Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 6-12 February

Here's what Princess Máxima wore the week of 6-12 February:

1. Attending a Women in Financial Services meeting, 7 February. In the photos where this looks more red than brown, I like it (with the exception that the stockings, which are overkill on the monochrome theme).
2. Opening the Produs praktical education school, 8 February. This sleeveless dress is a repeat. Cute and flattering!
3. At the Goed Geld Gala (Good Money Gala) of the Nationale Postcode Loterij, 9 February. Oh, this might be the chicest daywear I've seen Máxima in since I started this blog.
4. Visiting the closure of the BizWorld project at the Christoffel school, 10 February, a) with her wrap and b) inside without. This is a NATAN top, Mathilde has the same one in different colors, and we just saw Máx's red version last month. With the wrap, it's a whole lot of beige, but I like it without.
5. Attending the signing of one of the agreements between Qredits and the European investment foundation EIF, 11 February. Oh, dear. More thoughts below.

Best and Worst of the Week

Let's start with the worst, shall we?

It's like she took every sartorial complaint I've ever had about her and mashed it into one train wreck outfit! We've got tights that are color-matched to the outfit (such a pet peeve of mine, especially when we're not talking about black-on-black). We've got shoes that don't go with the outfit and are totally wrong for the tights. We've got messy hair, and last but not least, we have curiously overgrown jewelry. And it's a shame, too: on its own, that dress is quite flattering. Thankfully, she also showed us the other end of the spectrum in the same week:

No overly opaque stockings, no messy hair, no excessive accessorizing. All together, an outfit worthy of jumpy claps. What say you, my sartorial-minded friends?

Photos: PPE/Dutch Photo Press

Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 30 January - 5 February

Here's what Crown Princess Victoria wore the week of 30 January - 5 February:

1. Presenting the Bertil Hult prize, 31 January.
2. At the Jokkmokk Winter Conference, 2 February.
3. More events at the Jokkmokk conference, 2 February. She wore this twice, I believe - also for a reindeer race. Oh, the life of a Scandinavian princess!
4. At the Same Education Center in Jokkmokk, 3 February.

Best and Worst of the Week

This is going to sound odd, but I think I prefer #3 over all else. And no, it's not just because of the dog. Everything else is ruined for me by The Dreaded Ponytail! I'm fickle like that.

Photos: Svenskdam

Week in Review: Princess Letizia, 23-29 January

Here's what Princess Letizia wore the week of 23-29 January:

1.  At the ballet, 24 January. A good look for a private occasion, I think. I even like the scarf.
2. a) Audiences at Zarzuela Palace, 27 January, b) the jacket from Mango. When I first saw this, I thought we might be having a Mr. Rogers moment, because this jacket sure did look like a cardigan. But it's clearly not, and the overall look is pretty well put together.

Okay, I can't say I'm in love with any of this, yet I still think this was a good week for Letizia. Your opinions?

Photos: Diario Feminino/Mango

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Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 9-15 January

Here's what Princess Máxima wore the week of 9-15 January:

1. Visiting the Be Interactive foundation, 11 January, a) with coat and b) without.
2. Receiving the Sultan of Brunei, 13 January. An odd angle on this picture combined with the proportions of the outfit is creating a bit of a fun house mirror situation here, no?
3. At Marcanti College in Amsterdam, 15 January.

Best and Worst of the Week

I could do without the matching red boots in outfit 3, but I still like this one best. Very flattering jacket. Outfit 2's also got a great jacket, but it's too short and the skirt's too high waisted - the proportions are all messed up. Also, I know that these group photos have to be an awkward thing to do, but I think a little posing practice might help things along. Right?

UPDATE: Missed this one, attending a memorial service for Célia von Bismarck, 17 January.

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Gespot AT5/bild.de

Week in Review: Princess Letizia, 9-15 January

Here's what Princess Letizia wore the week of 9-15 January:

1.  Opening a library, 11 January, a) with coat and b) without.
2. Lunch for the President of Hungary and later attending the delivery of the distinctions "City of the Science and the Innovation" in Madrid, 13 January, a) without coat and b) with. I'm getting the feeling here that using the dark tights makes her think it's okay to go this short with the skirt. Tights do not equal trousers. Also not okay? SHOOTIES.
3. Attending a working meeting with a cancer association, 14 January, a) back and b) front.

