Tiara Watch: A State Visit in Denmark

Last week Queen Margrethe and her family welcomed the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, and his wife, Jenni Haukio, for a state visit because it's about time the tiaras had a little lap around the track, some fresh air and exercise. But first: hats!

The airport arrival, left to right: Crown Prince Frederik (partially obscured), Crown Princess Mary, Princess Marie, Prince Joachim (behind), Princess Benedikte, Prince Henrik, Jenni Haukio, Queen Margrethe, President Niinistö. Far right, Crown Princess Mary accompanies the First Lady on a visit to the Royal Danish Fine Arts Academy.

I just love how into state visits the Danish royals get. Who shows up to the airport? Everybody, that's who, including Princess Benedikte and her Carmen Sandiego hat. Margrethe looks every bit the lovely Snow Queen, so long as you omit everything from the ankles on down.

The evening of the first day means gala time! The blue sash you see here is the Order of the White Rose of Finland. Margrethe wore just one section of her Floral Aigrette Tiara, omitting the sections she usually wears on the sides of her hairdo. Mary wore her wedding tiara, which looks a little sad to me now without its pearls, plus a reconfigured blue lace dress. As much as I like that dress, I'm not so sure it's the best background for all the business that needs to be pinned on for these occasions - a bit busy, maybe. I know one thing for sure: someone needs an aquamarine tiara.

The banquet, L to R: Mary, Frederik, Marie, Joachim, Margrethe, Benedikte. Not pictured: Henrik.

Marie in her floral tiara obviously owns a bit of my heart in her purple number (so does Benedikte in Queen Ingrid's Star and Spike Tiara, prison stripes and all), and she's got my interest too, thanks to a little switch up she did with the portrait of Queen Margrethe she wears on her shoulder. Arriving, above, the portrait anchors her sash - but by dinner time, she switched sides (click here to see) to the left, where it is traditionally worn. (But it wouldn't have been the first time someone wore it on the right side for an event; Mary did so at Crown Princess Victoria's wedding, for example.)

The return dinner, L to R: Margrethe, Henrik, the First Lady, the President, Benedikte, Mary. Not pictured: Frederik.

And finally, the President and First Lady held a dinner in return, with no messy pins to worry about. Benedikte held down the elegant fort while Margrethe was...Margrethe, basically, which is sort of like your childhood piano teacher all gussied up for the big recital in her finest white tights. And Mary sported what is apparently the latest in wearable tablecloths from the H&M Conscious Collection.

Who was your state visit best dressed?

Photos: Scanpix/Kongehuset/Lehtikuva/Billed Bladet/Corbis

Weekly Royal Fashion Awards: March 10-16

Best in Additions

The Duke of Cambridge

Video: Presenting shamrocks to the Irish Guards for St. Patrick's Day

The Duchess is very glow-y and happy and hair-up-y and that's all good. But I'm digging Cambridge #2 this week and I have my reasons. First, he has a new addition to his uniformed fanciness - he was just made an Aide-de-Camp to the Queen, and has the gold braid at his shoulder to prove it. And second, glasses (at the Cheltenham Festival).

Best in Purses

Princess Letizia

Attending the Discapnet Awards; at a concert organized by the Prince of Girona Foundation

I like her sparkly clutch. Yes, I'm reaching.

Best in Shoes

Princess Máxima

Attending a meeting; opening an art event (with and without coat); participating in NL Doet volunteering day

Uh...I honestly think the bowling shoes are an improvement over some of her other clunkers.

Best in Effort

Crown Princess Victoria

At the farewell ceremony for the President of Turkey; the return concert hosted by the Turkish president

Again, Victoria's tried a little hair ornamentation...not sure I'm a fan, but A for effort given the circumstances. (We won't be covering Lilian's funeral now, either. Too sad.)

Who did you like last week?

Pssst: Look for a post on the Pope's inaugural mass later in the week!

Photos: Getty Images/SCP/ANP/Parool/All Over Press

Tiara Watch: The Girls on Parade

Yesterday, the Queen and her family welcomed Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait for a state visit to the United Kingdom. Pomp and circumstance and jewels, that's what we're here for!

