Flashback Friday: Mary's Transformation

We have much to discuss regarding happenings in Wales and Scotland, and that Week in Review post will go up earlier than usual - later tonight or early tomorrow, maybe? Until then, let's chew on this:

During our discussion of Kate Middleton's disappointing fashion lunch with Camilla, smart and lovely commentors Miss Jelic and Alison brought up an excellent point: look at what happened to Mary.

They were referring, of course, to the Grand Transformation that occurred when Mary married her Crown Prince. Though the changes to her appearance were gradual enough in real time, the overall effect is really quite startling:

Some things were obviously going to change about Mary Donaldson of Australia when she became Crown Princess Mary of Denmark back in 2004. Learning Danish, for one. She was bound to grow in public poise, of course. But Mary took it a step further, and used the new resources available to her to execute a full-on makeover. Just plopping a tiara on top doesn't begin to cover the extent of this change.

New Mary is visibly slimmer than Old Mary. Personal trainers? Personal chefs? Whatever she did, it certainly was effective. If the Danish royal family ever gets a little skint in the funds department, Mary could market her own diet and exercise program.

The days of cheesy prom hair for formal occasions, unkempt hair for casual occasions, and heavy-handed makeup gave way to the whims of on-call hairdressers, professional skin care, and pro makeup artists. (A glimmer of hope, perhaps, for those of you that fret over Kate and her eyeliner addiction?)Personal appearance taken care of, next up is the fashion. The new Crown Princess took advantage of both the Danish fashion industry's desire to dress her to the nines and her new access to international designers (plus, you know, personal stylists and the like) to go from wearing ill-fitting and ill-coordinated off the rack fashions to pure couture.

It's worth noting, too, that this great change did not go into full effect until after her marriage. She had some good appearances during her engagement (notably the pre-wedding events which were no doubt styled for her and yielded that bottom left red dress that I love so much). That top left Goth-inspired appearance was during Princess Benedikte's birthday celebrations while Mary was engaged. The next two pictures are from Luxembourg's state visit to Denmark during the engagement: trousers at an event where Maria Teresa, at least, wore a tiara; and a rather severe and prom-esque green dress for a state banquet. Something to keep in mind when Kate or Charlene - ladies that have been on their Princes' arms for 867 years or whatever (read: with ample time to prepare for the onslaught of a royal engagement) - turn up in something a little disappointing.  

Not even casual wear was immune to the makeover, showing just how far a transformation really can extend.

Quite a difference, right?

I think these dueling appearances sum it up best:

At left: Mary and Frederick's engagement dinner. At right: Queen Margrethe's April 2010 birthday celebrations. Softer makeup, less J.Lo. hair, better jewel selection. Same dress, different girl.

It's not just Mary, either. Many royal ladies have undergone similar transformations. (Look for more on those in future flashbacks.) All signs point to the next few years bringing an Extreme Princess Makeover for Kate Middleton and Charlene Wittstock. Personally, I'm all for it. (Although, good grief, nobody better lose any weight. Middleton's about to disappear as it is.)

What do you make of Mary's transformation? And what are you hoping for in a Kate/Charlene makeover?

Photos: Polfoto/Allover Press/Zimbio

Flashback Friday: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's Tiaras

Settle in with some chocolate ice cream and a cocktail, kids: it's time to indulge in some guilty jewel pleasures!

Last Friday, we commemorated the 30th wedding anniversary of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess by flashing back to Maria Teresa's wedding gown. This week, we shall continue by celebrating my favorite thing about my favorite Grand Duchess: her tiara collection. And it is a collection, let me tell you. Commence drooling...now:

(Note: these are the names I use for these tiaras. You won't find anything official here!)

1. Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara. The classic Luxembourg wedding tiara, given to M-T's late mother-in-law Joséphine-Charlotte (a Belgian princess) as a wedding present from the Congo (then a Belgian colony). This was the first of two tiaras she wore on her wedding day: yes, it seems J-C was my kind of girl. As far as I know, it's been a long time since this one's been worn in tiara form (as a necklace, yes - tiara, no); perhaps the next time we see it will be on Guillaume's future bride, or on Alexandra's wedding day?

2. Diamond Floral Tiara #1. This wee bit of floral bling is the only one that we've seen Princess Alexandra wear, and it was loaned out to niece Marie Christine on her wedding day. It almost sits flat back on the head sometimes, which is odd.

