Royal Fashion Minute: The Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass--Who Is The Best Dressed: Camilla, Kate, Princess Michael of Kent?

Royal Fashion Minute: The Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass--Who Is The Best Dressed: Camilla, Kate, Princess Michael of Kent?

Battle of the British Royal Fashion Divas: 

Who's The Biggest Fashionista: Camilla Duchess of Cornwall (foreground, left), and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass

The Finale of Britain's Diamond Jubilee celebrating the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen's ascension to the throne, occurred on Tuesday with a Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul's Cathedral, then a wondrous carriage procession through London...

H. M. The Queen Queen Elizabeth II: Sporting a smile, a slight wave, and an Angela Kelly-designed mint coat and Swarovski crystal embellished hat

The UK Royal A-List: (Left to right) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, prince Charles, H. M. The Queen, Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry

And the de rigueur Balcony Appearance at Buckingham Palace--where H. M. The Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla as well as Prince William, his wife, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Henry (the spare) took part. This balcony appearance culminated in the spectacular Red Arrow's Formation Flyover:

Here in the US, BBC America began showing the entire day LIVE at 4 am--needless to say, I DVR'ed it and watched it later--at a more "civilized" hour, thank you very much. Thank goodness for BBC and the fact I get it as part of my cable channels. Now, let's get to the FASHIONS, since of course, that's what I am interested in. Who was the Biggest Fashion Diva, you may ask? Well, I'll let you be the judge...



Let's begin with H. M. The Queen, Elizabeth II:

Queen Elizabeth arrived at St. Paul's--with her Lady in Waiting, Diana Marion Lady Farnham, as her traveling companion, since her husband, Prince Phillip was in a hospital due to a bladder infection. Lady Farnham (in royal blue next to the Queen in above photo) is her Lady of the Bedchamber, which means she is the person holding the position as THE PERSONAL ATTENDANT to Her Majesty. She is the widow of the 12th Baron Farnham. Imagine having your life devoted to H. M. The Queen. Your ENTIRE LIFE! I wonder if she has a special cell phone to answer her calls when she needs her. And most important: who is paying her? The Queen? The taxpayers? England? Who? Is she part of H. M. The Queen's "staff"? Please tell me she gets a monthly paycheck for this???!!! Well, irregardless, she was there as a Comfort Stand-In on the ride to St. Paul's Cathedral Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday and I would like to think that they are actually friends and it was comforting to the Queen. Now, back to Her Majesty:

Queen Elizabeth wore a mint green princess seamed coat and dress ensemble by her favorite designer, Angela Kelly. It was embellished with silver thread, Swarovski crystals throughout and had an attached mint silk chiffon sash. She may not be up to date in terms of 21st Century Style, but as an 86 year old woman, she was "Giving Fashion"...maybe not Barbara Walters Oscar de la Renta/Carolina Herrera Ladies-Who-Lunch style, but Fashion for her!

Besides that hat with all those crystals, her most prominent accessory was that GORGEOUS--and HUGE--diamond brooch. It is named the "Cullinan III and IV Brooch" and it is made from two of the nine Cullinan diamonds, weighing 94.4 carats and 63.3 carats. In case you did not know, the Cullinan Diamond originally weighed 3,106 carats and it was first discovered in 1905 at a mine near Pretoria in South Africa. The story goes, that originally, it was thrown away (Mon Dieu!) as it was thought too big to be an actual diamond. Once recovered, it was presented to King Edward VII and cuts were used in the Crown Jewels, therefore this amazing brooch.

Queen Elizabeth II's Grandmother, Queen Mary (in photo above) can be seen wearing the diamonds as a brooch--the same brooch H. M. The Queen wore on Tuesday. I love that the Queen "served up" a MAJAH diamond for the Diamond Jubilee! If ever there was a time to break out this gem, it is NOW!

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall:

Printed Diva: Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall and wife to Prince Charles, future King of England, decided to go a bit "Directional" with a champagne and gold colored coat with a "basket-weave" print and dress from one of her favorite designers, Bruce Oldfield. The hat was Philip Treacy, naturally.

