Royal Fashion Awards: Spain's National Day

Oh, kittens. It was a pretty day in Spain, and I'm not talking about the weather. As much as I delight in a good fashion disaster (sheer entertainment value, you know), sometimes it's just nice to sit back and enjoy some elegant ladies do their royal thang. Like so:

Best Pastel

Queen Sofia

How cute is this? You know I'm dying for the purple, and her take on the three-quarter length suit sleeve is especially fetching given our recent discussion about Letizia's pushed up jackets.

Prettiest in Pink

Infanta Elena

Two levels: a wee bit of Pretty in Pink on the jacket there, and a truly pretty in pink lace skirt. Might I suggest jumping on the Máxima and Mathilde train and crafting a matching jacket for next time, Your Royal Highness?

Best in Spectator

Felipe Juan Froilán and Victoria Federica

Elena's kids watched from the sidelines with friends. That Felipe looks like an impish little fellow, no?

Biggest Relief

Princess Letizia

After a casual break last year, it was nice to see her get her princess on in such a tasteful suit. That color really brings out her coloring, doesn't it?

Best of the Day

Infanta Cristina

Jumpy claps, I tell you. This is a beautiful dress and jacket. Just amazingly well constructed. I like it all, especially her hair which is looking particularly lovely. And I am most certainly awarding extra points for the husband factor, thank you very much.

Who wins your best dressed for this year's National Day?

Photos: Bekia/Zimbio

Royal Fashion Awards: Denmark's Parliament Opening, 2011

'Tis the season for parliament openings and pictures of royals desperately trying not to yawn their way through them. Today it was Denmark's turn. It's not a fashion show...until we make it so. Let's go:

Worst Repeat

Queen Margrethe

Alas! Barbie's race car has ridden again. Oh, Marge. Only you.

Best in Class

Princess Benedikte

So simple there's almost nothing to talk about. Sometimes that's all it takes to win the day!

 Most Puzzling Sartorial Math

Crown Princess Mary

Hat: good, little bit of a 40s flair. Coat: good, nice strong color. Dress: black, can't really go wrong there. Three strong components, and yet the whole ends up less than the sum of its parts. It's almost too casual...or something.

Best Anti-Sleeping Photo Device

Princess Marie

If Inspector Gadget were a gangsta...he might employ this method of preventing a photographer from snapping a pic at just the second he chose to rest his eyes during a boring political speech. Marie, on the other hand, just looks like she grabbed from her incognito chapeau closet rather than her princess closet.

Who stood out at today's parliament opening for you?

Photos: PPE/ddp/Kongsted/Purepeople/Abaca/Hanne Juul/Billed-Bladet

Royal Fashion Awards: Prinsjesdag 2011

Ready for some Dutch fun today, my friends? It's time for Prinsjesdag, where Queen Beatrix gives her annual speech, Parliament's session is opened, the ladies wear some of the fanciest outfits they'll sport all year, and we give out some royal fashion awards:

Best Effort

Queen Beatrix

The Queen Bee turned up in her regular uniform of upholstery fabric with a spaceship on top. But look, she's added some flair for the occasion: a lion's mane of feathery whatnot. You have to appreciate the effort, at least.

Worst Contrast

Princess Máxima

My favorite magpie compensated for the fact that she's not allowed to wear a tiara with a dress covered in sparkly glass beads, which she inexplicably topped with Indiana Jones's hat. I know Indy dresses mostly in dull dirt-covered beige, but this is more of a washed out shade of seafoam.

Most Tame

Princess Laurentien

She's almost unrecognizable, this is so tame. I mean, she does appear to have a sand dollar complete with sea refuse on her head, but still: this is tame. In fact, both she and Máxima are totally boring me today. Where's the color, ladies?

Best Color

Princess Margriet

Here we go. Thank heavens for Princess Margriet, who must psychically know just what we need and just when we need it. Automatic best-dressed of the day.

Who's catching your eye at Prinsjesdag this year?