The welcoming ceremony featured the Queen in one of my favorite brooches, the Williamson Diamond, plus a kicky little hat that falls somewhere between Queen Margrethe and Queen Mary's ghost. Bonus points for the dapper Duke and his top hat (the Prince of Wales sported one too).

And then it was time for the state banquet. This one was at Windsor Castle instead of Buckingham Palace. There's no way around it: this is one dead impressive venue.

Click above for an article and video from the BBC.

And the Queen was bedecked in dead impressive diamonds, including an outing for my favorite tiara, the Girls! Yay! (As always, see the Jewel Vault for the full diamond scoop.)

Another Yay!: we got to see Camilla in the riband of the Royal Victorian Order for the very first time! I do so love a sash. It's just that extra regal touch one's outfit needs. Ribands for everyone! She sported her regular Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara (a.k.a. the Greville Tiara) on top - and I must confess, I had hoped we might see something different since she's all official and sash-ed up now. Perhaps the Delhi Durbar again, or the Teck Crescent, since that's apparently on loan to her. But, no. That'll teach me to get my hopes up with these Brits.

Also in attendance were the left side of the Countess of Wessex's face and the Princess Royal's hair. Sophie's wearing, what, maybe the Five Aquamarine again? I don't see the tell-tale signs of cat ears that usually marks an outing of her wedding tiara, but this is a wonky angle. And I'm thinking that's either the Aquamarine Pineflower or the Meander for Anne. Those Windsors, they build the guessing game right in.

P.S.: This replaces Wedding Wednesday for the day.

Photos: Getty Images

Random Royal Appreciation: Tiaras, Finally

Ugh, I've been feeling so tiara-deprived these past few months. You know, actual multiple tiara events and all that. Luckily, state visit season has once again come around, and we're back in business. The Norwegian royal family welcomed the President of Finland and his wife for a state visit yesterday and the gala dinner provided a much-needed diadem fix.

For Queen Sonja, a nice airing of Queen Josephine's Diamond Tiara - lovely as it is, she doesn't seem to like this one as much as she likes her major emerald tiara, so a sighting always gets jumpy claps from me. She paired it with a repeated white gown which I vastly prefer to some of her larger and louder dresses.

And for Mette-Marit, to top another repeated gown, her regularly repeated Diamond Daisy Tiara. Much as this one suits her, seeing it always makes me wish she had another. Or - wait, because she does have another - that she'd give that one a chance every now and then. (Give me what I want, and still I shall complain. I'm charming like that.)

Photos: Siste/ANB/Lehtikuva

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mary, 10-16 June

1. Coastal hiking with the Danish Heart Foundation, 10 June. I love it when Mary goes casual. I just do.
2. Revealing a new stamp for charity for the Danish Heart Foundation, 10 June, in such a fun skirt. I love this look. I love this week. Hold on tight, I'm in the mood to gush over Mary, apparently.
3. At a birthday party for the former Court Chief, 11 June. She looks ready to par-tay.
4. Visiting Glostrup Hospital, 13 June.
5. Attending the presentation of the European Inventor Award, 14 June.

6. The welcome ceremony for the Chinese president’s state visit to Denmark, 14 June. Such a pretty color combination, and one of my favorite hats to boot.
7. Dinner for the European Trade Organizations, 14 June. Fantastic detail on this repeated gown.
8. Visiting Rosenborg Palace with the President and First Lady of China, 15 June.
9. Gala banquet, 15 June. Jumpy claps! My favorite dress from 2011 and TIARAS! Bless. I've been feeling so deprived of tiara appearances lately, I just feel we’ve been in a drought.

Nothing terribly surprising though, dress repeats all around and the usual turnout on the tiara front: Mary in her wedding tiara (her usual pick for an event like this), Marie in her usual floral tiara (ditto, and her only pick until we finally see her debut her second tiara), and Margrethe in the Turquoise Bandeau. The big news is that Marie finally has Margrethe's portrait brooch to wear! It's sort of like a royal family order (though not, technically), click here for more on those. Making it an even 8 grandkids must have done the trick.