I was surprised to see her in such a bold printed ensemble, but at the same time, I realized, that she was making quite a statement and knew that this was an important moment for her and well, this was no time to be a Fashion Wallflower. PS: She rode next to Her Majesty in the carriage procession. Mon Dieu Part Deux!




Now, onto her Fashion Competitor of the Day, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge:

Catherine wore a design from Sarah Burton and the House of Alexander McQueen. It was a blush-colored lace applique fitted knee-length sheath dress design with a high bateau neck, very fitted sleeves and champagne/beige satin waistband.

Her chapeau was by Jane Taylor. The dress fit her ever-so-perfectly and accentuated her I-Do-Not-Eat-Tea Sandwiches figure. She looked "Church" appropriate and well, still gave the Fashionistas out there something to talk about.



The Princesses:

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice of York: The two lovely daughters of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Duchess of York. Side Note: poor Sarah, by the way, she was not invited--since she is persona non grata--to any of these festivities; I really, really hope she was in a beach in Mykonos having her own Diamond Jubilee Festivities with a bunch of her best Gays! Anyhow...moving on. The two Princesses were in contrasting colored ensembles for the Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass: Princess Eugenie wore a lovely purple
dress by Suzannah. The bag was by Loro Piano. Her mushroom-colored
stilettos were also by Kurt Geiger. Princess Beatrice wore a periwinkle blue Kinder Aggugini coat dress with tan colored Kurt Geiger stilettos. Her bag was designed by Lemeresca.

Blue Blood: Sophie Countess of Wessex--wife of Prince Edward Earl of Wessex wore a navy silk ziberline suit with lace applique and gathered princess seamed peplum detail. The Princess Royal, Princess Anne (right) attended in a jeweled blue applique' coat and dress ensemble with popped collar, long fitted sleeves, nude heels, gloves and clutch; quite feminine for her, since well, she's usually looking rather--how shall I say this--BUTCH!

The Real Fashion Diva: But here's my Favorite Royal of the entire Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service--Princess Michael of Kent. German/Czech Republic-born Baroness Marie Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, Princess Michael of Kent attended the Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Services wearing this gunmetal violet silk shantung suit with notched collar, billowing iridescent silk organza sleeves and princess-seamed fitted knee-length pencil skirt with silk chiffon godet inset.

 

When I saw her on TV entering St. Paul's Cathedral , I thought "Who Is That Fashion Diva?" And yes, of course, it was Princess Michael of Kent. She is like Joan and Jackie Collins all wrapped up in one fabulous person. The Princess knows Fashion and knows Drama. Take a peek at her Wikipedia and you'll know what I mean. Because of this suit of hers above, I have to give it to her as the Winner of my Unofficial "Best Dressed at the Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service". Catherine, take note...




Who Do You Guys Think Was The Best Dressed Royal Gal at Tuesday's Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service/Festivities? Let me know...

Beauty Pageant Minute--Miss Universe 2012--The "Pageant Bettys" and the "Too Short Gowns" Girls!

Beauty Pageant Minute--Miss Universe 2012--The "Pageant Bettys" and the "Too Short Gowns" Girls!

The Pageant Bettys and the Too-Shorts:

Emerald Queen: Miss Universe South Africa Melinda Bam--Why is she in my "Pageant Betty" group? Read on kiddies... 

Photos Courtesy of MissUniverse.com

Continuing with my Recap of the "Miss Universe 2012 Evening Gown Portraits", in my last post HERE, I talked about my "Good" list--or favorites--and now, it's time to discuss the "Pageant Bettys" of the bunch plus what I call the "Too Shorts". For some explanation, "Pageant Bettys" are the ladies who well, look like a Pageant Betty--meaning the typical Pageant Girl, "done" from head to toe. They are usually wearing mermaid or full-style gowns, in pastel. Sometimes, there is some applique--usually a little "cheap" looking. And a lot of times, they may remind people of grown-up versions of the little girls from TLC's "Toddlers & Tiaras" . The "Too Shorts" are gowns that are, well, TOO SHORT, on the girls. This is a big NO NO in my book. It looks so "off-the-rack" and for a big moment such as the Miss Universe, it's time to get something Custom Made, or at least, get a seamstress to try and fix the situation.  

