Royal Outfit of the Day: January 29

Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, then wife of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, attended the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton wearing custom Zuhair Murad Couture.

Last week I threw out the newest couture collection from Zuhair Murad as a royal possibility; here's an example of the designer's work in royal action. Our subject today is the lovely Ameerah from Saudi Arabia; she was married to Prince Alwaleed, who you may remember as the Saudi prince that raised a stink because Forbes calculated his worth a mere $20 billion when, he said, it should have been more (it seems the couple have since divorced). So it's not a surprise that Princess Ameerah went the couture route for the big British royal wedding, outfitted in a luxurious custom Murad ensemble with a lacy and embellished pink light coat and dress, a matching hat perched on her cascading dark hair. So gorgeous, am I right? My affection for this appearance has only grown.

Photos: Getty Images

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 28

Princess Charlene accompanied Prince Albert for the Sainte Devote service in Monaco, wearing Akris (the fabric, detail center, as seen in various pieces from the Fall 2013 RTW runway, right)

I have some quibbles about the boxiness of the jacket on Charlene here, but I'm falling in love with the chevron fabrics. It doesn't take much to get me to fall in love with a chevron to start with, but the subtle pattern, the added texture, and the interest created by the contrast of the thicker zigzag on the jacket and the thinner zigzag on the skirt is a genius way to make this so much more than just another charcoal suit. (Sidebar: When searching Akris looks for this particular one, I found myself absolutely charmed by quite a bit of their most recent offering, the Bonnie and Clyde-inspired Pre-Fall 2014 collection. Some potential there, no?)

Photos: AP/Reuters/Style.com

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 27

Queen Máxima accompanied King Willem-Alexander on a short introductory visit to Rome, wearing a mauve dress with a ruffled peplum under a camel coat, with gray pearl jewelry and a repeated feathered hat.

I must say, this outfit doesn't do anything for me. After giving it a closer look, I'm impressed with the details - the pearls are perfect with this color; even the nail polish is on point - but...nah. I see she's going with a cape effect on the coat there, but in the end it just looks like she lost her arms (some tragic accident involving the door to the family jewel vault, no doubt) or she grabbed her hubby's coat at the last second (particularly in motion, see the video embedded below).

Photos: Getty Images

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 23

Crown Princess Mette-Marit joined Crown Prince Haakon at the Nobel Peace Center earlier this week.

Not the sort of attire that's going to move mountains, sure - though given the problematic daywear Mette-Marit can be prone to, this is actually rather nice, right? - but M-M's back! And wearing heels after her surgery, as many have noticed, so she must be feeling pretty good. It looks like her official schedule is filling up again, so here's to more Mette-Marit in 2014. (You can click here for a video with the couple speaking.)

Photos: Se og hør

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 22

Claire Coombs married Prince Laurent of Belgium on April 12, 2003.

Princess Claire celebrated her 40th birthday on January 18th. I'm a bit late, but whatever - we need an occasion to revisit the everlasting loveliness of her wedding gown. Oh heavens, I do love this one. The design may be simple, but it's got a grand train to bring it up to the full royal level, and that lace overlay on the bodice is the perfect thing to pair with Queen Paola's antique family veil. The Natan label doing what it does best, really.

Click here for my prior post on this gown. (And stay tuned for more on her tiara!)

Photos: Rex/IBL/PA

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 21

Queen Máxima joined King Willem-Alexander to welcome French president François Hollande for an official visit to the Netherlands.

We've seen this whole thing before, of course, just with hair down and aquamarines on this time. Last time I gave the ridiculous sleeves a pass, but I'm afraid the pass has expired. They don't work very well when she's standing with her hands at her side, do they? Got to be awkward at lunch, too. They're just fighting for space, all sleeved up and nowhere to go. That makes two outfits this year that could use a serious volume reduction, and I'm starting to fear what could be next...

