Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Royal Guest Fashion

We’ve covered the bride and her bridal party (including sister and mother of the bride). We’ve taken on the tiara. So that leaves us with the guests, and I’m not sure this collective whole is really flipping my skirt up.

Part of that is not the guests’ fault, mind you, because their skirts were literally being flipped up by strong winds. The same wind that was simultaneously turning their hats into a game of fetch and flinging small children up the steps. How are they supposed to show us their lovely outfits while dealing with such chaos? Mother Nature’s got some nerve.

We shall investigate one family group at a time.

This Main Lot

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The Duuuuuuke! So delighted to see the Duke of Edinburgh turn up at his usual dapper best. (Seriously, other than the groom, he wins Best Dressed Dude.) The Queen’s aiming for quite a sophisticated color palette in blue, peach, and gold – just overshooting it slightly with those super shiny gold buttons. Speaking of super shiny: the Cullinan V Brooch, baby.

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This is another old-but-new Alexander McQueen for the Duchess of Cambridge: same style she wore for Trooping the Colour 2017, just ordered in a darker pink and paired with a Philip Treacy hat and the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan from the Queen (which she also wore in 2017). This is an improvement in color from the other version. Thing is, though, the amount of interest I have in endless same-style-different-color bespoke McQueens is not an infinite resource. I’m all out.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore a navy Givenchy coat and dress with a hat by Noel Stewart. Perfectly lovely and appropriate and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, fell asleep there.

The Duchess of Cornwall was unable to attend due to a previously scheduled engagement. A shame, really, because we could have used one of her feather ferris wheel hats to spice this up.

Anne’s Crew

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The potential topic of this conversation is the most interesting thing happening here. The Princess Royal has clearly pulled this repeat to the top of the rotation in order to jump on the green bandwagon, because if there’s one word to describe Anne, it’s TRENDY.

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Here’s that wind in action, trying to turn Anne’s kids into human bowling pins. Autumn Phillips and Zara Tindall are certainly on point for the wedding’s green and blue theme, Autumn in a dress by Suzannah with an Edwina Ibbotson hat and Zara in Claire Mischevani Couture with a Juliette Botterill hat. Autumn’s making my favorites list.

The Wessex Bunch

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I’m so glad I saw the Countess of Wessex arrive on video, because this Azzedine Alaïa navy dress had a sparkle in the sunshine that doesn’t come across in pictures. Fits like a dream. Don’t mind the Jane Taylor hat, either. Throw her on the faves list too. (Lady Louise was covered in our bridal party post.)

Let's Play Spot the Kent

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That back row is largely the Kent branch of the family, including Princess Michael in a cape and feather hat combo I think we’ve seen a bazillion times. (You can also play Spot the Greek Royal in the front row, we’ll get to them in a sec.)

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A simple coat (this one by Catherine Walker) plus a froofy hat is a bit of a special occasion routine for Lady Frederick Windsor, whose daughter was among the bridesmaids. Lady Helen Taylor sported a Temperley dress I had my eye on for royal or red carpet use, so that’s satisfying.

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Lady Gabriella Windsor – arriving with her new fiancé – turned up with some serious easy elegance. She wore a custom Claire Mischevani Italian crepe Raglan dress with a Philip Treacy hat.

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Can you spot her? A turquoise dress and deep blue hat is a surprising combo that is turning out to be my jam today. Fab turquoise color earrings, too. Let’s put her on top of that faves list.

Hey, Some Color Surprises

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I would have thought the Duchess of Gloucester would be first in line for the blue theme, owning several navy or light blue options (and being tremendously fond of repeats). Likewise, Lady Sarah Chatto operates in her own color coordinated world where things are only either white, gray, or blue. And yet here they are to brighten our horizons in red and purple with yellow. I welcome all surprises, ladies.

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Although the Countess of Snowdon certainly proves that one can take a color surprise too far. The teal tights really throw this into the HUH?! pile.

Also, Some Foreign Royal Representation

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Here we have Prince Christian of Hanover and Princess Alessandra, mixing the green trend with purple like a girl after my own heart. (Their wedding was earlier this year in Peru; the York sisters attended.) The blond in front with the bird about to take flight is Princess Ekaterina, who attended with Prince Ernst August, and let's get a front view of THAT:

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Honestly, I think she should get a standing ovation just for getting that hat through the wind in one piece. Camilla would be proud.

