Royal Coats of the Week: March 13

COATS. Loads of them. Let's take a gander (and you might want to pop back to yesterday's Cheltenham post, which had a late update with day 3 attendees, while we're in coat mode):



Yesterday was Crown Princess Victoria's name day, and Princess Estelle joined her in the courtyard for the festivities.
View image | gettyimages.com
TWO PURPLE COATS! A duo after my own heart and also my jumpy claps. (Estelle's coat is new from Swedish brand Livly, by the way.)

Well, I'm done, that's all I need right there, but we'll soldier on for your sake, okay?

View image | gettyimages.com
Where there be coats, there be the Duchess of Cambridge, obviously. For a visit to the set of Downton Abbey, a new cream maternity coat from JoJo Maman Bebe. And you can pretty much just copy/paste whatever I said for her last winter white coat here, because I like them all.

View image | gettyimages.com
Racking up the appearances before her maternity leave, she was also out in Margate on Wednesday (and she'll be out today and some next week, and I'm sure we'll be getting to all of that in due time) (DUE time, guys) (heh) (I'm so glad it's Friday, forgive me):

View image | gettyimages.com
YAY for the return of the Hobbs animal print coat from her last maternity adventure. I like a simple coat in a divine white, but I also like a statement coat - especially when one is prone to basics in the accessory department.

We haven't featured much of Mette-Marit's current events lately, because most of them have been of a quite practical nature, sartorially speaking. Like so:

View image | gettyimages.com
Here she is attending Kindergarten Day in Oslo this week. This is all fine and good for an outdoor coffee klatch with your wee friends, I get enough of the practical dressing in my actual life if you know what I mean, so I'll give it a pass. But she was just spotted in a rather fetching red trench, so maybe things are looking up.

And this has been your weekly coat report.

Photos: Kungahuset.se and via Getty Images as indicated

Post Title

→

Royal Coats of the Week: March 13

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/03/royal-coats-of-week-march-13.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Royal Flashback of the Day: March 2

As noted yesterday, this month should bring us some treats to discuss (we'll be checking in with the Spanish state visit tomorrow). Typical me, though, I'm already looking forward to some of this year's big royal events, primarily Queen Margrethe's 75th birthday celebrations in April and the Swedish royal wedding in June. I predict that my excitement will lead to random outfit flashbacks involving previous similar events in the weeks to come, so you've been warned. Starting...now!

For Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations, a gala concert was held on the first night of the big royal gathering. Today's flashback features two of the gowns from that night on two of our lovely crown princesses:

View image | gettyimages.com
Unfortunately, a volcano in Iceland decided to erupt just as the celebrations were getting underway, wreaking havoc on the travel plans of many of the scheduled royal guests. Crown Prince Haakon was among those delayed (he was coming off a solo visit to the Middle East), but Mette-Marit made it in time and Crown Prince Frederik pulled double date duty to escort M-M and Mary.

View image | gettyimages.com
Mette-Marit's dress hits everything she typically goes for, no? A little bit of ruffle, a little bit of floral. A thoroughly standard appearance with one exception: we got to see the Amethyst Necklace Tiara instead of her standard Diamond Daisy Tiara! Only because the Diamond Daisy would make a later appearance and not because she actually chose this one first, but still.

View image | gettyimages.com
Mary brought out her big gun, the Danish Ruby Parure, and this was its first public appearance after she had the shape modified to her tastes. She wore the ruby earrings with pearl pendants, the brooch, and the ruby bracelet as well. All of which served as a perfect complement to her sleek white Jesper Høvring gown, with the shoulder strategically placed to accommodate her Order of the Elephant riband. This was a winner for me, and I think it's time we see this gown again. Please?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Post Title

→

Royal Flashback of the Day: March 2

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/03/royal-flashback-of-day-march-2.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Sunday Tidbits for March 1: Visits Galore, and Things to See Near You

We are heading into prime spring state visit territory, and tiaras are coming our way. Until then, a few tidbits packed with visits current and future and some exhibits you might like to catch:

