Royal Fashion Minute: Diamond Jubilee Dinner for Foreign Sovereigns-Kings and Queens Red Carpet!

Royal Fashion Minute: Diamond Jubilee Dinner for Foreign Sovereigns-Kings and Queens Red Carpet!

Royal Red Carpet

Hosts With The Most: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall host  a Dinner For Foreign Sovereigns to Commemorate The Diamond Jubilee, London, England

As you may be aware--if you've been keeping up on all things royal-- The Diamond Jubilee is taking place this year--right now as we speak in fact, marking 60
years of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The Queen came to the throne on 6th
February 1952 and her Coronation took place on June 2, 1953, so naturally this weekend is the Central Weekend of The Diamond Jubilee.

 Coronation Day, June 2nd, 1953--Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip

Lots of events, parties and fabulous horse races have been taking place with a highlight being tomorrow's Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant which will celebrate her 60 year reign with a flotilla of 1,000 boats on the River Thames which will be televised live on various networks such as CNN and BBC of course.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Official Diamond Jubilee Portrait

A couple of weeks ago, on May 18th, as part of the celebrations, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall hosted a very VIP dinner at Buckingham Palace for Foreign Sovereigns to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee. It was a Who's Who of Kings, Queens, Princes, Emperors and one especially FABULOUS wife of an African Monarch. They socialized, had cocktails, gossiped about the latest multi-palace intrigues and dined on cheese souffle and sea bass. They also gave COUTURE darlings...so...let's check out the Royal Red Carpet...

Monaco Meet England: Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco say "hello" to the Dinner's Hosts, Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall--The Duchess wore a duck's egg blue shimmery gown designed by one of her favorite designers (as well as the late Princess Diana) Bruce Oldfield. The dress featured a delicate lace with a deep v-neck and three-quarter sleeves; all over a matching satin inner gown. She looked like a very, very elegant Mother-of-the-Bride, and I mean that in a good way! I LOVE her! I also love Prince Charles black tie patent leather slippers. I want a pair!

Peach Princess: Monaco's reigning royals, Prince Albert and his wife, Princess Charlene looked fresh and modern in their "Royal Red Carpet" looks. The statuesque Charlene wore a peach-colored silk crepe gown with a silk chiffon cowl-draped capelet from Christian Dior. The Princess always knows how to highlight those incredible swimmer's shoulders of hers and always chooses clean, elegant non-fussy styles, and it goes without saying, she always looks radiant in them.



 Elie Saab Grand Duchess:

The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Maria Teresa attended the Dinner in Buckingham Palace with her husband of course, His Royal Highness Henri, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Maria Teresa LOVES fashion and especially ordering from all the top Haute Couture fashion houses. She's not a six foot tall size 2 but that doesn't stop the Cuban-born monarch from GIVING Fashion with a Capital F! For this dinner a couple of weeks back, she wore Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2012:

The blue-green colored gown is a hand-beaded silk chiffon dress featuring a satin waist-defining belt, three-quarter sleeves and flared shape with train. It's the SAME gown that Katy Perry wore to the 2012 Grammy Awards earlier this year. The difference is the Grand Duchess payed for hers (It's Haute Couture kids and probably cost a cool $100,000)...and there was another difference: when the Grand Duchess custom ordered this gown she had the neckline dropped and scooped. I think for her, this was a wise choice since it opened up her neckline and balanced her upper torso. Perfect gown Maria Teresa. Bellisima!



 More Euro Royals On The Buckingham Palace Red Carpet:

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden (top left): the Queen--who is of German and Brazilian descent--wore a silk taffeta navy blue high-necked ruffle Blouse/Jacket over an ivory gown skirt.  On the right are Queen Anne Marie and King Constantine II of Greece. They don't really have a country to rule since the monarchy was abolished in Greece in 1973 but they still retain their titles. They're also VERY related to the British monarchs and just about all the other Euro Royals so they get invited to just about everything! Queen Anne Marie of Greece (who's actually Danish) wore a very lady-like silk chiffon flower print gown with a rosette waist detail. I am not sure who the designer is but it's very Valentino. Old-school Valentino.