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The Greek royals were there: Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Maria-Olympia (in Dolce & Gabbana), and Prince Philippos. This feels very tame for our friend M-C. Do I want to add her to my faves list anyway? I think I do.

Did I just add enough people to my favorites list that I have to take back my non-skirt-flippy-up statement? Maaaaayyyyyyybe.

Who made your faves list?

October 12, 2018

Wednesday Tidbits for September 5: Anniversaries and More

Here we go again:

--As noted last week, King Harald and Queen Sonja celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with a church service, plus a later private dinner. Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore an Emilia Wickstead dress also owned by the Countess of Wessex; Queen Sonja wore her gift from the King, a gold rose brooch. The royal ladies wore commemorative bow medallions designed by Sonja. [NRK]

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--From an earlier Mette-Marit engagement, this made me laugh: How do those royal ladies cope with high heels on duty? By throwing a pair of UGG slides in the car for immediate relief. [Twitter]

--Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia released a new picture of little nugget Prince Gabriel for his first birthday!

Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se

--This is devastating: Brazil's National Museum, one of the largest museums of natural history in the Americas, was gutted in a major fire on Sunday night. Officials say almost 90% of their priceless collection has been destroyed. The building itself is another big loss; its rich history includes use as a residence for the Portuguese royal family and later for the Brazilian imperial family. [Guardian, BBC]

--Over at the Jewel Vault, QEII enjoyed a giggly day out with Anne and Chaz, and brought one of her famous diamonds along for the summer holiday.

--And finally, a little respect for another kind of queen: The Band of the Welsh Guards played "Respect" during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace on Friday, the day of Aretha Franklin's funeral.

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!

September 05, 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.

Check out full details and pictures from Princess Marie's Closet here!

EXCLUSIVE: Mauboussin sent me a photo of Princess Marie’s ‘Nuits Claires’ tiara (Lyse Nœtter Diademet) with a press release pic.twitter.com/BpweSXDM2d

— HeavenLM (@HeavenQRF) August 30, 2018

August 28, 2018

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2018, Day 3

Update! You can find all the Ascot goodies for the rest of the days at the Jewel Vault:
Day 4 // Day 5

Yesterday was Ladies’ Day, or Gold Cup Day, the halfway point in this annual festival of hats and usually home to some of the best millinery we see throughout Ascot. Did the royal ladies rise to the occasion? Judgment awaits, and you can check out the Queen in pink here.

Best in Ascot Rituals

Countess of Wessex

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Sophie did her duty and fulfilled another crucial Royal Ascot requirement yesterday: the ritual Muppet sacrifice. Minus the very visible base in the close ups, though, this Jane Taylor hat is one former Muppet I can get behind. Love that she leaned into lavender for the accents with this Suzannah dress.

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Yes, you see, Sophie comes to entertain, if not by with her hat then with her animated race watching. (It seems she didn’t back the winner in the Gold Cup race, based on her facial expressions.) She’s here to entertain and to make you jealous of her big aquamarine ring. Mission accomplished on both fronts. (Aquamarines had a moment on Day 3; the Princess Royal was also in the game.)

Best in Winning Streaks

Princess Beatrice

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The hits just keep rolling in for Beatrice. This striking black and white Jonathan Simkhai dress is great on its own and even better paired with this Sally-Ann Provan hat. She wears this saucer shape so well.

Sally-Ann Provan Greta hat

Most in Need of Day 2 Advice

Princess Eugenie

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Eugenie…could have kept that streak going for herself if she’d consulted the Day 2 outfit of Autumn Phillips for a little advice first. The boater hat from Sally-Ann Provan definitely lives up to the Ladies’ Day expectations in true planetary ring fashion, for sure, but the Erdem dress needs something simpler to work. It’s a competition and nobody wins.

Erdem Bernette dress, Sally-Ann Provan Naeva hat

Most Unexpected Color Combo

The Duchess of Gloucester

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Green hat, loads of emeralds, and a burnt orange dress. Green and orange has to be one of my least favorite color combos. Except that…a) it’s Birgitte! That’s the last person I’d guess would come out with this combination so yay for surprises, and b) that’s a great shirtwaist dress (she knows it, too; she wore one in blue on Day 2), and c) EMERALDS. Big emerald drop earrings and pearl necklaces with emerald beads, part of a wedding present to Princess Alice from Queen Mary. Yum.

