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Showing posts with label White. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White. Show all posts

Royal Trip of the Day: The Sussexes Kick Things Off in Australia

The Duke and Duchess are off and running on their tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand! We're off and running too:

The couple are given baby gifts by the Governor-General of Australia and Lady Cosgrove
Governor-General Facebook
The couple checked off multiple Australia tour musts on Day 1, from scenic views to koalas to collecting the first of what will surely be many swiftly procured baby gifts.

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Meghan checked off another tour must, wearing an Australian designer right off the bat. The dress is simple but LWDs (little white dresses) are just as essential as LBDs, if you ask me. It's by designer Karen Gee. The brand's message is one of inclusivity and positive body image and confidence - in other words, it sounds like it's right up Meghan's alley. Someone's clearly done their homework beyond just googling "Australian fashion designers".

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She also brought some jewel surprises with a special side of awww: the blue stone and diamond butterfly earrings and the gold bracelet with blue stones are pieces from the collection of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

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Diana wears the earrings and a matching necklace in 1986
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Diana wears the bracelet in 1990
I'm impressed with the pieces she picked. A lot of Diana's everyday jewels - not the fanciest stuff, just the smaller things - honestly look pretty dated to me. These don't. Job well done.
October 16, 2018

Royal Events of the Day: Denmark & Norway Open Parliament

Two more monarchies checked the opening of parliament off their autumn to do list yesterday:

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In Denmark, the primary members of the royal family watch the proceedings from a balcony (rather than the monarch giving a speech, as happens in other countries). Queen Margrethe's cheery blue outfit provided a welcome dash of color on a rainy day.

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Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie seemed appropriately bundled up, Marie even adding a turtleneck under her repeated Paule Ka coat (which Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie also owns). Mary is channeling Jackie O in this jacket and pillbox hat - with some skirt color to pep things up - which is pretty much a foolproof strategy.

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My winner for the day, though, is the perpetually elegant Princess Benedikte. She arrived in a brown wrap over a pumpkin dress with a feather in her hat. If autumn itself needed a parliament opening outfit, this is the outfit autumn would wear. Perfection.

Hans Kristian Thorbjørnsen/Stortinget/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (cropped)
For Norway's parliament opening, King Harald reads the speech; he's accompanied by Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon. The gentlemen steal the show here as always in their uniforms. Queen Sonja pretty much has her own uniform, usually wearing black and/or white with some red thrown in some years. Can't really argue with that.
October 03, 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Swedish Royals at Parliament & More

It was Sweden's turn to open parliament this week, with the Swedish royal family present as always.

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The ladies do a black and white (and shades thereof, in this case) dress code, which is reminiscent of the black and white court dress worn decades ago. This year that led to Crown Princess Victoria wearing a Paule Ka top she's worn previously to this same event. I'm half wishing Princess Sofia's jacket had a beige bottom, thereby completing the fake out crop top effect. Just for kicks.

The looks were likewise tame for the evening's concert. Feels a little more day attire than it usually does, really just shiny fabrics here to differentiate. Except for Victoria's metallic Escada dress, which has been worn multiple times in the past.

Kungl. Hovstaterna
While we're in Sweden: Princess Sofia attended a board meeting for Sophiahemmet yesterday and this look might have caught my eye more than the parliament stuff did. Nothing says cozy like a giant smocked velvet turtleneck, amirite? Cozy or claustrophobic, depending on your turtleneck tolerance. You be the judge.

Top by Rodebjer, per UFO No More
September 28, 2018

Breaking Jewel News: A New Tiara for Princess Marie

Fall state visit season kicked off with a surprise! And from one of the people who needed some additional tiara variety the most, doubling the good news at hand here.

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That's right, tiaras were out in Denmark this evening as the Danish royal family hosted a state banquet for the President and First Lady of France during their state visit, and Princess Marie - French herself, you know - used it as an occasion to debut a NEW TIARA!!!! (Caps and exclamation points entirely necessary.) The tiara appears to be an intricate floral design with a central blue stone, looks like sapphire. I don't place it as one from the Danish vaults; perhaps it is a new acquisition (just speculation). Princess Marie and Prince Joachim did celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

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Marie almost always wears her Diamond Floral Tiara, so a little variety is great news for her. (She supposedly has use of the Flora Danica Tiara as well, but she's only worn it once.) This is a winner of an appearance all around - that's the best gala dress she's worn in a long time, definitely best of the year level. Heaven at Princess Marie's Closet confirms it is from Rikke Gudnitz.