Queen Sonja of Norway (left) wore a deep red high necked gown with semi-mermaid skirt and a Royal-worthy matching wrap. This woman is exquisitely ROYAL from head to toe. No one in their right mind would confuse her for anything but being a QUEEN! Next to her is Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; I just LOVE her; she seems like a hoot--just look at that facial expression on her--complete opposite of Queen Sonja. Margarethe can't wait for her first cocktail at the dinner! In terms of fashion, Queen Margarethe usually favors the big ol' ball gowns--usually with oversized flower prints. It was a nice change to see her in a more modern and not too over-the-top fashion statement.



Middle East, North Africa and Asia...

Rome, Italy born Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco (left) is the first daughter and eldest child of the late King Hassan II of Morocco. She's always very elegant and stood out with her Moroccan traditional gown at the Dinner Festivities. On the right photo is the always stylish Queen Rania of Jordan. A Royal Style Icon, Rania wore a color-blocked peplum gown with three-quarter sleeves, contrast waistband and "Mermaid-lite" shape. She is so ON TREND with everything in that gown, she's BEYOND Trend!

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan attended the dinner. The Empress look rather chic in a black and white column silk crepe gown with asymmetrical neckline and waist detail. But it is the Emperor who stands out for me: Simply, the Best Dressed Man of the Night! He looked impeccable in a double breasted tuxedo with peaked lapels.

One of the wealthiest men in the World, the Sultan of Brunei Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darusasalam attended with Pengiran Anak Saleha, wife and Queen Consort of the Sultan (left top photo). On the right is Princess Srirasm of Thailand, wife and Princess Consort to the Crown Prince of Thailand, who attended with her husband, the Crown Prince of Thailand, of course. I love how both of these ladies wore traditional ensembles and highlight the elegance and beauty of each culture.




Finally, It's The Royal Consort of the Night:

Take a look at this lovely lady above ---She is (wait for  it!) Inkhosikati LaMbikiza, one of the THIRTEEN WIVES of King Mswati III of Swaziland. First off, I just want to know how she got so lucky--out of the 12 other wives--to be the one to come to London. Does the King of Swaziland have a gold, diamond and ruby bowl that all of the wives put their names in and the first one picked was the Winner? Can you imagine! This above is what she wore to the Dinner for Foreign Sovereigns to Commemorate the Diamond Jubilee.
It was a gold iridescent confection of a gown featuring gold lamé and
poly organza ruffles tiered into a frothy pouf-cake of a gown, the top
section was beaded and then, if that wasn't enough, in case she would be
cold, a white mink stole. 

The only thing I can think of is "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding":

I swear to the Fashion Gods that she must be using this KRAZEE show as her Fashion Inspiration. I give her lots of points for just going there and wearing this monstrosity of a dress. It isn't just tacky. It's BEYOND Tacky. Maybe this is a culture thing and in the great nation of Swaziland, this is what passes off as Red Carpet Glamour so maybe I'm just being culturally insensitive...

Whatever it is, it's still TACKY-licious to me! One of my favorite pictures from the night's dinner is the one above where the Footguard is standing there, as she enters the Dinner Party, and you can tell that his insides are about to BURST out as he's trying to hold a professional look on his face while on the inside he is SCREAMING and saying "OOOOOH GURLLLL!!!"



I'm just going to say it: I want to see more of Inkhosikati LaMbikiza! I really, really hope she will be attending the Thames River Diamond Jubilee festivities tomorrow, hopefully on her own boat--with TWENTY half-naked hot boys around her dancing!



Happy Diamond Jubilee!!! 

Royal Wedding Gowns: A Look Back Through The Years!

Royal Wedding Gowns: A Look Back Through The Years!

Wedding Couture

In honor of Friday's Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine "Kate" Middleton, I have decided to do a posting on all the wonderful Royal Weddings of the past and, of course, what they wore! I hope you enjoy seeing all the wonderful ensembles as much as I did...plus I included a little Couture Dish!

