Flashback Friday: Diana's Transformation

We'll call this one the mother of all transformations.

I suspect the only people that don't know this story are those that have been living in the wild, amongst wolves, for the past thirty years. It's the story of a shy teenager that became one of the most famous and most watched women in the world. And that story can be told rather well in clothes alone, because they completely reflect a woman in the process of finding herself.

Here's a change that was painfully easy to see coming: after all, Diana was only 19 years old when she and Charles announced their engagement. Few among us keep the same style from the age of 19 on, and Diana was no exception. What most people, especially the royal family, didn't see coming was the extent to which Diana would take her transformation.

Diana's style always seemed a bit lost to me, at the beginning. Such a young girl doesn't yet have a definitive style to call her own, so she relies on others to guide her. In Diana's case, she stuck with the principles of royal dressing and with a cache of British designers including the Emanuels (of wedding gown fame) and Bellville Sassoon.

Ruffles and frills abound, and the overall effect is both too young and too old for her, curiously enough. The result of storybook princess fantasies rendered into shape by a group of designers accustomed to working for royals much older than the Princess of Wales, I suppose.

This hazy-edged dream way of dressing lasts until sometime around Prince Harry's birth (1984). It's hard to say what prompted the change; certainly by this time Diana was gaining confidence in her royal role, and she was gaining a handle on her press attention (and how to use it). And for what it's worth, this is said to be the time period in which the cracks in the Wales's marriage begin to deepen beyond the point of repair.

Combine the reasons however you want, the outcome quickly earned the nickname 'Dynasty Di' from the press. Designers like Catherine Walker and Bruce Oldfield became trusted go tos for her wardrobe, and they began to mold her in a different direction. This is a more confident Princess; her style is louder, more attention-getting, and the trends of the 1980s begin to heavily filter in. There's a bit of a wink involved, too: playful details like costume pearls strung down her back, or polka dots all over the place. It's like a sartorial reminder that, even though she was the future Queen and a mum of two, she was still just a girl in her early twenties that liked to experiment with her style.

Up until the real war between Diana and Charles begins, we see a continuing evolution of style. Diana becomes more sophisticated, she grows up. The trends of the eighties are swapped out for the cleaner lines of the nineties. The playful details begin to disappear, and she fine tunes the art of using her clothing as a public relations tool.

When we reach the point of the Wales's separation (1992), that public relations tool becomes a weapon. For so long, she'd battled criticism that her style was grabbing attention away from others when she didn't mean it to; now, she put it to use. After more than a decade spent as one of the most photographed women in the world, Diana now knew exactly what to do to tell her side of the story.

Any appearance in jeans at all was a coup compared to Charles, who was tailored to the point of stiffness. She wore a bright, stand out Catherine Walker suit alone at the Taj Mahal, knowing that those colors would make for a statement photograph. On the night that Charles gave a television interview to tell his side of the divorce story (admitting to adultery in the process), Diana showed up at an event in a black dress as slinky as can be: low cut, high slit, high heels, her signature choker to top it off, and stole all the headlines. And on the other end of the spectrum, for her infamous Panorama interview, she wore clothing of no note. A simple, business-like suit was the best way to focus attention on her words.

As the divorce progressed and passed, Diana was finally able to say goodbye to the restrictions of princess style that had held her through her marriage. Though she remained a patron of British fashion design, she opened up the field and found great success with international designers. Versace, in particular, created many of her last memorable gowns.

There were still prim and ladylike suits, and she still worked the casual look better than any other royal on the block, but Divorced Diana was allowed to get a lot more daring. Gone was the Princess that carefully avoided cleavage after a single black dress episode during her engagement; New Diana's necklines were cut to showcase her assets. Gone were the low heels that kept her from towering over her husband, and the respectful skirt lengths; in were high heels and short skirts meant to show off a memorable pair of legs.

It seems to me that this is the real Diana, this style that emerged just in the very last years of her life. I would argue that this is really where we see a fashion star on the rise, not in her earlier years. She was, for once, not trying to adhere to royal requirements, not trying to be a brand ambassador, and finally not trying to be the princess that everyone thought she should be. And that's really the saddest fact of all: that she found herself with so little time to spare.

Which era epitomizes Diana for you?

Flashback Friday: Rania's Transformation

Our story today is another one that fascinates me because much like the Queen Mother, Rania was a girl that didn't sign up to be Queen.