Photos: Daylife/Reuters/Lehtikuva/PPE/Nieboer/ddp/Langbehn

Royal Fashion Awards: The Red Cross Ball 2011

The annual Red Cross Ball in Monaco was held last night: scene of Stephanie's superhero attempt last year, scene this year of Princess Charlene's Grand Debut. Let's investigate...

Best Try

Princess Charlene

She tried, you guys. She wore a color! (Fuchsia, Akris, love it.) She wore the Ocean Tiara, just like she said she would...only she didn't wear it in her hair (not that she was expected to, but that's never stopped me from whining in the past), and the lines just do not go with that dress, and it most especially does not go with that tragic makeup job. Poor Charlene.

Best in Stephanie

Princess Stephanie

On anyone else, this would elicit one of my tired drapery/bedding/lingerie snipes. But in this case: her cleavage is contained, her skin seems to be a slightly lighter shade than usual, and it's not a tinfoil dress mullet. Sometimes you have to judge things on the Stephanie Scale.

Best Scapegoat

Princess Caroline

I know what's happening here. I've figured this one out. Here it is: Caroline's seen all the headlines about the supposed sad state of her brother's union, and she decided to take action. She thought she'd give the newlyweds a reprieve from the body language speculation by distracting everyone with this dress. They'll be so busy trying to figure out what in couture hell I've done, they'll pay no attention to Albie and Char! This is the sartorial equivalent of jumping up and down, waving your arms, and setting off fireworks. She's a fashion martyr. What a good sister, eh?

Best of the Rest

The Wittstocks

Look who else turned up: Melanie de Massy (left) looking slightly unfortunate in black, and her mother Elisabeth-Anne de Massy (center, the daughter of the late Princess Antoinette), lovely in blue. But as with the wedding, the Wittstocks (right) win this category. Charlene's brother Gareth and a lady that I have seen identified as his companion and sometimes as his fiancée were in attendance, both looking dashing.

Who was your best dressed for the night?

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife

Royal Fashion Awards: Prinsjesdag 2010

The Dutch royal family was out in force today for Prinsjesdag (where Queen Beatrix gives a budget speech and opens a new year of parliament).  This event has a most curious dress code: the ladies wear long dresses along with their orders - but with hats.  Every year I cross my fingers in the hopes that they'll just go ahead and upgrade to a full-on tiara event, but you know me - any royal event without bling is a missed opportunity indeed.  (Priorities, people.)  Well, we'll work with what we have...

Most True to Form

Perhaps Beatrix should adopt this mixed dress code for her every day (and night) wear - she always seems to look her best for Prinsjesdag.  She's working a very flattering silhouette here.  Sure, you've got your standard UMO (Unidentified Millinery Object) topping the whole thing off, but without that nobody would recognize her.

Best Museum Steal

Maxima must be pilfering from the nearest sartorial exhibition, because this is straight up My Fair Lady.  In fact, change the color and make that hat a little larger and you'd have an extra fresh from the set of the Black and White Ascot.  Or maybe I just have to envision her as a character because the sheer daintiness of this outfit is so unexpected.  What's she done with the big, bold Maxima that we've come to expect?  Maybe that's what the hat's all about.

Most Retina-Searing

Where are my complimentary sunglasses, Laurentien?  That's a whole lotta pink.  Throw in the orange sash and you've got a seizure of color so potent it should come with a medical warning. 

Worst Absence

Mabel.  Sadly, she does not attend Prinsjesdag (or at least she hasn't that I'm aware of - I'm sure one of you lovelies will correct me if I'm wrong here).  Man, just think of the craziness she'd bring to an event like this...

Best Way to Show 'Em How It's Done

Princess Margriet knows what's up, see.  She doesn't need a costume or anything capable of giving the crowd an epileptic seizure to steal this show.  Simple, flattering, appropriate, and a win without competition.  Well done.

Who won this year's Prinsjesdag fashion stakes for you?