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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

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 Dress of the Day: Princess Mabel's Wedding Gown, Revisited

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau, wife of the late Prince Friso, one of King Willem-Alexander's brothers, celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday. Seems like a perfect time to revisit her first big royal sartorial splash: her wedding gown. I can't think of another one that so accurately introduced a royal bride's style, because not only the designers but also the main motif and the general sense of quirkiness all became her signatures. That main motif is, of course, BOWS.

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Mabel Wisse Smit married Prince Johan Friso on April 24, 2004 in a gown by Dutch couturiers Viktor & Rolf. She requested something memorable and was interested in a three-dimensional train detail. They came up with a dress that featured 248 handmade crepe georgette bows, a favorite detail of the design duo: 128 bows on the skirt, 85 on the bodice, and 35 on the train.

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The bows are graduated in size, beginning with tiny bows at the shoulders and growing to massive bows at the end of the 3.15 meter (10'4") train.

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The bateau neckline and belted waist give the dress a flattering shape and it's a true piece of couture art, very cleverly made so that the ribbon lattice pattern behind the bows covers the seams. The gown is crafted from snow white double-faced duchesse satin and took more than 600 hours to make.

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The bride kept her veil short (wouldn't want to cover up any of those bows!), and topped it with a diamond tiara that borrows its larger stones from the top of the Dutch Sapphire Tiara. The tiara has an intriguingly two-dimensional look in a photo, with a lot of sparkle when seen in action. It has remained Mabel's top tiara pick in the years since.

The wedding dress was just the beginning of Princess Mabel's quirky royal sartorial statements, most also by Viktor & Rolf (and often featuring those beloved bows), but there's a lot more behind the fashion. Mabel herself is an accomplished and committed activist and philanthropist who has worked with organizations like The Elders and Girls Not Brides. Her marriage to Prince Friso began with controversy; the marriage was not submitted for the official parliament consent required for Prince Friso to retain his place in line to the throne because the couple were not entirely forthcoming in response to government inquiries about past contact between Mabel and Klaas Bruinsma, a drug lord and organized crime figure. Friso gave up his spot in the line of succession as well as his title as a Prince of the Netherlands when they married. He retained the Orange-Nassau title.

Sadly, tragedy was ahead: Prince Friso was trapped in an avalanche while skiing in Austria in 2012. He remained in a coma until he passed away the following year. Princess Mabel now continues her activist work while raising the couple's two daughters and seems to have a great support system in the Dutch royal family. She appears to be particularly close to her mother-in-law, Princess Beatrix.

Princess Mabel's wedding gown is currently on display in Rotterdam as part of an exhibition celebrating 25 years of Viktor & Rolf. As a premiere client (and a friend; she recently attended Rolf Snoeren's wedding), she opened the exhibition. She shared in her opening speech that Prince Friso, who was an engineer, had been fascinated by the construction of the gown.

On the left, the dress Princess Mabel wore to Prince Friso's memorial
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The wedding dress is poignantly displayed at the exhibition alongside a dress of mourning, first worn by Mabel in a long length to King Willem-Alexander's inauguration and then made shorter for Friso's memorial service. It is another Viktor & Rolf design, the white sleeve and bow echoing the wedding dress that started it all.

Viktor & Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years is at The Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam through September 30, 2018.
August 13, 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: Camilla and Meghan in the Garden

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The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall hosted the Prince's 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration yesterday, a Buckingham Palace garden party for 6,500 people from 386 of his patronages and reps from 18 military affiliations. They were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their first engagement as a married couple.

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I'm not entirely convinced that Meghan's dress in photos lives up to its promise on the hanger, but I see where she's going and she's headed in a more chic direction than we usually see at a garden party. That's promising. (The dress is from Goat.)

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Anyway, let's talk about that Philip Treacy hat and its perfectly matched updo. A brim! Huzzah. Sort of a beginner's entry into the serious world of hat shenanigans. Can you even really consider yourself a member of the British royal family before a hat has hula hooped its way around your head? I think not. She's officially in the fam now.

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Camilla's an experienced hat hula hooper, and she has the impressive collection of Philip Treacy designs to prove it. She's also wearing her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp and her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings.

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Her Bruce Oldfield coat and dress looks like a rejected wedding option, right? "No, no, gotta leave the brights to the Queen and the white and light green to Doria. NEXT!" This minty coat is trying to trick us into believing there's a blazer involved too.

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We can't forget the birthday boy, can we? (Even though his birthday's not until November.) He likes his gray morning dress, and it works really well on him. Impeccable as ever.
May 23, 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Wedding: More Guest Fashion

How’s your royal wedding fever holding up? Still hanging in there? It’s like running a marathon, but on your couch, with snacks. We’ve already done the main stuff:


So let’s finish up the fashion business with a little look at what a few of the other guests - the ones that aren't members of the royal family - brought to the party.

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One of the first guests to catch my eye: Countess Spencer in Pamella Roland with a Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat. A purple outfit after my own heart! With a wee cape! She was terribly elegant back in 2011, too, I still remember her blush pink ensemble with a massive hat.

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Lady Kitty Spencer caught my eye too, in a green Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda dress with a hand-painted floral design and a Philip Treacy hat. Fantastic use of orange velvet accessories to give it an extra splash of interest.

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You give Oprah an invite to the royal wedding, she's not about to chicken out on the hat game. Her hat is Philip Treacy she's had since 2005, with new feathers for the occasion. I had quibbles on the dress until I checked Oprah's Instagram; Stella McCartney’s team made this for her overnight after she suddenly realized her planned beige outfit was going to photograph too white. All things considered? That’s a pretty good result. McCartney labels this a “blush, double tiered dress with lace trim made of sustainable viscose.”

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It’s hard to go wrong with a blush pink outfit for a royal wedding, isn’t it? Oprah would agree. This Versace dress on Serena Williams is just right, as is the fascinator that keeps clear of her long braids.

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Serena also posted her look for the evening reception, a Valentino gown. Not everyone could carry this print off, yet on Serena, it's pure fun.

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Amal Clooney opted for a bold color choice for the ceremony with this honey yellow Stella McCartney midi dress with a side tie detail in silk Cady, accompanied by a custom Stephen Jones hat. I loved this ray of sunshine during the broadcast, but in the photos, I suddenly want a little color variation. Maybe not full yellow on the hat?

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Meghan’s good friend Priyanka Chopra posted just after midnight that she was still waiting for her outfit to arrive, but no problems here: this is Vivienne Westwood with a to-die-for suit silhouette. A Philip Treacy hat tops it off.

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Also to-die-for: Priyanka’s evening look from Christian Dior. That is one sparkly dream of a dress, no? Let's get this on a princess or something.


The whole crew from Suits rolled up with their partners to support their former costar. I was watching all the guests arrive, trying to think which outfit I'd claim as my own if I were invited (as you do), and I think I found it: Jacinda Barrett's merlot grape Emilia Wickstead, be mine.

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Let’s end with the ever-appropriately dressed Middleton crew. The only surprise comes when you realize that Pippa’s floral dress from The Fold actually looks startlingly like an Arizona Tea can…and once you see it, there’s no turning back.

Who else caught your eye at the royal wedding?
May 19, 2018

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



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