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No one else was slacking in the gem department for this state visit from the late Prince Henrik's home country, either. Queen Margrethe chose the Pearl Poire Tiara and picked up the red sash of France's Legion of Honor with a set of diamonds, rubies, and pearls (necklace, earrings, brooch) from the Danish crown jewels.

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Crown Princess Mary wore the Danish Ruby Parure Tiara, which is still a rare choice for her for a state visit, although she's been using it more frequently. Her dress is a revamped repeat; she added an over the shoulder sash to an existing Lasse Spagenberg dress. I love the tiara and I loved that dress the first time around, but together...this is not working for me. Combined with the blue of the French National Order of Merit, there's just too much going on.

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And finally, a floaty floral Princess Benedikte added her two sparkly cents with her own largest tiara option, the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara. You know I never say no to a good fringe.

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Here's the arrival. Always such a comedown when I stick that after the gowns n' sparkle. Sorry, arrival looks. It's not your fault. This is interesting, though: Mary's dress is also owned by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. And maybe some more once word gets out, I can think of a number of royal ladies who go for this style right now.


UPDATE: Princess Marie's new tiara is a mystery no more! Heaven at Princess Marie's Closet discovered the details. Called the "Nuits Claires" Tiara, it was a collaboration between French jeweler Mauboussin, who wanted to make a royal tiara, and Princess Marie, who was a part of the design process. The tiara is made of palladium white gold and features a floral background of diamonds and sapphires, with a central pear-shaped 6.82 carat sapphire. Mauboussin owns the tiara and will loan it to Marie for gala occasions, similar to the arrangement behind the Midnight Tiara worn by Crown Princess Mary. Princess Marie also wore a matching ring on loan from Mauboussin. Her earrings are not part of the set; she has been wearing them for a few years now.



August 28, 2018

Royal Trip of the Day: Victoria in Estonia, Plus Portraits

The Swedish royal family squeezed in a little official trip and dumped a bunch of new photos on us recently. For this summer kindness, we shall give them a post all their own.

Kungahuset.se
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited Estonia to mark the country's 100th anniversary of independence. Victoria showed up looking, well, not unlike the Estonian flag in a repeated Dolce & Gabbana dress first worn during the celebrations for King Carl Gustaf's 70th birthday. I miss the big hat she wore it with that time around, honestly.

Kungahuset.se
The Dolce & Gabbana wasn't the only prior special occasion dress that made the cut for the trip; Victoria also repeated the Elie Saab dress from Prince Alexander's christening. (Queen Máxima owns this one, too.) A speedy visit, but worthy of a trip through her special occasion wardrobe. (See a few more pics here.)

Now: portraits! First up, Princess Madeleine's family wasn't the only one to get some new summer pictures taken. [These photos: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Kungahuset.se]




Additionally, the crown princess family shared some personal photos taken around Sweden this summer. The first five were taken by Crown Princess Victoria, the last taken by Prince Daniel. Bask in the outdoorsy Swedish summer fun!






August 21, 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia Eases Into Summer Casual

The Spanish royals have settled in for their annual summer residency in Palma de Mallorca. But before Queen Letizia got there, she took a baby step that (sartorial) direction...

Queen Letizia opened the International Music School Summer Courses by the Princess of Asturias Foundation in Oviedo, her hometown, last week.
House of HM the King
A denim shirt dress is exactly the way to inch yourself towards those more casual summer holidays. A couple of her royal colleagues have certainly agreed in the past couple weeks, at least!

The Spanish royal family held their annual photocall after arriving in Palma de Mallorca, this year at the Royal Palace of La Almudaina. 
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Maybe she's still easing into her summer casual mode, because this dress is a little more formal than what Letizia's worn for the past few years of these photo sessions. (A lot of capris and sleeveless tops, basically.) She also wouldn't have much trouble finding royal colleagues to share her affection for the eyelet look either. And it's another winner, I'm gonna say.

Both dresses by Hugo Boss
July 31, 2018

Royal Event of the Day: National Day in Belgium

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The Belgian royal family was front and center this weekend to celebrate Belgium's National Day, which also marked the fifth anniversary of King Philippe taking the throne. (We covered the new portraits they released for the occasion last week.) They marked the event with a fair bit of family coordination and a fair few prints.

Royal Palace
But we'll start with Queen Mathilde's single color entry to the weekend's sartorial lineup, a Natan dress with Fabienne Delvigne hat. It's a pretty solid addition to her file of National Day looks. Although I do think the hat seems precariously perched in many shots. A tilt too far.