Video, above

Photos: Pool/Reuters

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 20

Video: Empress Michiko and Emperor Akihito attended a concert last week.

My recently revived obsession for capes requires me to send the Japanese empress some love on this Monday! Cape attachments on gowns, little cape-like sleeves on daywear, you name it - Michiko gives us more cape action than anyone on our regular royal rounds. And this Friday appearance (hat tip to The Royal Correspondent blog, a great resource if you like to follow the imperial family) is a perfect case in point.

Michiko cape-age (concert appearance, far left)

I tend to think of a cape as a very dramatic thing, but on the Empress it becomes a gentle touch. Perhaps it's because the added volume in the sleeve area hints at the elegance of a kimono, but this look suits her so well, no?

Photos: ANN News/BestImage/Imperial Household Agency

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 17

 

Last summer, Princess Marie-Chantal (left) wore an Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 embellished dress (runway, center) for Princess Madeleine's pre-wedding dinner. At this year's Golden Globe Awards, Michelle Dockery of "Downton Abbey" fame (right) sported the same look.

You know, I very nearly included M-C's look in my honorable mentions for 2013, and when I saw it pop up this past weekend at the Globes, my appreciation for the royal styling grew even more. In the epic battle of "Who wore it best?", I have to give this one to M-C because the shoes and her overall bearing are making the look. This is one dress that benefits from the eh, I wear couture to grab the morning paper attitude, if you get what I'm saying. Et toi?

(Celebrity fashion isn't within our normal scope here, but I can't let a reference to the awards pass without saying LUPITA! and CAPES! That is all. If you missed the Globes gown parade, Buzzfeed's got the quickest fashion wrap up.)

Photos: Getty Images/Style.com

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 16

Queen Máxima, wearing Natan, accompanied King Willem-Alexander to host an annual New Year's reception. Princess Beatrix, Princess Margriet, and Pieter van Vollenhoven were also in attendance.

When Máxima arrived for this event (click here for that), I had a hunch that her coat and pose were giving us the best of a potentially questionable outfit. This event is normally private, but as though they were reading my mind, the royal house allowed a video inside (embedded below). And sure enough...my original thought that her hair and copious use of aquamarine jewels is indeed the best thing here. Unless she was going for a cone-shaped upper body from the start, in which case, well done.

Photos: RVD/Natan/PPE

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 15

Video: Princess Letizia joined Queen Sofia to present the decorations of the Civil Order of Social Solidarity.

This video presents, in the correct order, my exact thoughts on Letizia's dusty lilac/mauve/whatever Felipe Varela suit. She's sitting behind a table, only the top visible: A suit? A purple-ish suit? Sold. She stands, still behind the table: What IS that stuck on her skirt? Oh, hang on... And finally, without the cover of the table: ...right. It's this one again, and the stray thingymabobs on the skirt have yet to magically disappear.

Fixed it. Just this part, please.

You'd like to at least give her credit for the suit, but did she have any other choice with the always impeccable Sofia at her side? Nah.

Photo: Getty Images

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 14

Queen Mathilde accompanied King Philippe to host a New Year's reception last week. Her repeated gray/blue Natan dress is a shape she knows well: magenta to visit the Netherlands, and cream for Philippe's swearing in ceremony.

So, what do we think: Mathilde's chosen her permanent timeless queenly silhouette, or she's just fallen temporarily in love with this dress type? (And if she's going to pick a trademark shape...should this be it? It's certainly not a bad option, I'd say.) We'll be seeing plenty of the newest European sovereigns out and about as they start making first visits to other countries this year, so we shall see.

Photos: Getty Images/RVD/Belgian Monarchy

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 13

Crown Princess Mary visited Myanmar for three days in connection to her work for the United Nations Population Fund and the Danish Refugee Council. Above, an outfit from the first day with floral trousers from Zara.