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I'm not hitting absolutely everyone here, but BONUS ROYAL ALERT: Hi Serena! The Duke and Duchess shared a carriage with the Earl and Countess of Snowdon. There is, as always, much potential in what we can see of Serena’s outfit.

Who's taking home your prize ribbons for Day 3?

June 22, 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: British Royals at Garter Day

Ah, Garter Day, the one day in the royal year when a dramatic velvet cape and a jaunty feather in your cap isn't just desirable, it's mandatory.

On Garter Day, the Queen gathers the Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain. Appointment to the Order is the Queen's gift and up to 24 Knights Companion can be members at any time. Two new members were installed yesterday, Dame Mary Fagan and Viscount Brookeborough.

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Then of course you have the Royal Knights and Ladies, those members of the royal family that have the Order of the Garter: the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra. Absent this year was the retired Duke of Edinburgh. (Incidentally, Royal Knights and Ladies do not count towards that 24 member maximum. Stranger Knights and Ladies, the foreign monarchs the Queen has honored with the Garter, also do not count towards that max.)

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The members wear their Mantle (robe) and Bonnet (hat), along with the Collar and Great George of the Order of the Garter. (See the links for more details.) No one's mantle is more impressive than Her Maj's own, which requires two pages to manage. It's no surprise that she chose to ride in her car rather than walking to St. George's Chapel with the rest of her crew yesterday. As always, she and her enormous earrings - Queen Mary's Floret Earrings - have already been covered at the Jewel Vault.

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The royal ladies supporting their Royal Knight husbands were the Duchess of Cornwall, the Countess of Wessex, and the Duchess of Gloucester. While Camilla's sharp black and white outfit is new, the hat has been worn with a navy and white outfit in the past. I don't see a huge color difference and yet I don't like the crossing of the navy/black streams even in theory.

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Sophie's remixing her repeats again, including another hat redo. She added some festive frippery of her own to this chapeau and tied in the black from the dress. The dress is an Emilia Wickstead landscape print with horses galloping through it and I gather the print is even supposed to show an abstract Windsor Castle view. A frock with a built-in wink, of course I love it.

Emilia Wickstead Fall 2012 RTW

The Countess was my favorite royal wedding guest when she debuted this dress in Luxembourg in 2012, with a black belt and black accessories. Much as I adore her remixing, I'm thinking we need to bring back the black. No?

June 19, 2018

Royal Fashion Awards: Princess Adrienne’s Christening (Updated)

Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary today by christening their third child, Princess Adrienne. Check out our open post here, with a link to watch the service.

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Princess Adrienne wore the royal christening gown we’ve seen several times in the past century, especially in the past few years. The heirloom details, from the royal court:

The christening gown worn by Princess Adrienne during the ceremony was first worn by Prince Gustaf Adolf when he was christened in 1906. The gown was also worn by Gustaf Adolf's siblings (Sigvard, Queen Ingrid, Prince Bertil and Carl Johan) and by Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla's children, namely the Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Desirée and Christina, as well as The King.

The gown was also worn by Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine, Princess Estelle, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Prince Oscar, Prins Alexander and Prince Gabriel.

At the christening of Princess Margaretha in 1935, a cape and a cap made from cream-coloured silk satin were added. The names and dates of all the children christened have been embroidered in the lining of the cape.

The christening gown is made of cotton batiste and Valenciennes lace (bobbin lace) with a petticoat of satin woven silk. The gown has lace linings around the armholes. The gown is accompanied by a bodice of Valenciennes lace.

The christening gown also has a christening towel made of cotton batiste with Valenciennes lace.

Wee Adrienne grabbed right on to her baby sash of the Order of the Seraphim as soon as King Grandpa tucked it into place, because she knows what’s up.

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The rest of the family presented a united front with a gentle color scheme and a trio of floral frocks – all right on season and right on trend. Let’s hand out our awards:

Best in Floral and Best in Jewel Debuts

Princess Madeleine

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I had no expectations of any major jewel debuts from a christening, which made this even better: Princess Madeleine wore pieces of the Cameo Parure for the first time today! She used the bracelet and the earrings. As a card-carrying member of the Cameo Tiara Fan Club, I now have my fingers crossed for more, because that what’s happens when you give me a little bit. Madeleine and the royal ladies wore their portrait brooches of the King, as usual.