Princess Eléonore, Prince Gabriel, Princess Elisabeth, and Prince Emmanuel
Royal Palace
Combined with their mother, Princesses Elisabeth and Eléonore very nearly form a royal rendition of the black, yellow, and red Belgian flag. Which makes me extra glad for the lovely floral embellishment on Elisabeth's dress, just to keep things from being too literal.

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Prince Lorenz, Princess Astrid, Prince Laurent, Princess Claire
Princess Claire's commitment to red and white matched her sister-in-law Mathilde's commitment to the color, though I think Claire's look might have benefited from a solid color hat.

Royal Palace
One quick outfit change later, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde headed to the park for more National Day fun. I said it wouldn't be shocking if this green dress turned up in another royal closet, and here it is! We first saw this L.K.Bennett print on Princess Sofia.

Royal Palace
Mathilde was also mad for print at two pre-National Day activities. Yes, that's a jumpsuit up there, and...

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...yes, that's unmistakably an Erdem up there. Ruffles and shine and flowers and a high neckline, not unlike the divisive Erdem evening dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge in Sweden in January. I don't know if this one is better or if I've just accepted this trend as our new reality, but I'm not minding Mathilde's version. I'm sure you'll set me straight in the comments.
July 23, 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: The Duchesses at Wimbledon

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The royals grabbed their spots for the Wimbledon finals this weekend, kicking it off with a double duchess act on Saturday for the ladies' final. The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex donned their own versions of tennis whites and headed out for their first engagement together without their husbands.

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They both stayed in their respective wheelhouses, basically. A new bespoke Jenny Packham dress for Kate, with a print one could liken to tennis balls if one was feeling in the themed mood, plus a new Dolce & Gabbana purse.

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Meghan went crisp and classic with long trousers and a striped shirt from Ralph Lauren. The trousers did go a little overboard with an extra wide leg and long length, but I'm just pretending that's not there, because I love the rest of this look. Right down to the white hat she carried with her. More Panama style hats!

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Kate was back for Sunday's final for the men, with William as her date this time.

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More Dolce & Gabbana was on tap, doubling up on the Italian label for the weekend with a new yellow dress. Yellow's the royal color of the summer, huh? Two examples is absolute proof of a trend, I'm pretty sure that's how the math works.
July 16, 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia, at Last

I know, I know, we haven't seen much of Queen Letizia around here lately. Even though her trip with King Felipe to the United States was a while back (they visited Louisiana, Texas, and Washington, D.C.), I'm still going to show you my two fave outfits. And then we'll do a couple with a slightly more current date.

House of HM the King
As it happens, my two favorite outfits from the US trip both happened in San Antonio. Letizia got twirly for a formal dinner with this fresh and fun Carolina Herrera dress with a tiered skirt - and it didn't hurt that she threw in some of the joyas de pasar for good measure. She wore the earrings and one of the bracelets (on the arm you can't see in this picture).

House of HM the King
Also, you KNOW I'm here for the polka dot dresses! Adding a red clutch upped the fun factor in a most pleasing way. This dress comes from Matilde Cano, another new Spanish designer for the Queen.

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Fast forward to our current month and the Spains are back home, meetin' and greetin' like crazy with a series of audiences. This one was last week and this one is the best appearance of these Hugo Boss pants yet. Like I said when she wore them at Easter, you can never really go wrong with a yacht-ready ensemble - and there's nothing like a sleeveless top to inch you closer to your yachting goals.

House of HM the King
This happened yesterday. Maybe I shouldn't send us off for the weekend on such a sad note, but too late. It's dishwater and droopy and the frayed edges add to the impression that this dress just GAVE UP HOPE.

Adolfo Dominguez dress
I think it needs to be worn to a beach party or something. I dunno. You're gonna have to take this one to a happy place, it's not bringing the happy to you.
July 13, 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: British Royals Celebrate the RAF Centenary

Royal Family
Big time gathering of the Windsors yesterday! They all met up to do their usual thing (watch military parades, attend church services, watch flypasts, all that jazz) in honor of the 100th birthday of the Royal Air Force.

Royal Family
Leading the way was the Queen, of course, but since she has a whole blog to herself (you know the drill, clicky click for Jewel Vault fun), we'll kick it off with the Duchess of Cornwall and the second version this week of her personal summer white uniform. Prince Charles headed up the royal men, almost all of them wearing their Royal Air Force uniforms. (One of my faves!)