Best and Worst of the Week

Gray, gray, and might as well be gray. I'll give her a pass for appearance #3 as it was a "working meeting", but otherwise I'm just bored to tears here. Can I name them all "worst"?

Photos: Profimedia/Getty/Terra/Casa Real/Telecinco

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 9-15 January

Here's what Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the week of 9-15 January:

1. In Echternach, 9 January. Same coat and dress as last week, but this time without the brown stockings and with a pop of blue in the jewels. Much better this time!

Photos: Serge Waldbilling/Wort

Week in Review: Princess Mathilde, 9-15 January

Here's what Princess Mathilde wore the week of 9-15 January:

1.  New Year's reception, 12 January. We can go ahead and assume this is NATAN, since Máxima's been seen in similar tops.
2. Visiting an exhibition, 14 January.

On the left, we have a great winter outfit for Mathilde, complete with a great brooch to liven it up. On the right, we have half spring and half winter. I like the skirt, and I could learn to like the sweater, but I do not like them together.

Photos: Reuters/Daylife

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 1-8 January

Here's what Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the week of 1-8 January:

1.  Family photograph for Grand Duke Jean's 90th birthday, 5 January. This is a perfect cut and length of coat for Maria Teresa's body shape.
2. Concert for the birthday boy, 5 January. From the pictures, it appears she wore the brown fur collared coat (or something else involving brown fur) atop this black number. Not down with the black and brown combo, but this looks like it has some potential.
3. Birthday dinner, 6 January. A lot of brown, but not bad on the whole.
4. Reopening a theater in Esch-sur-Alzette, 8 January. Can't find a pic of the lower half of this outfit. I'm guessing a wide leg black trouser.

Best and Worst of the Week

Not a lot of great pictures of the fashion for this week (for shame, photographers!) but I'll go with #1 as my best and #4 as my worst. It's all in the cut of the coat: a long coat makes Maria Teresa look taller, whereas the shorter black coat cuts her in half at the wrong spot.

Photos: Cr gr ducale/RTL

Royal Fashion Awards: Prinsjesdag 2010

The Dutch royal family was out in force today for Prinsjesdag (where Queen Beatrix gives a budget speech and opens a new year of parliament).  This event has a most curious dress code: the ladies wear long dresses along with their orders - but with hats.  Every year I cross my fingers in the hopes that they'll just go ahead and upgrade to a full-on tiara event, but you know me - any royal event without bling is a missed opportunity indeed.  (Priorities, people.)  Well, we'll work with what we have...

Most True to Form

Perhaps Beatrix should adopt this mixed dress code for her every day (and night) wear - she always seems to look her best for Prinsjesdag.  She's working a very flattering silhouette here.  Sure, you've got your standard UMO (Unidentified Millinery Object) topping the whole thing off, but without that nobody would recognize her.

Best Museum Steal

Maxima must be pilfering from the nearest sartorial exhibition, because this is straight up My Fair Lady.  In fact, change the color and make that hat a little larger and you'd have an extra fresh from the set of the Black and White Ascot.  Or maybe I just have to envision her as a character because the sheer daintiness of this outfit is so unexpected.  What's she done with the big, bold Maxima that we've come to expect?  Maybe that's what the hat's all about.

Most Retina-Searing

Where are my complimentary sunglasses, Laurentien?  That's a whole lotta pink.  Throw in the orange sash and you've got a seizure of color so potent it should come with a medical warning. 

Worst Absence

Mabel.  Sadly, she does not attend Prinsjesdag (or at least she hasn't that I'm aware of - I'm sure one of you lovelies will correct me if I'm wrong here).  Man, just think of the craziness she'd bring to an event like this...

Best Way to Show 'Em How It's Done

Princess Margriet knows what's up, see.  She doesn't need a costume or anything capable of giving the crowd an epileptic seizure to steal this show.  Simple, flattering, appropriate, and a win without competition.  Well done.

Who won this year's Prinsjesdag fashion stakes for you?