Now, as I stated in my last post, I realize that:

A) a lot of these girls might have just been handed these dresses and they may--or may not--have had a choice, and...

B) these may not be their actual Evening Gowns that they will wear to the all-important Preliminaries (I hope not, for some!). With all that said...here we go:

Miss Canada Adwoa Yamoah: Here are two fun facts about Adwoa: she's originally from Ghana but moved to Canada at a very young age. And second of all, she was not the actual winner of "Miss Universe Canada" but she was the First Runner Up. The actual winner hurt her foot only days before having to leave for the "Miss Universe 2012" pageant so, as they always say "if for some reason the winner cannot complete her duties..." And so it's Adwoa's time. Now, the gown. It's SO Pageant Betty! She's the QUEEN of Pageant Bettys in this peach-colored Mermaid gown with silver lace applique. There's really nothing wrong with this, except in my eyes, it's way too sweet and typical for such a gorgeous girl. She needs sexy, red carpet FASHIOOON! Please give this gown back to Miss America Alabama. ASAP!

Miss Honduras Jennifer Denise Andrade: Jennifer looks like she is starring in an episode of MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen"! She seriously looks like the daughter of a multimillionaire Honduran business man and she's having her Quinceañera. It's not a bad gown by any means. I think the "Barbie Pink" color may be too "cutesy" for her (if it was black or blush it might have helped). And the Prom-like hairstyle makes things worse. Also, it's waaay too long on the petite 5'2" Jennifer. For a girl that little, she does not need such an overwhelming dress.

Miss Angola Marcelina Vehekeni: Huneeeyyyyy!!!! Now here's another perfect example of a "Pageant betty" gown--and entire look--for that matter. Let's begin with the oversized bun hairstyle. Then, the oversized earrings, the strapless gown in a powder blue TAFFETA...with unexplainable creme applique, a cascade down the side front slit and then...is that an illusion panel trying to cover up the too-plunging décolletage area? I want to see this beautiful woman in a more modern style gown.

 

Miss Sweden Hanni Beronius: Another perfect example of a "Pageant Betty" look--but more updated to now. I would deem this "Pageant Betty" Lite. This strapless mermaid shaped gown is actually very nice. The shirred top section looks well made and I like the asymmetrically-cascading bottom-half ruffles. I think it's the pastel-y pink color with the choker of pearls (why??!!) and the dreaded side-swept ponytail hairstyle, that took her into Pageant Betty zone. This gown, in red, with no pearls and a more updated 2012 red carpet hairstyle: Done and done!

Miss Guatemala Laura Godoy: Here's another example of an actually great gown but not-so great styling--in terms of the hair.This silk duchesse (or is it ziberline?) gown looks well made and expensive. The fit is great (except for the too high pleated neckline). It could also double as a beautiful wedding gown--a "Two-for-One-Dress"! What takes to a "Pageant Betty" moment is the hair style (too "Sweet Sixteen") and the vanilla color of the gown. This gown in black with a modern hairstyle:  Más Bueno!

Miss Philippines Janine Marie Tugonon: This gown is very pretty--delicately pretty in fact. It reminds me of a modified Sari. I think the bright canary yellow color plus the scroll-y applique with lace overlay is what puts her in the Pageant Betty category. This is a gown that would work for the "Miss World" pageant where they like their girls sweeter. But for "Miss Universe", I'd rather see Janine Marie is something more red carpet fab with a little bit of sex appeal!

Miss Great Britain Holly Hale: What most puts Holly in this "Pageant Betty" category is her side swept hairstyle--plus the cascading iridescent POLY organza ruffles on the bottom half of this dress. First, make her hair straight, polished and modern. Next, I'd like to remove those poly organza ruffles and just take the top golden sequin portion to the floor. No need for the mermaid shape, no need for poly iridescent organza cascading ruffles. A simple column shaped gown in the silver/golden sequin equals a gown winner!

