Week in Review: Princess Nikolaos, 13-19 February

Here's what Tatiana wore from 13-19 February:

1.  a, b and c) in Vanity Fair (Spain). What's up with the leafy bits around the neck in 1a, huh?
2. a and b) Attending Samantha Cameron's reception for London Fashion Week at 10 Downing Street, 18 February. As per usual, I care only about the shoes, which are hot enough I'm willing to overlook the red bra peeking out from under the dress in 2a. You know I love Tatiana, but it has to be said: tone down the posing, please! You're at 10 Downing Street, not on the runway.

Best and Worst of the Week

Well, ball gowns always win, so 1b gets the week from me. (What a gorgeous pic, right?) I usually expect photoshoots to be styled to the top, which is why I am extra confused by 1c. Long sleeved shirt under a not-vest not-shirt contraption. No thank you.

Photos: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images/Vanity Fair

Week in Review: Princess Nikolaos, 30 January - 5 February

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

1. Attending the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund cocktail reception in celebration of winner Christopher Kane at Almada Bar and Club, London, 2 February. Little belted cape-type coat, little bit of pink, I'm liking it.

Photos: Getty Images

Week in Review: Crown Princess Pavlos, 23-29 January

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

1. Attending the Christian Dior fashion show, 24 January.
2. At the Chanel show, 24 January.
3. At the Jean-Paul Gaultier show, 26 January, a) so you can see the jacket, and b) because you can't miss the scarf.

Leave it to the fashion shows to bring Marie-Chantal out of hiding! Safe, tame and elegant - a real couture lady - right up until the end, when she hits us with the scarf and flat leopard boot double whammy. Just...wow.


Photos: Profimedia/Pacificcoastnews.com/Getty Images/Pascal LeSegretain

Week in Review: Princess Nikolaos, 23-29 January

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

1. At the opening of a London Tory Burch store, 25 January. Tory Burch store, it would follow that at least the jacket here is a Tory Burch design.

Well, look at that. You wear gray and black the right way, and I'm all for it. She looks chic!

Top 10 Worst of 2010: The Runners Up

Narrowing down the field to just 10 of the worst appearances of the year was nearly impossible. You know I love the disastrous appearances. So, without further ado, the ones that almost made it:

Things that Make Me Sad

L to R: Princess Máxima, Princess Mathilde, Princess Alexia, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Princess Alexandra, Sarah Ferguson

From bad fabrics (that'd be Máxima and Maria Teresa) to bad shapes (Mathilde and Alexia), these ladies brought me down with their unfortunate selections. Designers make me sad, too: example being when NATAN attacked poor young Princess Alexandra. And when Sarah busted out her Alexander McQueen...it made me weep for the memory of that poor designer. Have some respect for his legacy, Sarah: retire that dress.

That's enough of the sad. Let's get back to the humorous appearances, shall we?

When Accessories Attack

L to R: Princess Elena, Princess Anne, Princess Michael, Queen Margrethe, Princess Claire

It's the bolero and the hair piece on Elena that takes this pink number from just enthusiastically ball-gownish to straight up costume. Similarly, Princess Anne's outfit on Ascot Day 2 wasn't that bad...until you saw the hair ornaments. It's a little disturbing on a woman of Anne's age (not to mention a woman of Anne's persona). Even more disturbing, though, is this fortune teller get up of Princess Michael. Talk about your costumes! What's not a costume, of course, is Margrethe's floral raincoat - that's just who she is (shame she didn't bust out the matching hat, though). And I'm sadly afraid that these necklaces attacking Princess Claire might just be who she is. Yikes.

Royal Hippies

L to R: Princess Cristina, Queen Sofia, Princess Letizia, Charlene Wittstock

A nice printed fabric, a lovely flow...just makes you yearn for the beach (or Woodstock). But on royal duty? Methinks not. At least we're getting a picture of where Elena might have gotten the inspiration for her clown pants. I have no explanation for Charlene, though. Let's just hope she'll have a better Armani experience come wedding time.

Prints Gone Wild

L to R: Crown Princess Margarita, Princess Irene, Queen Beatrix, Princess Märtha Louise (times 2!)

