Flashback Friday: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's Tiaras

Settle in with some chocolate ice cream and a cocktail, kids: it's time to indulge in some guilty jewel pleasures!

Last Friday, we commemorated the 30th wedding anniversary of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess by flashing back to Maria Teresa's wedding gown. This week, we shall continue by celebrating my favorite thing about my favorite Grand Duchess: her tiara collection. And it is a collection, let me tell you. Commence drooling...now:

(Note: these are the names I use for these tiaras. You won't find anything official here!)

1. Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara. The classic Luxembourg wedding tiara, given to M-T's late mother-in-law Joséphine-Charlotte (a Belgian princess) as a wedding present from the Congo (then a Belgian colony). This was the first of two tiaras she wore on her wedding day: yes, it seems J-C was my kind of girl. As far as I know, it's been a long time since this one's been worn in tiara form (as a necklace, yes - tiara, no); perhaps the next time we see it will be on Guillaume's future bride, or on Alexandra's wedding day?

2. Diamond Floral Tiara #1. This wee bit of floral bling is the only one that we've seen Princess Alexandra wear, and it was loaned out to niece Marie Christine on her wedding day. It almost sits flat back on the head sometimes, which is odd.

3. Diamond Floral Tiara #2. Mostly, I hear reference to only one diamond floral tiara in the Lux family (#1), but I do think this one is different. More of a vine structure than flowers, it looks to me, plus it appears larger and to have a different shape than #1. You know you're talking about a jewel collection of substance when it includes more than one diamond floral tiara!

4. Joséphine-Charlotte's Diamond Belgian Scroll Tiara. This sparkler was the second tiara Joséphine-Charlotte wore on her wedding day, for pictures, and it was another wedding gift. I love this tiara so hard, you guys. I can't believe they almost sold it: it was part of a proposed auction of some of J-C's jewels after her death. Public outcry was such that the Grand Duke ended up canceling the sale, thank heavens! I'm ever so glad it's found a secure place in the royal vault since that little mishap.



5. Luxembourg Empire Tiara. Too big, you say? Too much? No, I say, you are wrong. Because: BAM! This is a tiara, right? All hail the big guns! Maria Teresa didn't wear this bad boy until after Joséphine-Charlotte's death, but she's found a few choice occasions for it since. I will concede that this is a hard one to orchestrate the hair around, though.

6. Aquamarine Bandeau Tiara. There aren't that many good aquamarine tiaras out there - especially aquamarine tiaras that come with a parure to wear alongside - and I think this is one of them. 

7. Chaumet Emerald Tiara. It's Wonder Woman, I know. You've got to watch your tiara hair with this one, but I still love it. It's like you just plopped a duck egg of an emerald on your head. That's my kind of super hero. (Also: that choker was also on the proposed jewel sale. Outrage!)

8. Joséphine-Charlotte's Van Cleef and Arpels Emerald and Diamond Convertible Tiara. Longest tiara name ever? (I'm just trying to be servicey with the details.) This is...odd. I think I prefer it as a necklace. Maria Teresa just wore this for the first time during the state visit to Portugal last fall. She wore it to a black tie event at which she was the only one sporting a tiara, so the scale was probably right, but I much prefer this on a younger princess. Like Tessy, who wore this on her first-ever tiara outing for National Day 2008.

9. Topaz Tiara. (I'm guessing topaz here. Don't really know.) This one hasn't been seen since the early days of Maria Teresa's marriage. I think it's time for it to come out of retirement: it's unusual, in a good way. It'd be another good option for a younger princess, such as Alexandra or Tessy. (Also: holy earrings, Batman! My ear lobes ache just looking at them!)

10. Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide's Tiara. I haven't done the math or anything, but I think we could proclaim this one the most frequently worn tiara of the lot. Maria Teresa sure seems to like it, but I'm not so convinced. Sometimes it seems like it sits too high up on the head for my tastes. 

11. Amethyst Tiara. Needs more bling. Seriously, you can hardly see it up there! And visible framework sends shivers down my magpie spine. It's a shame, too: the world needs more fabulous amethyst tiaras.