Month in Review: Princess Madeleine, August

Here's what Princess Madeleine wore in August:

1.  At Villa Solliden, 1 August.  I can't tell if that's a sweater or a jacket.  But I kinda like it.
2. Evening out with friends, 19 August.  This is a lovely dress, but something I'd expect to see out on a royal engagement, not out for a night on the town.
3. Bernadotte 200th anniversary, 21 August.  A sea of pastel purple.
4. Evening celebration of the Bernadotte anniversary, 21 August.  Simple and lovely, but I wish she hadn't worn black shoes with it.
5. Arriving in Greece, 24 August.
6. Pre-wedding party for Nikolaos and Tatiana, 24 August, a) on the Oscar de la Renta runway and b) in action.
7. Boating in Greece, 25 August.  Here's a princess that never misses a chance to sport a bikini.  And hey, if I looked like that, I'd be the same way.
8. Out and about in Greece, 25 August.
9. Greek wedding, 25 August.  Still looks like produce threw up on her.
10. Changing planes in Copenhagen on the way back from Greece, 26 August.  
11. Attending the 10th anniversary of the "My Big Day" Foundation, 29 August.  I love this!  Every bit the modern girl, but still a princess.  And a great choice for a youth-oriented engagement.
    

Best and Worst of the Week

At first glance, I liked outfit #3.  But looking further...the jacket's adding fictional pounds to her body, the headband looks like something you could buy at the discount store for little girls to play dress up with, and the lavender shoes are taking the color theme a bit too far (and this is coming from a girl that LOVES a purple shoe!).  No competition for the repeated Oscar de la Renta worn to the party the night before the wedding.  Perfection.

Photos: Abaca/PurePeople/PPE/Nieboer/Marcio Madeira/Style.com/Svenskdam/Sevenpixnews/ANP/Diario Feminino

Royal Fashion Awards: Nikolaos and Tatiana's Wedding

Well, this one is interesting.  Men in suits (save the Greek royals, who sported morning dress) and women in black tie appropriate gowns.  Once again with the intriguing dress codes - though I do suppose the politics and etiquette of planning a royal wedding in a country in which you are no longer royal must be the trickiest of business.  Per usual, the bride and her attendants will get their own special post, so until then let's chat royal guests:

Best Dressed: Neutral Division

L to R: Princess Theodora, Lady Gabriella Windsor, Princess Marie, Princess Alexia, Princess Rosario

Theodora's dress is such a pale pink it's almost white and almost a faux pas; but she looks hot enough to make up for it.  Talk about flaunting your curves!  You could say the same for Gabriella, who's wearing a dress I know I've seen before.  Maybe it's Amanda Wakeley.  Marie I like, but the embellishment seems to be stuck on hot glue styles; it's a little random.  I know you might disagree with me, but I almost named Alexia best in this category.  Look how pretty she looks!  The business shirt killed it, though, so I gave it to Rosario.  Elegant as always.

Best Dressed: Blues Division

 L to R: Princess Letizia, Queen Margrethe, Empress Farah Pahlavi, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleberg

Excellent showings from the ladies in blue.  Another hit for Letizia; this girl is on a roll!  Both she and Alexandra are flanking the category picking up where Tatiana left off last night as the event's resident Greek goddesses.  Margrethe looks fantastic too - good enough to ignore the apparent tag hanging from her wrap (WTF is that thing - is it a security tag left over from her day job, or perhaps a ski lift tag from her last run on the Alps?).  This is just the perfect outfit for Daisy, isn't it?  It's whimsical enough to fulfill her creative side yet stately enough for a Queen.  Also stately?  Empress Farah.  Wow.  Could she be any more regal?  The slight fading at the bottom of the dress lightens it up from what could be a white tie gala dress.  Gold Star.

Best Dressed: Pink and Red-Hot Division

L to R: Crown Princess Pavlos, Queen Anne Marie, Queen Sofia, Carina Axelsson, Crown Princess Victoria

I've thought a lot about it, and I've decided that I like Marie-Chantal's thing here.  The color's lovely and the hair is fantastic.  It's a bit floral but not as much as her mother-in-law Anne Marie there, so that wins points.  Queen Sofia is over dressed (and wouldn't she be sweating up a storm?), and Victoria's in a repeat (from Joachim and Marie's wedding).  Like it though I do, I can admit that Marie-Chantal is a little too bohemian-bordering-on-frumpy, so I'll give the prize to Carina.  Fantastic color, great cut, great solution to the problem of covering one's shoulders in church.  Well done.

