Epsom Derby 2011

The Royals do love their horses!  And fashion . . . .

Date:  4 June 2011
Place:  Epsom, England
Event:  Epsom Derby

First up, the ever blossoming Princess Beatrice.  She took the blossoming bit rather literally with this floral ensemble and fascinator with white leaves and ivory rose.

The fascinator is interesting and beautiful in its own right, but the unflattering hues and potato-sack nature of the dress clash with it.  Meanwhile, her sister Princess Eugenie wore a white cap-sleeve dress with black polka dots and a matching wide-brimmed white and black straw hat.  The structure of the hat is stunning on her, but the dress is a bit plain.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who is purportedly undergoing intense physical training sessions to slim down (though she's thin already, we would like to point out!), chose a champagne colored Bruce Oldfield concoction.  Sophie seems to be less than amused by Philip's humor.

The hat she chose is one of those hats that looks better from certain angles that from others--this angle being less than stellar.  (I could not locate a suitable photo from the other side, but you can see a hint of the feathers and flowers on the underside in the above photo.)

Her Majesty popped in a bright, crayon pink outfit and hat, which she wore before to Ascot in 2009.  Looks like Liz is pulling a Kate.  The hat is by milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan.

We here love the geometric pattern of the dress fabric and the fact that Prince Philip almost seems to have coordinated his look with his wife's.

Should I?  Or shouldn't I?  Okay, I'll do it.  "We are not amused."  Sorry.

Finally, we have the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge--Will and Kate.  William's suit looks ever so slightly like he may have borrowed it from his father-in-law's wardrobe.

Catherine continued her affordable chic trend by wearing a Reiss "Peacock" dress (£195), a JOSEPH "Nessie" tweed jacket, L. K. Bennett "Sledge" leather court shoes in light taupe (£175--she's been getting a lot of mileage out of these shoes), L. K. Bennett "Natalie" handclutch (£140--she's been seen with this several times), a pale brown straw beret by Whiteley, and Kiki Mcdonough citrine drop earrings (£495).

The Reiss dress is, sadly, hidden by the slightly straight-jacket-esque look that Kate had going on.  Here is what it looks like underneath.

Another small quibble we have, though it is indeed minor, is Kate's poor posture.  She naturally looks amazing in practically anything, but she would indeed take it to 11 if she stood up straight with less rounded shoulders.  Don't be shy, girlfriend!

So, that was it for the Epsom Derby this year!  Stay tuned for lots lots more.  Thanks for reading Fashionably Royal.

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.

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.

Kate Middleton's Wedding Day

It has arrived!  The secret was kept well and we now know that it was indeed Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen who created the absolute vision that we saw today.

Date:  29 April 2011
Place:  Westminster Abbey, London
Event:  Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton)

Miss Middleton chose Sarah Burton, creative director of the Alexander McQueen fashion house, to create her  wedding gown.  The fashions of Burton (and McQueen) are known for being edgy and contemporary--not exactly what we saw today, which is a good thing.  It is believed that Kate first became interested in Burton's designs after seeing the wedding of Sara Buys and Tom Parker Bowles.

Indeed, commentators have noted that the dress worn by Kate today does not scream "Sarah Burton," but rather it looks very much like Kate had a hand, or two, in the design process.  Kate does have a degree in the history of art, so it would not be far-fetched to imagine her capable of the task.

The dress was made of silk gazar, the focal point of the dress being the lace appliqué bodice.  (So, what you see is a dress with lace then sewn onto it.  Look again at how much lace there is and imagine how much work that took!)  The lace was created by the Royal School of Needlework in London.  It is said that workers washed their hands every 30 minutes and changed needles every three hours to keep the dress crisp and clean.

The lace itself consisted of Chantilly and Cluny.  It was made to include symbols of each of the four countries of the United Kingdom:  rose (England), thistle (Scotland), daffodil (Wales), and shamrock (Northern Ireland).  The "body" of the veil was made of silk tulle with the handmade lace painstakingly hand-sewn into the edges.  The veil reached just beyond her waist.

The tiara was borrowed from the Queen's collection.  It was created by Cartier (called the "halo" tiara) and purchased by the then Duke of York, later King George VI, for his wife--later known as the Queen Mother.  The Queen received it for her 18th birthday from her parents.  It suits Kate perfectly and complemented her dress and veil exquisitely.

The train was nine feet (270 cm) long, considerably shorter than the last royal wedding dress train seen at Westminster.  It traveled beautifully both in the Rolls Royce that carried her to the Abbey and in the landau that carried her to Buckingham Palace.

The dress was designed to look like a flower blooming--an upside-down flower, I would imagine.  The dresses of the maid of honor and bridesmaids were made to echo the design of Kate's dress.  More to come on the rest of the wedding party!  (Stay tuned.)

The bridal bouquet was a small affair of lily of the valley, hyacinths, ivy, myrtle, and (my favorite) sweet William.  It was created by florist Shane Connolly.  Additionally, her earrings were created by jewelers Robinson Pelham to look like leaves made of diamonds.  The earrings were a gift from her parents for her wedding day.

All in all, the royal wedding went smoothly and is being hailed a fashion success from virtually all corners.  This little corner adds its approval, too!  Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess--may they have a long, happy life together.

Stay tuned for more on the royal wedding and honeymoon  fashions in the coming weeks!