Oh, prints went wild on the dance floor too this year. Margarita combined the ever-popular jail bird trend with a nice floral for a truly mind-boggling frock, while Princess Irene and Queen Beatrix went paisley (why?). Märtha Louise, always one to give us something to snicker at, dished up two doozies this year: sea creature with a mullet at Victoria's pre-wedding dinner, and striped up like a football star during the Netherlands state visit. It should be noted that she's worn that dress before, to Frederik and Mary's wedding. She appears to only wear it when she has a sash that accentuates the stripe-age.

A Serious Case of Try Hard

L to R: Crown Princess Pavlos, Princess Nikolaos, Princess Letizia, Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Princess Mary, Princess Mabel

There's a lot of fashionable princesses mucking about out there. There are some that are truly stylish, and some that just think they are, but they all have their moments of Trying Too Hard. Marie-Chantal is a couture-clad designer, but I still don't get this overly metallic frock. (Too much.) Tatiana's another fashion industry veteran, but this black outfit crosses from fashionable to Halloween. (Too harsh.) Letizia tries, but I will never have any love for the M.C. Hammer pants. (Too wrong.) I love Victoria, but shooties? Seriously? (Too much of a travesty.) And Mary, she gets it right so often, but this top and these pants and those shoes on a pregnant lady...no. (Too much try.)

Naturally, we close once again with Mabel. With stripper shoes...and a jumpsuit. Wait, why didn't this one make the countdown? Crap.

Alright, you've heard me out. Now, tell me: who did I miss?

Top 10 Worst of 2010: #3. Bridesmaids at Nikolaos and Tatiana's Wedding

Not technically royals, no. But since they were bridesmaids, I'm going on the assumption that these dresses were chosen by Tatiana, or at the very least approved by her. So I'm counting it.

And really, how could I not:

This just does not compute. I mean, if you were going to the school dance with a bunch of your girlfriends and you decided to put on a silly show of solidarity, sure. That I would get.

But this is a wedding. A royal wedding, at that. I have to be honest, even if these were the bride's choice at a family wedding held in the Nowheresville that I hail from, I'd raise an eyebrow. And I have relatives that have been known to wear blue jeans to weddings. (Oh, how I wish I was kidding.)

Or maybe I'm just disappointed. Out of Tatiana, if I can't get something to fall in love with, I at least expect to get something high fashion. Not mall chain prom.

Photo: Getty Images/Europa Press

Best of 2010: Princess Nikolaos

This week I'm picking out my favorite outfit worn by each of the royals I've covered regularly here on the blog. Join in the fun!

Ah! Tatiana's one of my favorites, I make no secret of that. Why do I love her so? This:

Perfect, perfect turn at Crown Princess Victoria's wedding. I like this one better than what she wore to her own wedding. Sometimes things are just pretty.

Honorable Mentions

I'm not even giving the wedding dress an honorable mention, can you believe that? It's sacrilegious, isn't it? I just didn't like it that much, and it hasn't grown on me. These three appearances, however, have certainly grown in favor, particularly the green Amanda Wakeley sported at King Constantine's birthday party; I like it more now than I did when I first saw it. One of the things I like about Tatiana is her casual style, so I had to throw in one of the outfits she wore mucking about Greece before the wedding, as well as the Grecian dream of a dress she wore to her pre-wedding party.

Tell me: what was your favorite Tatiana outfit of 2010?

Photos: Getty

Flashback Friday: Royal Engagement Outfits

I've been thinking about it, and I've decided this: the royal engagement outfit has to be one of the hardest outfits in royal life to get just right.

First of all, it's not an everyday business meeting. (Well, I suppose once upon a time it was a business meeting, but I should hope we've moved past that by now.)

Now, I love me some Tatiana, but her engagement outfit just wasn't...special, you know? And even when you fancy the day-to-day suit up, à la Letizia, you're not immune to criticism.

Second, it may not be an every day event, but it's still not an evening occasion - Sophie's engagement suit I recall being criticized as too "evening" just because she went for a little beading. And there's something off about Charlene in a long dress next to Albert in a regular old suit.

That said, it's not a casual occasion either, Mathilde. (I guess they were going for the young and fresh angle?)