12. Pearl and Diamond Choker Tiara. As the name states, the lattice portion of this can also be worn as a choker, and you have to admire any jewel that gives you more bang for your buck. That said, I don't like it. Looks like a diamond barbed wire fence atop the head to me. Which, I mean, if you're going to put a fence on your noggin, you might as well make it sparkly, but still: I'm not a fan.

13. Turquoise Tiara. Methinks this one might be a new addition by Maria Teresa in the past few years, which I'm always in favor of. It's definitely a tiara for the younger generation, though: it's far more suited to Tessy (who wore it for National Day 2010) than to M-T. She needs...more.

Without question, one of my favorite jewel collections. Lucky girl, that M-T!

And now it's time to pick and choose: which one's your favorite?

Royal Fashion Awards: Belgium's Eucharist Mass

The Belgians all turned out today to remember deceased members of the royal family with the annual Eucharist mass at Notre Dame de Laeken church in Brussels. Curious mix of outfits here: from those that came kitted out for a full-on royal occasion (read: coordinated outfit + hat, etc.) and those that came dressed for just another royal day. Let's hand out some awards, shall we?

Coziest and Comfiest

Queen Paola

This is what I mean: she's wearing a hat, but a fairly informal one, and this is a pretty simple outfit. Still, she looks toasty warm and cozy. Makes me want a hot chocolate.

Most Welcome Sight

Queen Fabiola

I feel like I breathe a sigh of relief every time Fab turns up somewhere: I'm just glad she's doing well! She's wearing her regular white wardrobe, and per usual, she gets a pass.

Most Unrecognizable

Princess Claire

Where's the crazy outfit? Where's my snark fodder? All I'm left with is the fact that she's wearing headgear that should be left to the 12-year-old girls of the world. Alas! Maybe she made a conscious decision to blend into the background today and leave the crazy to her husband, who just got his driver's license suspended for the third time. (Insert eye roll: here.)

Best Twin

Princess Esmeralda

Esmeralda, or Marie-Esméralda if you prefer, is half-sister to the King as her parents were Leopold III and his second wife Lilian, and for today only, sartorial twin of Princess Claire. Of these two, who have unwittingly put themselves in fashion competition, I much prefer Esmeralda here. First of all, I love her name. (These things matter to me.) Second, she's working more of a fascinator and less of a headband, which helps with the 12-year-old girl situation. And third, she's not turned her legs completely black with some combo of leggings and stretchy boots. You've got to break up that line somewhere!

Classiest Act

Princess Marie-Astrid

No hat on display, but still: this is pure class. I don't know that much about Marie-Astrid, but I already like her.

Most Intriguing

Princess Léa

This is Léa in the bottom left corner of the left photo, displaying her curious fashion sense in all its glory. (Léa is the widow of Prince Alexander, who was the King's half-brother.) Trying to distract from her strangely unflattering coat by reviving hair fashions from the days of Dynasty, I imagine. Intriguing indeed!

Best Dressed

Princess Mathilde

My first thought: this is some kind of costume reject from the set of a Harry Potter film, from the overturned fur Tupperware hat on her head to the pump/SHOOTIE hybrid on her toes. But it grew on me. (Like a fungus?) Here's what I love: she turned up dressed for a proper royal occasion, matching hat and all. Also: it isn't black. (What, it's not like anyone was going to show up at the memorial mass in sunshine yellow. Gray gets points.)

I have a feeling, though, that she's probably making many of your worst-dressed lists instead, so have at it: who makes your best- and worst-dressed list for the day?

Photos: PPE/Nieboer/Belga/RPE/Reuters/Daylife/Isopix

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 6-12 February

Here's what Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the week of 6-12 February:

1. New pictures released for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess's 30th wedding anniversary. Aw.
2. At a Social Business workshop at the University of Luxembourg, 9 February. I'm glad to see Maria Teresa out and about after the Grand Duke's health scare. I think this is classy and flattering.

Photos: Michel Burmat/University of Luxembourg/Cr gr ducale

Flashback Friday: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's Wedding Dress

Look who's celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary next week:

On February 14, 1981, Henri (then the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg) married Cuban-born María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla after meeting her while both were studying at the University of Geneva. Naturally, we must mark this occasion by flashing back to the best part of any wedding (well, as far as this blog's concerned, at least): the dress.

