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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.

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:

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

Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Bride and Bridal Party


We’ve done a deep dive on the tiara surprise at Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank; click here for all of the posts on this wedding.

The Bride
© MOD Crown copyright 2018
Princess Eugenie revealed in a pre-wedding interview that she was using a British-based designer for her wedding gown. British-based rather than just British set off a guessing game that was heavy on Erdem and very light on the actual correct answer: Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, founders of the British-based label Peter Pilotto. (Pilotto is Austrian and Italian; De Vos is Belgian and Peruvian.)

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I associate Peter Pilotto with innovative use of prints in intriguing silhouettes, something brought to life in royal wedding gown format through complicated construction and a custom jacquard fabric. The fabric was designed by Pilotto and De Vos to include several meaningful motifs: thistles for Scotland because the couple is fond of Balmoral, shamrocks for Ireland as a nod to the Ferguson family, York roses, and ivy since the couple live in Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. Those symbols were crafted into “a garland of rope like motifs, woven into a jacquard of silk, cotton and viscose blend.” The design was then translated into a jacquard weave in Italy.

© MOD Crown copyright 2018
The silhouette was identified after the designers researched previous dresses worn by members of the royal family, with close involvement from Princess Eugenie. The dress is constructed in multiple layers, including a corset, a complex underskirt, a fitted bodice, and a full pleated skirt.

© MOD Crown copyright 2018
The neckline folds around the shoulders and dips into a low back. Eugenie specifically requested a low back because she wanted the scar from her scoliosis surgery at age 12 to be on full display. "I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that," she said in an interview before the wedding. She’s been very open about her battle with scoliosis; she’s patron of the hospital where she had her surgery. It’s a powerful statement. Quite a beautiful one as well.

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She went without a veil; a veil would have covered up the scar – and probably would have turned into a logistical nightmare, given the wind was snatching hats left and right today. The veil-free choice was all the better to display the best part of the gown: the full-length train. The back view was simply stunning, perfect for standing at the altar and walking down an aisle as grand as St. George’s Chapel. I didn’t love the neckline, but whatever it took to get to that low back is worth it.

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The wedding was the first time we’ve seen Princess Eugenie in a tiara and she certainly made a splash: the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara was a mystery before the wedding and hadn’t been previously worn by a member of the royal family. We’ve covered it in depth here. She paired the tiara with diamond and emerald earrings which were a gift from her new husband. Her wedding shoes were satin peep-toe heels by Charlotte Olympia.

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The bouquet was created by Patrice Van Helden Oakes, sister of Rob Van Helden, the main floral designer for the wedding. It included Lily of the Valley, Stephanotis pips, hints of baby blue thistles, white spray roses and trailing ivy, in addition to the traditional sprigs of myrtle from Osbourne House. That tradition goes back to Queen Victoria.


The Bridesmaids, Page Boys, and Special Attendant
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Blue and green were the big colors in this wedding, something emphasized by the outfits of the bridesmaids and page boys. These were designed by Amaia Arrieta of Amaia Kids. The colorful sashes around their waists are patterned with the same Mark Bradford artwork included in the Order of Service. A playful detail in action that I assume is also of some meaning to the couple.

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Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor was a special attendant in the bridal party, a.k.a. the designated wrangler of all the young ones. Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to find a decent pic of her (at the time I'm writing this), but she hit a nice note between grown up guest and color-coordinated bridal party member with her Claudie Pierlot dress Emily London hat.


The Maid of Honor and Mother of the Bride
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Princess Beatrice was named Maid of Honor. Rather than the position of train-wrangler in a matching gown you might have expected, it seems to have been more of a special designation for someone close to the bride. Beatrice wore a royal blue outfit from Ralph and Russo and a hat by Sarah Cant, plus a diamond buggy brooch on her side. Can we get MORE RALPH AND RUSSO for her, uh, right now?! She looked very sharp indeed.

