Weekly Royal Fashion Awards: May 12-19

Best in Brights

Queen Máxima

Mathilde visiting IOC Headquarters and opening a new area of Technopolis; Letizia opening an exhibit at the Prado Museum; Máxima attending the annual CGAP meeting, at the Appeltjes van Oranje 2013 award ceremony, and attending a dinner for the International Day Against Homophobia

Bright week for three of our major players, no? Máx gets all my love here. Because Mathilde just had to extend her Kermit suit to those atrocious shoes, and Letizia, well, she's bright for her but she can't play at this glow in the dark level (they both had less bright appearances as well, but meh). Máxima wins both the tame color of the week in her lovely lace, and the brights with her...whatever you call that pink number. If it wasn't Gucci, I'd swear she stole the sleeves from her mother-in-law.

Best in National Pride

Crown Princess Mette-Marit

The Norwegian royal family celebrate on May 17th, Norway's national day

This day always rocks because we get to see Mette-Marit in her bunad (her national dress), and that's ten kinds of lovely. But this year, we also got to see her in purple, which as you know sends me right over the moon. Jumps and claps. 

Prettiest in Pink

Crown Princess Victoria

Opening an exhibit on Princess Estelle's birth and christening, at a concert, and at the publishing of the banns of marriage for Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill with the families

Victoria was so lovely this past week, in all her shades of pink, was she not? So much so that she outshone her sister at her own event - I mean, not literally outshone, because Madeleine's Pär Engsheden creation took care of that with the fabric choice, but still. (And yes, should you need some cute, on Monday Princess Estelle - and the rest of the Swedish royal family, but c'mon, we know who the star of the show is - welcomed their world champion ice hockey team to the palace. Click here for a gallery.)

And an Honorable Mention to...

The Danish Royal Family

A gathering was held this weekend to celebrate the confirmation of Prince Nikolai, oldest son of Prince Joachim and his first wife, Alexandra. Look how they all color coordinated in their blues - now that's teamwork.

Who was your best-dressed last week?

Photos: Getty Images/Photonews/Nieuwsblad/ANP/DutchPhotoPress/Stella Pictures/NTB Scanpix/BestImage/Steen Brogaard/Kongehuset

Readers' Top 10 Wedding Gowns: #1. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Well, here we are: the end. We’ve counted down your top 10 royal wedding gowns (which, as it turned out, totals up to 11 dresses), and we’ve reached the top. The wedding gown with more votes than any other is the one worn by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to marry Daniel Westling on June 19, 2010.

I was not at all surprised to see Victoria included on many of your lists as your votes rolled in; and yet, somehow when everything was tallied up I ended up shocked that she topped the lot. But the more I think about it, the more I get it. Here’s my theory: this is the bridal ensemble with something for everyone.

If you like a simple gown, not too heavy on the embellishment, the dress itself is right up your alley. Designed by Swedish designer (and past Victoria favorite) Par Engsheden, it’s made of cream duchess silk satin. The rounded collar is nearly off the shoulder and includes small sleeves, which makes for a nice compromise between the required modesty and the summer weather – an important consideration when the wedding day included a carriage ride and boat ride, as well as an outdoor speech to the crowds. A sash at the waist transitions the dress to the slim line skirt with a small incorporated train. At the back, the rounded collar ends in a v shape and buttons close the dress. A nearly 5 meter (16 foot) detachable train extends from the waist, and includes a small amount of embellished detail around its edge.

On the other hand, if lace is what makes you go weak at the knees, Victoria's got you covered there too: she wore the Bernadotte family heirloom lace veil. It's been passed down through the family since Queen Sofia and was also worn by her mother, her grandmother, and assorted aunts.

If you’re here for the tiara, you can’t make much more of a statement than the Cameo Tiara, a beautiful historical piece dating back to Empress Joséphine. Like the veil, this is also the stuff of Swedish royal wedding tradition: it was worn by a couple of her aunts, plus her mother on her wedding day. (Victoria also wore the bracelet and earrings from the accompanying parure.) It’s not for everyone, the Cameo Tiara, but I don’t think it’s ever looked better. It was a real crown for a future queen.

 

See? Something for everyone, I think. And it holds up successfully when it comes to some of the often repeated requirements for a best royal wedding gown that you all laid out:

• Many of you required a sense of national pride, and in addition to the veil and tiara which have deep ties to the royal history of Sweden, she chose a Swedish designer.
• Others asked for an ensemble rich with royal history and family memories, and the veil and tiara take care of that front too.
• You wanted a bride that was looking her absolute best, and I don’t think Victoria’s ever been more radiant and stylish than she was on her wedding day.
• Also, she was happy. Not a technical quality on which to evaluate a gown, no, but we’re human and this is for fun, not for science. Victoria’s very well liked, and the popularity factor can’t go unnoticed.

Put it all together, and you have a recipe for the #1 royal wedding gown.

What puts this gown in the Top 10 for you? 

The rest of the countdown is available by clicking here. How do you think the results shaped up? Any surprises?

