Flashback Friday: Crown Princess Christening Looks

In honor of the Danish twin christening next week, I thought I could just do one cute little flashback post with some christening fashions and call it a day. But then I started looking back through past christenings. Man, oh man, was I wrong. Christening fashion is a whole bucket of worms! The guests, the mothers...the babies, who are dressed fanciest of all. Some of these christenings even include black tie events, which was news to me. (Some people will use any excuse to have a party, I guess.)

So, we're narrowing it down. Today we're talking our current crop of Crown Princess mothers and their sartorial showings at their kids' christenings. (And oh, that'll give us plenty to discuss.)

When I think of a christening, I think of a hatted affair, but that's not always the case. Spain seems to reserve hats for weddings only, and christenings don't get any special treatment.

Letizia at the christenings of (left to right) daughters Leonor and Sofia

Very typical Letizia, especially in her early years. I'm quite fond of the lace dress from Sofia's christening; it was an outdoor ceremony in July, and this is just pitch-perfect.

The Belgian royals opt for hats regularly at their big events, so I find it quite surprising that they don't go for it at their christenings.

Mathilde at the christenings of (L to R) Elisabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel, and Eléonore

These christenings feel more like small family affairs and less like state occasions, and Mathilde's attire goes right along. There really isn't anything exceptional about these outfits, which is kind of a let down in my book. Isn't it a special enough event?

When we move over to Greece, we get a mix of christening styles and fashions. The five children of Marie-Chantal and Pavlos have been christened in lots of different places, but always with a major royal guest list. (For example, the godparents of Constantine Alexios are Prince Nikolaos of Greece, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Prince Felipe of Spain, Prince William of Wales, Prince Dmitri of Yugoslavia, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and Princess Alexandra zu Fürstenberg. Now that's a royal event.)

 Marie-Chantal at the christenings of (L to R) Maria-Olympia, Constantine Alexios, Achileas-Andreas, Odysseas-Kimon, and Aristidis-Stavros. Those kids have nicknames or something, right? Mouthfuls, all of them.

We've got typical business-like christening outfits on show for the first three, which were held in Istanbul (Maria-Olympia) and London. The last two, however, were christened in Greece, and that makes it a little more interesting. They were clearly more laid-back affairs. You can also see Marie-Chantal's style changing just as the rest of the fashion world changed through these years, getting less stiff (1990's prim and proper) and more relaxed.

From non-hatted soirees we now move into proper royal hat occasions, starting in Norway.

Mette-Marit christening (L to R) Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus

This is quite a difference between the two, right? Ingrid Alexandra, as heir, got a much fancier sartorial show. Sverre Magnus, later on, got a toned-down black outfit. Oh, I much prefer Ingrid's. (Even Dad toned down his dress: Haakon wore a military uniform for Ingrid's and a suit for Sverre's.)

Dutch royals never miss a chance to have a fancy occasion, and christenings are no exception.

Máxima at the christenings of (L to R) Catharina-Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane

Máxima always does it up right, even if she does sometimes inch on the overboard side of it, such as the extra volume on that hat for Alexia's christening, and the overflow of shiny silver for Ariane's. I think she looks fantastic for all three, most especially with Amalia. That is a gorgeous white suit.

Last but not least, Denmark! While we wait to see what Mary wears next, we'll check in on what she wore the last two runs around the christening block.

Mary christening (L to R) Christian and Isabella

First up: a blue suit for a baby boy (and for a sapphire brooch, a gift after she had Christian). Later on, she'd wear the jacket with a matching skirt, but she chose a flowy printed skirt for the christening. For Isabella, she went with a diaphonous purple dress and repeated the same headgear. I confess, this is my favorite. It's so feminine, and perfect for honoring a baby girl. And brave, such a figure-conscious dress so soon after giving birth to two babies in quick succession. (Also: anyone else get a strong Sound of Music flashback with this one? I just feel like somebody needs to break out in song here.)

Tell me: which one is your favorite? Is there anyone you think really messed it up?

UPDATE: Mary christened Josephine and Vincent in the brooch from Christian's christening and the hat from both christenings.

Photos: Corbis/Getty/Daylfe