Royal Fashion Awards: Garter Day 2013

Monday was Garter Day in Great Britain, the annual meeting of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. The Knights and Ladies of the Garter swan about in the most royal outfits of the year and their guests get all hatted up - it's an irresistibly royal occasion.

Best in Escorts

Da Queen

Video: The Queen at Garter Day

What's a girl to do at a second big event without her hubby? Recruit a handsome gent for either side, of course: the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge walked with the Queen in the procession. She rode back in the open carriage with Charles and Camilla. (More details on the outfit and jewels can be found at the Vault.)

Best in Refreshment

The Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Cornwall

Left to Right: the Duchess of Cornwall, the Countess of Wessex, the Duchess of Gloucester

I was pretty starved for some non-blush, non-beige looks following the Trooping, and couldn't help but find some much-needed refreshment in Camilla's brights and Sophie's darks. (Wasn't quite starved enough to miss mentioning the Duchess of Gloucester's perma-repeat, though.)

Though they didn't give us much in the way of color, there were some interesting looks on Lady Sarah Chatto (in her standard retro schtick...a perma-repeat I don't mind at all, go figure), Viscountess Linley (in some serious skirt volume), and Lady Helen Taylor (in, wow, the best pair of hat antlers I have ever seen) - click here to see via my Twitter friend @gabeyslave, who was lucky enough to be present for the procession and shared some fun insider glimpses!

Best in Capes

The Prince of Wales

L to R: the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Kent. Not pictured but present: the Duke of Gloucester.

I usually end up giving this one to a royal lady (well, they are the only ones with serious earring bling), but I'm going with Charles this year...followed closely by Anne, because old habits die hard. All history aside, these sorts of getups can look silly unless you wear them with confidence, and I think the PR and the PoW do it best of this lot. 

Most Missed

Princess Alexandra of Kent

The Duke of Edinburgh was absent, of course - he was released from the hospital, though, so that's looking good - but we have another key royal missing here: Princess Alexandra, the Queen's cousin. She's been suffering from polymyalgia rheumatica and has been cancelling engagements for some time now. I miss her and her effortless royal elegance, especially in her Garter robes.

Who was your favorite Garter Day participant?

Photos: WPA Pool/Getty Images

Runway to Royal: The Dutch Inauguration

I said we were done with coverage of King Willem-Alexander's inauguration, but...uh...I lied. Because while we talked about the outfits, and the jewels, and a few of the designers (Jan Taminiau and Jan Taminiau!), we didn't talk about the rest of the designers. Today, a round up of some of the identified designers we haven't already covered in depth - and feel free to add additional designers in the comments!

Apart from Taminiau, Natan was the designer that got the most mentions during our previous coverage. A custom version of a previous look was provided for Queen Máxima for the abdication, and bespoke outfits (and capes) for the little princesses were made - the modifications to the basic design were picked out by the princesses themselves. Natan also provided couture looks for Princess Laurentien and Princess Mathilde for the inauguration, and both paired them with Fabienne Delvigne hats.

But Natan wasn't the sole dresser for these ladies: for the abdication, the princesses wore matching off-the-rack dresses from Pili Carrera. Princess Laurentien also wore dresses from Hardies in The Hague, and Olvi's brand.

Another Dutch designer who fared very well at the festivities was Addy van den Krommenaker, who did quite a few dresses for Queen Beatrix's sisters and their families. Modekoningin Máxima had great coverage of the festivities from a Dutch fashion perspective, including the eagle eyes for all these and Laurentien's designers.

Unsurprisingly, Princess Mabel stuck with her wedding gown designers, Viktor & Rolf. Her red gown is actually a repeat. Though it was reported that the bow on her inauguration dress came from the wedding gown, it looks like that's not true - though the inspiration for the selection seems clear.

Also unsurprisingly, Valentino made several appearances. Máxima repeated an older gown, while Mette-Marit (always a Valentino fan) and Sheikha Mozah had new couture to show off. The Qatari royal family actually bought the Italian fashion house a while ago, so I suppose you could say she was representing the home team.

The Duchess of Cornwall was dressed in bespoke Bruce Oldfield, and wore a repeated Philip Treacy fascinator to the inauguration. Princess Letizia was dressed by Felipe Varela, including a repeated navy gown. This is yet another un-shocker...I picture her closet as row after row of Varela garment bags with, like, some Mango bags stuffed in the back. Her hat - now that was something different, you can count on one hand the number of times we've seen her in a fancy hat - was from Maria Nieto.