--The King and Queen of Norway completed a state visit to Australia this week. Queen Sonja opened an exhibit of her art while there, which is pretty awesome. [Hello!, Royal House of Norway]


View image | gettyimages.com


--The Duke of Cambridge's current trip to Japan and China is going well. I love a royal gamely sporting traditional garb, if only because (in this particular case) it's one less appearance of the infamous blue suit. [Kensington Palace Storify]


View image | gettyimages.com




--He also popped in for lunch with the Emperor and Empress of Japan. [BBC]

View image | gettyimages.com




--For those in Canada: A state visit from the King and Queen of the Netherlands has been announced, and it will occur May 27-29. No real details on locations yet, but keep an eye out. [Governor General of Canada]




--For those in Denmark: A selection of Crown Princess Mary's dresses will be included in an exhibit called Danish Fashion Now at Brandts in Odense from March 27th to September 13th. [Brandts, h/t to StyleofMary]




--For those in the U.K.: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty opens March 14th and runs through August 2nd at the V&A in London. [V&A]




--The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway and family joined the Swedish royal family for the ski championships in Sweden. [Zimbio]




--Queen Elizabeth II debuted a new brooch this week when the King and Queen of Tonga came to visit, one given to her last November. [Jewel Vault]




--And finally, one last birthday girl for February: Princess Estelle! She turned three years old on Monday and new photos were released for the occasion. Her adorable coat comes from Lars of Scandinavia. [Kungahuset]



Kate Gabor / kungahuset.se

Post Title

→

Sunday Tidbits for March 1: Visits Galore, and Things to See Near You

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/03/sunday-tidbits-for-march-1-visits.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Sunday Tidbits for February 8: Blunders, Birthdays, and Brunches

Allow me to begin this Sunday free-for-all with a big fat royal facepalm:

--Following the death of Queen Fabiola of Belgium, thank you notes from the household of King Albert II and Queen Paola accidentally thanked people for their condolences on the death of Queen Paola. Who is, you know, still alive. So they sent out apologies for the mistake...and managed to refer to King (Koning) Fabiola, instead of Queen (Koningin). On the plus side, I now feel a little bit better about my own lack of proofreading skills. [NY Post, Le Soir]

--While others were working on their spelling, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were hosting diplomats and Queen Mathilde was making sure that you'll never miss her in the photo. [@Monarchie_Be Twitter]

Met Belgische diplomaten die ons land in het buitenland vertegenwoordigen pic.twitter.com/cakhHf1oWB
— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) February 5, 2015

--Johan Martin Ferner was laid to rest this week, with the Norwegian royal family in attendance. [VG]

--Two big birthdays at the Danish royal court this week: Princess Marie turned 39, and here's a gallery in celebration... [Royalista]

--...and Crown Princess Mary turned 43. Some new poses from the photoshoot for the couple's 10th wedding anniversary were released as official pictures: [Daily Mail]

Princess Mary stuns in heirloom diamond-encrusted tiara for new official pics http://t.co/SJtniwLRbi pic.twitter.com/AQIHq2gxqE
— Daily Mail Australia (@DailyMailAU) February 2, 2015

--If you enjoy mega diamonds, you won't want to miss Luxarazzi's report on the Napoleon Diamond Necklace. Marjorie Merriweather Post and her jewelry collecting habit have featured here in a couple posts: Russian nuptial traditions, and the Marie Louise Diadem. [Luxarazzi]

--The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited the Art Worker's Guild and tried their hand at a few crafts. This is them giggling over Camilla's attempt at gold tool embossing. I must agree with the Fug Girls (who also chose a priceless photo from this event), Chaz's pattern coordination is on point here. [Hello, Go Fug Yourself]

View image | gettyimages.com

--Also, Camilla marked "the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi at a brunch showcasing New Zealand food and drinks." Between the crafts and the brunch, Cams is totally winning the royal engagement game this week. [Royalista]

