Royal Wedding Minute: Wedding of Princess Carolina de Bourbon-Parma

Royal Wedding Minute: Wedding of Princess Carolina de Bourbon-Parma

Ciao Italia and The Netherlands

The Happy, Rich, and Very Titled...Couple: Princess Carolina de Bourbon-Parma and Albert Brenninkmeijer, Basilica San Miniato al Monte Florence Italy

Today, Saturday June 16th, Princess Carolina de Bourbon-Parma, Marchioness of Sala, Duchess of Guernica (yes, from the Salvador Dali painting!) wed Albert Brenninkmeijer of the very wealthy German-Dutch Brenninkmeijer family--owners of the C and A Department Stores...

At the Basilica San Miniato al Monte in Florence Italy.

Princess Bride: Princess Carolina de Bourbon-Parma

First a little background on the bride: Princess Carolina is fourth and youngest child of Princess Irene of the Netherlands (sister to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands) and Carlos Hugo Duke of Parma. Carolina is a member of the Dutch Royal Family.



Royal Spain-Dutch DRAMA:

Wedding of Princess Irene of the
Netherlands and Carlos Hugo de Bourbon Parma at the Borghese Chapel at
the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy, 1964

When her mother, Irene of the Netherlands, married Paris-born Carlos Hugo de Bourbon in Rome Italy in 1964, no member of the Dutch Royal Family attended the wedding. Why? Well, here you go: the marriage caused a constitutional crisis in the Netherlands. Irene lost her rights of succession to the Dutch
throne because the government refused to enact a law permitting the
marriage (Ay Dios Mio!).

Fuchsia Mother of The Bride: Princess Irene of the Netherlands and her handsome son Prince Jaime, Count of Bardi

Her mother could not go to Rome to talk Irene out of the
marriage and of her conversion to Catholicism because the government advised her against it (seriously, these people needed to get a LIFE!). If that wasn't enough, there was the issue of the Dutch government seeing international
political difficulties arising from a possible heir to the Dutch throne
holding a controversial claim to the throne of a foreign state (keep up kids, it's complicated!): In the early 1950's, Carlos' father publicly laid claim to the Spanish throne as being a member of the House of Bourbon-Parma (a branch of the Bourbon's), but Spain's Dictator Francisco Franco ignored him and later chose King Juan Carlos as Franco's successor. Now, speaking of Juan Carlos...

A Who's Who of Blue-Blood Bridesmaids: Wedding of Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofia, 1962 Athens Greece

In 1962--two years before she got married to el Escandaloso Carlos,  Princess Irene of the Netherlands just happened to be a Bridesmaid at Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofía's wedding in Athens Greece. Check out the rest of the illustrious Bridesmaids (it reads like a "Who's Who of A-List Blue-Blood Royalty!): From left to right in the photo: Princess Alexandra of Kent, Princess
Tatiana Radziwill, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess Irene of
Greece, Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, Princess Anne of France,
Princess Irene of the Netherlands (second from the right) and the Infanta Pilar of Spain. Anyhow, Carlos and Irene of the Netherlands divorced in 1981 and Princess Carolina's father--Carlos Hugo de Bourbon--passed away almost two years ago.



Now that we got that out of the way, let's get to The Wedding, the fabulous Guests and the fashion. Let's begin with the Wedding dress:

The Gown: Designed by Dutch fashion designer Addy van den Krommenacker (above), who has been designing since 2002. For Princess Carolina's wedding gown, he incorporated the lace embroidery-- from Brugge Belgium...

That was in her mother's Wedding Gown from 1964 (as seen above) and placed it in Carolina's gown and veil. According to his pr people, it took months to restore and make the lace embroidery "come to life" for 2012 standards.



Wedding Guests:

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands: One of the Richest Women on Earth, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands--the Bride's aunt--wore a mauve-colored silk jacquard suit with bell-styled sleeves with ruffles; the jacket also featured cascading ruffles down the front.Matching hat, gloves, shoes and hosiery of course, as only a Queen would do.