It's a couture design from Balmain, and like most good couture, the craft is in the details. The whole dress is intricately patterned, but you can hardly tell in photographs. Oh, how I would kill to see it in person so I could fully appreciate everything that's going on here.

Really, though, the lack of detail from far away is one of the things that makes this dress work. Maria Teresa's never been the tall, willowy sort, and bathing her in a sea of ruffles or sequins would have been a disaster. This is simple and clean, even with the fur trim.

I am fundamentally opposed to fur trim on wedding gowns (it's a tad too Evil Snow Queen for me), but this is subtle. And it was February, a full-on winter gown is appropriate.

Another thing this dress has going for it: a good train/veil length. Long enough for the occasion, but not so long as to swallow her whole. Interesting detail: part of the train extends directly from her shoulders, cape-style.

She covered her face with a front veil when entering the cathedral on the arm of her father. Maria Teresa's tiara was one of the few royal wedding tiaras that could actually accommodate a front veil easily. The Congo Diamond Tiara was a gift from the Belgian colony of Congo to then-Belgian Princess Josephine-Charlotte (Henri's mother) when she married, and she wore it at her wedding. After Maria Teresa, both of Henri's sisters wore it for their respective weddings.These days, Maria Teresa occasionally wears it in necklace form.

Speaking of Princesses Marie-Astrid and Margaretha, their wedding gowns bring me to another point of consideration when looking back on Maria Teresa's gown: the ability of the design to age well over time.

Marie-Astrid (left) was married a year after her brother, in February of 1982, and Margaretha (right) was married in March of 1982. Lovely though these two ladies are, I think the volume and ruffle-age on their gowns shows the pay off of the relative restraint of Maria Teresa's design over time.

I confess I didn't like this one at first, but it really has grown on me. Then again, Maria Teresa's also become one of my favorite royals, so I won't claim an unbiased viewpoint. I hope they have a very happy 30th wedding anniversary, and a quiet one as Henri is on the mend from his recent heart troubles.

What's your verdict: is this gown a win? And where do you stand on the fur-on-wedding-gown issue?

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?

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: 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

Best of 2010: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

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!

I'm about to gush about my love for Elie Saab gowns. Prepare yourselves:

J'adore! This is delicate. I love this gown because it flatters Maria Teresa's body type, and covers her up so that she doesn't have to stick with a shawl for the whole event, as she is prone to do. And, hello, talk about coming out with your tiara guns blazing. Some people said it was too much, this tiara for this event, but oh how I disagree. Too many diamonds is a condition similar to that of too much chocolate: it doesn't exist in my world.

Honorable Mentions

Another thing you can never get too much of? Elie Saab gowns! (Don't say I didn't warn you about the gushing.) Here's two more: periwinkle at Margrethe's birthday (again, like what's happening with sleeves here) and gorgeous deep blue for National Day. This is what I'm talking about, with the wrap, but the color is so lush I'll give it an honorable mention anyways. I also loved this suit from National Day: very flattering.

Tell me: what was your favorite Maria Teresa outfit of 2010?

 

Photos: Belga/WireImage/Cour gr ducale

Royal Trend Watch: Safety Woes

Here's a lil' tidbit about yours truly: I'm an interior designer. My particular job involves developing the aesthetics of large buildings, offices and such. What I'm saying is this: I spend a significant amount of my time mucking about construction sites and the like.

Why am I bothering you with this information? Because I want you to know, when I say this, that it comes from deep personal experience:

There is no way to make construction hard hats and safety gear look good. Mette-Marit, I sympathize.

Let me tell you, there's nothing worse than having your style smashed by safety requirements. (Well, alright, there's a whole lot out there that's worse than that. But my world is small and shallow.) High heels are not encouraged in these environments, which is blasphemous. And I'm not even going to get into what these things do to your hair.

Poor royals. Factories, construction sites, you name it: many have tried to rock their safety gear....

...all have failed. A most unfortunate royal trend.

But, hey, I think Mette-Marit's come up with the first step to combating the woes of safety wear:

If your scarf is big enough, it'll cover everything else. Someone needs to tell Letizia.

Photos: Corbis/ANP

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



Month in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, July

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

1.  Garden parties at Chateau de Berg for National Day, 25 June and 1 July.  There were 2 garden parties, and MT appears to have worn the same dress to both; once sleeveless and once with a cardigan of sorts.  Much better in the second picture, with hair up and the additional cardigan thing.