View image | gettyimages.com

--And finally, I am duly informing you of the following Princess Alexandra of Kent sighting: She attended a memorial for Sir Jocelyn Stevens, with her brother, the Duke of Kent, at her side. [Getty]

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated

Post Title

→

Sunday Tidbits for February 8: Blunders, Birthdays, and Brunches

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/02/sunday-tidbits-for-february-8-blunders.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Royal Remembrance of the Week: January 28

Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a day which is also honored as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day was marked with a service at Auschwitz in Poland and in events around the world, and royals from many countries joined in the commemorations. This is not the lighter stuff that we usually (and purposefully) stick to around here; this is really nothing to do with the sartorial side of things. But sometimes it's important just to take a moment and remember.


View image | gettyimages.com
Among the royal contingent paying their respects in Poland were the King and Queen of the Netherlands and the King and Queen of the Belgians. Willem-Alexander wore a kippah (yarmulke), which was a touching gesture.

View image | gettyimages.com
The Crown Princes of Denmark and Norway were also in attendance, as was the Crown Princess of Sweden and the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

View image | gettyimages.com
Below, Guillaume and Stéphanie laid a wreath at the camp.

View image | gettyimages.com

Holocaust memorial events were also held around the world, some drawing royal attendance.

View image | gettyimages.com
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attended a memorial in London, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit joined in the events in Oslo.

View image | gettyimages.com
Many others not shown here also participated in various events at home, including the King and Queen of Sweden, Prince Daniel, and the King of Spain. The attendance of this particular set of people is not the point of these events, of course, but I can't help but find it lovely to see so many in our frame of reference united, from whatever location, to commemorate and to remember this important moment in history.

If you would like to watch the entire ceremony from Auschwitz, you may do so below.



Photos: Getty Images as indicated

Post Title

→

Royal Remembrance of the Week: January 28

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/01/royal-remembrance-of-week-january-28.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Royal Wedding of the Week: January 27

Princess Astrid of Norway, daughter of King Olav V and sister of the current king, married Johan Martin Ferner on January 12, 1961. As I mentioned in Sunday's post, Mr. Ferner passed away on January 24th, not long after the couple marked 54 years of marriage. Today, a look back at their Norwegian winter wedding.
View image | gettyimages.com
Princess Astrid's older sister Princess Ragnhild caused her share of controversy in 1953 by marrying a commoner, and Astrid then doubled up by marrying a commoner who also happened to be divorced. The couple shared a social circle and bonded over their love of sailing (Ferner was an Olympic medalist in the sport) but they had to wait to make things official. When they finally did, they got married in Asker with a recently retired bishop presiding, as there were many in the church that refused to marry a divorced person.
It was a cold and snowy winter wedding, and the bride arrived and left with a short fur coat to keep her warm. The dress underneath featured a skirt with wide bands of silver embroidered lace and a lace top with long sleeves. A fingertip veil in tulle was topped with a small crown headpiece that appears to have been made from the same style lace. The bride also wore a pair of pearl earrings and a triple strand pearl necklace.

The dress seems very much of its time, and is lacking in many of the grand features that usually set a royal wedding gown apart, like a big train or a long veil. This was a more practical choice, and Princess Astrid later took advantage of that practicality by removing the long sleeves and reusing it as a gala dress. (An exhibit in 2011 showed the dress in its final design alongside the wedding gowns of Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Princess Märtha Louise.)


The groom's entrance into the family may have come with some fuss over his first marriage, but soon enough the controversy faded away. In the end, Johan Martin Ferner was not a well known member of the Norwegian royal family by choice. He focused on running his family's business, a department store in Oslo, while his wife carried on with her royal duties. He seems to have been the model of discretion, a quality in today's world that's well worth a little initial controversy.


For more, the royal court offers a gallery of the wedding.

