Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 23-29 January

Here's what Princess Máxima wore the week of 23-29 January:

1. At the Tango musical, 23 January.
2. At the Responsible Finance Forum, 27 January.
3. At the taping of a financial TV show, 27 January.
4. Opening a cultural center, 28 January.

Best and Worst of the Week

Well, obviously #1 has to be the worst - see through anything is grounds for that. But #3 is hot on its tails: please, please no more black tights with light colored shoes! For the best, I suppose I'll go with #4 - it's the best appearance of this leather-topped dress I've seen.

Photos: PPE/RVDA/BNN/Nieboer

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 23-29 January

Here's what Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore the week of 23-29 January:

1. Various appearances during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, 25-29 January. At least she carries a red handbag, right? (And a Prada one at that, I might add.)

Photos: Norwegian Royal Court/Profimedia

Week in Review: Princess Mathilde, 23-29 January

Here's what Princess Mathilde wore the week of 23-29 January:

1. Attending Diplomatic Contact Day, 25 January. For Mathilde, I like it. Good structure on this jacket.
2. Concert for the Hungarian EU presidency, 25 January, a) with coat and b) without. This wants to be good, such a simple shift dress, yet it is not good.
3. Attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, 28 January. No good pictures, so meh.
4. Still in Davos, 29 January, and still no good pictures. Somebody needs to have a talk with these photographers.

Best and Worst of the Week

Okay, clearly the theme for this week is Accessories A-Go-Go (this is why she and Máxima get along so well), but looking past that I have to go with #1 as my best. I like the jacket, and I'll even tolerate that giant brooch since it's Mathilde. I shall not, however, tolerate #2, which is just a Christmas decoration gone wild. It's not December anymore, let's move on.

Photos: Reuters/Daylife/PPE/Belga/GDP/AP

Flashback Friday: Máxima's Tiaras

Willem-Alexander and Máxima celebrated their wedding anniversary this week. (They were hitched on 02-02-2002 - that's one way to make sure you don't forget the date!) Since I've already sung the praises of Máxima's wedding dress, I thought I'd mark the occasion by singing the praises of my other favorite thing about Máxima: her bling.

Heaven knows I love a tiara, and among her peers, Máxima reigns supreme with the greatest variety of sparkly headgear. By my rough count, Máxima has worn 12 different tiaras. Twelve!! Let's put that in perspective, shall we? (I'm no expert, by the way. This is what's in my Swiss cheese memory, correct me in the comments.)

• Mathilde: Only 2 tiaras - and one she wore only on her wedding day, never since. 
• Mary: 3 tiaras - and the Midnight tiara is said not to be owned by her, or the royal family, but is rather available as a loan when she needs it. The other two of course are her ruby tiara and her tiny little wedding tiara.
• Camilla: Also 3. One (the gigantic Delhi Durbar) has only been worn once, and another (the Shand-Cubitt tiara) is her family's tiara. Before Camilla, Diana only had use of 2 tiaras - again, one belonging to her family, and only one from the Queen.
• Letizia: 3 tiaras worn so far, the Prussian (worn at her wedding), the shell, and the floral, with a fourth new one that hasn't been worn yet.
• Mette-Marit: 3, the diamond daisy tiara she wore on her wedding day, the amethyst necklace tiara, and the pearl and diamond tiara she wore to Victoria's wedding. Oh, and she did wear the Vifte tiara as a necklace, I guess.
• Victoria: Even a future Queen Regnant can't compete - V's sported a solid 8 tiaras, but most of the rest of the Swedish collection is used only by Queen Silvia. There's the Cameo (will she wear it again after the wedding day, or will it go back to the Queen only?), the 6- and 4-button tiaras, the amethyst necklace tiara, the Baden fringe, the steel cut tiara, the diamond necklace bandeau which is more like a hair ornament than a proper tiara, and her 18th birthday tiara (and that hardly counts, as it's mostly wire).

And now, here's Máxima:

1. Mellerio Ruby Tiara
2. Emerald Tiara, with pearls
3. Ruby Peacock Motif Tiara
4. Emerald Tiara
5. Mellerio Sapphire Tiara
6. Aquamarine Tiara
7. Rose Cut Diamond Bandeau Tiara
8. Diamond Festoon Tiara
9. Pearl Button Tiara topped with Queen Emma's Diamond Stars
10. Mellerio Sapphire Tiara, diamond setting
11. Antique Pearl Tiara, no pearls
12. Antique Pearl Tiara, with pearls

Plus, she wore a diamond haircomb at Victoria's pre-wedding celebration. (Did I miss any?)

Clearly, without being a Queen and having access to whatever you want, whenever you want it, Maxima's got the best deal around.  And the Netherlands has one of the best jewel collections - tons to pick from, and many of the pieces are convertible so you can switch it up. I can't wait to see what goodies she busts out for us this year!

Tell me: which one's your favorite? I'm partial to #5 and #12, myself.

Update: Tiara #13, worn during the state visit in Qatar in March 2011. This is Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara, worn frequently by Queen Beatrix and occasionally by Princess Laurentien.

Week in Review: Charlene Wittstock, 23-29 January

Here's what Charlene Wittstock wore the week of 23-29 January:

1.  At the circus, 25 January. Dress from Akris.
2. Sainte-Devote celebrations, 26 January.
3. At the cathedral for Sainte-Devote, 27 January.

What kind of dress codes are we working with here, kids? Is all this black truly necessary? I buy it at the cathedral, I might buy it for the other Sainte-Devote festivity, but at the circus too? Oh, for the love of some color.


Photos: PurePeople/Abaca/Getty/Zimbio

Week in Review: Princess Madeleine, 23-29 January

Here's what Princess Madeleine wore the week of 23-29 January:

1.  Attending the Red Cross Ball at Donald Trump's house in Miami, Florida, 29 January. I just want to take the top of this and tug it down a smidge, because that bejeweled waist should be sitting in a more southern location instead of creeping up her ribcage like that. Wherever your tiniest bit is, that's where you want the bling, I say. But if I did that, we'd probably have another candidate for the Wardrobe Malfunction Hall of Fame. So, conundrum.

My favorite part of this event is that look that's plastered on Madeleine's face in place of a smile. Someone must not have properly explained to her what to expect when "classy charity event" meets "Donald Trump's palace" and "Donald Trump's hair". Welcome to America, Madde!

Week in Review: Princess Letizia, 23-29 January

Here's what Princess Letizia wore the week of 23-29 January:

1.  At the ballet, 24 January. A good look for a private occasion, I think. I even like the scarf.
2. a) Audiences at Zarzuela Palace, 27 January, b) the jacket from Mango. When I first saw this, I thought we might be having a Mr. Rogers moment, because this jacket sure did look like a cardigan. But it's clearly not, and the overall look is pretty well put together.

Okay, I can't say I'm in love with any of this, yet I still think this was a good week for Letizia. Your opinions?

Photos: Diario Feminino/Mango