Grace of Monaco: Helen Rose

Prince Rainer and Grace of Monaco--in a Helen Rose (an MGM Costume Designer) gown. Edith Head--Hollywood Costume Designer for the A-List of the time (and of Kelly) was reportedly saddened to not have been picked, for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion. COUTURE DISH: The gown was worked on by six seamstress at MGM and 30 million people around the world watched it. The gown has remained THE SYMBOL--and ruler-- of what a "Royal Wedding Gown" should be. Elegant, timeless, classic, serene, and above all, royal. Guests of the wedding included actresses Gloria Swanson and Eva Gardner, the Agha Khan, and many others.

Princess Caroline: Christian Dior Haute Couture by Marc Bohan

Their eldest daughter, Princess Caroline wore Christian Dior Haute Couture by then House Designer, Marc Bohan, when she married Commoner--and French Playboy--Philipe Junot, in 1978. The gown featured a high neck, scalloped edge embroidered gown, bishop sleeves and blouson top. I especially remember (I was VERY YOUNG!) how modern she looked with ringlets of flowers--a la Princess Leia--in her hair--as opposed to wearing a tiara or crown.

Queen Elizabeth: Norman Hartnell

Queen Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth of York) and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh (then Prince of Greece and Denmark--he's actually German and Danish but born in Greece). Her wedding gown was designed by British designer Norman Hartnell. COUTURE DISH: The Queen Mother had specifically asked that Hartnell should use an unusually rich, lustrous stiff satin which was made at Lullington Castle. The satin was ideal for the train, but Hartnell thought that the dress required a more supple material of a similar tone. He ordered the similar fabric from the Scottish firm of Winterthur. Difficulties arose when rivals put about the rumor that the Scottish satin was made from "enemy silk worms", either from Italy or possibly Japan. A telephone call to the town where Winterthur was based, settled the scandal. Mr. Hartnell was assured the silk worms were from Nationalist China and were not "enemy silk worms". Good to know...

Princess Diana: Elizabeth Emanuel

Continuing with the Brits: Prince Charles and Diana in 1981: Her gown was designed by British designer Elizabeth Emanuel is iconic, of course, especially for its infamous 25 foot (wrinkled) silk taffeta train. COUTURE DISH: The entire gown--including the train and veil--were comprised of (wait for it), 275 total yards. The gown epitomized the excess that were to be the 80's.

Princess Anne: Maureen Baker

Another gown I loved was the one Princess Anne (only daughter of Queen Elizabeth) wore when she wed then-Lieutenant Mark Phillips (he was soooo handsome!!) in 1973. The gown was inspired from the Medieval and Tudor styles. It was very "Lady Macbeth Gets Married".

The gown--designed by Maureen Baker, head designer for Susan Small--featured Trumpet sleeves that hid inner Bishop Sleeves (FIERCE!), as you can see above. COUTURE DISH: Fifteen women worked on the dress and each worked on a different section, and they didn't know what the final outcome would look like--this was done for fear that the design would be "leaked" to the press by one of these girls.

Wallis Simpson: Mainbocher

Of course, when speaking of Wedding Couture, we can't leave out the Mainbocher gown worn by Wallis Simpson when she married Edward, Duke of Windsor (also Prince Edward, King Edward XIII of course) in 1937. This pale blue gown and hat--have gone down in history as the epitome of understated chic. The groom wore a Morning Suit, of course. There were only sixteen guests, not one a member of the royal family.

Princess Margaret: Norman Hartnell

Then , there was the Fashionista and "Party Girl" Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Queen Elizabeth's sister) and her wedding to Anthony Armstrong-Jones. Her gown was designed and created by the house of Norman Hartnell--same designer who created her sister's wedding gown.This was also the first royal wedding ever televised, and was watched by over 300 million viewers worldwide!Empress/Shahbanu Soraya of Iran: Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent

I also absolutely LOVE the wedding gown worn by Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari (of German-Persian descent) , who would become Empress and Shahbanu Soraya of Iran when she married the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (his second marriage) in 1951. She wore a a custom gown designed by Yves Saint Laurent for the House of Christian Dior.

COUTURE DISH: The gown was a silver lame gown studded with pearls and marabou stork feathers (!). To finish the gown, there was a cropped shawl-collar jacket AND a full-length white mink cape which she removed for "let-me-sit-down-and-breathe" photos. Poor Soraya (who was rumored to always have been the Shah's love of his life) soon discovered she could not give him a male heir (she was infertile) and therefore, divorced seven years after their wedding, but was left with a nice you-can-live-forever-in-style bank account.

