Flashback Friday: My Least Favorite 2011 Things

We had our warm fuzzies last week with our favorite things from 2011. In truth, 2011 was a year with many great appearances and many, many meh ones, but not so many that were horrid. Actually, I feel a little retroactively cheated from the giggles that come right alongside the OMGs and the WTFs. Never fear, though, I do have a few things to nominate for the Please Ban in 2012, My Eyes Can't Take It list...

SHOOTIES.

Yeah, you knew at least one of my pet peeves was going to make this list. But: Come on, ladies! Unless you've got stick thin legs and you're pairing these monstrosities with similarly shaded tights, what you're doing is chopping off your legs. Stumpy little legs. Can't we all unite against that?

Your lady business.

Listen: I know some of you say it's not the dress, it's the flash photography. It's not the dress, it's the particular picture in question. I say: stop it. I don't buy it! If you're a public figure like these royal ladies are, flash photos and a gajillion pictures of your whatnot taken from every angle are part of the deal. If you're leaving your modesty up to the photographer to preserve, you've got yourself a problem.

Toilet seats as apparel.

Sweet Beasus, once is enough.

What would you like to banish in 2012?

And with that, we are finally done with 2011. Onward, upward, etc.

Photos: Swedish Royal House/Reuters/LA Times

Wedding Wednesday: 2011's Grooms and Tiaras

Ha! I bet you thought we were moving on this week. NOPE. After we chatted about our favorite royal wedding gowns from 2011 last year (that post has been updated with the poll results, by the way, and you'll never guess who won), it was clear we needed a second round of voting, this time focusing on the...uh...accessories. So, here we go again:

Best in Groom's Attire

By special request of the stunning Mrs. Whit, who had the best groom's outfit in 2011? William's Disney-tastic prince getup? Alexander's basic white tie? Albert's golf-ready white uniform? Rashid's extra medaled-up uni? Mike's standard morning coat? Georg Friedrich's jaunty top hat? The King of Bhutan's psychedelic boots? Do tell:

UPDATE: The poll is closed, and the results are...

1. Prince William, with 51% of the vote
2. The King of Bhutan, 20%
3. Mike Tindall, 9%
4. Prince Georg Fredrich, 8%
5. Prince Rashid, 6%
6. Alexander Johannsman, 5%
7. Prince Albert, 2%

Best Wedding Tiara

A few of you mentioned that you had to judge the tiara apart from the gown, and we certainly won't blame you for that approach around here. So, who sported the best wedding tiara (or tiaras, as the case may be for some lucky brides)? Was it Catherine's resurrection of a long-unseen modest gem? Nathalie's adherence to tradition? Charlene's double header? Zeina's floral number?

Or perhaps you prefer Zara's personality-to-tiara match? Sophie's double tiara turn featuring an additional dose of tradition? Jetsun Pema's crown-plus-tiara extravaganza? Vote it up:

UPDATE: The poll is closed, and the results are...

1. Sophie, with 23% of the vote
2. A tie between Charlene and Catherine, 18% each
3. Jetsun, 16%
4. A tie between Zara and Nathalie, 12% each
5. Zeina, 2%

Photos: Getty Images/Daylife/Bunte/Point de Vue

2011 in Review: Princess Mathilde

Best of the Year

Oh, help. As much as I harp and harp about color, the truth is that few things can make me go as weak as a simply perfect white dress. And Mathilde, at Princess Maxima's 40th birthday concert, got it exactly right. Stunning, end of story.

Runners Up

Visions in white aside, the best thing about Mathilde's style is that she's not afraid of color. Hot pink, orange (times 2), red leather, even leopard all make my list of favorite 2011 looks out of Belgium. And just because I'm a sucker for anything with even a teensy hint of retro, one all black ensemble sneaks in.

Worst of the Year

If color is the best thing about Mathilde's sartorial m.o., the worst thing is that she sometimes seems to lose her sense of what works for her. She struggles with fit, and where exactly the waist should be stuck. This outfit hits both of those problem areas, while adding a third: it's just not the kind of thing she can pull off. She did something I wish she'd do more of, which is explore non-Natan Belgian designers (this is Dries Van Noten), but she picked something that simply must be worn with a certain runway nonchalance. But on Mathilde, with her earnest and sweet persona, it's just a pair of too-big too-short trousers and a baggy shirt.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Mathilde in 2011?