I found this the most interesting of Mary's outfits on this trip. These floral crops have a serious potential to go wrong, but she paired them well with a plain top for a casual look - they even seem perfect with the bare feet (everyone was shoeless at this event, by custom). A lower cost option from Zara (per Styleofmary) is an excellent choice as well, for a visit that's not about the high end fashion. Well played, I say.

For more on Mary's trip: check BT, or daily wrap ups with links on the Royally Scandinavian blog.

Photos: Keld Navntoft/BT/Styleofmary

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 10

Video: The Duke of Cambridge, sporting a suit and tie, arrived at Cambridge University earlier this week to start a 10-week executive course in agricultural management.

Men get a place in the outfits of the day too! Including kids all excited for their first day of school. It's just like when I was a student...everyone in suits and ties, VIPs waiting to greet me, bodyguards all around...oh, the good old days.

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 9

Crown Princess Mary attended the third day of the New Year's receptions. Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik, and Crown Prince Frederik were also in attendance.

Aha! A new-and-yet-still-old repeat! Now we've got old pieces combined to make a new court outfit: the striped skirt was worn previously for evening use, and the basic black peplum top from Hugo Boss has been used for day outfits (Mary owns it in white too). She's also dressed it up with a prim updo and a string of pearls around the neck. See, I like this approach. These outfits are tricky to repeat, but combining a little of this and a little of that really works. Clever Mary.

Updated to add: Lots of questions about why she only has one glove on. It's an etiquette thing - it's considered polite to remove the glove to shake hands. The other hand remains gloved and carries the second glove. Not everyone does this, but keep an eye out and you'll see it done this way more often than you think.

Note: This is a new feature! Click here if you missed the announcement.

Photo: Scanpix

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 8

Video: The Prince and Princess of Asturias attended the Pascua Militar, a military parade, along with the King and Queen.

Give me a minute to gaze wistfully at these Spanish people, standing around outdoors like it's no big deal, before I have to don five or ten layers and deal with whatever new arctic weather problems have been thrown at North America today. Pfft.

Okay. I'm over it.

Letizia joins us today to stand in solidarity with the Danish serial court dress repeaters. This outfit, a Felipe Varela number featuring a deep blue blazer over a navy velvet dress with a matching blue sash at the waist, was worn to the annual reception for ambassadors in 2011 and to the Pascua Militar in 2012. There's so much bad news surrounding the Spanish royal family at the moment (the scandal surrounding Infanta Cristina and her husband continues to get worse; a poll is making the news rounds, suggesting that a majority of Spaniards want the ailing King Juan Carlos to abdicate; his appearance at this event, looking frail and struggling with his speech, is not quite reassuring), a low key and appropriate sartorial repeat is not at all surprising. Playing it safe indeed.

Note: This is a new feature! Click here if you missed the announcement.

Photos: Pool/Getty Images

Royal Outfit of the Day: January 7

Psst...: Yes, this is a new feature! See today's other post for details.

Queen Margrethe, accompanied by Prince Henrik and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, attended the second day of the New Year's Court festivities, a reception for the Diplomatic Corps. The video above shows the event from 2012.

Yes, the video is showing you this event from a couple years ago - but guess what? It doesn't even matter, because the ladies wore the same stuff this year! Repeats ahoy, and that's why our outfit of the day is really from Margrethe. Some of you gave Mary a hard time for repeating her gown for the gala event, but here's her example: Margrethe wears this fur-trimmed blue outfit (from longtime couturier Jørgen Bender, if I'm not mistaken) for two days in a row for these daytime courts and has done so with the same dress for quite a few years. It's how she rolls, and it makes me appreciate any amount of variety from Mary all the more, no matter how small.

Margrethe, Mary, and Mary's brooch (as shown in the documentary De Kongelige Juveler)

Mary's gown is another altered repeat, but she wore the lovely sapphire brooch Queen Margrethe gave her when Christian was born. It's a family heirloom from Queen Ingrid's mother, and it's always a treat to see in use!

Photos: Polfoto/Scanpix/De Kongelige Juveler