Thirdly, one must be careful not to date oneself.

Because as these two ladies well know, the engagement photos will remain long after the marriage ceases to exist.

Yes, timeless is the way to go. Princess Elizabeth looks well-dressed even 60 years later.

And at least Madeleine can be proud of her engagement outfit, even if she didn't end up being proud of the engagement.

Now, let us revisit the case of Miss Catherine Middleton:

Another one for the timeless category, I say. Not too fancy, not too casual. Made by a British designer (Issa, a fave of Kate's as well as Beatrice and Eugenie). Hits it on all points, all while managing to avoid too great a comparison to the inevitable:

  
Tell me: who tops your all-time best dressed royal fiancée list, and where does Kate rank on your list?

Flashback Friday: Queen Margrethe's Birthday Celebrations, Part 3

And so we've arrived at the last of these fond memories of Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations.  The last event was a dinner with a black tie and tiara dress code...

Best of the Satiny and Shiny

L to R: Carina Axelsson, Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Princess Mary, Princess Nathalie

Apart from that embellishment around Carina's waist, which I think cheapens the whole thing, not a bad category.  I had to give it to Mary's repeat dress - great color, great cut, and bonus points for being a great canvas on which to showcase that Midnight Tiara.

Worst of the Chiffony and Floaty

L to R: Princess Marie, Princess Benedikte, Princess Alexia

For the record, I like Marie's dress, I just think it's more Hollywood starlet than tiara-sporting Princess. And as for Benedikte and Alexia...oh, no, dears.  Not flattering.  Benedikte isn't so bad, it's just the sleeves there, whereas Alexia's being choked by that forced empire waist.

Best of the Hmm...

L to R: Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Interesting selections from these three ladies.  Margrethe's doing her usual Margrethe thing, but this one just seems excessively...wide.  Victoria's just busted out of jail in her BCBG Max Azria gown, though I will submit that she's rocking it as much as anyone can rock a prison uniform.  Mette-Marit's also gone the love-it-or-hate-it route with her flower-iffic ice blue and magenta combo.  I vote for 'love it' - something about the color combo with the hair and make up just works.

Best of the Best

L to R: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Princess Máxima, Queen Silvia

What we've got here are three women doing exactly what they're known to do, in exactly the right way: Maria Teresa is doing her floaty Elie Saab thing, but this time she's made a flattering silhouette out of it; Silvia's dignified in Jacques Zehnder as always but well-fit and well-colored; and Máxima's loud yet lovely.  Here's why Máxima's Carolina Herrera wins it for me: this is the perfect dress to wear for a black tie and tiara shindig.  It makes the most of her sapphire jewelry, but couldn't be worn to a full gala occasion since the print would mess with all the orders and what not she'd need to wear.  And I'm all for capitalizing on an opportunity.

And Finally, the "Whoa!" Category

L to R: Queen Sonja, Queen Beatrix

Just thought we'd end on a humorous note.  That's all.

So, my lovelies, there you have it.  Who wins your overall best dressed award for the whole celebration?

Photos: bt.dk/zimbio

Flashback Friday: Queen Margrethe's Birthday Celebrations, Part 1

You know what we need more of in our daily lives, kids?  Sparkle.  Call me shallow if you must, but a good tiara is my favorite part of royal watching, hands down.  Even though I understand all of the reasons why the Greek wedding couldn't have been as glitzy as the Swedish wedding was, it still left me longing for a giant event of proper royal glam to drool over.  Though I have no idea when the next such event will be, I have a feeling it will be a long, long time from now, and that gives me the sads.

So, I thought:  let's dig one up anyways!  This wee blog was but a twinkle in my eye back in April when Queen Margrethe celebrated her 70th birthday.  This is a Queen that knows how to party: 3 tiara events, 2 of which were massively attended by other European royals sporting the finest in diamonds and other sparkly delights.  Now, you'll remember that right about this time that nasty volcano Iwouldntspellitrightanyways reared its ugly head to rain on the royal parade, but it still managed to be a grand event, and we'll be flashing back one event at a time for the next three Fridays.

Firstly, we'll take on the first event with big royal attendance: a white tie gala concert.  Let's give out some (retroactive) awards, shall we?