Rania al Yassin was raised in Kuwait by Palestinian parents. She met Prince Abdullah of Jordan after graduating from the American University in Cairo and working for Citibank and Apple.

The two met in January of 1993, were engaged two months later, and married on June 10 of that year. Abdullah was King Hussein's oldest son, but he wasn't the future King. (In the 1960s, Hussein named his brother Prince Hassan bin Talal the heir to the throne.) Rania herself has stated that she never expected to be Queen.

As Princess Rania, she carried out her duties in a wardrobe that is very typically 1990s, and very safe.

Clearly a woman experimenting with finding the right hair color and makeup (just like the rest of us!).

Over the years, the King contemplated different lines of succession involving varied members of the royal family. Abdullah did not become the heir to the throne until January 25, 1999. On February 7, King Hussein passed away and Abdullah ascended the throne. The new King named Rania his Queen on March 22. Quite a sudden change, isn't it?

It wasn't until after Rania became Queen that she began to transform her style. To illustrate:

In 1999, Rania donned a gold Elie Saab frock, a Cartier tiara, and her royal order to mark the King's ascension. She wore the same gown ten years later to celebrate that anniversary, and the changes she made are incredibly self-evident. It's not just the toned-down hair and makeup; it's the scaled down pomp. No order this time, just a fashionable belt. And from a full-on tiara to a glorified headband. Compared to the other queens we know so well, Rania's turned herself into a different breed entirely.

These days, she favors a day style that switches from business casual to prim and proper, but she always tends towards the "less is more" sartorial philosophy.

It's the wardrobe of a well-off professional mother of four, really.

In the evenings, she goes couture with favored designers including Giorgio Armani and Elie Saab.

Her style, particularly in the evenings, has more of a Hollywood flair than many other royals. Of course, she's more likely to be meeting celebrities at a benefit gala than she is to be hosting a state dinner, though her role includes both.

Rania has a different situation than most of the royals we talk about here, and I think it has to be considered when discussing her style. Most royals these days are figureheads that stray from strong political roles; King Abdullah wields political power. Many royals stray from controversial issues; Abdullah and Rania have become ambassadors for their religion and advocates for peace. They are representatives of an embattled region. Rania's image needs to be that of a modern Arab woman, relatable yet admirable, and the designer clothes and part-Hollywood/part-professional style help accomplish that.

That's not to say that Rania always gets it right. She walks a fine line, and she's drawn criticism for her style (fighting poverty while wearing designer clothes, for example), among other elements of her seemingly jet-set lifestyle. All of which serves to fascinate me even more: the girl that never expected to be Queen is a Queen with an incredibly sensitive and difficult job to do.

What's your take?

Photos: Corbis/Seeger Press/Getty Images

Flashback Friday: The Queen Mother's Transformation

Apparently, it's unofficial Queen Mother week here at the Order, what with the wedding gown and the tiara and all. So we'll hit up this transformation while we're at it.

We're talking about commoner-to-princess transformations, and this is one of the originals. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was at the head of a whole new wave of commoner marriages across the royal world. (By the way, I've added links to all the transformations we've discussed to date to the Royal Wedding Headquarters page for easy reference. Also by the way, "commoner" is defined as "not born with an HRH/HSH/etc." for our purposes.)

This case is especially fascinating when you consider the vast difference between what Elizabeth was signing up for when she married into the royal family, and what she actually got.

• What she expected: a quiet life as a second string royal. She married the second son of the King, not the heir. She should have spent the rest of her days as Duchess of York beside her husband and their children.
• What actually happened: abdication. Life as a war-time Queen consort for a nation that needed comfort and encouragement, during a time when monarchies weren't faring so well. And then a half century of widowhood, left to redefine the role of Dowager Queen on her own.

We begin with life as the Duchess of York.

She wore a lot of Madame Handley Seymour (same designer that handled her wedding gown, and would handle her coronation gown) and even some Lanvin. The styles of the day weren't particularly flattering for her, but it didn't really matter. She was not a figurehead, and those weren't the media-centric times we live in now.

The problems came with George VI's ascension. The abdication of Edward VIII placed the monarchy in an unstable position during an unstable time. Elizabeth and her husband now needed to become those figureheads they'd never intended to be. The sartorial question at hand: how do you create a style for a new Queen when the new Queen isn't exactly the whip-thin model required to best show off the fashions of the day? (Unlike Princess Marina, with whom she couldn't compete in the chic stakes, or the Duchess of Windsor, with whom she wouldn't have deigned to compete.)