Photos: Purepeople/Abaca/Isopix/Daylife

2011 in Review: Princess Máxima

Best of the Year

You'd think one of her tiara appearances would end up my best for the whole year, wouldn't you? No, no. Instead, I picked an appearance that exemplifies my two favorite things about Máx: her ability to turn up the style dial at just the right moment, and her talent for inserting as much bling as humanly possibly into a non-blingy occasion. This Valentino is just perfect and flattering and demure, all while working a turban. And for jewels, she went with diamond stars on the hat, a diamond necklace instead of plain old pearls or something, plus earrings. If I did it over again, either she or Princess Ameerah would win my pick for best dressed foreign royal at the Cambridge wedding.

Runners Up

A little bit of purple in Germany, a little bit of mustard in Monaco (ha! Only Máxima could make mustard sound appealing), a little of a blue lampshade in Monaco, a lot of blue in the Caribbean, RED - enough said, and divine black. The best of the best.

Worst of the Year

Alas, you know how it is with Princess Máxima: there are just as many candidates for the worst as there are for the best. Though I considered a turn in knickerbockers (uh, yeah) and the gold number that I just don't understand how so many of you loved (did you see what it did to her...er...chestal region? Did you?), I'm going with the most unfortunate of sartorial mishaps: the accidental see-through problem (speaking of chestal regions...). One simply must account for the hazards of flash photography. And also: what else is happening here? Some kind of sparkly collared top, but still with that hair that is the bane of so many of your existences. Baffling.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Máxima in 2011?

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Dutch Photo Press

2011 in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Best of the Year

The same dress could probably be a candidate for worst of the year for some of you for its second appearance, but that just goes to show you that styling is everything. For now, Elie Saab remains the king.

Runners Up

It's all about silhouette. When it's right (and it was in Norway and on National Day), it's grand...

Worst of the Year

...and when it's wrong, it's slightly disastrous. Oh, MT. Let's don't turn ourselves into metallic bells ripe for ringing any more in the new year, okay?

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Maria Teresa in 2011?

Photos: Daylife/Wort/Tageblatt

2011 in Review: Princess Letizia

Best of the Year

While scratching my head monkey-style trying to remember what I loved this year, I just wrote "The Mango" for Leti. And here we are: The Mango. Both retro and fresh, and one of her most glowing appearances. I have a girl crush on this specific look to be sure.

Runners Up

Let me tell you what I like about the gray and black business up there: the hair. Why doesn't she do it like that more often? I swear, she looks ten years younger. Anyway, back to the clothes: of course I loved her fairy tale turn the night before William and Kate's wedding - it was so surprising from such a no-nonsense dresser! - and I also loved her playful red and pink combo as well as the freshness of a white suit and a white minidress (more mod!).

Worst of the Year

Though I strongly considered anything falling in the "jumpsuit" range (such as this or this), in the end, what gets me about Letizia overall had to go on the chopping block: the business casual stuff. This is at a military graduation ceremony (as was this one, equally casual)...I'm sorry, but I just find that terribly inappropriate for one of the guests of honor. Happily, after these incidents I seemed to detect a slight shift towards dressing up, so maybe I won't have to ride quite so high on my own jeans-wearing horse next year.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Letizia in 2011?

Photos: Daylife/Zimbio

2011 in Review: Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Best of the Year

I like it when she gets saucy on us. This is the only Mette-Marit appearance that truly made my jaw drop this year. What can I say? Sometimes you have to wait a while between stunners from her, but she's got some serious game when she feels like playing it.

Runners Up

I just love it when she puts those little caps on the back of her head. Probably would hate it on anyone else, but with her nearly white hair and striking features, it just works. I also like it when she gets her LBD on, and also her purple on, and her perfect princess on, with a special mention for getting her national costume on. Gorgeous.

Worst of the Year

I fully expect her oddly colorful, slightly Oompa Loompa schoolgirl look to garner many mentions here, but for me, the worst was the height of something that brings her whole look down for me: such casually thrown together combos. What was with the business coat thrown over the frilly dress? She usually restricts her odd combos and too-basic business wear to her everyday dealings, but this one stuck out for being included in a state visit.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Mette-Marit in 2011?