Feathered: the always stylish Princess Maxima of the Netherlands (far left holding on to her Mother-in-Law Queen Beatrix and her husband Willem-Alexander Prince of Orange, on the far right)--wore a taupe ensemble with a blouson top, feathered shirt and bell-shaped sleeves. The Argentinian-born Crown Princess to the Dutch throne finished it off with a fabulous hat.

Princess in Red: Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands with their
children Countess of Orange Leonore and Count of Orange Claus-Casimir
leave the Princess Carolina Wedding with Mr Albert Brenninkmeijer
at Basilica di San Miniato al Monte

Fab Shoes Ladies--and Gentleman: Princess Marilene and Prince Maurits of the Netherlands (10th in line for the Dutch Throne) (left pic) and Prince Bernhard (11th in line for the Dutch Throne) and Princess Annette of the Netherlands (right photo). I LOVE the bejeweled ankle-strapped heels of Princess Marilene on the top left photo. And take a look at Prince Bernhard's silver shoes!! Those Dutch boys can really give it you...when it comes to "Yeah, I'm royalty but I'm still a Hipster Fashion Boy!"

Polka Dots, Prints and...OH HUNEY: Two guests on the left pic showing how it's done when attending a semi-royal wedding Florence Italy. I LOVE this woman in her orange-and-white bold polka dot printed chiffon dress and silver sandals. She's my new Best Friend! And speaking of friend, whoever is next to her is also working the printed dress look to no end. The colors are absolutely fantastic! On the right photo we have Margarita de Bourbon (the Bride's older sister), who decided to go "Tacky Wedding Party" in her baby blue ensemble featuring a too-wide notch-collared/lapel coat. Poor thing, she looks like she didn't get the COUTURE memo...those over-sized coat lapels are something straight out of a Fashion Student's sophomore-year project.

Congratulations and Happy Wedding to the Royal-and-Rich Couple of Princess Carolina and Albert Brenninkmeijer

Project Runway Season 10 Recaps: Episode 1 "A Tenth Anniversary Fashion Party"

Project Runway Season 10 Recaps: Episode 1 "A Tenth Anniversary Fashion Party"

Happy 10th Anniversary Project Runway!



What do the Teletubbies:

Dumpster Diving:



And Mosquito Netting:





 Have In Common with Project Runway?  Well, read on kids...

This past Thursday night was the PREMIERE of Season 10 of Project Runway on Lifetime. Yes, kids, it's the Tenth Anniversary. The show began in 2004 so it's actually been only 8 years but TEN SEASONS. I was part of Season 2, which we shot in the Summer of 2005 and debuted in December of that year. So, in case you're countin', I am part of "Vintage Project Runway". Now, back to the new season, the show has a new set of sixteen designers; lots of talent and LOTS of "characters" and a BIG Flashy First Challenge Runway Show (The BIGGEST in Project Runway history!!) that took place in Times Square. For many, many seasons now, I've had the honor of being asked to Recap the Episodes of my "little ol' show" and once again, I'm back at it!! Hope you guys enjoy Season 10 and yes, also enjoy my Recaps with a "Nick twist".



So...let's get to the Haute and Not-So-Haute of Episode One of Season 10:

 

The Judges: (left to right) Costume Designer/Stylist Patricia Field, actress Lauren Graham, Marie Clair Fashion Director Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and Heidi Klum--For the first Challenge, the producers brought in actress Lauren Graham and the first ever Project Runway "Guest Judge", Patricia Field. She was a hoot with her throaty I-smoke-two-packs-of-Marlboro-Reds-a-day voice, great insight and at 71 years old (yes, SEVENTY ONE kids, Thanks Wikipedia!), dresses like a woman who's 29--and looks good! (No Oscar de la Renta Barbara Walters suits for her, thank you very much!).



