The Obamas' Visit to Buckingham Palace, 2011

I'm certainly a fan of First Lady Michelle Obama's style, so it is with great pleasure I bring to you coverage of the President and Mrs. Obama's recent visit to Buckingham Palace.

Date:  May 2011
Place:  Buckingham Palace, London
Event:  American State Visit

First, let's start off with the newlyweds as they meet the Obamas.

The two men wore nicely tailored suits, but the real story was the women's style choices.  Michelle Obama wore a pale blue, floral jacquard dress designed by Barbara Tfank, a Los Angeles-based designer.  The dress was paired with a pink, three-quarter length sleeve bolero jacket and silver, pointed toe, high-heel shoes.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a khaki colored bandage dress by Reiss called the "Shola" dress.  Word is, it sold out quickly through their website.  I don't doubt it--the dress looked great on her.  Also, if I'm not mistaken, the black heels she wore have been in her wardrobe for some time.

Actually, it's a good thing the First Lady didn't sit on that sofa.  It would have clashed with her dress.

Mrs. Obama looks enthralled by Camilla's anecdote.  I'm not crazy about the Duchess of Cornwall's choice of outfit here.  The extra-feathery hat looks too formal and the jacket accentuates all the wrong things.  (Also, didn't she wear those shoes the day before to the Chelsea Flower Show?)

Princes Charles looks a bit stodgy in one of his standard grey, double-breasted, pinstripe suits.  I would dearly love to see what a top stylist would do for him.

President Obama with Prince Philip, looking even more spry than usual, inspect the Scots Guards.

Her Majesty wore a floral number by Peter Enrione.  The four of them looked quite put together.

It's believed that the Queen has a fondness for the Obamas, but I'm not entirely convinced.

Here, the Queen has completed her outfit by wearing the matching pale blue coat and hat.  Mrs. Obama struggled with the wind to keep her skirt where it should be.  (The Queen usually has small weights sewn in her hems to avoid such a situation.)  All three of the ladies (Camilla being behind President Obama) had to fight the wind.

Mrs. Obama really wowed the crowd gathered for the formal state dinner at Buckingham Palace in a white halter-neck Tom Ford gown.  Again, the four together really looked sharp.  (One wonders if the Queen and Mrs. Obama coordinated their white gowns, though Her Majesty often wears white to state dinners.)

Coming in a close second in the style stakes was the Duchess of Cornwall, who wore a just-off-the-shoulder gown (designer unknown) in a stunning shade of blue.  Not to mention, the tiara she chose to wear really suited her as well as her gown.  (Click to enlarge the photo.)

That's all for now!  Come back soon for a look back at the Queen's recent state visit to Ireland.  Lots to talk about there!  Thanks for reading Fashionably Royal.

Princess Diana's 1986 Visit to Austria

For a few days in April, 1986, Her Royal Highness charmed the Austrian crowds.  Have a look at what she wore.

Date:  April 1986
Place:  Vienna, Austria
Event:  Prince and Princess of Wales Official Tour of Italy

Upon arriving in Vienna (on the Concorde, no less), Diana was photographed wearing this red-striped outfit and matching hat, designers unknown.  (Again, I suspect Frederick Fox as having designed the hat because of the brim-style.  For the suit, I have two suspects:  Catherine Walker and Bruce Oldfield.)

Later, the Prince and Princess visited the Burgtheater for a performance.  For the evening, Diana wore a glittering sequined gown, designer unknown.  In this photo, the dress looks decidedly blue.  However, in video of the event (scroll to the bottom of this post), the dress looks undoubtedly green!  (It's definitely the same dress; you can see Charles' broken finger in the left corner of the photo.)  She wore it again in 1993 and here it looks turquoise.  You decide.

The next day, Diana was seen walking about Vienna with Charles wearing this cute, pink Victor Edelstein suit and Frederick Fox hat.

The couple were trying to drum up support for British Week in Vienna.

For instance, here, she was inspecting British cars as part of the week-long event.

Later on, she was regaled by the Vienna Boys Choir.  For the event, she wore this white and black suit (designer unknown).

Then, she attended a performance of the London Philharmonia Orchestra (at the Vienna Philharmonic's music hall) and wore a navy blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown.

This navy blue velvet gown is the one she famously wore to the White House state dinner in 1985 at which she danced with John Travolta.

Finally, as she left Austria (again on the Concorde), Diana wore a blue dress (designer unknown).  Must have been a comfortable outfit to turn around in her seat as such.

And, as a bonus, here's a photo (no joke) of Diana's passport and Concorde ticket.

Arrival:

Day two:

Day three:

That's all for today.  Check back for more of royal fashions throughout the years!  Thanks for reading.

Easter 1987

Actually, the royals didn't look too bad considering it was 1987!  Decide for yourself.

Date:  19 April 1987
Place:  St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire
Event:  Royal Family Easter Service

First up, Princess Diana wearing a pastel blue Catherine Walker spring coat.  Prince William, seen here holding hands with his first cousin Peter Phillips, is wearing a matching coat that Diana had specially made.  In fact, Harry had one too (not pictured).