Crown Princess Mary represented Denmark well, in bespoke Birgit Hallstein (thanks to the commenter that linked to Hallstein's Facebook page featuring shots of the gown in progress), Charlotte Lynggaard, and a repeated Jesper Høvring gown. Crown Princess Mette-Marit found her fix of long printed gowns at Giambattista Valli for the pre-inauguration dinner.

Elie Saab was represented by Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie and Crown Princess Victoria, who repeated an older gown. Victoria also threw in some Escada for the ceremony, paired with a Philip Treacy hat, and bejeweled Jenny Packham with a By Malina coat to wrap it up.

Who had the best designer-to-royal match?

Photos: ANP/Natan/Getty Images/NOS/Pili Carrera/DutchPhotoPress/PPE/Viktor&Rolf/Style.com/Jesper Høvring/Elie Saab

Weekly Royal Fashion Awards: November 4-11

Well, kids, it appears we're still on the mend from last week's monochromatic blergh extravaganza, but there's reason to rejoice: at least this week, we got a bit of sparkle.

Best in Black

The Duchess of Cambridge

Celebrating the University of St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Appeal; Remembrance Day with the rest of the royal family

Kate didn’t get a chance to contribute to last week’s black and white theme, so she pitched in this week with her repeated Temperley gown. She was just getting prepped for Remembrance Day, where black is required and repeats are most welcome. I do appreciate her effort, at least, with the red clutch to match her red poppy pin in the evening. (For those unfamiliar, Remembrance Day is held to honor those that lost their lives in armed conflict, and the poppy is the symbol for remembrance thanks to the poem "In Flanders Fields". More little details: the Duchess is wearing a crystal poppy brooch, the Countess of Wessex is wearing the badge of the 5th Battalion The Rifles of which she is Royal Colonel, and the Queen is wearing the Dorset Bow Brooch.)

Best in Navy

Princess Letizia

Opening the El Canon del Boom literary congress; visiting Caspe

Navy or tan, navy or tan, I pick…Felipe’s pink tie.

Best in Gold

Crown Princess Mary

Attending a concert at Fredensborg Palace with the rest of the royal family

Love this sparkly little repeat. It’s like another (different) take on the gold she wore for Princess Estelle’s christening, and the jacket made a tiara appearance earlier this year. Plus, it’s more festive than Marie’s rather somber outfit, and dressier than Daisy in her flowing pantsuit. (At least Margrethe's got her role as Dorothy in the royal Golden Girls all sealed up. And, bonus: her version of Dorothy comes with a slipper-wearing beau.) Mary's been on a trip too, and we'll talk about that tomorrow.

Best in Red

Princess Máxima

Visiting Istanbul

Red! And emeralds to boot...I guess she's getting ready for Christmas.

And an Honorable Mention to…

Princess Madeleine

Attending the presentation of the Raoul Wallenberg Civic Courage Award in New York City – her first official engagement with her fiancé

I’m not completely sure this dress isn’t just someone’s repurposed mummy costume from Halloween, but she sure does look happy to be officially on the arm of Mr. Chris there. Bonus points for good hair.

Who made your best list last week?

Photos: Getty Images/Purepeople/Abaca/Dutch Photo Press/Star/BestImage

Royal Trip Report: Charles and Camilla's Last Jubilee Tour, Part 1

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are on their last Diamond Jubilee tour of the year, this time in the southern hemisphere. They began with a couple days in Papua New Guinea and are currently in Australia. Now, we have to be honest here: sartorially, this is not as exciting a tour as others have been (well, it's not to me, at least). I suppose it's largely to do with the warmer climate in their first stop at least, but Camilla's been particularly low key so far. So we'll catch up with some highlights via video, because even when the fashion's not fascinating, the meat of the tour lives on. (It's true, but don't tell anyone I said it.)

They did sport some local treasures they were given while in Papua New Guinea: they were both presented with orders from the country on arrival, which they wore at the state dinner held in their honor (though here, as we saw on the Cambridge tour, a state dinner does not mean tiaras or other real bling), and Camilla proudly wore a necklace with a large mother of pearl shell given to her by a local woman.

Charles did get in the spirit, speaking a little of the pidgin language. He deserves some applause for sporting a full uniform in the heat - note that Camilla is never without her fan or the tiny parasol that accompanies her whenever these two take on a steamy climate.