Worst Dressed: Candy Shop Division

L to R: Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Elena, Princess Máxima, Princess Madeleine

Here we've got every flavor of pastel candy leftover from your Easter basket, sadly not doing much justice to some lovely royals.  Princess Michael's got her pool-side cover up on.  Madeleine's all bunched up and tied that way with sparkly rope, and her top's making me fear for a serious wardrobe malfunction.  Máxima...I liked this at first glance - hey, her hair certainly looks fantastic - but then I noticed the waist.  It's hitting her in the most unflattering of spots.  Last but never least is Elena.  I give her one good mark, and she gives me back the gown version of that clown suit. 

Worst Dressed: Paisley and Floral Division

L to R: Princess Irene, Crown Princess Mary, Princess Cristina

First of all, I should not have to have a "paisley" division for fashion awards at a wedding, should I?  Somebody forgot to tell these first two ladies that (and Máxima, too).  Princess Irene...well.  Much like her sister Queen Sofia, I'm fearing for her in the heat.  This is not good, but I rather get the opinion she couldn't care less, so she gets a pass.  Mary - now, we all know Mary cares.  She should already know that a dull mishmash of dirt inspired colors does not a pretty dress make.  I almost gave her this title, but then I realized that Cristina had committed an even greater sartorial sin: she willfully made herself look double her size.

Talk to me: who was your best- and worst-dressed overall for the show?  Are you as baffled by the preponderance of paisley as I am?

And again - who'd I miss?  Shout it out in the comments if you find someone else.

Photos: Diario Fememino/Getty Images/Europa Press/Profimedia/Chris Jackson/Zimbio

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mary, 15-21 August

Here's what Crown Princess Mary wore the week of 15-21 August:

1.  Church service honoring the 500th anniversary of the Danish Navy, 15 August.  Take any of these pieces separately, I might be game for it, but all together - no. 
2. Arriving in Australia, 17 August.
3. Shopping in Hobart, Australia, 19 August.  What we have here appears to be the same black lace top we saw the week before, only casual this time.  At least it's more covered up this time.
4. Arriving in Adelaide, 20 August, a) front and b) back.
5. Shopping and lunch with friends in Adelaide, 21 August.  Looks like the same top as from the family vacation.
6. Attending a friend's 40th birthday party, 21 August.  A jumpsuit?  I don't know about that.  

Best and Worst of the Week

I like this repeated top on Mary.  She looks casual but still put together - perfection.  The first outfit of the week is pretty much the opposite of that - not put together at all.  Each piece has been worn separately to much greater success. 

Photos: Profimedia/Abaca/PurePeople

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mary, 8-14 August

Here's what Crown Princess Mary wore the week of 8-14 August:

1.  Taking the kids to school, 9 August.  The most color of the week, and I love it.
2. The Danish Navy's 500th anniversary celebrations, 10 August.  A little plain, but chic and simple.
3. Reception on the royal yacht Danneborg, 10 August.  A repeated dress.  I feel like she needs something else going on here, but anything more would have overwhelmed the dress. 
4. Visiting the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, 12 August.  Want to make sure everyone knows you've got a bun(s) in the oven?  Stick a belt right where it counts.
5. At the Fashion Fair again, 13 August.  SCREECH.  That's the sound of the week's fashion coming to a major halt.  What is this?
6. Gala celebrating the naval anniversary, 13 August.  Those Danes really do it up for the Navy, don't they?  At this point, our mother to be would have received points simply for not looking totally run down exhausted, but she's fresh as a daisy.

 Best and Worst of the Week

Confession: I am not a big Prada fan.  The ornamentation feels a little Christmas tree-esque to me; you know, stick a doo-dad here, and a thingy over there, and call it good.  Nevertheless, Mary looks stunning in this brown dress.  There's just a little baby bump showing, and the color is playing off her complexion to it's best effect.  It's almost good enough to make up for this Addams Family-esque affair from earlier that same day.  You know, with Letizia unseen for the week on holiday, I thought we'd get a break from the ill-fitting trousers, but oh no.

Photos: Billed Bladet/msn.dk/BEW Photo/Marcio Madiera/Style.com/PPE/Nieboer 

Week in Review: Letizia, Princess of Asturias, 11-17 July

Here's what Princess Letizia wore the week of 11-17 July:

1. Arriving in South Africa for the World Cup final, 11 July.  Scarf.
2. World Cup final, 11 July.  More scarf. 
3. Welcoming the Spanish team home, 12 July.  Again with the frequent repeats.  I'm not saying she should never wear the same thing twice, but why wear it in exactly the same way?  It's a top with trousers; wear a different top, or different trousers, or different shoes.  You know, just like the rest of us make do with our limited wardrobes.
4. Audiences at Zarzuela Palace, 13 July.  Yikes.
5. Graduation of the Spanish Military Officer School, 14 July.  I'm thinking those shades are far too large for such a flat hairdo.  It's kind of a bug effect, no?
6. Graduation of the Spanish Naval Academy, 16 July.  

