Weekly Royal Fashion Awards: September 29-October 5, Plus a Double Tiara Watch!

An Honorable Mention, For Starters...

Prince Harry

Video: Harry visits Australia

Seemed right to start with Harry in uniform. Carry on.

Worst in Everyday

Crown Princess Mary

Mathilde visits Lamur and opens a festival; Mary attends an opening and an awards presentation (in By Malene Birger), Letizia marks Santos Angeles Custodios Day and attends a dinner

I left out a whole lot of regular events for our usual suspects this week, on account of boredom. Even some of these aren't so interesting (Letizia, serviceable as ever but a sartorially forgettable week overall). Mathilde's my favorite here, despite a hat that looks like she's been hit by a pumpkin pancake at certain angles (now I'm hungry), because of that lovely strong blue dress. And Mary, sadly, takes the prize of (dis-)honor for the most memorable outfit here, adapting the non-slip flower stickers from my grandma's shower for dress purposes.

Best in Parliament

The Danish Royal Family, and Their Flowers

Video: The Danish royals (Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, and Princess Benedikte) attend the opening of Parliament

They've got a whole little coordinated color scheme going on here, and yet the thing I like best is how well each bouquet matches each lady's outfit. (Doesn't say much for the outfits, I suppose.)

Best in Visits

Crown Princess Victoria

During the state visit from Portugal to Sweden, and visiting the U.N. in New York (far right)

The fall state visit season delivers again, with a repeated blue Elie Saab that would have won but for the shoe match overkill and a black floral Dolce & Gabbana that needs no coat to improve it. So nice she wore it twice! And state visits give us more goodies too...

Tiara Watch!

All due snaps to Queen Silvia for coordinating her red sash with her ruby tiara (the Edward VII Ruby Tiara), but I feel deprived of an opportunity to see Victoria take the rubies out for the first time. She had on a red dress (repeated Escada) and everything! Oh well, she can never go too wrong with the Cut Steel Tiara anyway.

Worst in Visits (and Tiara Watch #2)

Queen Máxima

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima paid a one day visit to Norway and were received by the Norwegian royal family, and they hosted the President of Israel for a visit including an official dinner

Not the Norwegian visit, everyone was looking shipshape there. But the dinner...well. On the plus side, she's playing in the jewel vault again (she's converted the Pearl Button Tiara back to the version with diamond stars she wore for her wedding, something we haven't seen in several years) and she's busting out a tiara at a black tie dinner (when others would go without). But on the other hand: WOE. That same Valentino gown that has previously sucked both Marie-Chantal and Mette-Marit into its vortex of frump has claimed another royal victim. I'd normally say a tiara makes everything better, but in this case I think it's done the impossible and made matters worse. Never has it been more clear that this should have been left in the one room schoolhouse.

MAN. I'm grumpy today, huh? I might be more in need of those pumpkin pancakes than I thought. Let me leave you with something that pleases me, before I tend to my urgent carbohydrate requirements:

And One Last Honorable Mention to...

Princess Caroline & Crew

Charlotte Casiraghi, Princess Caroline, Princess Stephanie, and Andrea Casiraghi attend an AMADE gala

There's no nightmare-inducing pedicure shoes. There's no need to search for some deep, artsy appreciation for the imagination of Karl Lagerfeld. They just look good, Caroline most of all. Just plain chic. Caroline has a level of elegance that's downright soothing when employed properly. (And yes, Charlotte's purse does have a tiara on it, and no, I don't have that in my closet, and no, I don't know why not.)

Who was your best dressed last week?

P.S.: We have a wedding to discuss tomorrow, so hang on to your comments for that!

Photos: Belga/Abaca/TV2/BT/Malene Birger/Getty Images/BestImage/Portugal Presidency/IBL/DutchPhotoPress/AP/Getty Images

Weekly Royal Fashion Awards: October 1-6

Here we go: a week of action, including an official visit, a parliament opening, hanging out with awesome friends, and a case of sleeve-itis.

