewel collection. Rainier's mother, Princess Charlotte, had a few pieces of significance; but as she reportedly didn't approve of Grace, she wasn't sharing. Thus, Grace built her own collection with presents and purchases, and she wasn't averse to borrowing pieces from jewelers to supplement as needed. There isn't a tremendous amount of information available about the Grimaldi tiara collection, but over the next few weeks, we'll look in depth at some of the more significant pieces. To start us off today, a selection of Grace's less significant (and more mysterious) tiaras and hair ornaments.

Perhaps because of the relatively small size of her collection, Grace was prone to elaborate hairstyles ornamented with jewels (both real and costume, I'd assume) in lieu of a tiara.

The shape of the hair ornament in the far right picture above recalls the shape of one of Grace's tiaras, the Serre-Chignon. She received it as a wedding gift and wore it to celebrate the Shah of Iran's Coronation (below, left).

The ruby ornament on the right is again a similar shape, though it does not look similar enough to me to be the same. I am, of course, no expert.

Rubies and diamonds were a very popular combination with Grace, which comes as no surprise since they represent the colors of Monaco. She wore this ruby tiara, which may have been a loan:

Another tiara of question is this high and narrow model:

This one could potentially have some colored stones involved, but it's difficult to tell.

In the "interesting materials" category, we have this metal diadem, possibly gold or white gold, though it looks like a theatrical piece to me:

We also have this tiara:

 

I'd wager a guess that this is a diamond necklace on hair parade, though it almost has a rock crystal look to it.

Switching over to something we actually have facts about for a change: this is without a doubt the grandest piece Grace ever wore, and it was a loan.

This tiara formerly belonged to Empress Joséphine, and is now owned by Van Cleef & Arpels. They loaned it to Grace for the "Century Ball" in Monaco in 1966 along with the rest of the jewels she wore that evening. Here it is, in all it's glory:

As I said, we have more tiaras from Monaco to review in the coming weeks. I'm very curious to see what the wedding and the future Princess Charlene bring to the table, jewel-wise. Monaco, you see, isn't really a tiara-prone country. There isn't a precedent for tiaras on their brides: Grace didn't wear a tiara, and neither did Stephanie or Caroline at any of their ceremonies. On the other hand, there is a precedent for tiaras at pre-wedding events: Grace and Rainier hosted a concert on the eve of their religious wedding at which she sported a tiara, and she also wore a tiara to the white-tie ball held before Caroline's first wedding. Albert and Charlene will have a similar concert the night before their religious ceremony. The ceremony itself is at 5 pm with a ball to follow, but the dress code is hats for ladies (which is, in my personal opinion, both strange and a crying shame).

I'm also curious to see what Princess Charlene will be wearing after the wedding. Grace's personal jewels were apparently left to Princess Caroline, with the provision that she share with Princess Stephanie. Additionally, the jewels that did belong to Rainier's mother Princess Charlotte seem to have ended up in Caroline's possession as well, as she's the only one that's been seen wearing them. The keys could very well be in Caroline's hands. We shall see...