Enter: Norman Hartnell, court couturier to the aristocratic and well-off. So the story goes that George VI himself showed Hartnell the romantic Winterhalter paintings of the past and proposed he create something of the kind for Queen Elizabeth.

The look Hartnell settled on was one straight out of a fairy tale: there were day suits but there were also copious amounts of lace and tulle. And he hit the iconic button right away by creating the famed White Wardrobe for Queen Elizabeth's trip to Paris (a topic which we must revisit in depth later on). These looks date from the same time as Wallis Simpson's chic and slender bridal dress, which really emphasizes how unique the Queen's new look was.

And then the war hit. Tulle in the day gave way to smart suits better suited for climbing through bombing rubble. Hartnell dressed her in soft colors but not mourning black, to convey hope.

The Queen was on the receiving end of some open hostility for continuing to wear her jewelry (pearls and a brooch, always), high heels, and custom-made clothes while visiting victims of the Nazi bombing. Her response? She explained that people that came to see her dressed their best, and she wanted to do the same for them.

In 1952, at only 51 years old, her husband died. The role of royal widow was one that needed some padding out. She styled herself as Queen Mother, and set herself into a fashion trend of softly draped dresses and coats in pastel colors. And always, always, topped off with a hat: upturned brim with netting. In the evening, she stuck with her frilly gowns in sugary colors and narrowed her tiara selection down to just her favorites.

This is called having a lifetime pass in the style department. After abdication, a war, and early widowhood, the Queen Mother wore whatever she liked. And did whatever she liked, too: she wore a hat to Edward and Sophie's wedding even though the invitation specifically requested that no hats be worn. Not even the Queen took that kind of liberty; she wore a fascinator-headdress sort of thing. The Queen Mother lived out the rest of her pastel days in splendor, passing away at the age of 101.

A lot of the transformations we've encounter thus far have been primarily sartorial. This one is more; this is the building of an icon that an entire country rallied around. One can't help but wonder if the rest of our transformations will continue in such a vein.

Flashback Friday: Letizia's Transformation

Another Princess transformation today, and this time one that some might call a regression. Let's review the evidence, shall we?

Prince Felipe's bachelor love life was favored fodder for the press. His girlfriends were public knowledge, and rumors of Queen Sofia vetoing all non-royal potential spouses were well-spread. So it came as a real shock when he managed to pull off the ultimate ruse: his relationship with Letizia Ortiz was kept secret until the day their engagement was announced.

Letizia's place in the Prince's life may have been undercover, but Letizia herself was a familiar face: she was a journalist and television presenter in Spain. As such, her pre-engagement wardrobe was typically news-ish.

Clean, simple, all business. After the engagement, her appearances were business with the feminine side ramped up. All signs point to her taking a dose of sartorial advice from her future mother-in-law.

Felipe and Letizia married in May of 2004, and she kept up her ladylike princess style well after the ceremony. She spent most of 2005 and a chunk of 2006/2007 pregnant with her two girls in chic maternity styles, and returned to her polished look afterward.

The first glimpses of the much more laid-back, High Street sort of style she espouses today started appearing in 2008. (Also appearing in 2008: a new nose. The royal court confirmed Letizia had surgery on her nose in August that year, which they reported was to fix respiratory problems. To what degree you believe the reasoning given is up to you.) She mixed these casual appearances with her more formal princess gear throughout 2009, and in 2010 the balance shifted largely to the casual and what we see today.

So what prompted the change? Why the downgrade? There's plenty of tabloid reasons to chose from: some like to speculate that her relationship with King Juan Carlos is strained, and there have been rumors of a falling out between Letizia and Felipe's two sisters. Whispers of eating disorders are always present given her tiny frame. And we can't forget that Letizia's younger sister Erika Ortiz died suddenly in February 2007, her death believed to be an intentional overdose of prescription drugs. Any single thing on that list could cause a person to change substantially.

Based on the time frame, I'm inclined to lean towards the economy as the reason: that her use of less expensive chain stores and the general casual feel of her wardrobe is designed to be accessible to the economic concerns of the Spanish people. I understand the logic at work here. But Letizia takes it to an extent that doesn't set well with me, and I've harped on this many times before. I like my royals a little more dressed up than the average bear; if you really are just like the rest of us, where's the reason for people to be extra interested in you? I'd also point out here that the Queen, Felipe, and the rest of the royals haven't undergone similar transformations since the economy crashed. But that's just me, and now it's your turn.