Photos: Kungahuset/Svenskdam/SVP/Getty Images

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

Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 4-10 December

Here's what Victoria wore from 4-10 December:

1. Attending a meeting on the 2011 Nobel Prize laureates, 5 December.
2. Lunch at the palace for a politician, 6 December. Legit boots instead of shooties? I'll take it!
3. a and b) The Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony, 10 December. Though I originally called it as Elie Saab, and others thought perhaps Malene Birger, it is indeed a Pär Engsheden creation. Doesn't matter, I still love it, and I love this too:

Baby's first Nobel! Awww.

Photos: Kungahuset/Daylife/Getty Images/SVT/Style.com

Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 13-19 June

Here's what Crown Princess Victoria wore the week of 13-19 June:

1. Gym visit, plus a party at Madeleine's apartment, 15 June.
2. Cathedral visit, 16 June.
3. County Governors Dinner, 16 June.  Roger Vivier shoes.
4. Cathedral visit, 17 June.
5. Private wedding dinner at Drottningholm, 17 June, a) on the Elie Saab runway, and b) in action.  Repeat from those fantastic portraits released early this year.
6. Cathedral Visit, 18 June.
7. Government reception, 18 June.  Also Elie Saab Spring 2010 Couture.
8. Pre-wedding dinner and concert, 18 June, a) on the red carpet, and b) on the Elie Saab runway.
9. The wedding, 19 June.  Oh, did you forget that was this week?  Good thing I reminded you.

Ho-hum, just another week in the life of a Crown Princess.

Best and Best of the Week

 I tried to name a worst of the week, I really did, but the closest I came was #6, and there's nothing wrong with it.  Seriously, if that's the worst you can do, you deserve 2 bests. 

Victoria and Daniel are on their honeymoon now, and they don't have anything scheduled until 21 August (hell of a honeymoon, huh?), so it might be a while before we have another week in review post for Victoria.  

Photos: Reuters/Daylife/Scanpix/Aftonbladet/John Foremost/Camera Press/Marcio Madeira/Expressen

Crown Princess Victoria's Wedding: The Dress

Oh man, I'm feeling the urge to redo my Top 10 best royal wedding dresses.  I loved, loved this from the second Victoria stepped out of the car.  Pär Engsheden, just as we all suspected, was the man placed in charge of the most anticipated dress of the year, and he pulled out a winner.

The dress was cream-colored duchess silk satin.  The rounded collar was turned down all the way around, ending in a v-shape in the back, where the dress was fastened with buttons covered in silk.  A cummerbund-style sash emphasized Victoria's waist (she just looks so good in anything that highlights her waist, doesn't she?), and it looks like the sash was possibly separate from the dress itself.  The short sleeves were perfect for keeping modesty in the church but also for the June weather, since they spent a lot of time outdoors during the course of the day.

The skirt itself fell into a short train, manageable enough for the reception and dancing (excuse the poor quality screen cap on the right, I can't find a professional picture showing it well enough):

And for the ceremony, a nearly 5 meter (16 foot) long detachable train was added.  It attached from the waist, and had a border detail to it.

The train followed the shape of the veil, which is the traditional Swedish bridal veil.  Queen Sofia's lace veil was first worn in 1932, and was worn by Queen Silvia at her wedding in 1976.

Of course, the veil wasn't the only traditional accessory Victoria wore.  The Cameo tiara was the odds-on favorite in bridal tiara guesses, and as suspected Victoria followed through with tradition and wore it just as her mother and two of her father's sisters had.  She also wore the earrings and bracelet that go with the Cameo parure (so happy she didn't spring for the necklace, too!).

I have to say, this is the way to wear the Cameo.  This Napoleanic-era antique is such a statement piece (to say the least), you have to give it room to breathe.  Having a more open neckline and leaving the veil to the back (rather than Silvia's bunched up effect) made this outing much more successful than its last royal wedding display:

I thought the simple bridesmaid dresses carried through with Victoria's dress style, but also were a little reminiscent of Silvia's own dress.  Great touch, especially since June 19 was the King and Queen's wedding anniversary too.

Finally, the bride carried a bouquet of multiple varieties of white flowers, and wore custom shoes in the same silk as the dress with a bejeweled buckle by Roger Vivier.

Seriously, I love everything about it.  I had my fingers crossed Victoria would continue her recent streak of sartorial wins down the aisle, and she came through.  Gown of the year indeed.

What did you think of The Dress?

Photos: Daylife/All Over Press/Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images/svt

Meet Pär Engsheden

The Swedish Royal Court has been absolutely mum on Victoria’s wedding dress. Even the designer has remained a secret, but most are guessing the honor will go to Sweden’s own Pär Engsheden. Some have speculated that she might go with a foreign designer (her mother was married in Christian Dior, and she and her stylist were spotted making private visits to some Parisian houses), but Victoria herself once said she’s like to have a Swedish designer make her dress, and Pär is the only one on the official guest list.

If true, it wouldn’t be a surprising choice: Engsheden has become one of the Bernadotte ladies’ go-to gown providers. There have been hits, and there have been...question marks, such as the night Madeleine’s cleavage won several Nobel Awards of its own (popularly known as “the Baywatch dress”).

More Par creations:

Clearly, this is a guy that likes a statement; if he can’t make it in color, in what other form might it manifest itself?