Friday, July 1, 2011

Royal Fashion Awards: The Concert and Reception in Monaco

After Prince Albert and his new Princess were civilly married, they headed for a party, and they took their motley crew with them. Also joining in the festivities were a handful of the foreign royals in town for the religious wedding, and thank heavens for that: clearly we needed a little dress code assistance, and you know our crown princesses always bring it. The royals were split between a reception held at a hotel and a concert by Jean-Michel Jarre, and here's what they wore:

Best of Caroline's Crew
Charlotte Casiraghi
 Left to Right: Princess Caroline of Hanover and Monaco, Princess Alexandra, Charlotte Casiraghi
The beachiest of the lot at the civil ceremony, Caroline and her girls decided not to bother with a change of clothes for the evening festivities. So I have to give Charlotte the award here, for at least putting in the effort to throw on a sparkly bolero and some sparkly shoes. As you know, adding a little disco ball to the affair will always win points in this realm.

Best of Stephanie's Crew
Pauline Ducruet
L to R: Louis Ducruet, Pauline Ducruet, Camille Gottlieb, Princess Stephanie of Monaco
Apparently Stephanie's moment of glory from earlier today was fleeting indeed, as she seems to have regressed to her regular fare. (Cue a gasp of shock from absolutely no one.) So we'll give this prize to Pauline, for pure seated potential.

Best of the Neutrals
Crown Princess Mette-Marit
L to R: Princess Marie of Denmark, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
Marie has such a 1995 aesthetic, you just have to nod and smile. (And ponder if she has something to share with us, especially after her most recent appearance. I mean, I detest the baby bump game, but...the hamster wheel inside my head, it turns.) Máxima brought her game - I think she knew the Grimaldis would need a little help - but at the end of the day, I think Mette-Marit's looking the best here. Tremendously normal for her, but I like it. (Though I am now officially overly excited to see what Máxima wears tomorrow!)

Best in Color
The Duchess of Anjou
 L to R: Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, the Duchess of Anjou, Princess Mathilde of Belgium
Mary's dress gets a pass, but I like her statement earrings best of all. Mathilde also went the statement earring route, but sadly she also went the statement dress, statement shoes, and statement bracelet route at the same time. Looks like a Christmas tree, poor dear. I'm giving this ribbon to a brand-spankin' new royal on the blog: Margarita, the Duchess of Anjou! The sleeves keep it royal, while the skirt length and the sassy shoes keep it concert-ish. Well played, Duchess. Welcome to the Order.


Best Second Attempt
Princess Charlene
 
Okay, let's try this again: here's the Chanel gown/jumper/romper/thing, this time without your grandmother's suit jacket. If she stands really still, so I can try and erase that part of my memory that knows that this is trousers and not a skirt, I could fall in love. It's feminine, and all the detail on the bodice helps to get rid of the lingerie feel. She also took a page from Charlotte's book and added in a little disco ball glam in the form of a new necklace (gold, diamonds, giant pearls?). Alas, I have a mind like steel trap (no comments from the peanut gallery, please), and I can't forget. I also truly can't understand why she didn't change. You're the bride! You can have as many outfit changes as you want, girl! You just made it work when you didn't have to, and there's no excuse for that.

Do you like Charlene's second attempt? Who's your favorite for the evening festivities?

Photos: Albert Nieboer/dpa/picture alliance/PPE/Hola/Getty Images/Daylife/Gerard Julien/AFP