The Teletubbies Connection:

Domo arigato: For the first episode challenge, the designers had to bring one look from home that best exemplified their design aesthetic. Once at Parsons--on the show--they then had to create a "companion look" with only $100 and one day. One of the designers--and more "Kooky" characters of the season, Kooan Kosuke (above) from Japan, made these two looks above.

Kooky: His first look from home, included this jumper with oversized teal blue polka dot applique, laminated shoulder strap detail and printed long sleeve top. I thought it was kinda fun and quirky. He definitely had a point of view and his style--even in just one look, reminded me a lot of Spanish fashion designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada (her fried egg dress with baguette hat design on the right photo above).

Tubbie: However, for his second made-at-Parsons look, judge Michael Kors criticized it as being a little too Teletubbies-esque in its shape. He's right. Kooan was also criticized by Nina Garcia and Kors as well for possibly being too much of a "Character" and less of a Designer per se. We'll see how serious he is and if he'll annoy Miss Nina more throughout the season with his "Harajuku JapFro" antics. I have a feeling, however that the fans--and viewers of the show--will just LOOOOVE him!



The Freegan Hipster:

What's for Breakfast: A First for Project Runway is the fact that one of the designers, a 29-year-old bearded chap, originally from Brazil, named Fabio Costa, is a FREEGAN. I didn't even know what that even meant until A) he described it and B) I looked it up (Thanks Wiki again!). In case you don't know, a Freegan is someone who "reclaims and eats food that has been discarded". Yep, you go "Dumpster Diving' for your daily meals. I wonder how difficult it was for him to eat from what the P.A.'s got for the designers every day during their filming from nearby restaurants. Or did he specifically instruct the producers that they had to send someone out Dumpster Diving for his breakfast, lunch and dinner? I wanna know.




So now, let's get to who ended up on the Top and the Bottom of the first challenge:



The Top:

South American Pleating and Folding: Project Runway Season 10 contestant Ven Budhu (left) with his designs and a design by Angel Sanchez on Miss World 1995 Jacqueline Aquilera of Venezuela

The designers on top in the first episode were Guyana-born Ven Budhu (left) who showed two stunning looks included an ivory crepe palazzo pant and jacket ensemble with a folded-and-draped "Flower" bustier and a bubblegum pink high neck sleeveless dress with diagonal pleats.His designs remind me of another South American designer, famous for designing for Miss Venezuelas, Miss Worlds and Miss Universes--as well as beautiful wedding gowns--Angel Sanchez. To me, Ven should have won this first challenge. However...

Pretty Gown, Wonky LBD: The winner was Christopher Palu. The judges "Oohed" and "Ahhed" at his first look--a gown constructed in strips of satin. And basically they gave him the win because of it. It was very pretty, but I'm not sure how fair this was since this was the look he brought from home and did not make at Parsons with a limited budget and time. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the LBD he did for his second companion look. The fit was wonky and the back zipper was buckling (see right photo above). It was a little amateur hour for me. But he won, nonetheless.



The Bottom:

Mosquito Netting Prom Girl Goes Shopping: The bottom two included the looks from designer Lantie Foster. She "re-worked" vintage-like fabrics but achieving results that the judges did not like. In fact, Miss Nina (never one to hold back) said that the one dress above was "Horrible". Ouch. Miss Lantie likes to do these center front bib things that well, she shouldn't be doing. And then on top of it she makes this dress in a muddy-colored tulle that looked like mosquito netting as Kors pointed out. It was all wrong, poor thing (and I didn't even begin to talk about WHY OH WHY did she style it with a big ol' I'm-going-shopping-on-a-Sunday-at-2pm bag!!??). Hashtag Styling Fail.

Knit Girl Bye-Bye: But deemed the worst were the knit designs from oh-so-pretty Beatrice Guapo (she should be an anchor--or at least the weather girl for Good Day LA Fox Morning Show--if the designing thing fails). She had trouble throughout this challenge with her sewing which I just didn't understand being that she grew up in the industry. And then her final designs were called sad (they were). That maroon/terracotta-colored top on the left photo looked as if she just got some fabric remnant and slopped it on the model and tied it with a belt. It had little design quality or originality. During the show, Guapo said that she loves designing/making scarves. She should probably stick to that.