Next, the couple moved on to Australia. So far in the trip, I think Camilla's best appearance was at the Melbourne Cup - hatted and tidy as can be. Like a little taste of Ascot in November.

Of course, as we see at the end of that video, encounters with animals of the adorable kind will best just about any sartorial appearance. In case you need further proof:

The last couple days in Australia, the fashion of the tour has had an interesting twist: it's been Charles with the specially issued sartorial info, not Camilla. He's worn suits made of Australian wool - a nod to the country, the farmers, and the Campaign for Wool of which he is patron.

The tour continues in Australia and then on to New Zealand. Perhaps the Duchess will show us a little nod like Charles did, in her clothes or her jewels before the trip is out. That's part of the fun of these trips, so my fingers are crossed. (The Australian Monarchist League has had a brooch made for her, click here to see. And click here to see a video of the pendant they gifted to the Duchess of Cambridge for her wedding.)

We will catch back up with them towards the end of the tour.

Royal Fashion Awards: Ascot 2012, Day 1

The races at Royal Ascot are in full swing, and the royals may be going with a color coordination strategy this year. The ladies busted out the blues today for the first of five days of hatted fashion fun:

Best Start to the Week

Queen Elizabeth

Throwing a wrench into your Ascot brooch bets right from the start, QEII busted out the massive brooch from her Brazilian Aquamarine parure which we don't get to see so often on day duty. I hope this isn’t the only surprise Liz has in store for us this week…

Best in Déjà Vu

The Duchess of Cornwall

Oh, Camilla. When she gets a good outfit (and this one, just seen at the Thames pageant, is), she just runs with it. Even when it makes her look like she only has a handful of outfits in her closet total and breaks the unspoken family color code.

Worst in Walking the Line

Princess Eugenie

There are new dress code rules at Ascot this year, particularly for those in the Royal Enclosure. Fascinators are strictly forbidden, as are miniskirts and puny little straps on your dress. The Ascot powers that be meant business, too: they stationed “Dress Code Attendants” at the gates to judge the riffraff. Leave it to a princess to test the rules in her “it’s a hat but I’ll wear it at a fascinator angle and you can’t stop me, hat police!” chapeau and her “I’ll cover my shoulders but only barely and I won’t make it look good!” dress. What a rebel. Too bad the dress code didn’t specifically address butt ruffles.

Best in Ascot Spirit

The Duchess of Gloucester

Ascot’s supposed to be about nutty hats, but with fascinators out of contention even the only York on point today didn’t bother making a run for it. Birgitte did, though! This is her outfit from William and Kate’s wedding, and the hat’s fierce enough for me to skip right over that ruffle that’s out to strangle our fair duchess. 

Cutest Dress

Princess Haya

Ascot means not just an assortment of Windsors but the always lovely equestrienne Princess Haya of Jordan, wife of Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, coming out to play. Doesn’t she just look so friendly? Anyhoo…that’s a super cute dress (from Dior), and I’m a sucker for anything with a whiff of a full skirt. 

Best Dressed

The Princess Royal

Anne, you do surprise. Best Princess Royal outfit ever? Maybe, maybe; it fits like a glove and it's not excessively shiny or anything. Even HRH herself was pumped for her sartorial success.

Who do you say wins the fashion blue ribbon on day 1?

Photos: Getty Images/WPA Pool/Cozycot/Zimbio/Daylife

Royal Fashion Awards: Garter Day 2012

It's one of the fanciest days of the year for the Windsors: Garter Day, the annual service for the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in England. Between the feathered Knights and Ladies of the Garter and their hatted loved ones, we have lots to admire, so let's get started:

Best in Earrings

Queen Elizabeth

The Queen gets the best deal. She gets the fanciest robe (or mantle) - so fancy she needs two pages to carry it - and she wears the best earrings every year. Funnily enough, I tweeted just on Saturday a request for these very earrings, the Crown rubies. I even said pretty please, and it did the trick. Gor-ge-ous, and that's not even coming from a ruby lover.

Best in Other Jewels

The Duchess of Cornwall

And now I'm officially in seventh heaven, because Camilla wore one of my favorite pieces from her jewel box: this amazing pink choker. I'll just be over here, dead. Wake me when someone puts a tiara on.