Photos: Ray Bellisario/Popperfoto via Getty Images, NRK video, Kongehuset

Post Title

→

Royal Wedding of the Week: January 27

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/01/royal-wedding-of-week-january-27.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Sunday Tidbits for January 25: From Farewells to Fashion Shows

Seems we have an awful lot of royal deaths lately. That can stop anytime soon. But for the moment, that's where we must begin:

--Johan Martin Ferner, husband of Princess Astrid of Norway, passed away on Saturday. He was 87 years old. Ferner, a businessman, married Princess Astrid in 1961, and the couple had five children together. [Royal Court of Norway]


In 2012, celebrating Princess Astrid's 80th birthday: Princess Astrid and Mr. Ferner, center, the late Princess Ragnhild and husband Erling Lorentzen, left, and King Harald and Queen Sonja, right.
Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen / Det kongelige hoff

--The King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, also passed away late last week. He was 90 years old and came to the throne in 2005, though he had been the country's de facto ruler since 1995. The Prince of Wales, the Crown Prince of Norway, and the Kings of Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Jordan are among the dignitaries who traveled to Saudi Arabia to pay their respects and greet the new sovereign, King Salman. Salman was half-brother to the late king and served as crown prince; the throne currently passes between the sons of the first King of Saudi Arabia and a council exists within the large family to vote on the succession. [NY Times, Washington Post]

El Rey trasladó sus condolencias por la muerte del Rey de Arabia Saudí a @KingSalman http://t.co/9nApSsxuQh pic.twitter.com/daVweRc2TL
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) January 24, 2015

--With Abdullah's passing, Queen Elizabeth II is now the world's oldest living monarch. [ITV]

--On a lighter note, an excellent anecdote told by a former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia has been flying around: King Abdullah, while still crown prince, visited the Queen at Balmoral and was treated to a tour of the estate. Much to his surprise (and slight terror), the Queen took the wheel of the Land Rover herself. And that's how you welcome the ruler of a country where women aren't allowed to drive, kids. [Twitter]

--Continuing to lighten things up a bit here: Princess Athena of Denmark, daughter of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, turned three years old this week. Berlingske has some of her new photos plus a little gallery of her little life so far. [Berlingske]

--At the Danish monarchy's site, you'll find the latest engagement of Crown Princess Mary, in black and gray basics. [Kongehuset]

--Luxarazzi is shining a spotlight on the diamond and ruby necklace belonging to the lovely Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg. [Luxarazzi]

--Are you in need of a wearable portrait of the Prince of Wales? Sure you are! Vivienne Westwood's got you covered. Her recent menswear collection featured nods to the Prince's style and pictures of both Charles and the Queen. [Hello]

Vivienne Westwood pays tribute to Prince Charles with latest collection http://t.co/xC1K04nXdL pic.twitter.com/YB9vOG1yYS
— HELLO! (@hellomag) January 21, 2015

Stay tuned for Monday, we have matters of a Belgian sort to discuss. Prep your waffle maker for the occasion.

Post Title

→

Sunday Tidbits for January 25: From Farewells to Fashion Shows

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/01/sunday-tidbits-for-january-25-from.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Sunday Tidbits for January 12: The Monday Edition

A day late and a dollar short, as they say, but here we are with your weekly tidbits/your weekly open thread:

--King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan were among the world leaders joining the Paris unity rally this weekend following the tragic attacks at Charlie Hebdo last week. Many other sovereigns sent condolences to the French president; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa joined Luxembourg's anti-terror rally. [CNN, Luxarazzi]

View image | gettyimages.com

--Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are back in action, with events including their annual Day of the Wise Men conference for young leaders at their home this week. [Kongehuset Facebook]

--Go behind the scenes with the annual documentary Året med kungafamiljen (The Year with the Royal Family) (the Swedish royal family, specifically). [SVT]



--Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine of Denmark turned four this week, and new photographs were released to mark the occasion. The pictures were taken during the family's visit to Greenland last year, as was their Christmas card photo. [Kongehuset.dk, Twitter]