Photos: bt/Purepeople/Abaca/Svenskdam

Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 15-21 April

1. State visit from Finland, Day 1, 17 April. Love this little chevron print.
2. a and b) Day 2, 18 April, in the same dress we saw in little Estelle's official pictures, and a Zara coat that I'm probably going to have to have now.

Photos: Lehtikuva/PurePeople/Abaca

Random Royal Appreciation: A Luxembourg Tiara Sighting (and an Engagement!)

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, accompanied by their son the Hereditary Grand Duke, have been in Germany for a state visit, where they did typical state visiting things.

Some outfits worn while doing the state visiting things

While you recover from the amazing thoroughness of my event reporting, I'll get to the point: there was a state banquet. A state banquet with tiaras and Elie Saab, also known as my favorite kind of state banquet.

The Grand Duchess wore a Greek goddess Elie Saab number originally featured here back when the frock walked the runway. And just for those of us that care, she brought out one of the rarely used Luxembourg tiaras.

This is a petite bandeau of large warm yellow-orange citrine or topaz oval stones separated by arcs of pearls. Interesting combo, no? And it even comes with a matching parure. We don't see this very often - it was last spotted on Maria Teresa's daughter Princess Alexandra on National Day - but it's quite the example of how versatile the Luxembourg collection is. You can see the tiaras that MT's worn (which is not even the whole collection) here.

And then they came home from Germany, and dropped some major royal news: Guillaume is engaged! The Hereditary Grand Duke will marry Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy later this year. Luxarazzi has a lovely bio of our future Hereditary Grand Duchess. The engagement isn't a huge surprise, since Guillaume publicly acknowledged a relationship during interviews for his 30th birthday last November.

Congrats to the happy couple! They have now been added to our roster of upcoming royal weddings, which coincidentally also includes two of Guillaume's cousins.

UPDATE: The couple have met with the press, dignitaries, and family.

With the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess

With Prince Félix (left), Prince Louis and Princess Tessy (right)

And the cute countess showed off her ring!

If Guillaume picked that out, I'm officially, hugely, jealous that she snagged him. Love love love it!

Photos: Wort/Tageblatt/Daylife/Reuters/Profimedia/Cour Grand-Ducale/Christian Aschman

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 15-21 April

1. Receiving the first copy of an insect cookbook - yeah, if I'm understanding this right, it's a cookbook for cooking insects - at her home, 17 April. Beetle soup for dinner, kids!
2. a and b) Day 1 of the Turkish state visit, 17 April. I'm always in favor of a full skirt, but I can't give a thumbs up to a crinkled Kleenex box cover for a hat.
3. State dinner, 17 April, wearing the Rose Cut Diamond Bandeau and a dress seen previously (click here).

4. Day 2, 18 April. Yes, I'm going to have to declare this whole state visit a millinery fail.
5. Concert on day 2, 18 April. Better than the last time we saw this, I'd say. I like the white shirt.
6. a and b) At a conference in Paris, 19 April. Oh, the shoes.

Photos: Purepeople/Abaca/Daylife/OECD

Random Royal Appreciation: Dueling State Banquets

Well, here's something you don't see often: yesterday, two white tie state banquets were held in two different countries! You know what that means, right? Double the tiaras, my friends.

First up, Sweden welcomed the new President and First Lady of Finland for their traditional first state visit.

Left to Right: Prince Daniel, First Lady Jenni Haukio, King Carl Gustaf, President Sauli Niinistö, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria

Lunch at the palace brought another delightful Victoria appearance, as well as a taste of the Finnish first lady's elegant style. She's lovely, no?

Victoria sat out the state banquet, but Prince Carl Philip joined in on the fun. Queen Silvia looked incredibly elegant in her green velvet top...

...but alas, she wore the Pronger. Again. I think she may have forgotten that she actually has a whole collection of tiaras at her disposal.

Simultaneously, the Dutch royal family welcomed the President and First Lady of Turkey for a state visit.

After a fairly standard welcoming day of events, it was time to fancy it up. The Dutch family has an automatic advantage when it comes to dueling tiara events because they have more candidates in attendance these days.

Group photo, back row, L to R: Princess Máxima, Pieter van Vollenhoven, Princess Margriet (Pieter is her husband). Front row, L to R: Prince Willem-Alexander, First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül, President Abdullah Gül, Queen Beatrix.