Worst of the (Literal) Eveningwear

Left to Right:  Princess Marie, Princess Benedikte, Queen Silvia

These ladies took their outfits a little too far into the evening by sporting downright bedroom-inspired ensembles.  With a few snips of the fabric, Marie could have herself a nice little lingerie ensemble.  It fits her like a glove, but why is that little belt thing necessary?  Benedikte's adapted the lingerie theme to an outfit more appropriate for her age.  I can't see a silk gown covered by floating lace without thinking nightie, sorry.  But the worst one here is Silvia, who ran in exactly the opposite direction and swathed herself in one giant nightgown.  She and the King arrived late to the concert because of volcanic travel issues, so there were no pictures of the couple.  What you're seeing here is a screencap from the concert broadcast along with pictures of the red Yuki (a designer, not an opinion) dress as it was worn for the Nobel ceremony a few years ago and her sapphire tiara from another outing.  Yuki is famous for his draping; he typically uses large pieces of fabric with very few cuts and seams.  Sure, there's art there, but I find everything he's done for Silvia to be totally disappointing (see also this dress).

Best of the Tapestries

L to R: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Alexia

These heavy floral fabrics are more reminiscent of a wall hanging than anything in the sartorial realm.  Sure, they can be successful on a dress, but one must tread lightly...unlike Mette-Marit.  I just think this dress looks like it weighs fifty pounds, and it's attempting to age her fifty years.  Fabric overload.  Anne-Marie's is age appropriate, but all that pattern is fighting with emerald weight on her necklace.  You should always let the emeralds win.  Now, Alexia I think came the closest to getting it right.  She limited the tapestry to the jacket of the dress, and it's cut well.  I don't even mind the little 80s pouf on the sleeves.  Well played.

Best of the Frills

L to R: Carina Axelsson, Crown Princess Victoria

Victoria's gone full-on foufy here.  I like it, don't get me wrong.  But that kind of ruffle overload needs to stand on it's own, without the orders and everything else.  Plus, that train was hazardous: her brother stepped on it on their way up the theater stairs and nearly caused a right royal wardrobe malfunction.  Thus, Carina wins by default.

Best of the Best

L to R: Princess Nathalie, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Mary

Now we're talking!  These ladies hit the sartorial jackpot.  Nathalie's wearing a borrowed gown that's simple and lovely, and a choker was the perfect jewel to pair with it.  Maria Teresa's sporting my fave Elie Saab again.  This dress is magically magnificent; so intricate!  The jewels need help, though.  That Wonder Woman tiara needs a better hair pedestal to live up to its full potential.  If I was writing this in April, I probably would have named Mary the best of the best, but she's worn similar things since then, so it doesn't quite have a full "Wow" factor working for it in retrospect.  So the prize must go to the birthday girl herself.  She repeated this for Victoria's wedding, and why not: she looks fantastic.  Totally flattering, and that color is just out there enough to suit this Queen's taste.  Plus, is there any better way to say "I'm the Queen!" than to show up in neon apple green with mounds of diamonds and emeralds all wrapped up in a fur package?  I think not.

What was your favorite dress from this event?  Has your opinion changed since April?

Photos: bt.dk/svenskdam/zimbio/getty



Event Round Up: Prince Nikolaos and Tatiana Blatnik's Wedding, 25 August 2010

Relive the Greek royal wedding, any time you please:

Wedding-Centric Posts

All the fashion from the event itself.

The Bride, Her Dress, and Attendants

Royal Fashion Awards: The Guests

Royal Fashion Awards: The Pre-Wedding Party

Weekly Review Posts

See what else some of the guests wore during their brief Greek vacation.

The Greek Royal Ladies

Crown Princess Victoria

Letizia, Princess of Asturias

Princess Maxima

Princess Madeleine

Pre-Wedding Fun

Travel back in time for some wedding nostalgia, and of course a flashback to Tatiana's pre-royal years.