Could the #Danish royal twins get any cuter? New adorable pics released today! http://t.co/u83JED9vpw pic.twitter.com/oVbkGjaGQr
— HELLO! Canada (@HelloCanada) January 8, 2015

--PBS aired ITV's The Queen's Garden, a documentary about (you'll never guess) the Buckingham Palace gardens, last night. The episode is streaming on the PBS website if you missed it. You can also still stream it on ITV's player. (Links may not be viewable everywhere.) [PBS, ITV]

--The Japanese imperial family got all done up court dress-style to listen to the New Year's lectures, an annual event which leaves me in awe of the family's ability to stay awake and focused at all times. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]



--And finally, Zara Phillips has been in Australia, wearing a boatload of jewelry and a hat like a carnival game come to life, just aim your bean bag through the top and you could win 50 points and a pink stuffed panda bear. I think headgear that encourages people to toss things at you should probably be discouraged, right? [Hello]

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos: Thierry Chesnot via Getty Images, SVT video, @HelloCanada, FNNNewsCH video, Matt Roberts via Getty Images

Post Title

→

Sunday Tidbits for January 12: The Monday Edition

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/01/sunday-tidbits-for-january-12-monday.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Sunday Tidbits for January 4: The Holiday Greetings Roll On

Queen Elizabeth II's annual Christmas broadcast is pretty well known around the world, but many of her sovereign colleagues have a similar speech to offer this time of the year. I've thrown several of them together in today's tidbits, because they're quite interesting in comparison. Just a snippet tells you something about that monarch, I think, from their levels of expression down to their choices of teleprompters and editing vs. none of that fancy business. Also included below are other greetings for the new year and random news bits, so read on...

--King Philippe does a version of his message for the season in each of Belgium's three official languages, and this year he started off with a tribute to the late Queen Fabiola. Here's an article with some highlights in English and a video. [Deredactie]


Deredactie video
The Belgian royal family also published some new family photos for the holiday:

Merry Christmas and happy New Year! pic.twitter.com/CwVNcWhJ4B
— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) December 24, 2014

--Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas message was covered at the Jewel Vault along with the jewels she wore to deliver it. Also covered over there in the past week was my annual round up of her year in jewels, where we recall what was new (a ton!) and count up what was worn most often (did you know that QEII wore close to 70 brooches this year? True story). [Jewel Vault]


British monarchy video

--Queen Margrethe II looked smashing in purple for her annual New Year's speech, and needless to say it delights me that both queens regnant opted for my favorite color. You can watch the speech here, or read the text in English here. And here's a gallery of her changing looks during this speech over the years, always a fun walk through time. [YouTube, Kongehuset, BT]


Kongehuset video

--Grand Duke Henri was one of many to make note of this year of commemoration in his Christmas speech. Here's video and English text. [Wort]


Wort video

--Prince Albert II highlighted the birth of the new twins in his New Year message, video below and English translation here. [YouTube, Royal Correspondent]



--King Willem-Alexander joined Queen Máxima's side of the family in Argentina for Christmas, while his speech played at home. Here's video, the full text, or an article in English. The family also posed for a pre-holiday photocall while in Argentina. [Het Koninklijk Huis and YouTube, Dutchnews.nl, NOS]


RVD/Frank van Beek

--King Harald V gets points from me for a New Year's Eve speech delivered in a tux, though reading note cards while standing does give me some unpleasant flashbacks to high school speech class. You can view the speech here, or read excerpts in English here. [Kongehuset YouTube, The Norway Post]


Kongehuset video

--King Carl XVI Gustaf is bit of a hand talker, compared to his colleagues, isn't he? Formulate your own deep thoughts on the matter by viewing his Christmas message or reading it (in Swedish) here. [Kungahuset]


SVT video
The family also released a new photo for the new year, taken last July. And the court recently confirmed that Princess Madeleine and her family have moved from New York City back to Sweden for the time being. [The Local]