Westminster Abbey
I don't think the Duchess of Cambridge was on the advance list of royals expected, but how could she miss an opportunity to debut the third in this series of almost-the-same-but-not bespoke Alexander McQueen coats? She paired it with a hat by Sean Barrett.

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The bigger story was her jewels. Like many of the royal ladies, she wore the badge of an RAF organization with which she's affiliated: she's Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets, and this is the Air Cadets Dacre Brooch. (More on the brooch and a close up here, when she first wore it.) Her earrings are the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan from the Queen.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore Dior with two things we know she loves: a boat neck and a belt. Feels like classic Dior, very elegant. The Stephen Jones hat added the right amount of interest. (Because the But What Color Is It REALLY? debate always seems to consume some folks, let's handle it: Dior calls it black in their press release, and it looks deep navy in action. Doesn't really matter either way.)

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The Countess of Wessex also enjoyed a bit of hat foof (technical term) for the RAF's big day. Both the Jane Taylor hat and the Suzannah dress are repeats here. She doubled up on her brooches, wearing a Dior brooch underneath her small RAF badge.

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Every time the Princess Royal wears this outfit (which is a lot because, you know, Anne), I think she's pinned a prize rosette at her waist. A prize rosette in the festive color of brown.

Royal Family
Rounding out the rest of the fam, the Duchess of Gloucester made sure they filled their mandatory navy quota for the day, Princess Michael wouldn't have been hurt by a shorter jacket, and Princess Alexandra smiling in purple will certainly make me smile in return.

Westminster Abbey, Royal Family
Ending this on the rest of the uniforms feels about right: the Duke of York, the Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael.
July 11, 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: The Christening of Prince Louis

Prince Louis of Cambridge was christened yesterday at St. James' Palace, and it was cream on cream on cream. (With an olive accent.)

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This was the first occasion to see the Cambridges together as a family of five, so clearly their constant family matching strategy was going to be in high gear. William managed George and Charlotte with a blue palette to unite the three. Kate managed Louis and once again matched her own outfit to the family christening gown.

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The star of the show enjoyed a nice snooze while wearing the christening gown of Honiton lace lined with white satin created by the Queen's dressmaker, Angela Kelly. It's a replica of the original family gown used beginning in Queen Victoria's reign. This new version was first worn by Viscount Severn, son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

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Another christening meant another cream bespoke McQueen outfit and Jane Taylor hat for the Duchess, exactly as she did for the christenings of George and Charlotte. The kokoshnik-esque hat is a departure, for sure; I'm not convinced it's a great shape for her, but I am glad to have any point of interest to differentiate from all the other cream outfits.

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The Duchess of Cornwall was also on the cream bandwagon, in a repeated dress by Fiona Clare. I like this take on her usual hat shape, using a more casual summer material.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore Ralph Lauren with a Stephen Jones hat. Fabulous dress shape on her, and in spite of my feeling that this is just a WHOLE LOT OF OLIVE, I can't deny it's a good color for her.

All these outfits feel very...gentle. Colorwise and otherwise. Same goes for most of the guests (in the video above). Three quiet ensembles for a somewhat quiet occasion, really.
July 10, 2018

Tiara Watch of the Day: National Day in Luxembourg

If you can start your week with tiaras, do. Right? Luxembourg's grand ducal fam provided over the weekend during the festivities for National Day. We'll start with some less shiny toppers, though: hats at the annual Te Deum.

L to R: Prince Sébastien, Princess Alexandra, Prince Louis, the Grand Duchess, the Grand Duke, Princess Claire, Prince Félix, the Hereditary Grand Duchess, the Hereditary Grand Duke
Grand Ducal Court/Claude Piscitelli
Two hats and two flowers, to be more precise. I love Grand Duchess Maria Teresa when she's in sleek and simple mode; I love her doubly so when she decides to do it in purple. She's my Te Deum winner by a country mile.

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It's a liiiiiiitle weird to me that Princess Claire repeated this Vilshenko dress from National Day two years ago? Like...there aren't that many events in Luxembourg you attend, you know? Anyway, I will give her credit for the improvement of a magenta flower over the pale flower she wore in 2016. Maybe she realized she needed a redo.

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I'd like to give Princess Stéphanie some credit for her hat interest, too, but that dress is making it real hard. She and Guillaume recently announced that they'll be moving to London for some post-graduate studies. I hope she'll carve out some quality shopping time, too.

Stéphanie did bring out the jumpy claps for the evening gala, I will say that. TIARA TIME!