Best and Worst of the Week

At her final military graduation event, Letizia got it right.  This is chic and it fits her well.  I could be picky and complain that we need some color, but I'm afraid that might result in something like this disastrous tunic.  What's going on there?  Too big, totally shapeless, and possibly the most awkward sleeve length she could have chosen.  And Felipe there is just the icing on the what not to wear cake - that is one shiny suit.

Photos: Terra/Daylife/Getty Images/Hola/PPE/Thorton

Month in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, June

Here's what Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore in June:

1. Solemn Return of the Luxembourg Bar, 4 June.
2. Sporting Day for Those With and Without Disabilities, 5 June. 
3. 25th Anniversary of the Schengen Agreement, 13 June, (a) on the NATAN runway and (b) on official duty.  I'll just say that I'm glad she doesn't patronize NATAN for all her evening wear too.
4. Visit to social groceries, 14 June.  Couldn't find very good pictures of this - looks like MT kept on her trench jacket the whole time.  All I can tell you is that she has a blue dress on under there, and that I'm bored.   
5. Visit from the President of Lituania, 15 June.  I'm pretty sure this is NATAN, and a much better showing at that; short cut jackets over dresses is always a good look for her.
6. Pre-wedding dinner and concert, 18 June.  This appears to be a wrap over the dress, but she didn't take the wrap off all evening (from what I can tell).  And that's a shame, because it's shapeless like this.  Focus on the gorgeous aquamarine necklace instead - it's one of the best of the Luxembourg parures (in my humble opinion) and I love combining it with the brown. 
7. Crown Princess Victoria's wedding, 19 June, a) on the runway and b) the variation worn on the blue carpet. Much better shape this time - and way to bring out the big guns with the Luxembourg Imperial tiara.  How much do you think that sucker weighs?  Our fair Grand Duchess is a brave woman.
8. National Day, Part 1: Diekirch visit and evening fireworks, 22 June, a) the cardigan on the Elie Saab runway, and b) on Maria Teresa.  Oh no.  I can't believe I'm going to say this - but I think we have an Elie Saab fail on our hands.  The ruching just isn't doing MT any favors.
9. National Day, Part 2: Te Deum and military parade, 23 June.  Back on form!  Amazing suit.  I even like the crepe paper hat.
10. National Day, Part 3: Gala, 23 June, a) on the Elie Saab runway and b) in action.

Best and Worst of the Month

 Busy month for the Grand Duchess, with the wedding and National Day.  So much to choose from, but the pale blue with major jewels is the hands down winner for me.  A little too often lately, Maria Teresa's been using wraps around her sleeveless dresses more as permanent parts of the dress to cover up her arms than as the accessories that they truly are.  The great thing about this Elie Saab is the unique way it incorporates the shoulder and arm coverage right into the dress while still maintaining a waist shape (unlike the brown dress in #6).  Also creating a waist shape - but a tragically wrong one - is this jail bird jacket from NATAN.  It's even making the model look wide (which you'd think would be impossible), and the shape is just so ridiculously dated.  I can only hope we won't see the full on stripe extravaganza we see on the runway modeled in Luxembourg anytime soon.

Update:  An additional outfit from preparations for the gala, screen capped from this video:

Now, this is a good fit!  Flattering as can be.  More of this, please!

Photos: Royal Press/Nieboer/Belga/Cour Gr Ducale/Marcio Madeira/Mark Renders/Getty Images/Wire Image/Stella Pictures/RTL

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa Gets Sporty

Confession: Luxembourg's royal family might just be my favorite of all the royal families. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa were one of the first royal/commoner love matches to make it down the aisle, and they're still incredibly cute together today. They have 5 kids (including some handsome princes for sons), and an incredible jewel collection.

So, you have to understand that I'll always be prone to cut the Grand Duchess a little slack when it comes to fashion. Here, for example at Sporting Day.....

The top? Not wise. Unless you have the body and the height of a Victoria's Secret model, you need a little structure and the right proportioning to help you along. But don't worry, MT - I still love ya.