So: what do you think is the real reason for Letizia's transformation?

Flashback Friday: Camilla's Transformation

Much like Mette-Marit's commoner-to-Princess transformation, this week we deal with another bride many found unsuitable, and how she began to make a royal name for herself.

For the record, glamour was always in the realm of possibility for Camilla here:

But she's a lady that genuinely prefers the garden or the stable to the ballroom, and that just made it all the easier for us to form the frumpy picture that was once our only impression of Camilla Parker Bowles. Truthfully, in the days of Diana, it wouldn't have mattered if Camilla gussied herself up every night. The media had a story to tell, and attractive pictures of her had no place in the battle of the beautiful and beloved Princess vs. the frumpy and unappealing mistress.

Even after Diana's death, after the storm had calmed and Prince Charles's office had begun their campaign for public Camilla acceptance, her appearances by Charles's side were rough around the edges. Finding just the right angle for her look was proving difficult.

The major turning point? The wedding. Camilla's two bridal ensembles made #3 on my list of Top 10 Royal Wedding Gowns. After so many years of her looks being the butt of the joke, there was audible shock that she could turn up looking...well, good.

She kept it up after the wedding, too. With the help of a dresser, makeup artists, hairdressers and colorists, rumored teeth whitening (and whispers of other cosmetic procedures), and couture by designers like Robinson Valentine, Camilla turned from a dirt-caked country lady to a Duchess that packed a 40-outfit wardrobe for her 2005 trip to the United States.

She opted for simple day wear in well-cut patterns and lines designed to structure and flatter her figure, rather than hide it. Major hats factored in as well: maybe it's a result of carrying that huge trademark hairdo for so many decades, but this is a lady that can carry off some wild millinery.

In the evenings, she took the same flattering day principles and added in lush fabrics like velvet and intriguing designers like Vivienne Westwood.

And of course it doesn't hurt at all that she turns out to be a woman that can handle some substantial bling.

Sure enough, after the wedding, articles began to appear touting the Duchess's enviable style. This once-frumpy lady hit all the right notes: not trying too hard, but looking good enough to play her royal part. And I'll liken her to Mette-Marit again here: she also proved to be a cheery worker, and a good counterpart to her husband (who seems to be happier than ever). Her strategy worked on me, I've become a Camilla fan (as well as a Diana fan, for the record - these things do not have to be mutually exclusive). But then again, any lady that can have her looks so mercilessly made fun of for so many years and still keep her smile on and her sense of humor in tact is bound to get a vote from me some day.

These days, I've noticed a bit of a regression in Camilla's style. She still turns out the polished appearances, but she's repeating outfits a lot more than she used to, and she has more days when her look isn't entirely flattering. So I wonder: is she more comfortable now? More secure in returning to her solid but unsophisticated sartorial roots? Or, having proven that she can bring the glamour when she needs to, is she finding that she'll win more people over by a return to her down-to-earth ways and wardrobe?
What do you make of Camilla's transformation?

Photos: Belga/Getty Images

Flashback Friday: Mette-Marit's Transformation

And we continue on in our review of commoner-to-princess transformations with one that might be more subtle, but was possibly more important than our last: Crown Princess Mette-Marit's.

Mette-Marit, a single mom with a sketchy past, was far from what most would picture a princess to be. Many were skeptical about Crown Prince Haakon's choice. Some even predicted it would be the demise of the Norwegian monarchy. Mette-Marit had some ground to make up, and this is where our transformation starts to come into play.

Despite a massive New York shopping spree around the time of her December 2000 engagement, Mette-Marit's style as a royal fiancée/starter princess was quite dreary. To me, it's a rather simple girl playing dress up without much confidence: her evening wear in particular sticks to the safe side and ends up looking a little drab and absolutely off-the-rack.

Her everyday wear is, to this day, based in neutrals and simple cuts, but she took it to the extreme at the beginning of her marriage when she showed up to Willem-Alexander and Máxima's wedding wearing the glum ensemble on the left (which earned her a spot on my top 10 worst dressed wedding guests):

On the total opposite end of the spectrum, she showed up to Märtha Louise's wedding that same year in possibly the most princess-y thing she's ever worn: all tulle and sparkles. A marked beginning to the girlish gown style she favors today (though perhaps a little too enthusiastic of a jump onto the princess bandwagon?).