There the trio go, joined by Prince Charles on the right.  Not sure who made Diana's hat, but it looks like it could be a Frederick Fox creation (based on the brim-style).

Next up, we have Princess Anne wearing a baggy navy blue and yellow plaid suit and yellow pillbox hat with veil (worn at a jaunty angle), designers unknown.

Anne, seen here walking with her son Peter, is the famously thrifty royal and wore this outfit to at least two other Easter services at Windsor in later years.  Even us regular folks don't wear the same thing for Easter year after year.

Finally, we have one more glimpse of Anne (on the right) as well as her youngest brother, Prince Edward (on the left) and her first cousin Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (now Chatto, in the middle).  Sarah is an attractive woman, daughter of the stylish Princess Margaret, but those baggy, boxy clothes did her no favors!

Well now, aren't you glad the 1980s are behind us?  I know I am.  Stay tuned to Fashionably Royal for more flashbacks and current news on what the royals wear!  Thanks for reading.

Royal Ascot 1981

The year was 1981.  The fashions were frightening, we must say.  But we can't get enough of them!

Date:  June 1981
Place:  Ascot, England
Event:  Royal Ascot Horse Races

With just a month before her wedding, Lady Diana was a sensation at the week-long event.  Thus, most of the photos that made their way to Internet archives are of her!  But, we did manage to get one of the Queen and Queen mother.

Here is Lady Diana wearing a distinctly peppermint-esque red and white outfit by Bellville Sassoon.

She was also seen wearing this rather unfortunate ruffly peach concoction (designer unknown).

I believe that is the Queen Mother whose blue sleeve and hat make an appearance in the right of this photo.

From the shoulders up, this purple striped outfit and purple hat (designers unknown) suited Diana.

But, seen at full-length it was yet another ill-fitting 80s monstrosity.

Finally, this grey gingham dress (designer unknown) was a bit more promising for the soon-to-be princess, but the hat took away from the overall look.  A wider-brimmed hat would have made it more stylish.

Notice the crowd's reaction to Diana!  (And only the second photo with Charles.  She didn't get to spend much time with him, it would seem.)

Last but not least, we have their majesties the Queen and Queen Mother.  The Queen wore a tangerine outfit (designer unknown) while the Queen Mother did indeed wear a light blue creation (designer unknown) with heavily netted hat.  (Though I think this outfit is different from the one mentioned above.  Very similar though!)

That's all for now!  I can't wait for this year's Ascot, just one month away.  Until next time, thanks for reading Fashionably Royal.

Princess Diana's 1985 Visit to Italy, Part 1

All right, it's fun and all when a royal wedding comes along, but eventually you have to get back to business as usual.  So, here we go!

Date:  April-May 1985
Place:  Livorno, La Spezia, Florence, Molfetta, Sicily, and Sardinia, Italy
Event:  Prince and Princess of Wales Official Tour of Italy

The Prince and Princess' tour of Italy was only their second major official tour together, the first having been in 1983 to Australia.  (Technically, they had one previously--a three day tour of Wales in late 1981.)  By 1985, Diana was beginning to come into her own and showed a lot of personality in her clothing.  Her tour of Italy was a very big fashion opportunity for her.

The first outfit she was seen wearing was this white striped nautical Catherine Walker suit upon arrival in La Spezia.

In reports from the time there is some confusion over whether her hat was made by John Boyd or by Kangol.  I'm still looking into it.

As the royal couple arrived on the royal yacht Britannia, Diana wore a suit and hat themed to match.  Charles, too, was in his Royal Navy uniform.  (Makes one wonder if he was in really in charge of the ship, then.)

The couple's trip lasted several weeks and necessitated quite a large load of clothes for Diana.  Here, you can see her luggage disembarking from the ship.

Diana wore this cute green Jasper Conran suit and tie as she left Livorno, just south of La Spezia.

In Florence, she wore this red suit with white polka dotted blouse also by Jasper Conran.

I love the red hose she wore--she wore them again later on the trip (see Part 2).

While still in Florence she wore this white suit and bow tie, again by Jasper Conran.

For formal wear in Florence, she chose this black and bluish-purple gown with star embellishments by Jacques Azagury.

Very 1980s!

In Molfetta, she visited a deaf school wearing this white patterned Jasper Conran dress, which she had worn previously (two years prior).

Traveling on to Sicily, Diana wore a very springy pink Catherine Walker suit and John Boyd hat.

The waistline was very flattering for her figure.

Then, in Olbia in Sardinia, she wore this light blue Jan van Velden suit and John Boyd hat.

Its waistline was not as flattering and the hat hearkened very much back to the hats she wore in her first few years as a princess.  A bit of a step back, as it were.

In fact, the Waleses trip to Italy was so long that I've had to break this blog into two posts.  Come back tomorrow for the second half and more interesting fashion choices!  Until then, thanks for reading Fashionably Royal.