Anyhow, without further ado, here's my Recap of the 1st Episode for MyLifetime.com:

"A Tenth Anniversary Fashion Party"

Eight Years, Ten Seasons

Happy 10th Anniversary "Project Runway"! As a member of the "Runway
Club" (it's like the Mickey Mouse Club, but more fashionable), it's not
surprising that the show has survived this long. Back in 2005, when I
did Season 2, I knew that I was going to be part of something that was
iconic in TV History. The show premiered almost 8 years ago and well, as
we now know, it has become the "Grand-Daddy" of all Fashion Reality
Competition Shows. In fact, last week, while on a trip to Mykonos,
Greece, I was switching channels and stumbled on Greek TV and guess what
was on my hotel TV? Season 6 of "Project Runway"! In Greece! Say no
more. 2012 marks the Tenth Season of the show and last night's premiere
was a doozy so let's get to the Recap'ing shall we.



Center of the Universe Fashion Bang

It is quickly revealed that the first challenge and runway show is
taking place in the HEART of NYC, "Center of the Universe": Times
Square, for the first time EVAH! Models are under a tent squeezing into
their clothes; designers are putting the last minute touches on their
garments and the Stars of the show — Heidi, Tim, Nina and Michael — are
greeting the crowd with a Champagne toast. Cut to the previous day...



The Who, What and Where Are You From

Since Season 3, I have had the privilege to judge the castings and
this past Spring, I took part in the LA Castings for Season 10. I,
obviously, had no idea who would make the Final 16, so it was with great
delight to see several of the designers I saw during those castings,
actually make it onto the show. This included Elena (Miss Futuristic
Thierry Mugler-meets-Claude Montana-meets Lady Gaga), the lovely
Beatrice "jersey knit" and blonde-haired Melissa, who loves black and
edgy.



Click HERE to read the rest...



And make sure to let me know YOUR thoughts!! I always LOVE reading them!!! 

15 STYLISH TODDLER BOY HAIRCUTS FOR LITTLE GENTS

15 STYLISH TODDLER BOY HAIRCUTS FOR LITTLE GENTS

 If the simple buzzcut or mop-top isn’t quite cutting it for your toddler, look no further! Today, there are many on-trend and easy to maintain styles that will let your little man’s personality shine. You might want a low-maintenance look that’s still cool enough to make him stand out. Alternatively, he might want a fresh style that’s similar to his favorite characters, friends, or family members. Whatever his hair type, length or style, there’s a stylish toddler boy haircut that you’ll both love.

Crew Cut#

The crew cut is a simple and classic look that’s easy to style. Just like the adult version of the cut, the sides are cut short with longer hair left on top. If your boy has naturally thick hair, you won’t need to add any product to make it look good. The hair will have natural volume and get that cute tousled finish on its own. A crew cut is also a great option when your little one wants to have a matching haircut with his dad or big brother, as it suits all ages.

Disconnected Cut#

The disconnected cut is a unique hairstyle for toddler boys. There’s a big contrast between the short sides and extra long top. As a result, it gets the best of both worlds – manageable length with a cool fringe effect. The style works well on both straight and curly hair, as well as thick and thin hair types. It’s ideal if you like to dress your boy in fashion-forward outfits as it’s eye-catching and on-trend.