Excellent tiara selections here, with Bea in the Pearl Button Tiara, Máx in the Rose Cut Diamond Bandeau, and Margriet in the Sapphire Necklace Tiara (near as I can tell) - if we do have some dubious hair going on. I give the advantage in the dueling state banquets to the Dutch (but am docking serious points for such an awkward group photo setup, sheesh).

Who do you think wins this state banquet duel?

Photos: Kungahuset/Lehtikuva/Dutch Photo Press

Random Royal Appreciation: Queen Beatrix in Luxembourg

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Grand Duke Henri and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg kick off the Dutch state visit

Queen Beatrix is on a state visit to Luxembourg at the moment, a country (and royal family) with which she has numerous close ties. She's traveling without her usual state visit partners in crime Willem-Alexander and Máxima, but she's found a friend just as sparkly in Grand Duchess Maria Teresa.

The state banquet

Tiaras (the larger Luxembourg floral tiara for MT, Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara for Bea) and sparkly dresses (including Elie Saab) and gents in uniform? That's, like, all my favorite things in one place. This was one blinding state banquet - click here to see a video clip.

Concert on day 2

The second night was not so grand, but I am still noting with glee that Maria Teresa appears to have a hairdresser - quite a step for a lady known for plopping a tiara on any old loose hair.

Other visit outfits from the ladies

While Bea has been, well, her usual sartorial self, I'm thoroughly impressed with the grand duchess. This is bordering on gold star territory for me, though no doubt many of you will disagree. Somebody's been on an Elie Saab shopping spree, and it's paying off.

Elie Saab on the runway

I feel like we've seen a lot of wraps and other things covering up Maria Teresa's shape lately, and it's nice to see her embrace it. And no one knows how to do that better than Elie Saab - she's even scooped up the blue sequin gown that initially had me thinking Crown Princess Victoria was wearing Saab at the Nobel Prize ceremony in December (she wasn't - it was Pär Engsheden).

The visit ends today.

Photos: Daylife/Reuters/Getty Images/Dutch Photo Press/Style.com

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 10-14 January

Last week, we covered the state visit to the United Arab Emirates from Queen Beatrix, Prince Willem-Alexander, and Princess Máxima. They next headed to Oman for the rescheduled state visit that was cancelled in the wake of protests last year.

1. The arrival and welcome in Oman, 10 January, in a red repeated ruff.
2. State banquet, 10 January, repeating an old Prinsjesdag dress. Keep on reading for tiara dish.
3. Second day in Oman, visiting Port Sohar, 11 January. Ah! Big hat, just like I like it. Can't say I understand the need for green accessories, but I'll get over it on the basis of the fabulousness of that hat.
4. Still on the second day, 11 January.
5. Final day in Oman, visiting a mosque, 12 January. I respect that it must be hard to find a sartorial solution for visiting a place like this; I'm just not sure throwing a long sleeve black tee under whatever is the way to go.

Okay, now let's talk tiaras. I'm glad we got tiaras, to start with. I mean, Willem-Alexander wore a suit to the same event...and, well, there are many royal ladies that would use that excuse to go tiara-less. Not my Orange girls, though, bless 'em. They went for a double ruby appearance, with Beatrix in the Mellerio Ruby Tiara and Máxima in the Peacock Tiara. I like it whenever Beatrix wears a tiara large enough to overcome the size of her hair, so she's fine by me. Máxima, though...

Oh, HONEY. You tried to stick it on all by yourself, didn't you, you poor love. Look at all those sad black hairpins all over the place. Maybe now they'll spring for a permanent traveling hairdresser for you? January's not even over, and we already have a candidate for Worst Tiara Hair of 2012. How sad.

Photos: Dutch Photo Press/PPE/Nieboer/Purepeople/Abaca

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 1-9 January

 Queen Beatrix, Prince Willem-Alexander, and Princess Máxima are on a two-for-one state visit: first stopping in the United Arab Emirates, then in Oman. I'm splitting the week up due to the number of outfits involved. This is the U.A.E. portion of the trip.