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The cameo pieces were perfect complements to the cream and gentle pinks of her floral dress by Giambattista Valli (h/t to Heaven). To my surprise, I even enjoyed the touch of flower power in her floral headband...or maybe that's just a little bit of carryover from my cameo delight.

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Princess Leonore joined the floral dress brigade led by her mother. She chose to de-accessorize by taking off her shoes. The Swedes let the kids be kids at these events (bless ‘em for allowing the antics), so go ahead and get comfy, girl. Leonore was without a partner in crime today; Princess Estelle was sick at the last minute and could not attend.

Runner Up in Florals

Princess Sofia

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My second favorite floral dress of the day belonged to Princess Sofia, interpreting the day’s pink color scheme in a bolder and sleeker fashion with this Ida Lanto dress. Little wrinkled after sitting through the service, but eh, that's life.

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If I quibble (and I will), I would have loved to see some more colorful accessories beyond the purse and perhaps more of an actual hat. A big ask of any Swedish royal lady at these events, I know.

Most at Home on the Prairie

Crown Princess Victoria

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Crown Princess Victoria could have used a dose of Sofia’s color contrast; on the broadcast especially, the colors in her dress blended together to muddy effect. It’s the only dress here that’s gonna make me say it: too Little House on the Prairie. (Only one prairie reference in a post full of florals, such restraint! Way to go, me.)

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I didn’t really understand her hat pairing, either; then again, I don’t understand her affection for these pile of embroidery hoop hats to start with. This is another version of the hat type she wore to Princess Leonore’s christening, at the time a nod to the headpiece Queen Silvia wore to Prince Carl Philip’s baptism (not the same hat, however).

Best in Standards

Queen Silvia
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As for Queen Silvia herself, well, she did her Silvia thing, and this faux wrap dress detail looks fantastic on her. Both grandmothers were operating at peak elegance. (Splendid brooch on Mrs. O'Neill, by the way.)

Best in Hat Sculpture

Princess Christina

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All four of King Carl Gustaf’s sisters were present at the christening; above from left to right behind the King and Queen, Princess Margaretha, Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée, and Princess Christina. Only Princess Christina hatted up. (Lots of ladies didn’t and that’s par for the course at these events.) When Princess Christina hats up, she tends to hat up; this was sparkly and possibly capable of flight and I loved it. She had to make up for her sisters, after all. One hat to cover them all.

Who takes home your fashion awards for today’s christening?

 

UPDATE: The beautiful official photographs have been released. It's impressive, how they can always find the perfect corner of the palace to match their outfits. [All: Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se]

 

June 08, 2018

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex’s Wedding: Royal Guest Fashion

Click here for the bride, groom, and bridal party!

The Windsors always manage to put on a show, don’t they? The hats, the clothes, the jewels, the whole thing. This time around, while there was no shortage of the family favorite shades of dark blue, there was also a garden of light and bright outfits for a happy Spring wedding. Let’s hand out some awards:

Best in Spring Leadership

The Queen

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The Queen sets the tone, as always, in lemon and lime and purple from Stewart Parvin with a matching Angela Kelly hat. It’s no Neon Birthday Queen, but it still can’t be missed. She also sized up the bling with the Richmond Brooch.

Most Unlikely Twin Act

The Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge

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It occurs to me that these two outfits are really a lot alike in certain ways. Both could be repeats; Camilla’s is a new outfit from Anna Valentine that sticks to her usual pastels and her usual shapes, and Kate’s McQueen coat is so much the same as what she wore for Princess Charlotte’s christening that I’m not actually sure if it is a repeat or not. I’m certain plenty of you are ready to line up in the comments and tell me that’s on purpose, to make sure she doesn’t upstage the bride.

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They both sported sculptural hats from Philip Treacy – just look at the structure involved on Camilla’s! That’s a feat of architecture. You can’t even see her face in lots of the photos, which is par for the course. And they both went big on the jewel front, Camilla with her Pink Topaz Choker (my faaaaave) and Kate with another new earrings from Kiki McDonough, plus a ring. An unlikely twin act, you see.

Safest Plays

The York Ladies

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We laughed so hard at Princess Beatrice’s last big royal wedding hat, she very nearly didn’t give us one this time around. This Stephen Jones hat is not much more than a headband. Of course, it was the right choice for her custom Roksanda dress, which has enough going on by itself.

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Princess Eugenie toned it down in retro fashion in a blue Gainsbourg dress that doesn’t really get interesting until you see the back. Her Fiona Graham pillbox hat was the perfect complement.