Faux Hawk Cut#

Looking for an edgy cut for your toddler? Try the faux hawk. The cut has a rebellious attitude and is perfect if your child loves to be the center of attention. To create the look, the sides are buzzed short by the barber – rather than shaved down entirely as in an adult mohawk. A central section of hair is then left slightly longer, and pomade or gel is used to create the spiky faux hawk effect. The cut is a favorite with lots of toddler boys because it’s grown-up and cool.#

Afro#

Let your little man’s natural curls fly free with an Afro hairstyle. It’s a cute and classic look that’s also versatile. You can shave the sides into a taper fade or even include fun designs based on your child’s personality and style. While kids’ hair is generally softer and smoother than adult hair, Afro textures can dry out. So to keep his curls looking healthy and defined, make sure you use moisturizing hair oils regularly.

Bold Fade#

A fresh look for your toddler is the bold fade. Trendy and stylish, the hairstyle has an athletic feel. As it’s so short, it’s very low maintenance and easy to style. That makes it perfect for an active boy who doesn’t like sitting still. It’s also great for busy mums and dads who are short on time. You can have a barber create this look and then maintain the short sides at home with a regular shaver.

Fringe Hairstyle#

The fringe hairstyle is a modern take on the ’80s mushroom cut. However, there are some key differences – it’s much shorter and more layered to give the cut some dimension. For those reasons, it’s an excellent cut for a boy with fine, straight hair. The fringe cut is also versatile as you can add some product to give it extra texture and attitude.

Baby Bun#

While man buns were once considered a hipster hairstyle, they’re now very mainstream. Even toddlers are rocking the style! A tiny topknot is a great way to manage your little guy’s long locks when you’re short on time. It goes with every clothing style – from edgy to preppy – and suits all hair types. For a cool Viking-inspired look, have the barber buzz the sides short and leave the center section extra long to create the baby bun.

Mini Mohawk#

Like the faux hawk, the mini mohawk is a favorite with little boys. It’s a simple and fun cut that’s a mix between the faux hawk and a quiff. If you’d prefer to keep your son’s hair short – or if you have to for school or nursery – the mini mohawk is a great way to add a touch of individuality. It’s a quick and easy style that you can easily copy at home. Create the center spikes with a little pomade or gel, shape the hair into points with your fingers, and you’re done!

Natural Curly Hair#

It can be challenging to style your boy’s mop of curls. As a result, it’s easier to leave them natural and untamed. However, there are some crucial curl care tips to know. Firstly, curly hair needs more regular trims than straight hair as the ends can dry out and break more easily. It also tangles quickly, so a shorter style can work well if you want your boy’s ringlets to stay neat. Next, use your fingers or a comb instead of a brush to prevent frizziness. And finally, use moisturizing hair oils or conditioner regularly to keep curls healthy and defined.

Pompadour#

A favorite with child models and performers, the pompadour is an attention-grabbing style! The look is deliberately windswept with lots of drama and direction. As a result, it requires naturally thick hair to create. Even then, you will need to use a product to get your son’s hair to form the classic backcombed peaks of a true pompadour. While it takes some work, the pompadour is a hairstyle your little man will love showing off.

Quiff#

Another adult hairstyle that looks just as good on toddlers is the quiff. It’s perfect for little boys who usually wear their hair short but want to look smart for a special occasion, like a wedding or birthday. It looks best on straight hair with the short back and sides cut. It also pairs well with a fade. Use a little gel or pomade in the front section and form the hair into a quiff. Meanwhile, comb the sides flat. Doing so keeps the look neat and tidy.

Side Part

The side part suits every face shape and has a retro vibe. Popular in the ’50s and ’60s, it’s a polished way to style your toddler’s hair. It works best if he has a naturally deep side part. Using a fine-toothed comb and pomade or gel, smooth the hair across from one side to the other. The cut is ideal for boys with naturally straight and fine hair, as these hair types have minimal frizz and volume.

Spiky Hair

Boys with thick hair have lots of styling options. One is the spiky look. Similar to the faux hawk and pompadour, it’s a haircut that will turn heads. Many cartoon characters have this style, making it a favorite with lots of toddler boys. Kids with a playful and sporty personality will also love the look. Use strong-hold gel to create the spikes and set in place with a blowdryer, if you can get your little one to stay still long enough!