1. Arriving in Abu Dhabi for a state visit to the United Arab Emirates, 7 January.
2. Starting off with a visit to a mosque in the required modest garb, 8 January.
3. a) The official welcome, 8 January, repeating her wonderful white Valentino suit from Amalia's christening (a.k.a. one of my favorite Máxima looks of all time), and (b) wearing some of her orange jewels.
4. Last events of the day, 8 January, in a pantsuit with what I think might be one of her daughter's scribbles in hat form.
5. Meeting Dutch companies in the area, 9 January. I'm afraid this might be what Betty White would wear to the Kentucky Derby...that said, points as always for a legit hat.
6. In Dubai, 9 January. I think this hat might have been rescued from a shower drain somewhere. SORRY. Shouldn't have put that visual in your heads. I know I wish it wasn't in mine. Share my pain. Back to pleasantries now: I like her major print.
7. Meeting with the Dutch community in Dubai, 9 January, in her repeated Valentino dress.

Can I tell you something? I prefer Queen Beatrix's outfits so far. I know. It surprised me too.

Sure, it's all typical Bea stuff, but there's some really lovely purple business happening in there. Me likey.

Also, we must do as the royals did and say a quick hello to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai:

He's a new father! His lovely wife Princess Haya (you might remember her from Ascot and other horse-related shenanigans) recently gave birth to the first of many royal babies expected this year, a boy called Zayed. Congrats!

From here the Dutch group headed to Oman, which is where we will pick up next week.

Photos: Dutch Photo Press/PPE/Nieboer

Gold Star: Queens with Diplomatic Flair

Dressing diplomatically is an art form, if you ask me. The outfits on a royal foreign trip are not the point of the thing - even someone as frivolous as I can admit that - but when they're done just right, they can help the whole operation along. A detail here or there can be just the thing, a little exclamation point, to emphasize thoughtfulness, consideration, and respect for the other country. Today we're handing out gold stars to two queens for just such exclamation points.

Many of you have asked to be kept updated on the lovely new Queen of Bhutan, so here you go: it seems the photogenic King and Queen haven't stopped moving since the wedding. They've paid state visits to India and Japan, and have touched down in Singapore and Thailand. This past week has seen them visit the United Kingdom. Talk about your trial by fire, and for a 21-year-old queen at that: Jetsun Pema laughs in the face of royal brides taking the slow route into their new lives!

Naturally, she's brought with her a whole array of colorful national dress options, some of which are shown above. It's nice not to have to spend time coming up with synonyms for beige for a change, isn't it?

We also got a few tastes of her Western style, just for a little variety.

Well, there's that beige problem again, but the only thing we can conclude here is that Her Majesty has a taste for expensive handbags: I spy Chanel and an elusive Hermès Birkin bag.

This is not what she gets her gold star for, though. Diplomatic dressing, that's our point here.

Her white outfit, worn while debuting the King's photography book in New Delhi, is both gorgeous and the perfect nod to Indian style; but the real winner is the kimono in Japan. Their visit seemed to be a great success, and gamely sporting another culture's national dress is the perfect sartorial expression to sum it up. Well played.

From a 21-year-old queen just getting her feet wet to one that's the definition of a pro, our second gold star goes out to Queen Elizabeth.

This week saw the Queen host a state visit to Britain from Turkey, including some married people cuteness and a little forward-facing side-eye directed at the First Lady's intriguing taste in footwear. (Suddenly I'm dying if she noticed Sheikha Mozah's icicle boots.)

It's the state banquet, though, that gets our star. And not just because she seems to have decided to go with "giant diamonds" as her accessory theme for the night, either (though that's certainly grounds on its own). She chose this night as her first public outing of Queen Victoria's magnificent waterfall brooch, and it was no mistake: the brooch includes diamonds given to Victoria by the Sultan of Turkey. Sneaky little diplomatic gesture, isn't it?

She wore the brooch with the coronation necklace (also from Queen Victoria) and a pair of earrings once worn by her mother which were another fabulous part of the Greville inheritance. The brooch is supposed to be a part of the summer exhibit at Buckingham Palace next year, "Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration". Start shopping for plane tickets now if you need them, kids.