Miss Singapore Lynn Tan: The positive is that I like the color--it's like muted coral. The sequin detail is nice as well. But it's the organza (or is it tulle?) overlay in the back plus the darkened gunmetal sequin waist detail, and finally her "Pageant Betty" hairstyle that landed the very pretty Lynn here in this category.

Miss China Diana Xu Jidan: Diana is one of my favorites of all the 89 contestants this year. She has the height (almost 6 feet tall!), the perfect figure, the model-like look Miss Universe Organization likes; all of this combined can take her to the end. I was disappointed, however, when I saw her in this gown. It's not a bad gown, it's just a little "Pageant Betty" predictable. It's a little"Mother-of-the-Bride" to be honest. After all, this is what she is supposed to be wearing as her National Costume:

Guo Pei Haute "1002th Arabian Night" Spring/Summer 2010 Haute Couture collection---In other words, I'm expecting COUTURE darling! I hope she wears something else for the Preliminaries. Here's a suggestion of a gown from the same designer:

 Actress Li Bingbing in Guo Pei at the 2010 Venice Film Festival

Miss El Salvador Ana Yancy Clavel: Why are there poly organza faux flowers on this dress? I just want to know. And how, in the Pageant God's name is this supposed to be "Miss Universe" crown material? The very pretty Ana ends up here in the "Pageant Betty" category, first for the color of this gown--this bright canary yellow is very impacting but can veer into "Pageant Betty" in a split second. But it's more the flower detail and side chiffon layers which really put the nail in the coffin.

Miss Poland Marcelina Zawadzka: Marcelina is so beautiful--she looks like a tall (she's almost six feet!) version of one the Olsen twins! I'm sure she--and her pageant directors--wanted to highlight her super long legs in one form or another--but not with the usual HOOCHIE slit gown (that's on a later posting!). So she wore this sea-foam blue-green gown with an iridescent over-skirt. It's the IRIDESCENT OVER-SKIRT that gets me. She looks sweet and great from the waist up. Then it goes into Pageant Betty.

Miss South Africa Melinda Bam: Even though Melinda is short (by recent "Miss Universe" winners standards where the average height in the last nine years has been around 5'10"). Melinda is 5'7" according to this), she's still being considered as THE FAVORITE to win the crown on December 19th. She is stunning, impacting and has that "I'm both Sweet...and SEXY" Miss Universe quality. Now, let's discuss the gown. And it is A GOWN! I was a bit torn by this one. I almost put it in my "best" but then, the iridescent emerald organza over the satin and diagonal sequin detail plus the "Cathedral"-like train...all those things took it to a "Pageant Betty" Diva level. The pose, is A+. I give her that. She's stealing someone's boyfriend...and girlfriend, with that look!

Miss Norway Sara Nicole Andersen: First of all, Sara Nicole is gorgeous. Love her olive skin color as well as her hair. She's so Latina. And yet, she's from NORWAY! The gown is Pageant Betty on Testosterone; it's a strapless sequin bodice gown with a high-low shredded organza attached skirt that ends in a train. In peach. And are those sequins strewn throughout the gown skirt? Seriously. How could this gown NOT end up under "Pageant Betty" !? It's the store-bought version of...

The gown designed by Venezuelan pageant go-to fashion designer Gionni Straccia, worn by Ivian Sarcos when she won the "Miss World 2011" title (above).

The Too-Short Gown Girls:

Miss Lebanon Rina Chibany: Rina, Rina, Rina...why darling? Not only is this black jersey dress too short on you, then you go ahead and wear some 7" platform heels with it...to emphasize the fact that the dress is too short. Gowns should NEVER show the shoes, they should always hit 1/2" above the floor if not TO THE FLOOR. It's a cute dress--to go to a club in Miami, but not to use as your "Miss Universe 2012 Evening Gown Portrait".