Queen Sofia of Spain: Jean Dessès

Next of note was Queen Sofia's (then Princess Sophia of Greece) Wedding Gown--designed by Egyptian-born of Greek descent fashion designer Jean Dessès--when she married the future King of Spain Juan Carlos in Athens Greece to much fanfare.

Marie Chantal of Greece: Valentino Haute Couture

Speaking of Greeks, here's Crown Prince Pavlos and his bride, Marie Chantal Miller. Marie Chantal is of US-Ecuadorian ancestry and Pavlos, the son of the exiled King of the Hellenes (Greece), Constantine II, is well, of Danish-German (and not so much Greek) descent. Constantine II is Queen Sofia's (see previous wedding gown pic) brother--yes, keep up!! By the way, the Bride's gown was from Valentino Haute Couture. Don't mess with them darlings!

Maria y Carmen Martinez-Bordiu: Cristobal Balenciaga

Now onto another fabulous Royal Wedding Gown of note. This gown is from Maria y Carmen Martinez-Bordiu y Franco when she wed Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cadiz and Grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1972. General Franco made him Duke of Anjou and making him a Royal Highness, thereby making her a Princess: Can you say "At-a Girl!" in Spanish?? Momma didn't raise a fool!
COUTURE DISH: Her gown was designed by Cristobal Balenciaga. The Spanish Couturier ended his business in 1968 but came out of "retirement" to design her gown. It featured 14 meters of Abraham silk, 20 silk thread spools, 10,000 pearls, and over 5,000 sequins. It also had the Bourbon "Fleur-de-lis" embroidered into the front of this one-of-a-kind Haute Couture hand-made gown.

The future Queen Noor of Jordan's wedding dress is notable for it's elegant simplicity. It was a blouson gown, with no crinoline, no petticoat, no tulle. This is how you do "restrained" and unfussy, but still beautiful.

Queen Rania of Jordan: Bruce Oldfield

At the opposite end, was Queen Rania of Jordan's wedding gown to King Abdullah II. Her gown was designed by British designer Bruce Oldfield (a name that has been thrown around as a possible candidate for Catherine Middleton's wedding dress designer) and not by a Middle Eastern designer, which was odd.

Princess Maxima of the Netherlands: Valentino Haute Couture

Moving on to the New Generation of Royals--and their Wedding COUTURE: A gorgeous Valentino Haute Couture creation can be seen on Princes Maxima of the Netherlands when she wed Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands. Maxima is from Argentina darlings, in case you weren't aware. South American girl done did good, as they say...The Netherlands will have an South American-born Queen sometime in the future.

Princess Mette-Marit of Norway: Ove Harder Finseth

Staying in Scandinavia: There was the wedding gown of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. Ove Harder Finseth was the designer. I loved this gown for its elegant simplicity. The shape was perfect for Mette-Marit's lean figure and again, as one of the "Next Generation Royals", I love that she chose to do without the Disneyland Princess Crinoline-and-Petticoat Ball Gown "Princes Diana" silhouette. Norwegians know how to give you "Directional Modern Brides" for sure!

Princess Letizia of Spain: Manuel Pertegaz

I also LOVED Princess Letizia of Spain's wedding gown when she married Crown Prince Felipe in 2004. It was designed by 93-year old (yes, 93!!) Spanish Designer Manuel Pertegaz. I'm sure his "staff" had a lot to do with this and he probably sat there and said "Si!" and "No!". Letizia’s beige Valencia silk wedding dress was graceful and Medieval in its silhouette. It featured long sleeves, a decorative stand-away collar, veil and skirt embroidered with flower-de-luce and ears of wheat. Her wedding dress was 4.6 meters long!!

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden: Par Engsheden

And last but not least in my Royal Wedding Couture Nick Verreos Hall of Fame, I have to include the gorgeous gown worn by Victoria Crown Princess of Sweden. The silk fit-and-flare gown was designed by Swedish designer Par Engsheden. Simple. Elegant. Sublime. The stunning crown and lace veil finish it off. THAT is a future Queen ladies and gentlemen.

Now....Which one was your FAVORITE Royal Wedding Gown???