Queen Anne-Marie and King Constantine

Marie-Chantal Miller and Crown Prince Pavlos

Flashback: Tatiana's Style



Month in Review: Greek Royal Ladies, August

Here's what a few selected Greek royals wore in August:

Princess Theodora

1. American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, 7 August. Love that she's sporting this event, and love this dress!
2. Out and about in Greece, 24 August.
3. Pre-wedding party for Nikolaos and Tatiana, 24 August.
4. Nikolaos' and Tatiana's wedding, 25 August, a) on Theodora and b) from BCBG Max Azria. 

Princess Nikolaos

1. Wedding preparations, 22 August.  I ask you: is this the perfect outfit to be out and about on a Greek island, or what?
2. Wedding rehearsal, 22 August.  Once again, super cute.  This dress has little pockets too, which I love.
3. Out and about, 24 August.
4. Pre-wedding party, 24 August, a) from J. Mendel and b) on the bride.  Just ethereal.
5. Wedding, 25 August.  I see how it fits in the context of the location of the wedding, but I still can't say I'm a huge fan.
6. Day after the wedding, 26 August.  

Crown Princess Pavlos

1. Wedding rehearsal, 22 August.
2. Pre-wedding party, 24 August.  I love this more and more.  Even the shoes.  
3. Wedding, 25 August.  Did anyone ever catch a photo of this without the shawl?  I didn't see any, but I'm dying to know.

Best and Worst of the Month

Picking a best for the month among these three ladies was a tough one. (Especially when there's a bride involved, but I've already bored you with my thoughts on that one.)  But there's something about Theodora's flowered dress that does it for me - it's young, but appropriate, and insanely flattering.  I'll tell you what isn't any of those three things - Marie-Chantal's metallic thing there.  I'm sure this is by some high-end designer that I haven't been able to identify, there's probably a good chance it cost more than my car or something, but come on.  M-C's usually a very chic woman, but sometimes I think she rests a little too heavily on the strength of her designer labels.

Photos: Sevenpixnews/Tlife/JMendel/Style.com/Royal Press Europe/Nieboer/Svenskdam/Chris Jackson/Getty Images/Zimbio/BCBG/BEW Photo

Nikolaos and Tatiana's Wedding: The Dress and the Bridal Party

There was talk of Carolina Herrera, there was natural discussion of Diane von Furstenberg, but Tatiana threw everyone for a loop by picking Angel Sanchez to design her wedding dress.  He's from Venezuela, her birth country.  She also blindsided me by picking something that I don't absolutely love.  This, I think, is a case where perhaps reality had no chance of living up to the hype.

Lace upon lace upon lace made up Tatiana's royal gown.  It's just too much lace for me; the gown looks heavy, particularly when you focus on the bodice line under the lace bolero.  In addition to the lace, you've got the draping and the layers adding to the visual weight.

The other thing that's bothering me is and the movement of the multiple layers of the gown.  There's the lace skirt, then the train extending from the waist, then the veil.  And in none of the shots I've seen so far are all those layers simultaneously under control.  This is a dress that's meant to stand still, but due to the lack of coverage from inside the cathedral, all the shots are in movement. 

Accessories: the same tiara Marie-Chantal wore on her wedding day, dangly earrings that are swinging around in many of the photos, and shoes.  Even the shoes have a lot going on!

I found myself thinking of Princess Marie's wedding dress while going through these pictures.  Because of the tiara placement and the lace, of course, but also because I felt they both looked more like something you could find at your regular bridal store rather than a one of a kind creation fit for a royal bride. 


Now, let's talk about the bride's entourage:

There were a lot of members of this bridal party!  As far as the children go: all of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal's kids, all of Alexia's kids, maybe others too?  Really, all I can say is they needed a better solution for Maria Olympia (Pavlos and M-C's oldest): she's too old for a wreath of flowers in her hair, and she's got gladiator sandals on.  Hmm.

What we really need to talk about when it comes to bridal party are the older members...

What?!  Seriously?  Bridesmaids are meant to be support for the bride, not traveling Las Vegas back up singers at the ready for impromptu wedding karaoke sessions.  Not only did Tatiana pick these out, she also forgot to tell these ladies to knock it off with the red carpet posing.  They vamped it up the whole way into the cathedral.  Tacky.

Now, tell me: what was your verdict on the dress?  Did it live up to your expectations?  And are you pro or con in terms of sequined bridesmaids?