Grand Ducal Court/Claude Piscitelli
Four tiaras! Not a shabby turnout at all. All National Days should have a gala, internationally. Make it so.

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Behold, the aforementioned jumpy claps: Princess Stéphanie didn't just wear the Luxembourg Turquoise Tiara, she added the entire massive necklace from the family collection. A good way to make the small tiara stand out, and also, YUM.

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Princess Claire is once again wearing Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde’s Tiara, which she debuted at the 2016 National Day gala. Her chic white dress is Alexander McQueen (the same style was worn with a tiara by a Danish noblewoman at Crown Prince Frederik's 50th birthday dinner). Stéphanie and Claire, by the way, are both wearing the Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau. It's Luxembourg's second highest order.

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Princess Alexandra's got a lot going on here, with her Elie Saab of many colors and the sash (the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, like her mother and brothers) and the shawl. She chose to bring out the blue with the Aquamarine Bandeau Tiara.

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The recent break in the Grand Duchess' streak of Belgian Scroll Tiara appearances - at the Danish birthday party - proved to be very short-lived indeed. She's right back to her Scroll antics, complete with what I believe is another Elie Saab gown. My affection for my formerly favorite Lux tiara is waning due to lack of variety and it's concerning. I'm sure Maria Teresa is terribly worried about it, too.
June 25, 2018

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2018, Day 1

Ascot has arrived! A five day festival of royal hats and more. Was the royal wedding the best of the Windsor chapeaux for the year, or were they just getting started? We are about to find out. To the awards! (For the Queen and the Princess Royal, hit up the Jewel Vault.)

Best in Hats
The Duchess of Sussex
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The Givenchy dress may not be much more than a shrug for me, but the hat's a strong YES. Ascot is precisely the place to go to get your Dynasty on, so this sculptural number from Philip Treacy is *chef's kiss*. My favorite from the royal crew on Day 1.
Philip Treacy hat


Best in Brooch
The Countess of Wessex
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Sophie's outfit gets a meh-but-YES from me, too. The dress, a new one from Emilia Wickstead, is okay; I think the variation between the heavy black trim on the dress and the light trim on the Jane Taylor hat is what's giving me the mehs. (Two days in a row I want her to go all black with the accessories, maybe? At least I'm consistent.) (Until tomorrow, probably.) Her brooch, on the other hand, is a debut and it is a delicate diamond rose and it is soooo lovely. It's similar to a few in the Queen's collection, although I don't recognize it as one we've seen on Her Maj. Get a lot of use out of that one, Sophie. Pretty please.
Emilia Wickstead Pink Dionne Macramé-trimmed Crepe Dress


Best in Monochrome
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
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I do so love it when the York sisters turn up in a pair of winning outfits. Both taking the monochrome approach to hats n' dresses (plus neutrals for the accessories) paid off here. Beatrice's Claire Mischevani dress is a rich jacquard, paired with a matching hat from Juliette Botterill. Eugenie brought a modern feel to the racecourse in a coat from Osman and hat by Emily London. Somehow even the rogue graduation tassel on Eugenie's hat works, this is some kind of sorcery.
Claire Mischevani pale blue jacquard pleat dress, Osman Fleur tie-waist cotton-blend coat, Emily London Alcor hat


Best in Basics
The Duchess of Cornwall
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Am I a big fan of this pale gold on Camilla? I am not. I don't think it's her best shade. Would the shape and details of this dress and hat be divine in another color? They surely would. (The dress is by Dior.) She also could have taken a bigger version of her trademark pearl choker here, I think; she's opted for a standard pick, her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Small Diamond Clasp and her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings.


Runner Up in Hats
Princess Haya
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Princess Haya, here with husband Sheikh Mohammed and kids Sheikh Zayed and Sheikha Jalila, combined the York color strategies. The Philip Treacy hat's the standout here, with a large flower on top and flowers underneath in the back. Interesting enough for Ascot without going overboard. My second fave chapeau for Day 1.
Roland Mouret Blue Etty Square-neck Crepe Dress


Most in Danger of a Millinery Escape
Princess Michael of Kent
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Speaking of going overboard, this hat seems ready to jump right out of the carriage at any time. I feel like she needs a chinstrap just to be safe. Well, Ascot is as much a place for hats with a mind of their own as it is for Dynasty throwbacks.


Who's taking home your awards for Day 1?


We'll be following Ascot throughout the week here and at the Vault, so stay tuned for Days 2 through 5...
June 20, 2018