Photos: FVN/Getty Images/Daylife/Aftenposten/AVB

Best of 2011: Crown Princess Victoria

Best of the Year

Well, let's be honest here: our V's had a rough sartorial year, particularly since the baby's come on board. Poor love. The best of that tough time, then, must make my best list: the Nobel Prize ceremony. Blingy, fitted, and blingy again. Done and done.

Runners Up

Runners up include things that fit well (the black with the waist, perfect), explosions of color (red the night before William and Kate's wedding, hot pink, and an early maternity turn in aqua) and a little bit of a sexy take on your standard royal wedding attire (also because you know I had to have some Elie Saab up in here).

Worst of the Year

The tent dresses. The tents and the SHOOTIES. This is by far the worst tent/shower curtain/muumuu she wore, because it is just so comically huge (and again, it's not maternity wear! This bad boy is made for people that don't have a bump to conceal!). If she'd put the shooties on with it, she'd've killed me. Killed me dead. I also have to throw out (dis-)honorable mentions for a double dose of snakeskin...at the Holocaust Memorial, and her odd showing at the Monaco wedding. I should state though, all grousing aside, I still heart her and I will miss her next year, as we're bound to see her disappear for maternity leave and other assorted baby business.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Victoria in 2011?

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Svenskdam

Flashback Friday: My Favorite 2011 Things

It's been a good royal year, hasn't it? What fun we've had {insert contented sigh here}. It's time for some (more) nostalgia, this time about our favorite things. Not necessarily sartorial, for once. These are a few of my favorite things:

My favorite royal of the year...drumroll please...is Princess Isabella of Denmark. Awww yeah. From Isabella's entertaining antics to the grouchy stylings of Grace van Cutsem, this year seemed to bring an extra dose of moments when important grown-up royal happenings were paused for a dose of cuteness. I'm all for anyone that doesn't take everything so freaking seriously all. the. time.

My favorite royal trend of the year...has to be all the love for the not-so-popular royals. The Windsors have, for a very long time, been the best-known and most popular royal family, internationally speaking. But this year, some of that extra attention thrown their way seems to have spilled over to some of the other royal families on the block. My inbox fills more and more with requests to feature non-European royals here on this site (I'll be working on that in the new year, I promise). As someone who has always needed more bling and action than the British royal family alone can provide, I give this movement a big ol' round of jumpy claps.

My favorite royal couple of the year...is definitely Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. There were lots of wonderful tours this year: the Cambridges in North America, a whole bunch of visits from the Dutch royals, the Danes in Australia. But I think my favorites have been those undertaken by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. They received a warm welcome in Australia and made a truly historic stop in Ireland that seemed to reaffirm just why the Queen is the best in the run up to her diamond jubilee year. And sartorially speaking, it's always nice to feature her here. We debate so much, and people take such strong stands on the other royals; the warmth that her lifetime pass brings out is wonderful to see. More, please, in the Year of the Diamond Jubilee - and a big sigh of relief that Prince Philip's doing okay and will be right there with her. There's no better dynamic duo around.

My favorite royal thing of the year...is royal weddings. Just all of them, anything to do with them, I'm not picky. I won't try to name any particular moment of any particular royal wedding this year as a favorite, but I'll just say that the wealth of wedded bliss this year has been fantastic. For all the goodies its brought us to discuss, yes; but also for the numbers of you that have joined the party here because of one royal wedding or another. It really is so much more fun with all of you here, chiming in, making sure I don't feel like a crazy person, talking to myself. I hope you know that each and every comment and email makes my day, even when we don't agree. Anyway, I fear we're going to go into withdrawal in 2012...let's all wish hard we get one or two big ones to delight in.

What were your favorite royal things for the year?

(And be sure to save your least favorite royal things for next week!)

Photos: Purepeople/Abaca/Svenskdam/Daylife/Getty Images

2011 in Review: Crown Princess Mary

Best of the Year

In a year ruled by navy and beige and blergh, there's no way the most aggressive use of color all year wasn't getting a special mention from me, the eternal color cheerleader. This is a stunning shape on Mary, and slyly interesting in its color combo. A+.