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Sarah, Duchess of York followed suit in an understated outfit by Emma Louise Design and Jess Collett hat. Reads a little dated to me, but a nice effort overall.

Most Predictable Play

The Countess of Wessex

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All Sophie’s faves came to the party: outfit from Suzannah, long length, bespoke Jane Taylor hat. I think this outfit needs the longer length to make it special enough for the occasion, and simultaneously I’d like her to shorten the skirt. I’m difficult like that. Lady Louise looked great while dressing out of her mother’s closet (as pointed out by the Countess of Wessex Blog) in an Alaïa outfit.

Best of the Blue Crew

Autumn Phillips and Lady Sarah Chatto

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Of all the blue ladies – and these are the Windsors, so there’s a lot – Autumn and Sarah Chatto really hit it out of the park for me. Autumn’s dress, by Ceri Brooks of Hen House worn with a Juliette Botterill hat, flowed so well on the walk to the church and teal is one of my weaknesses.

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Sarah’s Jasper Conran dress is more colorful than her usual palette, topped with a bigger Stephen Jones hat than she usually goes for, and it all works. She gets me every time, she does.

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Also joining the blue-ish crew (accents of blue...whatever, just go with it), we have the Princess Royal and Zara Tindall in a Claire Mischevani teal coat with embossed navy detailing, a navy silk dress, and a Rosie Olivia hat. Is it bad that my first thought was that Anne had a hat made to go with Hugh Hefner’s best robe? Zara looked so exquisitely uncomfortable, I’ll just note that her hair was fantastic and leave it at that.

Most Classic Styling

The Countess of Snowdon

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Is this classic or what? Shirt dress with a full skirt, strand of big pearls, wide brim hat. Serena, she always gets me too. (Her Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat is a repeat from another big royal event, the Thanksgiving Service for the Diamond Jubilee.) Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, in the white with black trim, followed suit with Lady Louise and borrowed something from mom's wardrobe. Serena wore this outfit to Ascot in 2017.

And Also…

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No disrespect to the rest of the royal ladies in attendance, but we only have the briefest of glimpses. Looks like business as usual for Princess Michael of Kent and the Duchess of Gloucester, with some lovely pink from Princess Alexandra and a bit of pattern to pep it up from the Duchess of Kent.

Who was your best dressed Windsor guest?

May 19, 2018

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex’s Wedding: The Bride, Groom, and Bridal Party

Coming up later, we’ll have a review of fashion from the guests, so hang on for that! But first, we've got a long look at the main players in today’s fantastic wedding…

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As we chatted about our predictions for Meghan Markle’s wedding look, many were torn between her personal style – fairly modern so far, lots of clean lines – and the traditional type of gown one expects at a royal wedding. In the end, I think the brand-new Duchess of Sussex managed to combine both styles in spectacular fashion with a crisp and clean wedding gown and a lengthy, showstopper veil with some very significant embroidery. Plus, a tiara surprise!

Let’s break it down, piece by piece:

The Dress
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I jokingly asked which designer’s name hadn’t been thrown into the mix a couple days ago, and lo and behold, it turned out to be a designer whose name really wasn’t thrown around until the morning of the wedding! Well done on the secret keeping, guys.

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Meghan selected British designer Clare Waight Keller, who last year became the first female Artistic Director at famed French design house Givenchy. According to the royal press release, designer and bride met in early 2018 and worked together to create a “timeless and elegant aesthetic” with “impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanor”.

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The wedding gown is made of an exclusive double bonded silk cady fabric developed for this dress, in a design with an open bateau neckline, three-quarter sleeves, and a slim, modern shape created with six seams.

Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy

Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy

A train extends to the back with an underskirt in triple silk organza. Her wedding shoes are silk duchess satin, by Givenchy.

The Veil
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At the bride’s request, all 53 countries of the Commonwealth are represented in the veil, with distinctive flora from each Commonwealth country all combined in one design. (You can read the complete list of the selected blooms here, in the palace press release.)

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Meghan also selected two additional flowers to add into the design, Wintersweet from the grounds of Kensington Palace in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy to represent her place of birth. The front of the veil includes crops of wheat blending into the flora, symbolizing love and charity.

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The five-meter-long veil is made from silk tulle and is trimmed in hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza. Hundreds of hours were spent working each flower in three dimensions to create the design, the workers washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep things pristine.