Hop forward another couple of years and another couple of weddings, and that princess style is starting to take shape:

 What's significant here? The strong entrance of Valentino on the scene. He made both of these blue numbers (for Felipe and Letizia's wedding dinner, left, and Frederik and Mary's wedding, right) and one can't help but wonder if the advice finally began to extend beyond just the clothing and into the total look, because things only got better from here on out.

These days, Mette-Marit's a terribly consistent dresser. She likes a simple day style and a frilly night style, and she's grown into pulling a total look together.

The most key component of that new total look, in my opinion, has been the change in the Crown Princess's hair and makeup.

At the beginning, she hardly wore any makeup (not even on her wedding day, second picture from the left in the top row), and her hair was either down or pulled simply back. Signs of professional appearance help were few and far between, but that's all changed now. The hair is lighter, and the makeup is heavier but extremely well done. My instinct is always to say that less is better on the face front, but I really think this has changed her from a rather plain girl with interesting bone structure into a true Scandinavian stunner.

She looks much more confident, too, doesn't she? She hasn't just grown in her style, she's grown as a Crown Princess. These days, more than half of Norwegians indicate some form of approval for Mette-Marit.

Also: you know who else has benefited from the passage of time?

Crown Prince Haakon! (So young, and so...nerdy!)

What do you make of Mette-Marit's transformation?

Photos: Polfoto/Corbis/Getty/Over/ANP

Flashback Friday: Mary's Transformation

We have much to discuss regarding happenings in Wales and Scotland, and that Week in Review post will go up earlier than usual - later tonight or early tomorrow, maybe? Until then, let's chew on this:

During our discussion of Kate Middleton's disappointing fashion lunch with Camilla, smart and lovely commentors Miss Jelic and Alison brought up an excellent point: look at what happened to Mary.

They were referring, of course, to the Grand Transformation that occurred when Mary married her Crown Prince. Though the changes to her appearance were gradual enough in real time, the overall effect is really quite startling:

Some things were obviously going to change about Mary Donaldson of Australia when she became Crown Princess Mary of Denmark back in 2004. Learning Danish, for one. She was bound to grow in public poise, of course. But Mary took it a step further, and used the new resources available to her to execute a full-on makeover. Just plopping a tiara on top doesn't begin to cover the extent of this change.

New Mary is visibly slimmer than Old Mary. Personal trainers? Personal chefs? Whatever she did, it certainly was effective. If the Danish royal family ever gets a little skint in the funds department, Mary could market her own diet and exercise program.

The days of cheesy prom hair for formal occasions, unkempt hair for casual occasions, and heavy-handed makeup gave way to the whims of on-call hairdressers, professional skin care, and pro makeup artists. (A glimmer of hope, perhaps, for those of you that fret over Kate and her eyeliner addiction?)Personal appearance taken care of, next up is the fashion. The new Crown Princess took advantage of both the Danish fashion industry's desire to dress her to the nines and her new access to international designers (plus, you know, personal stylists and the like) to go from wearing ill-fitting and ill-coordinated off the rack fashions to pure couture.

It's worth noting, too, that this great change did not go into full effect until after her marriage. She had some good appearances during her engagement (notably the pre-wedding events which were no doubt styled for her and yielded that bottom left red dress that I love so much). That top left Goth-inspired appearance was during Princess Benedikte's birthday celebrations while Mary was engaged. The next two pictures are from Luxembourg's state visit to Denmark during the engagement: trousers at an event where Maria Teresa, at least, wore a tiara; and a rather severe and prom-esque green dress for a state banquet. Something to keep in mind when Kate or Charlene - ladies that have been on their Princes' arms for 867 years or whatever (read: with ample time to prepare for the onslaught of a royal engagement) - turn up in something a little disappointing.  

Not even casual wear was immune to the makeover, showing just how far a transformation really can extend.

Quite a difference, right?

I think these dueling appearances sum it up best:

At left: Mary and Frederick's engagement dinner. At right: Queen Margrethe's April 2010 birthday celebrations. Softer makeup, less J.Lo. hair, better jewel selection. Same dress, different girl.

It's not just Mary, either. Many royal ladies have undergone similar transformations. (Look for more on those in future flashbacks.) All signs point to the next few years bringing an Extreme Princess Makeover for Kate Middleton and Charlene Wittstock. Personally, I'm all for it. (Although, good grief, nobody better lose any weight. Middleton's about to disappear as it is.)

What do you make of Mary's transformation? And what are you hoping for in a Kate/Charlene makeover?

Photos: Polfoto/Allover Press/Zimbio