Anna-Lena Ahlström / Kungahuset.se

--King Felipe VI's first Christmas message as king was a bit more political than most, dealing with some of the big issues on his plate right now (corruption, Catalonian separation). Made for an interesting contrast, the informal family photos displayed beside him and a serious message, I thought. You can see it here or read an article in English here. [CasarealTV YouTube, BBC]


CasarealTV video

--Emperor Akihito continues greeting the new year in Japan, joining the family to greet thousands of well-wishers at the Imperial Palace. Click here for pictures. The imperial couple also releases poems for the occasion. [Japan Today, Imperial Family of Japan blog]



--And finally, the Jordanian royal family sends us greetings for 2015 via social media, naturally. [Queen Rania Instagram]

كل عام وانتم بخير. ونسأل الله الأمن والسلام في عام ٢٠١٥ #عائلة #سلام #حب #حب_الأردن #الأردن From our family to yours, May 2015 bring us all peace and happiness… #Family #Peace #Love #LoveJO #Jordan
Una foto publicada por Queen Rania Al Abdullah (@queenrania) el Dic 12, 2014 at 9:57 PST


Stay tuned for Monday, we have British business to attend to...

Post Title

→

Sunday Tidbits for January 4: The Holiday Greetings Roll On

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2015/01/sunday-tidbits-for-january-4-holiday.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Sunday Tidbits for December 21: Christmas Time Is Here...

...and the tidbits this week are jam-packed with holiday treats guaranteed to give you a warm fuzzy feeling. Cute kids! Uniforms! Miniature horses! Scandinavian interiors! We've got something for everyone:

--The Swedish royal court announced that Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill are expecting their second baby, due in Summer 2015. Congrats! [Kungahuset]

--It's not Christmas until the Norwegian royal family does their annual photoshoot around the Christmas tree. You know how I love it when they break out the traditional dress. [TV2, Hello]

The Norwegian royals are in the festive spirit with this #Christmas photoshoot http://t.co/8WmhcFRagr pic.twitter.com/ZUiBO3xmtC
— HELLO! (@hellomag) December 19, 2014

--And it's also not Christmas until we get an adorable little video greeting from Haga Palace and Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, and Princess Estelle:

Cuteness and another look at Haga's interiors, which I find to be the perfect mix of palace chic and modern comfort.[Kungahuset YouTube]

--They also released a few new Estelle pictures. She's wearing a Ralph Lauren dress and Livly shoes, I know you needed to know that. [Svenskdam]


Kate Gabor/kungahuset.se

--And in even more Estelle news, she joined her mom to accept the Christmas trees for their home this week. [Kungahuset]


kungahuset.se

--Hey, Sweden's not the only country with cute royal kids! Belgium's in the game too. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde brought the whole family along for the annual palace Christmas concert. [Belgian Monarchy, Le Soir]

Dank aan iedereen voor hun bijdrage aan de Koninklijke activiteiten in 2014 pic.twitter.com/KBRyXBItzF
— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) December 17, 2014

--I know how much some of you love King Felipe with his beard, and apparently so does the Spanish court - they've provided an early holiday present in the form of new official pics in uniform. (The portraits with Letizia and in a suit are older.) [Patrimonio Nacional]

--Prince Harry doing good works while in the presence of adorable kids in Lesotho, what more could you ask for? [Go Fug Yourself]

--The Swedish royal family (they've had a busy week, man) were out in force for the Swedish Academy's formal gathering, another one of those white tie/no tiara events. I am intrigued by Victoria's jacket/skirt combo. [Expressen]

The Swedish Royal Family attending the Annual meeting of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm tonight. pic.twitter.com/M7cK1EV04h
— Scandinavian Royals. (@crownprincely) December 20, 2014

--The Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra teamed up for a reception for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Have to love an Alexandra sighting. [Clarence House Twitter]

The Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra @BritishMonarchy mark the 50th anniversary of the @cftrust @ClarenceHouse pic.twitter.com/UIZfMMRcWx
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) December 19, 2014

--Here's a short clip of an interview with Queen Margrethe, card-carrying member of the Mutual Admiration Society for Queens Regnant (which I just made up but should be an actual thing), talking about the summer she met Princess Beatrix and her love for her old friend. (Starts at 3:48.) [NPO]

--And finally, the Duchess of Cornwall hung out with a miniature horse and Mother Goose this week, as you do. [Daily Mail]

Stay tuned next week for more year end fabulousness!
 