Runners Up

We didn't get very much Mary this year, comparatively speaking, what with the babies and all. But the perfectly simple christening outfit, the rest of her outfits from Monaco (easy and breezy in white on arrival and a perfect ocean teal at the wedding), the intriguing blue tweed, the perfect print, and the reworked Swedish wedding gown all stood out. That last one was a close runner up to the ultimate winner for me. So, so elegant.

Worst of the Year

The curious run of mismatched pieces in New York paired with the accidentally va-va-voom gold number nearly did me in, but in the end this droopy Prada gets the "prize". I know some of you like it, but I. Do. Not.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Mary in 2011?

Photos: Purepeople/Abaca/Hello/Daylife

2011 in Review: Princess Charlene

Best of the Year

Behold, the gown that gets my personal vote for Best Royal Wedding Gown of 2011. None of her other outfits even came close here...the hair, the hair ornament, the makeup, the veil, the whole thing. Char never looked better.

Runners Up

See what I did there? Are you on to my game? Yeah...I picked out most of the colorful Charlene appearances for the year. She's been such a festival of beige n' black n' gray this year (let's just call this collectively the blergh color family from now on), I had to go for the two luscious greens and the hot pink - which, even though I still think her makeup was tragic, was the best in color for her all year. Color! It's essential for the blondes, these are things I know first hand! Also making my runners up are kicky prints and youthful stripes. And I made two exceptions from the blergh color family for her princess perfect appearance at Westminster Abbey and her chic National Day day outfit. See, when you do it right, all is well...just don't do it exclusively, is all I'm saying.

Worst of the Year

Coulda put all the beiges and blacks here, grumble grumble grumble. But - with great restraint - I have picked but one: a peek-a-boob (and tummy) jumpsuit (yeah, I think it was a jumpsuit) with some of the worst royal hair we saw all year. Thankfully she's got a handle on the hair these days (though not always...).

What makes your best and worst lists for Charlene in 2011?

Photos: Getty Images/Daylife/Zimbio/Palais Princier

2011 in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge

Best of the Year

Boom! The late entry wins the game at the buzzer! Yeah, I lurve it. The dress is just divine, I think this is the most flattering thing she wore the whole year. Like so many of you noted, I have some reservations about the necklace (I'd take the ruby flower deals off, that's too wee and twee for my tastes), but: she wore it. And what did I say about that? Step 1: put the diamonds on. Step 2: do other things. Here's hoping for a blingy new year!

Runners Up

I love a killer shoe and I love purple - these are not secrets well kept. Therefore, the very first Kate appearance of the year must make my list of runners up. Nods also go to what I found to be two of her most young, fresh, and feminine takes on the old school jacket and dress/skirt combo, the blue and black and the crochet look (which I know some of you will very much disagree with me on). At the time of the big tour, I favored her lilac Roksanda Ilicnic dress, but fickle me has now switched my affections to the twirly purple McQueen. The pink Jenny Packham was actually going to be my #1 until the black velvet slinked in at the buzzer because, well, I love a sparkly "Look at me!" number. I just do. Sue me.

And then there's the wedding gown. The wedding gown is in here simply because I recognize that it would be ludicrous not to include it, though I still agree with my first impressions. Thus, I include my favorite view: the train, which is and was perfection.

Worst of the Year

Nobody has a perfect year, alas. I thought about the Salmon Stella, which is probably the only thing I'd call an actual hot mess for the Duchess' whole year, and I thought about a couple of the entirely oatmeal ones - seriously, contrast is your friend - but I'm giving my title to the Alexander McQueen outfit worn to visit the aftermath of the riots. And that actually has nothing to do with how the thing looks (though I do stand by my initial assessment, which was: work it or go home).

No, this is about public relations. Katemania dictates that everything she wears will be analyzed to death and just a hair beyond that, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. It's a monster, and it's coming for all of us. But the newest Duchess on the block is a careful player in the sartorial game. She's done her best to restrain the debate over her outfits...except for this one. Debuting a pricey ensemble on this particular occasion was a misstep. I don't care if it personally offended you or not (it didn't bother me), but it was a rare PR mistake, and for that, I hereby dub it the Worst of the Year.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Catherine in 2011?

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Hello/AP