Best in Repeats

The Countess of Wessex

Left to Right: The Countess of Wessex, the Duchess of Cambridge

There were plenty of repeats among the ladies observing the ceremony today, but these two wore the most recognizable ones: Sophie in her outfit from Mike and Zara's wedding, and Kate in her coat from last year's Trooping the Colour. I like them both, but I'm digging Sophie's new hat a little more than Kate's. Must be that rakish pirate angle.

Best in Blue

The Duchess of Gloucester

Birgitte Gloucester here stood out in the sea of neutrals in her fresh blue, and she looked ever so lovely. Note that she too is bringing some necklace eye candy for us, bless her heart.

Best in Proud Mums

Viscountess Linley

L to R: Viscountess Linley, Lady Sarah Chatto

Viscountess Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto were present today because their sons, Charles Armstrong-Jones and Arthur Chatto, served as the Queen's pages (that's them in the photo with the Queen above). Lady Sarah broke her streak of attending major royal events in her black and white New Look chic...and I wish she hadn't, though I applaud her brooch effort and her non-fascinator hat. This one goes to Serena Linley.

Best in Knights and Ladies

The Princess Royal

L to R: The Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex

L to R: The Princess Royal, the Duke of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent

Here we are, last but never least, the rest of the royal members of the Order of the Garter. Princess Anne tickled my fancy the most this year. She just seemed especially chuffed to be wearing a feather bigger than yours.

Who makes your best dressed list at Garter Day this year?

Photos: WPA Pool/Getty/Zimbio/Daily Mail

Royal Fashion Awards: The Thanksgiving Jubilee Service

The final event of the official jubilee weekend was a service at St. Paul's Cathedral followed by receptions and a balcony appearance. Though Prince Philip's absence was strongly felt, it was a wonderful event - and there were plenty of wonderful fashions (and diamonds). Let's get to it:

Best in Jumpy Claps

Queen Elizabeth

She did it!! She wore the Cullinan III and IV brooch, rocking 158 carats of diamonds (as you do). That’s my jumpy claps for the year, then. I don’t even care about the rest of the outfit, but for those of you that do, she sported a mint green concoction by Angela Kelly of tulle embroidered with star shaped flowers and silver thread with a chiffon drape studded with Swarovski crystals. It rather reminded me of a super hero’s cape, which I thought was quite fitting.

Best of the Best

The Duchess of Cambridge

Left to Right: the Countess of Wessex, Princess Eugenie, the Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Sarah Chatto, Lady Frederick Windsor

I asked and I wished for something fabulous and new from Sophie and once again my dreams have come true; I’m particularly loving her jaunty Robin Hood chapeau. Eugenie’s in purple, so obviously she makes the list (we all have our weaknesses); Lady Sarah’s her normal sophisticated self which I die for every time (and I do believe the lady was rocking some diamonds herself); and Lady Frederik (Sophie #2, if you like) had some great detailing under that coat. But Kate came out on top in her lace McQueen. I thought she was – if I may be blunt – chic as hell.

Best in Kids

A Tie

L to R: Lady Louise Windsor, Margarita Armstrong-Jones

 Lady Louise and Margarita, a double dose of precious. No point in choosing a winner here!

Fanciest Hat

Lady Helen Taylor

L to R: the Princess Royal, Autumn Phillips, Lady Helen Taylor, Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent

 Camilla (as we will see) did her best to run away with the major hat glory, but she failed thanks to these ladies. A turquoise bird met an untimely end on Anne’s head, while her daughter-in-law Autumn seems to have let gravity get the best of her with the tipped angle of the side flower on her hat. The Kent ladies, Princess Michael and Princess Alexandra, went the large but elegant route, but it was another Kent lady that ran away with the prize: Lady Helen. I don’t even know what is happening up there, but she can go right on with her fur-wearing, crazy hat bearing self.

Best of the Rest

The Duchess of Gloucester

L to R: Viscountess Linley, Lady Nicholas Windsor, the Duchess of Gloucester and the Countess of Ulster, Lady Rose Gilman, (above) the Countess of St. Andrews, (below) Julia Ogilvy

 A spot of elegance from a selection of lesser-known Windsors. I’m loving the Duchess the most, if only because she hasn’t pulled another repeat from the last big royal event.