Best in Mini Trips

Princess Letizia

Attending an homage to the Regimiento de Caballeria Acorazado Alcantara Nr 10 with the royal family; departing for an official trip to Ecuador and Panama; day 1, morning and evening; day 2 (two outfits); and one last white suit for day 3

And here's your Mini Trip Report for Letizia in Panama and Ecuador: she wore blergh. I prefer the blue before she left, myself - she does always take it up a notch when the King and Queen are hanging around.

Best in Fifties Prom

Crown Princess Mary

Launch of High Level Task Force for ICPD in New York; attending the opening of Parliament; visiting Statens Museum for Kunst with the family; at the awards ceremony for the couple's annual culture prizes

Am I the only one that thinks she could be an extra from Grease in her culture prize dress? Just me? Okay.

Here's what the rest of the hatted gang wore for the Parliament opening:

Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, Princess Marie

Hats off to Benedikte. Hats off....literally.

Best in Orange

Princess Mathilde

At the International Polar Foundation gala dinner; meeting members Belgian Olympic and Paralympic teams; visiting a coffee company

How big is the orange section of Mathilde's closet, do you think?

Best in BFFs

Princess Máxima

Opening an exhibit; visiting a women's project; receiving Sheikha Mozah of Qatar for a short visit in the Netherlands

Look! My favorite magpie and my reigning girl crush, reunited. All this meeting is missing is even more bling.

Best in Sleeves

Crown Princess Victoria Princess Madeleine

At a seminar

Victoria was fine this week, but let's be honest: the Swede drawing the most attention was her sister, Princess Madeleine.

Attending an awards dinner for the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New York City

Poor love seems to have brought out her sparkly witch costume a touch early - Halloween isn't until October 31st, dear. Alas!

Who raised your sartorial eyebrows last week?

Photos: MujerDelite/Semana/Purepeople/Abaca/BestImage/Sudpresse/PPE/ noordhollandsdagblad/Getty Images

Royal Fashion Awards: Denmark's Parliament Opening, 2011

'Tis the season for parliament openings and pictures of royals desperately trying not to yawn their way through them. Today it was Denmark's turn. It's not a fashion show...until we make it so. Let's go:

Worst Repeat

Queen Margrethe

Alas! Barbie's race car has ridden again. Oh, Marge. Only you.

Best in Class

Princess Benedikte

So simple there's almost nothing to talk about. Sometimes that's all it takes to win the day!

 Most Puzzling Sartorial Math

Crown Princess Mary

Hat: good, little bit of a 40s flair. Coat: good, nice strong color. Dress: black, can't really go wrong there. Three strong components, and yet the whole ends up less than the sum of its parts. It's almost too casual...or something.

Best Anti-Sleeping Photo Device

Princess Marie

If Inspector Gadget were a gangsta...he might employ this method of preventing a photographer from snapping a pic at just the second he chose to rest his eyes during a boring political speech. Marie, on the other hand, just looks like she grabbed from her incognito chapeau closet rather than her princess closet.

Who stood out at today's parliament opening for you?

Photos: PPE/ddp/Kongsted/Purepeople/Abaca/Hanne Juul/Billed-Bladet

Royal Fashion Awards: Prinsjesdag 2011

Ready for some Dutch fun today, my friends? It's time for Prinsjesdag, where Queen Beatrix gives her annual speech, Parliament's session is opened, the ladies wear some of the fanciest outfits they'll sport all year, and we give out some royal fashion awards:

Best Effort

Queen Beatrix

The Queen Bee turned up in her regular uniform of upholstery fabric with a spaceship on top. But look, she's added some flair for the occasion: a lion's mane of feathery whatnot. You have to appreciate the effort, at least.

Worst Contrast

Princess Máxima

My favorite magpie compensated for the fact that she's not allowed to wear a tiara with a dress covered in sparkly glass beads, which she inexplicably topped with Indiana Jones's hat. I know Indy dresses mostly in dull dirt-covered beige, but this is more of a washed out shade of seafoam.

Most Tame

Princess Laurentien

She's almost unrecognizable, this is so tame. I mean, she does appear to have a sand dollar complete with sea refuse on her head, but still: this is tame. In fact, both she and Máxima are totally boring me today. Where's the color, ladies?