The Tiara, Earrings, and Bracelet

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Funnily enough, the one tiara that was enough of a question mark I didn’t bother covering it beforehand or including it in our poll turned out to be the tiara of the day. Good thing we love surprises, right?! (We'll have to give this the full Tiara Thursday treatment later, but for now...)

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Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara, as the palace refers to it, was loaned to the new Duchess of Sussex by the Queen. It is a diamond bandeau of English manufacture and was made in 1932.

Royal Collection Trust

Royal Collection Trust

The bandeau is a flexible piece with eleven different sections in a design of interlaced ovals, pavé-set with large and small brilliant diamonds in platinum. The bandeau was designed to accommodate the brooch at its center, which was a present to Queen Mary on her wedding in 1893 from the County of Lincoln. The bandeau was bequeathed to the Queen when Queen Mary died in 1953.

On Queen Mary, with what looks to be a different centerpiece (it would be very Queen Mary thing to wear this with different centers, she loved her jewel flexibility)
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This wasn’t an entirely unknown (to the public) tiara; Queen Mary wore it in her later years. It has not been seen since Queen Mary wore it, however, so its status was unknown – until now. You’ll find it referred to as the “filigree tiara” in the past, a name floated around online in lieu of any official information. (Clearing up some confusion, because Queen Mary had a lot of diamond bandeau tiaras: this is not Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Bandeau, nor is it Queen Mary’s Lozenge Bandeau. It is a different piece.)

Cartier

Cartier

Meghan also wore earrings and a bracelet by Cartier. The earrings are Galanterie de Cartier Earrings in white gold and diamonds and she has worn them in the past. The bracelet matches the earrings she wore for the evening reception.

The Bride’s Bouquet

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The bouquet was designed by florist Philippa Craddock and features some flowers handpicked yesterday by Prince Harry from the couple’s private garden at Kensington Palace. It includes Forget-Me-Not flowers as a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, because they were her favorite flower. Other spring blooms in the bouquet include scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle. Carrying myrtle is a royal family wedding tradition, and the sprigs come from stems planted at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.

The Groom and Best Man

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Both the new Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge wore the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals, the regiment in which they both served. (The Queen had to give Harry permission to get married in his uniform, according to the palace information.) Prince Harry wore the star of the Royal Victorian Order; Prince William wore the star of the Order of the Garter. The gold braids on William’s shoulder indicate that he is an Aide-de-Camp to the Queen. Both uniforms were tailored at Dege & Skinner on Savile Row.

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Prince William once remarked that he wanted to wear a frockcoat for his own wedding and was vetoed by the Queen (she, quite rightly I think, favored the distinctive red coat), so I love that he finally got to wear one to a wedding!

The Bridal Party

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Clare Waight Keller also designed dresses for the six bridesmaids at the Givenchy Haute Couture Atelier. They’re about as classic as a dress for a young bridesmaid can be, made from ivory silk Radzimir with high waists, short puff sleeves, pleated skirts, pockets, and a double silk ribbon detail tied in a bow at the back. Their shoes are keepsake gifts from Meghan, created by Aquazurra in white leather, each monogrammed with the girls’ initials and the wedding date. The bridesmaids wore flower crowns from Philippa Craddock.

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The four page boys wore miniature versions of the Blues and Royals frockcoat worn by Prince Harry and Prince William, made by Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner. The coats are made from blue doeskin with a stand-up collar and a scaled down version of the figured braiding of Regimental pattern that features on these uniforms. Each page boy’s initials are embroidered in gold on their shoulder straps. Their leg garments are made from blue/black wool barathea with three-quarter scarlet stripes fastened with a leather strap.

The Mother of the Bride

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Ms. Doria Ragland was supremely elegant for her daughter’s wedding day, wearing a bespoke dress and day coat by Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, creative directors at Oscar de la Renta, with Aquazurra shoes and a bespoke hat by Stephen Jones. Her gentle pistachio shade fit in perfectly with the pastels worn by the top ladies in the royal family. Doria's jewelry came from Birks, the Canadian jeweler often favored by Meghan: the Birks Rosée du Matin Pearl and Diamond Drop Earrings in 18kt white gold and the Birks Snowflake Starry Night Pendant, a new design not available until fall.

Now, over to you:

What did you think of this much-anticipated bridal gown?

May 19, 2018