Miss Denmark Josephine Hewitt: Josephine is one of the most beautiful girls in the pageant. She's got very classic, very "Hollywood" face structure and looks. Once again--like Miss Universe Lebanon--this is a gown that works for a pool party at the Delano in Miami--but not the Miss Universe 2012 Pageant. It is about FIVE inches too short on one side and about a FOOT too short on the other. And then she wears these stacked platform silver heels on top of it; accentuating the very obvious fact that the dress is too short. If she would have worn strappy heels with NO platform, she would have been fine!

Miss St. Lucia Tara Carla Edward: Tara Carla is simply beautiful--and tall (5'11"). This is why this store-bought gown ended up being too short on her. And this is why, she should have gotten a custom-made gown that was made for her height! Here's a lesson in store-bought floor-length gowns: manufacturers make gowns long enough for a 5' 7" woman. It's a "rule" in the fashion industry. So...if you are shorter than that, the gown will be too long, if you are around that, perfect. If you are above that...you get a "High Water/Flood" gown. And this is what happened. Ladies: PAY for a CUSTOM GOWN. The Cheap comes out EXPENSIVE, as Judge Marlyn Milian says: "Lo Barato sale CARO!".



***Next Up: The "Slit Queens" and "Cha-Cha Love" Evening Gown Recap of the Miss Universe 2012 Evening Gown Portraits

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Universe 2015 Evening Gown Portraits Part Two: The Pageant Betty's, Oh Dear Too Mucheey & "Go-On Girl" Award

SASHES AND TIARAS.....Miss Universe 2015 Evening Gown Portraits Part Two: The Pageant Betty's, Oh Dear Too Mucheey & "Go-On Girl" Award

Too Mucheey Hoochie & Chonchee and Too Mucheey Everything: Miss Universe 2015 Evening Gown Portraits

Photos courtesy of MissUniverse.com

In my last post HERE, I discussed my FAVORITES from the Miss Universe 2015 "Official Website Evening Gown Portraits" (as well as which designs disappointed me), so naturally, now it's time to talk about the Pageant Betty's and "Ayyy Mija!" designs--and one last special "Go-On Girl" Gown recognition...

Let's get to it--Let's begin with "Pageant Betty's"-----------------------------------------------------------

Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach: I know, I know, I am sure everyone from here to the Philippines will hate me but I just thought that gorgeous Pia looked too old-school Pageant Betty in this design. Pia could look like a fabulous fashion model DIVA and instead, in this gown she looked like it was 1998 and she was a candidate in that year's Miss Philippines pageant. The gown is very "been there/done that". Not to mention those earrings...GIRL! And for some reason, all I could look at is how BIG her "sistahs" look; there too much focus on her big ol' breasts--with this strapless dress. On a good note: her face and hair style are flawless.

Miss Guatemala Jeimmy Aburto: Pink stretch lace--and silver crystals--plus the mermaid "lite" shape...well, they all add up to "Pageant Betty". She is very pretty and that pose is indeed, impacting. But, the gown, oh the gown: it's Too-Mucheey  and Tacky.

Miss Haiti Lisa Drouillard: Oh Lisa, that is A LOT of Gown. I do appreciate the dynamic bubblegum pink color and silver sequin detail but...it's Too Mucheey, and it does give me "Pageant Betty" for it's heavy-handed style. At least she didn't do an up-do bouffant. I give her a couple of points for that.

Miss Panama Gladys Brandao Amaya: According to the Miss Universe website, Gladys is only 24 years old. But here she looks 34. I do like the unusual sequin and striped detail in the gown--as well as the color--but my main problem deals with the too-much peek-a-boo keyhole (Hola! That is my cleavage!) and the semi pouffed-up hair is a bit early 2000's Pageant. It's time for an update mija.

Miss South Africa Refilwe Mthiwunye: First off, I was a bit taken aback that she allowed the Miss Universe.com peeps to put in her bio that she won the "Miss Gangster" award during the Miss South Africa pageant. Not sure if I would of put that as a PLUS in my bio. But oh well. In terms of her choice of gown, it was very Pageant Betty. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful gown and it fits her nicely, but...this is not what you would see a Miss Universe wear to win, and definitely not what you would see on a top actress on a red carpet at a top awards show like Cannes or the Oscars.