Another notable brooch popped out to say farewell to the Turkish guests: an emerald carved with a rose on the front and surrounded by diamonds, a gift from the Ladies of India to Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar in 1911.

Since we're talking jewels, you know, as we do, this trip also gave us good shots of two royal ladies we don't usually get to see in their state visit finery: Princess Anne sat in Camilla's spot for the banquet (Camilla was out sick) wearing the Festoon Tiara, and Princess Michael played the lead royal lady role at the Guildhall banquet (that's usually the Duchess of Gloucester's spot these days). She wore one of my favorite Kent tiaras, an oh-so-pretty diamond and pearl number, and paired it with a rather costume-ish bodice decoration. I suspect that it's fake (look at the size of those pearls!) and that it might even be a part of the gown, which is...odd. She did manage to cover up appropriately for the devout Muslim guest of honor, so I suppose points have to be awarded for that.

Do you have a favorite moment from these trips?

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife/Hello/Royal Collection

Royal Fashion Awards: The Queen in Australia

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have just wrapped a much-publicized trip to Australia which some have been billing as her "last" trip Down Under. I doubt it myself, but that doesn't mean we won't give her the applause she deserves in the form of a single person edition of the Royal Fashion Awards. It's QEII vs. QEII, head-to-head-to-head-to...let's just get on with it:

Best Outfit

Perfectly Pink in Melbourne

Click to enlarge

Tip o' the hat to outfit #7 - a repeat of sunshine from the royal wedding - and the divine white and silver #5, but the pink of #10 wins the trip. Perfectly vibrant color, perfect hat shape, perfect all over. Plus, it resulted in this bit of cuteness:

Twinsies!

Best Brooch

The Australian Wattle Brooch

Click to enlarge

First, the brooch lineup:

1. The Australian Wattle Brooch
2. A sapphire, diamond and ruby brooch that was a gift from her parents in 1945
3. A diamond and pearl brooch from the Queen Mother's collection
4. One of her diamond bow brooches, looks like one of the three Queen Victoria had made in 1858
5. Flowers in precious and semi-precious stones, a gift from a Sri Lankan state visit in 1981
6. A diamond and gold rose brooch
7. A diamond paisley brooch from the Queen Mother's collection
8. The Jardine Star, a gift from Lady Jardine and one of HM's faves
9. A diamond lily brooch, a gift from the City of London in 1947
10. Rubies, diamonds and gold in a modern design
11. Repeat! See #3.
12. A sapphire flower, again from the Queen Mum's stash
13. The Rhodesian flame lily brooch, a gift from the children of Rhodesia for her 21st birthday

And now, the undisputed best of the trip: the Australian Wattle. It's not just one she brings out of duty to the Australian people, who gave it to her in 1954, it's actually one of the gifts she wears on the regular. And who wouldn't? It's just lousy with white and yellow diamonds (in the form of a spray of wattle, the national flower).

Biggest Omission

The Andamooka Opal

Hey, Your Majesty, speaking of Australian gifts: why have you left the Andamooka opal in the vaults for so long? The people of south Australia gave this massive 203 carat opal to you in 1954, you wore it once, and you've neglected it ever since. I know opals are an acquired taste (they're not my favorites either), but I think Angela Kelly could come up with a gown to make this baby work. Or maybe that's just my absurd fondness for a statement necklace shining through.

Worst Hat

Teal in Perth

Brim's all kinds of stumpy, ornamentation is just too much...giant no to this one.

Best Picture

Meeting Elizabeth Cambage

Ha! Extra props to Ms. Cambage because she had heels on. I mean, when you're 6'8", what's the point in playing around?

Best Only Tiara

The Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara

This parure stems from a set of aquamarines QEII received as gifts from Brazil. It's gone through a lot of changes through the years (a story for some future Thursday), and the redesign merry-go-round stopped on this clunky thing. Can you tell it's not my favorite? I want to like it, I really do - who am I to argue with stones that size? - but it just fails me in the execution department. And you know how irrational I get when faced with sparkle let-down.

What were the trip highlights for you?

Photos: Daylife/Zimbio/Getty Images/Reuters/AP Photo/Royal Collection