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Sarah, Duchess of York was also quite sharp, I thought, in her green outfit by Emma Louise Design and a statement hat from Jess Collett Hats. She also had a meaningful touch in her outfit: her vintage Manolo Blahnik bag was carried by her own mother, the late Susan Barrantes, at Sarah and Andrew’s wedding in 1986. Sweet touches all over, just how it should be.
October 12, 2018

Monday Tidbits for September 24: Weddings Are Still in the Air

Cue up the Wedding March, again:

--New royal documentary coming: Queen of the World details Queen Elizabeth II's role as head of the Commonwealth and airs September 25th on ITV or October 1st on HBO. It includes comments from the Duchess of Sussex on her wedding gown and and wedding day. One tidbit is the reveal that her veil included "something blue": a bit of fabric from a blue dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry. That caps a big week for Meghan, with the launch of the wonderful cookbook initiative for the families of the Grenfell fire. [ITV, Sky]

--In Japan, the official wedding date for Princess Ayako and Kei Moriya was set with another traditional ceremony. They'll marry on October 29. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

--Another Windsor wedding on the horizon: Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, is engaged to Tom Kingston. [Telegraph]
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--An opportunity to see the newest royal tiara in person: Princess Marie's Nuits Claires Tiara will join "The Splendour of Power" exhibition at Koldinghus from September 28 - October 21. The exhibition includes multiple other royal tiaras. [TV Syd]

--And finally, over at the Jewel Vault, the Balmoral break rolls on with church stuff and other stuff.

Coming up this week: Mary and more...

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 24, 2018

Royal Exhibition of the Day: The Sussex Wedding on Display

The Royal Collection Trust confirmed reports of a planned exhibition for the Duchess of Sussex's wedding gown this week! They announced that A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will go on display at Windsor Castle from October 26, 2018 to January 6, 2019 and then at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from June 13, 2019 to October 6, 2019.

Exhibition highlights will include the Duchess' wedding gown, veil, and tiara; an identical uniform to the one Prince Harry wore on his wedding day will also be included.

Like many of you, I've been hoping for a better look at some of the details of Meghan's wedding veil. The announcement was accompanied by a few display shots, so let's spend our Friday gazing at some prettiness. (And/or doing some travel planning, if you're suddenly feeling the need...)

Wedding dress, by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy
Royal Collection Trust
"The dress is made from an exclusive double-bonded silk cady, developed by Ms Waight Keller following extensive research in fabric mills throughout Europe. True to the heritage of the House of Givenchy, the graceful lines of the dress were achieved using six meticulously placed seams. These extend towards the back of the dress, where the train flows in soft round folds cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza. One of the main features of the dress is the boat neckline bodice."

Veil, silk tulle
Royal Collection Trust
"The five-metre-long veil is made from silk tulle and embroidered with the flora of the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, a reference to an important part of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official work following His Royal Highness’s appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador."

Royal Collection Trust
 "The Duchess added two of her favourite flowers to the embroidered decoration: Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), which grows in the grounds of Kensington Palace in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the State flower of The Duchess's place of birth, California. Embroidered ears of wheat, symbolising love and charity, are symmetrically placed at the front of the veil, which is edged with embroidered organza flowers.

It took the team of embroiderers hundreds of hours to create the design, washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine."

Diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, 1932
Royal Collection Trust
"This diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, lent to the Duchess by Her Majesty The Queen, held the veil in place. On public display for the first time, the tiara is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds in a geometric design. The centre is set with a detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds. The bandeau was made in 1932 for Her Majesty's grandmother, Queen Mary, and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch. This brooch was given to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York (the future King George V). The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed to Her Majesty by Queen Mary in 1953."


Frockcoat uniform, by Dege & Skinner
Owen Cooban/MOD Crown copyright 2018
"The Duke of Sussex's wedding outfit was the frockcoat uniform of the Household Cavalry (the 'Blues and Royals'), made by tailors at Dege & Skinner on Savile Row. As the uniform specially commissioned for the occasion is required for use by His Royal Highness, this is an identical uniform made for The Duke by Dege & Skinner a few years earlier.

The uniform's single-breasted blue doeskin jacket has figured braiding of Regimental pattern on the stand-up collar and sleeves. It is ranked to Major with large gold embroidered crowns on the epaulettes. The trousers, officially called 'overalls', are made from a blue and black wool barathea and are fastened by a leather strap and buckle underneath the boot."
August 31, 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 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 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

Royal Fashion Awards: Trooping the Colour 2018

It’s time for the Queen’s official birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, the biggest royal gathering of the year so far and a second opportunity in 2018 for the Windsors to showcase their chapeaux.