Only one MT sighting this month, boo.  On a happier note, the post for Luxembourg's National Day has been updated with tiara sightings from Princess Tessy and Princess Alexandra, and Maria Teresa's June recap post has been updated with an additional outfit from National Day.

Photos: Cour grand ducal/Carlo Hommel

Royal Trend Watch: Clothes Swap Edition

Eagle-eyed royal watchers (and Svenskdam, too) caught a few dresses that looked a little familiar at Crown Princess Victoria's wedding and associated celebrations....

Friend Anna Ek donned a couple of the Crown Princess's old gowns, while Daniel's sister borrowed another.  The added embellishment on the pink neckline and green waist is the same.

Can I just tell you how much I love Victoria giving out her old dresses to her friends?  Seriously.  I'm not surprised: this is the woman that once wrote her love 30 letters for 30 days they'd be separated.  (If you need to watch Daniel's wedding speech again - and, really, you do - here ya go.)  I like her so much.  I don't really understand the need to add the cheesy looking glitter to the pink and green dresses, but whatever.  So sweet.

We may not get many opportunities to witness royal ladies lending out clothes to friends, but we have seen our fair share of inter-family loans:

Sweden's Princess Birgitta loaned an old outfit to her daughter-in-law Nicole for Victoria's wedding. 

I think I might have at least sprung for a different jacket, so the loan would be a little less obvious.  I wouldn't want to foster too many comparisons with Birgitta, but that's just me (and just mean.  I'm sure she's a lovely person!).

Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleberg (left) borrowed one of her sister Princess Alexandra's old maternity gowns for Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations.

Sisters always share.  (Especially when they look exactly alike - Nathalie was the pregnant one, and that was the only way I can tell them apart.  What will I do now she's had the baby?)  Plus, this just makes sense - nobody wants to buy a whole new wardrobe they won't be able to wear next month, let alone 9 from now.  Hell, the same box of borrowed maternity clothes has been making the rounds in my circle of friends for a couple years now.

Princess Martha Louise wears a dress belonging to her mother, Queen Sonja.

I can't imagine wearing any of my mother's clothes.  That would never, ever happen.  Maybe I'd change my mind if my mother had a closet full of designer duds.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa has loaned clothes to her daughter-in-law Princess Tessy more than once; the teal outfit she wore to Felipe and Letizia's wedding was seen on Tessy at the National Day 2008 celebrations, as was a black and white evening gown.  National Day 2009 saw Tessy wearing a fascinator first worn by Maria Teresa at Tessy's wedding.

Once again, I am loving the sentiment here: Maria Teresa seems to have gone out of her way to welcome Tessy to the family, even if she did enter in a most unconventional way (as an unmarried 20 year old, she gave birth to the then-19 year old Prince Louis's baby, if you're not up on your Luxembourg scandals).  It's especially lovely given that tales of tension between MT and her own mother-in-law still circulate even now that Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte has passed away.  But once again I question the execution: these are two very different sized ladies, and the same clothes do not suit them both.  The added fabric on the bottom of the evening gown is particularly clumsy.

For the wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan in 2005, Princess Mabel wore the same dress that her mother-in-law Queen Beatrix wore when announcing her engagement to Prince Claus in 1965.

Pay attention, now, because this might be the only time I ever compliment Mabel's sense of style on this blog: I love this, absolutely and without reservation.  I love the gesture of wearing a dress with such a significant history, I love what it says about the relationship between these two women, and I love the dress itself.  There are few periods in fashion history that can be repeated without looking completely dated, and this dress falls into one of them.

I would love to see more of this, done just like Mabel (once again, probably the only time I will ever say that).  There should be more reasons to preserve royal clothes than just for future museum display.  Couldn't you picture Crown Princess Mary in some of the 1960s sheath dresses sported by then-Crown Princess Margrethe, or one of Queen Silvia's daughters digging out some of the amazing gowns she's donned for Nobel ceremonies past?  Or am I nuts, and we should always wish for fortunes large enough to bring us new couture, all the time?  (I wish for both, just to be clear.)

Photos: Getty Images/PPE/Corbis