Well, I think our lovely royals exhausted themselves after the fabulousness of last night. Because today's results at the wedding were...a mixed bag, at best. But loads of fashion to review is fun either way, so let's get started:
Best in Luxembourg
Princesses Marie Astrid and Princess Margaretha
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| Left to Right: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Princess Tessy, Princess Margaretha and Princess Marie Astrid, Princess Sibilla, Countess Diane de Nassau |
Can't for the life of me figure out the purpose of MT's faux shawl, clasped not with one of the wonderful family gems but with a faux brooch. (The horror!) Note she's carrying yet another shawl too. Just how cold did she think the church would be? Still, I'd rather have the extra fabric in identifiable form than in straight ghost sheet form, like Tessy. I have to give this one to Margaretha and Marie Astrid, with an honorable mention to Sibilla.
Best in Queens
Queen Silvia
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| L to R: Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Queen Sonja of Norway, Queen Paola of the Belgians, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Queen Margarita of Bulgaria |
Repeats for some, fur bucket hats for others (oh, Paola), and a few rays of light to grab on to: Silvia in purple, of course, with a special nod to our
elegant Bulgarian friend on the end there too.
Best in Big Hats
The Princess of Asturias
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| L to R: Princess Astrid of Belgium, Princess Claire of Belgium, the Princess of Asturias, Princess Miriam of Bulgaria, the Duchess of Parma |
There was a lot of strange headgear at this wedding overall, and in particular, a lot of massive hats preventing view above navel level, because that's what you want when you're navigating steps in front of photographers and greeting people you're supposed to recognize. I understand until the wedding got started and kept going...and going...and going. A marathon ceremony requires a hat that'll have your back in case you doze off. Well played, ladies. Letizia's chic Felipe Varela wins it, though I also find myself with quite a lot of affection for Astrid.
Best in No Hats
Princess Lalla Salma
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| L to R: Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Queen Fabiola of Belgium, Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, Princess Zeina of Jordan, Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan |
Brave, these ladies, to go without hat cover for their mid-ceremony nap. I don't know what Mette-Marit was doing there with her hair, exactly, but I don't think it fits the hat bill. (I found her outfit kind of depressing, honestly.) You have to love Fabiola with a headband, Zeina tall and glamorous in red (outfit look familiar to you?), and Sarvath in purple, but this one goes to Lalla Salma. If you're not going to wear a hat to a hat event, you might as well be a red-headed Rapunzel.
Best in Low Key
Princess Marie of Liechtenstein
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| L to R: Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Princess Marie of Liechtenstein, the Duchess of Braganza |
These ladies flew under my radar for the most part. Margarita looked a little dated to me, and I'm not sure the Duchess of Braganza was in the same season as everyone else with that fur trim, but Marie looked lovely and classy.
Worst in Fit
Crown Princess Victoria
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| L to R: Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Mathilde of Belgium, the Princess of Venice and Piedmont |
Oh, this pains me. This whole category pains me, because there's so much potential gone to waste. Issues with, uh, drooping and so on, are tragic, as is just too much fabric. Mathilde was my automatic worst while watching the wedding - that coat is adding so much to her frame that shouldn't be there! - but after seeing photos, Victoria is committing greater sartorial sins. The bunched up dress underneath, the overly long length and the hemline mess, and the hat which looks like she caught a flipped pancake on the way to the church...my poor Victoria. Not her finest moment.
Best in Máxima
Princess Máxima
I tried to fit her in with another category, but let's face it: girlfriend's a category of her own. You're either going to hate it for the muddy yellow color or the sleeves which may have been ripped off
of a costume from Beauty and the Beast, or you're going to love it because it's
Máx. Oh so very
Máx.
Best in Guest
The Countess of Wessex
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| L to R: Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Caroline of Monaco |
Mary's on my list of faves: shocking, I know. Märtha Louise made the faves in her gray sheath accessorized with the
brooch that closed the coat on her wedding gown: now that's a genuine surprise. As is Caroline, honestly, who managed to shop at the sane end of Uncle Karl's Chanel closet for a change. But let me tell you something: the only guest that got a literal jumpy clap out of me on arrival was Sophie. So chic, very retro Dior, with just a touch of wacky to keep it interesting when you bother to look closely (yes, there are horses on that Emilia Wickstead print). I loves.
Who's your best dressed guest?
Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at the gentlemen.
Photos: PPE/Dutch Photo Press/Cour Grand Ducale/Christian Aschman/Getty Images