Best Color

Princess Margriet

Here we go. Thank heavens for Princess Margriet, who must psychically know just what we need and just when we need it. Automatic best-dressed of the day.

Who's catching your eye at Prinsjesdag this year?

Photos: Daylife/Reuters/Lehtikuva/PPE/Nieboer/ddp/Langbehn

Royal Fashion Awards: The Red Cross Ball 2011

The annual Red Cross Ball in Monaco was held last night: scene of Stephanie's superhero attempt last year, scene this year of Princess Charlene's Grand Debut. Let's investigate...

Best Try

Princess Charlene

She tried, you guys. She wore a color! (Fuchsia, Akris, love it.) She wore the Ocean Tiara, just like she said she would...only she didn't wear it in her hair (not that she was expected to, but that's never stopped me from whining in the past), and the lines just do not go with that dress, and it most especially does not go with that tragic makeup job. Poor Charlene.

Best in Stephanie

Princess Stephanie

On anyone else, this would elicit one of my tired drapery/bedding/lingerie snipes. But in this case: her cleavage is contained, her skin seems to be a slightly lighter shade than usual, and it's not a tinfoil dress mullet. Sometimes you have to judge things on the Stephanie Scale.

Best Scapegoat

Princess Caroline

I know what's happening here. I've figured this one out. Here it is: Caroline's seen all the headlines about the supposed sad state of her brother's union, and she decided to take action. She thought she'd give the newlyweds a reprieve from the body language speculation by distracting everyone with this dress. They'll be so busy trying to figure out what in couture hell I've done, they'll pay no attention to Albie and Char! This is the sartorial equivalent of jumping up and down, waving your arms, and setting off fireworks. She's a fashion martyr. What a good sister, eh?

Best of the Rest

The Wittstocks

Look who else turned up: Melanie de Massy (left) looking slightly unfortunate in black, and her mother Elisabeth-Anne de Massy (center, the daughter of the late Princess Antoinette), lovely in blue. But as with the wedding, the Wittstocks (right) win this category. Charlene's brother Gareth and a lady that I have seen identified as his companion and sometimes as his fiancée were in attendance, both looking dashing.

Who was your best dressed for the night?

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife

Royal Fashion Awards: Prinsjesdag 2010

The Dutch royal family was out in force today for Prinsjesdag (where Queen Beatrix gives a budget speech and opens a new year of parliament).  This event has a most curious dress code: the ladies wear long dresses along with their orders - but with hats.  Every year I cross my fingers in the hopes that they'll just go ahead and upgrade to a full-on tiara event, but you know me - any royal event without bling is a missed opportunity indeed.  (Priorities, people.)  Well, we'll work with what we have...

Most True to Form

Perhaps Beatrix should adopt this mixed dress code for her every day (and night) wear - she always seems to look her best for Prinsjesdag.  She's working a very flattering silhouette here.  Sure, you've got your standard UMO (Unidentified Millinery Object) topping the whole thing off, but without that nobody would recognize her.

Best Museum Steal

Maxima must be pilfering from the nearest sartorial exhibition, because this is straight up My Fair Lady.  In fact, change the color and make that hat a little larger and you'd have an extra fresh from the set of the Black and White Ascot.  Or maybe I just have to envision her as a character because the sheer daintiness of this outfit is so unexpected.  What's she done with the big, bold Maxima that we've come to expect?  Maybe that's what the hat's all about.

Most Retina-Searing

Where are my complimentary sunglasses, Laurentien?  That's a whole lotta pink.  Throw in the orange sash and you've got a seizure of color so potent it should come with a medical warning. 

Worst Absence

Mabel.  Sadly, she does not attend Prinsjesdag (or at least she hasn't that I'm aware of - I'm sure one of you lovelies will correct me if I'm wrong here).  Man, just think of the craziness she'd bring to an event like this...

Best Way to Show 'Em How It's Done

Princess Margriet knows what's up, see.  She doesn't need a costume or anything capable of giving the crowd an epileptic seizure to steal this show.  Simple, flattering, appropriate, and a win without competition.  Well done.

Who won this year's Prinsjesdag fashion stakes for you?