Post Title

→

Sunday Tidbits for December 21: Christmas Time Is Here...

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2014/12/sunday-tidbits-for-december-21.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Year in Review: 2014's Tiara Moments

I'm in it for the tiaras, I think my stance on that is pretty clear. So it wouldn't be a Year in Review without a look at the tiara appearances we covered here and at the Jewel Vault in 2014 (and minus the ones that I forgot, because you know that's inevitable). You can click the links below or scroll through the posts on this blog by clicking here.

It won't surprise you to learn that I am officially crowning Máxima the Tiara Queen of 2014, with not only a large number of tiara events but also a large variety of tiaras worn for those events. Elsewhere, we saw a couple new pieces debuted, and a couple debuts of old pieces on new people. But perhaps the most important thing we saw in 2014 was the return of full state banquets (and thus tiaras) in Spain and Belgium, both countries having taken a few years off in the midst of economy and government problems. Grand returns ended up being the theme of my favorite tiara moments for the year.


January
The year started as it always does with glittering New Year's Court events in Denmark and Japan, giving us our yearly appearance of Mary's rubies, always a highlight in my book.

View image | gettyimages.com


February
Tatiana Santo Domingo wore a fringe tiara for her religious wedding, although we didn't get a great look.


March
The Swedish royal court put out a new official photo of Crown Princess Victoria and the King, in which she sported her recent favorite, the Cut Steel Tiara. Princess Marie wore her new tiara for the first time for an official dinner, a piece we've been waiting to see in use since 2011. Tiaras came out again in Denmark for a state visit from Turkey, and tiara intrigue came to Sweden when Princess Christina wore the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara to an official dinner, bringing up questions about its ownership. Elsewhere, a state visit from China to the Netherlands brought out the pearls.


April
Tiaras returned to Belgium and Queen Mathilde again wore the bandeau of the Nine Provinces Tiara when the Chinese moved their state visit game over a country. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia visited King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, and Máxima pulled together a pretty fab look with her favorite Dutch Diamond Bandeau.

View image | gettyimages.com
Another of my favorite tiara moments came in April too, when the U.K. hosted an historic state visit from Ireland and the Queen used the occasion to bring the Cambridge emeralds back after a long absence.


And we must not forget, April also brought us what seemed like a genuine Tiara Miracle: Charlene finally wore her Ocean Tiara. For a magazine shoot, but we'll take what we can get.




May

May brought several tiara appearances: a look at the Diplomatic Corps reception in the Netherlands, new formal pictures marking Frederik and Mary's 10th wedding anniversary (again with the rubies), a state visit from Israel to Norway, and a state visit from Luxembourg to Poland.

 
June
Prince Albert visited the Netherlands, and there were tiaras even though Charlene stayed home. Plenty of state visits happened in June, including a trip to France for the British and the last state visit of King Juan Carlos' reign. The return of tiara banquets in Spain and Queen Sofia's use of the major Fleur de Lys Tiara as her farewell put this one on my list of best tiara moments for the year.
View image | gettyimages.com


Norway hosted a state visit from Germany and the Dutch visited Poland with the Ruby Peacock Tiara in tow. Over in Luxembourg, Princess Stéphanie debuted a twee new tiara for the National Day gala.


July
Queen Paola loaned a tiara to her new granddaughter-in-law for a little royal wedding sparkle.


September
A state visit from Estonia to Norway brought us back to our tiara ways after the slow summer season.