Worst Dressed

Zara Phillips

L to R: the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Beatrice, Zara Phillips, the Duchess of Kent

Camilla’s outfit looks fine in pictures, but in movement at the service it looked so heavy and stiff, I can’t give it any love. Beatrice had the opposite problem in my eyes: I liked the glimpses I saw in action, but now I can see we have a droopy situation on our hands (she did sport some fierce shoes, to be fair). The Duchess of Kent made a rare appearance and though I’m happy to see her…that is just not the outfit for her. The worst, however, goes to Zara, who seems to be a genie just a little too squished into her bottle. This is not the fierce Zara that I adore so.

UPDATE: By overwhelming popular demand, I present to you the royal men and their morning dress. (This is not all the men, but it is most of them.)

Best in Men

The Prince of Wales

L to R: the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex

I have much love for all the men, but nobody puts it together quite like Charles: the trim, the accessories…the man has style. And yes, he and his sons also have top hats for the carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace.

And for that reason, William and Harry take the next top two spots.

L to R: Tim Laurence, Peter Phillips, Mike Tindall, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent

L to R: Lord Nicholas Windsor, Tim Taylor, Prince Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor, Viscount Linley, Charles Armstrong-Jones

I will give the fourth spot to Prince Michael, for being the only other royal to display a bit of that same style Prince Charles rocks so well. Panache, I say. Well played.

Who makes your best and worst dressed lists?

P.S.: Should you find yourself lost in the midst of the extended Windsor family, I'll point you in the direction of an illustrated guide to the Windsors I posted in advance of William and Kate's wedding.

Photos:  Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife/Zimbio/WPA Pool/Newspix/Belga/Profimedia/Daily Mail

Royal Fashion Awards: The Thames River Pageant

A landmark celebration for the Diamond Jubilee today: a flotilla of 1,000 boats on the Thames in a magnificent parade for Her Majesty. It was cold and rainy, but do you think that stopped our fair royals from turning out in style? No!

Best Diamond Girl

Queen Elizabeth

A one of a kind outfit for a one of a kind event! Made of course by Angela Kelly (and reported to have taken a year to plan and create), this is one impressive description: white bouclé with a silk organza frill, threaded with silk ribbon and embroidered with gold, silver and ivory paillettes with Swarovski crystal embellishment. The hat, including hand dyed feathers, sweeps up to make sure everyone can see Her Majesty’s smiling face – and to echo the waves of the Thames. And to top it off, she pinned the Jardine Star Brooch on her shoulder. I thought she looked gorgeous.

Best Queen Mum Impression

The Duchess of Cornwall

What do you get when you let Philip Treacy's brain run wild in the late Queen Mother's hat collection? This, methinks. Her long Anna Valentine coat in cream with lovely detailing is just a touch more elegant, though.

Best Use of Red

The Duchess of Cambridge

Taking full advantage of the one day in the year when red is actually the wallflower color choice (seriously, did you see that boat?), Catherine rocked her crimson McQueen. Bonus points for the Strathearn tartan scarf in her hand (she’s the Countess of Strathearn) and for the seafaring brooch with twin silver dolphins given to her by the Royal Navy Submarine Service, of which her hubby is Commodore in Chief. (So now we have polar bears and dolphins…what will be next in the Duch’s zoo-themed brooch collection? Crossing my fingers for a sloth.)

Best Spirit

All These Ladies

Left to right: the Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and the Duchess of Gloucester (Bea and Eug appeared at a street party, then donned coats for the boat)

 These ladies just looked like they were having the most fun of all on their boat, waving like maniacs with flags included and capturing everything with their mobiles. (Precisely what I would do and so would you - don't lie.) Must be good to draw the party boat assignment. So we’ll reward that, since a lot of what I see here is more worthy of a worst dressed list, I’m afraid.

Best in Bundled Up

Princess Michael of Kent

 

Can’t knock a girl for dressing for the cold and wet weather! You go on, Marie Christine.

Best in Kids

Lady Louise Windsor

L to R: Lady Louise Windsor, Viscount Severn (children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex)

Flags and Union Jack colors? Perfect! 

Best in Uniform

Everybody!

L to R: the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Earl of Wessex

L to R: the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Prince Michael of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester

 I can’t be forced to pick a favorite today, you know what shiny things do to my attention span and LOOK at all those medals. I was especially delighted to see William back in his RAF uniform after several appearances in his Irish Guards uniforms, though I can’t help but wish he would have made it an occasion for his Navy uniform (my favorite of them all).

Who do you say wins this river pageant?