Savannah Phillips playfully silences Prince George on the balcony
BBC
And maybe showcase a little of their own royal kiddo antics. Can’t let the Swedes have all the fun, you know.

Leaders of the Pack
The Queen and her Royal Colonels
BBC
The Queen led the way on her official birthday in light blue with her usual brooch selection, the Brigade of Guards Badge. It’s a symbolic choice tied to the regiments that perform this ceremony; you can read more about the brooch as well as the Trooping the Colour event here.

Royal Colonels, L to R: the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal
Sgt Randall RLC/MOD Crown Copyright 2018
Her Maj was well accompanied despite the absence of the retired Duke of Edinburgh, thanks to the members of the royal family that serve as Colonels to the Household Division regiments riding behind her: the Prince of Wales (Welsh Guards), the Duke of Cambridge (Irish Guards), the Duke of York (Grenadier Guards), and the Princess Royal (Blues and Royals). It was the Duke of York’s first time participating on horseback; he took over as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards from his father. The Duke of Kent (Scots Guards) no longer rides and instead accompanied the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in their carriage.


Most Coordinated
The Duchess of Cambridge
BBC
Any time the Cambridges appear with the kids, you know the Duchess will be orchestrating some sort of color coordination within their group. She started off outside the Cambridge circle by inadvertently matching her Alexander McQueen dress and Juliette Botterill hat with both the Queen and her carriage mate, the Duchess of Cornwall, who was repeating an icy blue ensemble from Bruce Oldfield and a Philip Treacy hat. Absolutely one of the best from Camilla’s current outfit rotation there.

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Blue for Prince George and Princess Charlotte on the balcony completed the Cambridge's own very specific family coordination. Charlotte even had red accents (shoes and hair ribbon), which I suppose you could say ties in William’s uniform. (By the way, while I see the Cambridge family coordination as intentional, I'm not prone to believing the elaborate family-wide color memo schemes some people like to suggest. The Queen is not said to notice nor care about what anyone else wears. So for this sort of thing? Like, when isn't half this family in blue?)

Most Nearly Repeated
The Duchess of Sussex
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The Duchess of Sussex made her Trooping the Colour debut and her Buckingham Palace balcony debut in a pink dress from Carolina Herrera and a pink hat from Philip Treacy. Repeating her color palette from her first post-wedding appearance, this hat is so close to the same that you have to examine things closely to determine that it is in fact a different hat. I’m really not a fan of the whole “two things nearly the same but not” deal.

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It all certainly suits Meghan, though, and it’s cleverly selected for the event; this outfit improves when she’s seated in a carriage, which matters when most pictures will only show the top of the ensemble. So that’s well played. (Hat tip to Autumn Phillips while we're here, once again using a magenta hat as a surefire way to pep up any outfit.)

Most Interesting Carriage
The York Princesses, with the Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise
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There was a treasure trove of sartorial interest in Carriage #3, carrying Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, the Countess of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor. Sophie’s got the intriguing cutout category all to herself (thankfully), in this Emilia Wickstead repeat from last Ascot, while the York sisters own two of the most interesting hats on the balcony.

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The positioning of Beatrice’s hat is fascinating; it’s labeled a pillbox, but I want to throw a brim on it and stick her in a Pride and Prejudice remake, with that front view. It frames her really well with this hairdo. (Her dress is a royal twin moment; Crown Princess Victoria wore it in 2016.)

Princess Beatrice's Lola straw bow pillbox hat by Sally-Ann Provan; dress by The Fold
Princess Eugenie's Leaf Brim hat by Bee Smith
Eugenie might have my favorite hat of the day, for the combination of brim and interest and the way that lovely green dress coordinates.

And the rest…
BBC
Oh yes, wasn't joking about this being the biggest royal gathering of the year. (Bigger, in terms of numbers of family members, than the recent royal wedding.) I may add some close ups later, but for now, I'm leaving the identifying to you all.


Who takes home your prizes for Trooping the Colour 2018?

June 09, 2018