October
Princess Noriko of Takamado kicked off the month donning her tiara for the last time as she bid farewell to the Imperial Family before her wedding. The Norwegians had two tiara events in a week, first with a state visit from India and second with their annual gala for parliament. (And in case you're counting, that adds up to a whole year of appearances of the Diamond Daisy Tiara for Mette-Marit, with no variety in sight.) A state visit from Singapore to Britain got thrown in the mix, and the month ended with dueling state visits: Felipe and Letizia hosting the first incoming state visit of Felipe's reign, and Willem-Alexander and Máxima traveling for a state visit to Japan. Máxima's debut outing of the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara coupled with the return of Crown Princess Masako clock in jointly on my list of best tiara moments this year.



November
Amethysts and an excellent Elie Saab gown featured when Luxembourg hosted a state visit from Germany, but a dinner at the Swedish Royal Palace failed to wow me. Princess Margriet brought a tiara to America for the Stuyvesant Ball, wearing the star version of the Pearl Button Tiara for the first time, and a royal wedding in Morocco gave us a little sparkle variety.


December
The Duchess of Cornwall was resplendent in her family tiara for the Buckingham Palace Diplomatic Reception but obviously the main tiara event in December was and will always be the Nobel Prize Ceremony and the King's Dinner! Featuring the return of the Baden Fringe Tiara, another on my list of favorite tiara moments for the year.



Phew! Not a bad year, eh? (Remind me of that when we hit a tiara dead spot in 2015.) Now, over to you:


What were your favorite tiara moments in 2014?


Photos: Julian Parker/UK Press, Frank Van Beek/AFP, Pool all via Getty Images / RTE video / Hola / NewsJapan video / SVT video

Post Title

→

Year in Review: 2014's Tiara Moments

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2014/12/year-in-review-2014-tiara-moments.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection

Year in Review: Kate and Mette-Marit's 2014 Bests

Each year, I like to pick a single Best of the Year outfit for each of the royal ladies we check in with most frequently. I chose these two royal ladies to kick things off because of one big similarity: I had a really hard time picking a best for both of them.


The Duchess of Cambridge
The thing about Kate is that she's a very consistent dresser. This works in her favor most of the time - nothing came to mind when I started pondering what her worst of the year would be, for example - but it sure did make it hard for me to pick any one thing that stood out as the year's best. I was tempted to name the recently reused Packham, but honestly that would have been because it gave us her two biggest jewel moments for the year and not because of the dress. So I flipped back through the year and emerged with this one in mind:


It almost feels too ordinary to be the year's best, if you know what I mean - and you will, once you see how many gowns make my list as we roll on - but I love the clean silhouette and the poppy print. It's also among the fruits of the Cambridge's New Zealand/Australia tour, certainly one of 2014's most memorable royal trips. So there you go: L.K. Bennett and blue poppies it is!


Crown Princess Mette-Marit
Mette-Marit stumped me for a different reason. You see, she usually turns up the volume and does her best sartorial work at international royal events, so I automatically start there when it comes to looking for her best of the year. But this year...we didn't really have any such events! So we're left with her events at home, which was a lot of similar day outfits, most of the Pia Tjelta by Ti Mo collection, and a handful of repeated gowns, sometimes revamped but leaving me longing for the original. Le sigh.


So I settled on a Valentino coat worn during the celebrations for the anniversary of Norway's constitution, a piece I like so much I picked it when it came time for her closet raid. I'm having a bit of a love affair with white this year, and nobody does it better than M-M, so it feels right after all. 


Your turn: What were your 2014 Kate and Mette-Marit favorites?

Photos: L.K. Bennett and CPL Shannon McCarthy / © Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence,  NRK.no/Style.com/Stortinget

Post Title

→

Year in Review: Kate and Mette-Marit's 2014 Bests

Post URL

→

http://msallenfamily.blogspot.com/2014/12/year-in-review-kate-and-mette-marit.html

Visit Wedding Fashion For Men allen family for Daily Updated Wedding Dresses Collection