Photos: Getty Images/Daylife/Hello/PA/Reuters/Rex

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mary, 20-26 May

1. a) The christening of Princess Athena, 20 May, b) wearing Project D.
2. The christening of Princess Estelle, 22 May. An excellent set of christening appearances, if you ask me. I have come down firmly on the "like" side when it comes to outfit #1 there.
3. Attending a concert of the Royal Life Guards Band, 24 May, wearing bits of the ruby parure again! I approve of this strategy.
4. a) Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Danneborg royal yacht, 26 May, b) wearing Baum und Pferdgarten. Ahoy, matey! Nautical indeed.

Photos: Zimbio/Purepeople/Abaca

Royal Fashion Awards: Princess Estelle's Christening

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel christened their first child, Princess Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, Duchess of Östergötland, in Sweden amidst great fanfare (quite different than Princess Athena’s christening, this one was a true royal event for a future queen). Plenty of foreign royals attended, which makes sense when you tally up how many of their children Victoria is godmother to. Miraculously, everyone seems to have managed to dig out largely tasteful getups for the day.

Cutest of the Day

Princess Estelle and Her Wee Sash

Estelle with her parents. The riband of the Order of the Seraphim was added during the ceremony.

Oh, good grief. They put a sash on the baby, just to make me die from the cute. YOU WIN, SWEDEN. Estelle was given the Order of the Seraphim on her big day, which she wore over the royal family’s traditional christening gown. While everyone around her melted, Estelle herself was not that impressed. She probably realized her ensemble was missing a baby tiara.

Best in Family

Crown Princess Victoria

Left to Right: Queen Silvia of Sweden (with King Carl Gustaf), Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Ewa Westling (with Olle Westling - Daniel's parents)

Well this is a well turned out little pastel family, don’t you agree? Obviously I have to give it to the mom on duty. I’m not sure about her hat, which I’m pretty sure would be a forehead-bolter if this were Britain and she were a York, but her pink Elie Saab makes up for it by flattering her in every way. Grandmothers Silvia and Ewa managed to pick exactly what would suit them, while I can’t help but think Madeleine went a little above her years in her purple ensemble.

Best in Godparents

Crown Princess Mary

L to R: Anna Westling Söderström and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, the Prince of Orange

Truth time: Mary’s only winning this because I couldn’t choose between Haakon and Carl Philip. But I do enjoy a good chevron, and if you throw in a bit of sparkle, I’m officially sold. I’m also loving Anna Westling’s not-a-fascinator hat. Worst dressed among the godparents has to be Willem-Alexander: where is your uniform, sir?! You have missed a chance to be dashing.

Best in Haga Princesses

Princess Désirée

L to R: Princess Christina of Sweden, Princesses Margaretha, Désirée, and Birgitta of Sweden

Growing up at Haga Palace, King Carl Gustaf's four older sisters were nicknamed the Haga princesses. Victoria and Daniel are the new residents at Haga, and the crown princess’ aunts all turned out to see the christening of the first Haga princess of a new generation. I've got to give it to Désirée for being a stand out in red, and taking the risk of a fly away hat.

Worst (Sort of, But Not Really) in Guests

Queen Margrethe

L to R: Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy (with the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg), Queen Margrethe of Denmark (with Prince Henrik), Sofia Hellqvist (girlfriend of Carl Philip)

You know, there weren’t any hot messes to speak of, so the “worst” category…well, it’s all relative. The only one that really got any rise out of my left eyebrow was Margrethe and her print and hat combos. That’s a lot of look, even for our Daisy. These other two just get a limp shrug and a meh out of me. Stephanie did just fine on her first royal outing on her fiancé’s arm, but...eh. (Also, I think that hat might be borrowed from her mother-in-law-to-be.) This was also a big royal debut for Carl Philip’s girlfriend Sofia (plus Madeline’s beau Chris O’Neill), and she made a thoroughly un-noteworthy appearance in this blergh thing.

Best in Guests

Princess Mathilde

L to R: Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (with Ari Behn), Princess Mathilde of Belgium (with Prince Philippe), Princess Máxima of the Netherlands (with Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark)

Of course Máxima joined Désirée as a stand out in red, and you gotta love her for that - but this one goes to Mathilde. Lovely jacket shape, lovely touch of sparkle. An honorable mention goes out to Märtha Louise, who has managed to confine her statement style to major heels alone.

Who made your list of favorites on Estelle’s big day?

Photos: Getty Images/Daylife/AP/Aftonbladet/Purepeople/Abaca