Miss Denmark Cecilie Wellemberg: Cecilie is quite beautiful. I don't have that much of a problem with this gown--I do like the royal blue color and scroll-like sequin applique. But...the combination of all of that + the mermaid shape + her pouffy hair and big ol' earrings scream "Pageant Betty".

Miss Mexico Wendy Esparza: Did someone say 1997? What is with all the polyester charmeuse? And that matching lace? Ayyy mija! Oh, and of course, there's a side-front slit. And SILVER covered pumps? Someone please help her! At least she looks absolutely bella from the neck up--the hair and makeup are perfect!

Oh Dear!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miss British Virgin Islands Adorya Baly: Let me begin on a good note--I love the canary yellow color. And I do like the flower-like sequin appliques. Where it all goes a bit tacky is the sheer netting, the center front plunging neckline showing her too-mucheey cleavage. I also think she could have added more makeup (what a novel idea for a pageant gal!?); she looks like she got up, just had her first coffee and well, had to do a photoshoot.

Miss Hungary Nikoletta Nagy: Nikoletta is quite pretty but she isn't going to be on anyone's Top Faves List with this dress. I like the emerald color but the side cowl draped detail looks more like curtains than Grecian Goddess. I'll be blunt: the dress looks polyester-cheap. And speaking of cheap: I DON'T WANT TO SEE THOSE STRIPPER PUMPS! And trust me: Neither do the judges. How many times do I have to say this?! If you need to wear them, by all means do. But hide them. Showing them makes you look cheap...and only highlights that you're short and therefore you need to wear these. 

Miss Ghana Hilda Frimpong: Oh Hilda, it looks like you are leaving the pageant world and walking straight on to the set of the next Real Housewife of (fill in the blank). I usually discuss the "Slit Happy" Pageant Gals but seriously, Miss Universe Ghana and this dress took the Slit thang to another level; there are two slits and depending on how she walks, you could probably almost see her CHA-CHA. There's nothing cute about this. It's very "Oh Dear!" Chonchee.

Miss Malaysia Vanessa Kumares: Oh Vanessa, I give her points for looking all "Heyyyy Girl!" fab in this photo! She looks like a fun girl I want to have Dirty Martinis with. But then, there's that gown. It's a Pageant Oh Dear Too Mucheey Mess. She looks like the wife of a Millionaire Malaysian businessman at a New Year's Eve Party, as opposed to the next Miss Universe. It's also very 2004 dated in it's style; been there/done that huney.

Miss Australia Monika Radulovic: Monika is very popular with the Missosologists (i.e., Pageant Fans), she's one of the top faves for the Miss Universe 2015 crown. But then she wears this lace and chiffon gown. It's very off-the-rack and dated. We've seen this style and it was several years ago at past "Miss Universe" and "Miss USA" pageants. I expect something like this on an Eastern European pageant contestant in the Miss World Contest...But not at Miss Universe?? On a good note: her nude strappy heels are PERFECT, and so is her hair and makeup. Now, go change into a better gown darling.

Finally, I have to give a Special "Go-On Girl!" Evening Gown Portraits Award to Miss Universe Tanzania...

Miss Tanzania Lorraine Marriot: I was a bit on the fence on where to include this fabulous woman--Miss Universe Tanzania. I loved this photo. But...should be it be "Oh Dear!" or "Fab!". In terms of the "Miss Universe 2015 Evening Gown Portraits" on the website, there was no other like it--for good or not-so-good. For me, it was more good: She gave you DIVA! I liked this gown and the draped gold and emerald sequin beading on the torso which reminded me of Swahili-like East African jewelry. The entire look said "Fierce". Now, I am wondering how she could even walk in this gown--which looks like it's way too long for her. But for this photo, it deserved my "Go ON Girl!" Evening Gown Portrait "Nick Award".