Wimbledon 2011

Tennis is a major passion of mine.  So, I enjoy this post more than is strictly necessary.  Game, set, match!

Date:  June-July 2011
Place:  Southwest London
Event:  The Championships, Wimbledon

First up, Camilla in what seems from a distance to be a cute and appropriate ensemble.

But look a little closer and it gets weird.  Her dress is jutting out through holes in the jacket.  This is not an attractive look on anyone.  On top of that, her jacket does not fit at all well.  Those buttons look like they're about to wave a white flag.  And, can we just take this opportunity to beg the Duchess of Cornwall to get a good bra?  To be frank, the Queen has perkier looking bosoms and she's 85.  Camilla's clothes would fit so much better if she could be bothered.

Next comes Princess Beatrice (and her boyfriend Dave Clark again, yay!).  We've not yet identified the makers of her dress, but we think it's adorable--especially on someone her age. 

One little quibble--the pockets on the jacket help keep the large lapel balanced and when her arms are at her side, the pockets are hidden throwing the jacket balance off.  Looks good clapping, here.

You can see the flamingo pattern on the dress here and better see the trim on the jacket.

THEN!  A few days later, Bea came back for more.  (If I were a royal I would be glued in that box every day!)  This time she wore a white jacket and black and white patterned dress.

The jacket looks just a bit too baggy and we lose sight of her trim figure.  The Issa dress was a bit blah, but not terrible.

Finally, we have the Duchess of Cambridge.  I'm a bit conflicted about this one.  I want to like the effort she put into looking tennis-appropriate, but it comes off just a bit too literal.  In the end, though, she looks pretty and seemed to be having fun.  So we'll let her slide.

The tiered, white dress is a Temperley London creation (the 'Moriah') and is slightly higher end than Kate usually wears and can be bought online here.

There's been a lot of chatter about Kate's bracelet, too, supposed to be a gift from Camilla.  I'm more skeptical, though.  It's said that Camilla's cypher is on one side and Catherine's cypher is on the other side (seen here).  However, I've not been able to find a photo of any other cypher on the bracelet than this one--the cypher of the Duchess of Cambridge. 

Well, that's all of the royal spotting to be done at this year's Wimbledon.  Now, if only some of them would turn up in New York for the US Open in September.  Stay tuned--lots more to come.  Thanks for reading Fashionably Royal.

The Honeymoon of Sarah, Duchess of York

More honeymoon fashions!

Date:  July-August 1986
Place:  England (London and Portsmouth)
Event:  Honeymoon of Andrew and Sarah, Duke and Duchess of York

Following their July wedding, Sarah and Andrew left Buckingham Palace and took a helicopter to Heathrow Airport.  From there, they boarded a jet and flew to the Azores.  There, they were met by the royal yacht Britannia and spent about a week exploring the islands.  Then, they set a course for England and returned there, docking at Portsmouth, on 2 August.

Sarah wore this floral dress (designer unknown) while leaving Buckingham Palace and Heathrow Airport.

The carriage was reportedly filled with flower petals by Princess Diana and included a huge teddy bear and humorous signs ("Phone Home") attached to the back provided by Prince Edward.

Sarah and Andrew were not as pursued by cameras during their honeymoon as Diana and Charles. They also chose a slightly farther afield destination. Thus, there are fewer photos of the honeymooners.

Sarah was photographed wearing this patterned, white sweater (unknown designer) when the royal yacht Britannia returned to England at Portsmouth.

Stay tuned for more honeymoon fashions in the coming days!

The Honeymoon of Princess Diana

All right, now that the royal wedding madness is dying down a bit, let's look at some retro honeymoon fashions.

Date: July and August 1981
Place: England, the Mediterranean, and Scotland
Event: Honeymoon of Princess Diana and Prince Charles

Leaving from Buckingham Palace for Waterloo Station (where a private train was waiting to take them to Broadlands for the first leg of their honeymoon), Princess Diana wore a peach/salmon colored suit created by Bellville Sassoon.

The hat was created by John Boyd; Diana would repeat this style of hat throughout the next several years.

Following their time at Broadlands, Diana and Charles boarded a plane to Gibraltar.

Once in Gibraltar, the newlyweds boarded the royal yacht Britannia for a cruise around the Mediterranean.

The white and blue floral dress Diana wore in Gibraltar while setting sail on Britannia was designed by Donald Campbell.

Once on the yacht, Diana wore a number of dresses.

Including this polka dot dress (unknown designer).

And this striped, one-shoulder dress (unknown designer).  EDIT:  I have been informed that it may be a Mondi!

When they went ashore for time on the beach, Diana wore this bandeau-top bikini (unknown designer).

In Egypt, Anwar Sadat came aboard.

Diana wore this striped dress (unknown designer).

Eventually, the honeymooners made their way to Scotland.

On arrival in Scotland, Diana wore this white coat (unknown designer).

In Scotland, Diana and Charles spent the rest of their honeymoon at Balmoral.

A photo-call was arranged with the couple and Diana wore this iconic, tweed outfit designed by Bill Pashley.

Stay tuned for more (honeymooning) royal fashion!

Sarah Ferguson's Wedding Day

In the lead up to Kate and Will's big day next week, we continue the wedding theme today with the marriage of Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew.

Date: 23 July 1986
Place: Westminster Abbey, London
Event: Wedding between Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew

After Diana's dress five years previously came out of the carriage looking like a balled up tissue, the silk taffeta was left behind. Designer Lindka Cierach made the dress out of satin.

The bodice and train were embroidered with a bee motif to incorporate the Ferguson coat of arms.

The long veil was made from silk tulle with scalloped edges and dotted with sequins.

Sarah wore a diamond tiara and necklace set that were given to her by the Queen as a wedding gift. They were created by the Crown Jewellers, Garrard and Company.

Stayed tuned to Fashionably Royal for more royal wedding style retrospection in the coming week. Next week--royal honeymoon fashion!

A Very Merry Welcome: Princess Diana's Wedding Day

With just a week until the big day for Kate Middleton and Prince William, I think it's high time I started a blog on a subject that has interested me for years--royal fashion. Love them or hate them, you have to admit that the royal family have an eye for fashion. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. This blog will look back at the fashions of yesteryear (and yesterday). And what better way that to start with one of the most recognizable pieces of clothing ever made . . .

Princess Diana's Wedding Dress

David and Elizabeth Emanuel, a husband and wife team, were chosen to be the designers for that day.

Date: 29 July 1981
Place: St. Paul's Cathedral, London
Event: Wedding between Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles

The dress was made with yards of silk taffeta and was brimming with ruffles and lace.

The train on the dress set a record at 25 feet in length!

Her shoes were handcrafted by cobbler Clive Shilton. They were essentially flats--much of a heel would have seen her taller than the groom.

She wore a tiara that belonged to her family called the Spencer tiara. (It was also worn by her sister Jane and her brother's first wife Victoria on their wedding days.)

Don't you just love the early 1980s filter in that photo?

Well, now, most of that you may have already known as, like I said, it is one of the most recognizable pieces of clothing ever created.

Stay tuned to Fashionably Royal for much, much more about royal fashions!