Photos: Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe/Zimbio/Louis Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images/Europa Press/Profimedia/Micos Bacanski

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

Royal Fashion Awards: Nikolaos and Tatiana's Pre-Wedding Party

Alright!  Let the fun begin.  Tonight in Greece the royal family held a pre-wedding party in advance of tomorrow's big wedding.  Let's start with the main sartorial event: the bride and groom.

Tatiana's been rocking the Greek goddess thing for a while now, and this is the epitome.  Gor-geous.  But I included the two of them together for a reason, and not only to make sure you have ample time to admire the most tanned bridal couple in royal history.  Look at Tatiana. Now look at Nikolaos.  She's in a gown, he's in sneakers.  I'd really like to know what sort of dress code the invitation to this party spelled out, because we've got some interesting choices directly ahead...

Best of the Bumps: Real and Speculative

 Left to Right: Princess Letizia, Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Princess Mary

Mary, obviously, is actually pregnant (although curiously lacking in the baby bump area considering there's two of them in there).  But Victoria and Letizia seem dressed to spawn similar speculation themselves.  All three ladies look fantastic, I must say.  (Even Letizia!  Mark this one down on the calendar, I'm doling out compliments and she gets one!  Maybe I am a nice person after all.)  I'm guessing Mary's sporting Carolina Herrera here - UPDATE: nope, it's Missoni.  Victoria's my favorite - it's floaty and summery and I like it so much I'll do her a solid and ignore the shoes.

Best of the Prints

 L to R: Princess Cristina, Princess Elena, Lady Gabriella Windsor

A balmy cocktail night out is the perfect opportunity for a little fun with prints, and these ladies look excellent.  I could do without the shoes on Cristina and without the bag on Gabriella (is that sparkly?  With the printed dress?), so Elena wins by default.  Besides, she deserves a little encouragement after making my list of Top 10 Worst Dressed Royal Wedding Guests for her showing at Victoria's wedding.

Best of the Greeks

L to R: Princess Theodora, Princess Alexia, Crown Princess Pavlos

The Greek ladies seemed to be the ones that truly got the dress code right; and fittingly, it is their party after all.  Theodora looks just like the movie star she's trying to become.  Marie Chantal looks good too; she's finally found the right dress to wear those shoes with.  But Alexia - hello!  She hasn't looked this good since I started this blog.  This outfit fits her (finally!) and the black and turquoise combination is perfection.  Gold star.

Best of the Worst

L to R: Queen Anne Marie, Princess Máxima, Queen Sofia, Princess Rosario, Princess Marie

Ah, so much to pick from.  Dress code confusion abounds!  Let's break it down, one at a time:

• The mother of the groom.  This is a matching sweater set outfit.  I like the necklace and the smile, but this just doesn't seem fancy enough for a function celebrating your son's wedding. 
• Máx.  There's nothing inherently wrong with this dress, but the shoulder thing is a bit fancy for this event, and the overly strong slightly mismatched shoes have the air of unfortunately dressed bridesmaid about them.
• Sofia.  Wow.  Do we need to talk about why this is the unequivocal best of the worst?  Could there by any more patterns involved here?
• Rosario.  Now, this picture was labeled with the rest of the party pics on all the photo sites I saw, but I'm just desperately hoping they got that wrong.  Because that looks like a bikini top under there.  UPDATE: it is indeed a dress from earlier in the day.  Correct dress to come later.
• Marie, oh Marie.  She always tries so hard, and yet she always carries the ghost of the early- to mid-1990s with her.  This is part undergarment and part swimsuit cover up.  And wholly unfortunate.  UPDATE: this is from earlier in the day too, whoops.  I still don't like it, though.

So, what did you think?  Who makes your best- and worst-dressed lists for the wedding celebration kick off?

Here are the updated pics I missed the first time around:

Madeleine's wearing a repeat Oscar de la Renta, lovely.  Rosario and Marie - now, they certainly look better than what I originally thought, but I can't help but think at least some of my original critiques apply.

Many thanks to the ravishingly beautiful commenters that pointed me in the right direction for the updates.  E-smooches all around.

Photos: Getty Images/Daylife/BEW/Profimedia