3. Diamond Floral Tiara #2. Mostly, I hear reference to only one diamond floral tiara in the Lux family (#1), but I do think this one is different. More of a vine structure than flowers, it looks to me, plus it appears larger and to have a different shape than #1. You know you're talking about a jewel collection of substance when it includes more than one diamond floral tiara!

4. Joséphine-Charlotte's Diamond Belgian Scroll Tiara. This sparkler was the second tiara Joséphine-Charlotte wore on her wedding day, for pictures, and it was another wedding gift. I love this tiara so hard, you guys. I can't believe they almost sold it: it was part of a proposed auction of some of J-C's jewels after her death. Public outcry was such that the Grand Duke ended up canceling the sale, thank heavens! I'm ever so glad it's found a secure place in the royal vault since that little mishap.



5. Luxembourg Empire Tiara. Too big, you say? Too much? No, I say, you are wrong. Because: BAM! This is a tiara, right? All hail the big guns! Maria Teresa didn't wear this bad boy until after Joséphine-Charlotte's death, but she's found a few choice occasions for it since. I will concede that this is a hard one to orchestrate the hair around, though.

6. Aquamarine Bandeau Tiara. There aren't that many good aquamarine tiaras out there - especially aquamarine tiaras that come with a parure to wear alongside - and I think this is one of them. 

7. Chaumet Emerald Tiara. It's Wonder Woman, I know. You've got to watch your tiara hair with this one, but I still love it. It's like you just plopped a duck egg of an emerald on your head. That's my kind of super hero. (Also: that choker was also on the proposed jewel sale. Outrage!)

8. Joséphine-Charlotte's Van Cleef and Arpels Emerald and Diamond Convertible Tiara. Longest tiara name ever? (I'm just trying to be servicey with the details.) This is...odd. I think I prefer it as a necklace. Maria Teresa just wore this for the first time during the state visit to Portugal last fall. She wore it to a black tie event at which she was the only one sporting a tiara, so the scale was probably right, but I much prefer this on a younger princess. Like Tessy, who wore this on her first-ever tiara outing for National Day 2008.

9. Topaz Tiara. (I'm guessing topaz here. Don't really know.) This one hasn't been seen since the early days of Maria Teresa's marriage. I think it's time for it to come out of retirement: it's unusual, in a good way. It'd be another good option for a younger princess, such as Alexandra or Tessy. (Also: holy earrings, Batman! My ear lobes ache just looking at them!)

10. Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide's Tiara. I haven't done the math or anything, but I think we could proclaim this one the most frequently worn tiara of the lot. Maria Teresa sure seems to like it, but I'm not so convinced. Sometimes it seems like it sits too high up on the head for my tastes. 

11. Amethyst Tiara. Needs more bling. Seriously, you can hardly see it up there! And visible framework sends shivers down my magpie spine. It's a shame, too: the world needs more fabulous amethyst tiaras.

12. Pearl and Diamond Choker Tiara. As the name states, the lattice portion of this can also be worn as a choker, and you have to admire any jewel that gives you more bang for your buck. That said, I don't like it. Looks like a diamond barbed wire fence atop the head to me. Which, I mean, if you're going to put a fence on your noggin, you might as well make it sparkly, but still: I'm not a fan.

13. Turquoise Tiara. Methinks this one might be a new addition by Maria Teresa in the past few years, which I'm always in favor of. It's definitely a tiara for the younger generation, though: it's far more suited to Tessy (who wore it for National Day 2010) than to M-T. She needs...more.

Without question, one of my favorite jewel collections. Lucky girl, that M-T!

And now it's time to pick and choose: which one's your favorite?

Flashback Friday: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's Wedding Dress

Look who's celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary next week:

On February 14, 1981, Henri (then the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg) married Cuban-born María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla after meeting her while both were studying at the University of Geneva. Naturally, we must mark this occasion by flashing back to the best part of any wedding (well, as far as this blog's concerned, at least): the dress.

It's a couture design from Balmain, and like most good couture, the craft is in the details. The whole dress is intricately patterned, but you can hardly tell in photographs. Oh, how I would kill to see it in person so I could fully appreciate everything that's going on here.

Really, though, the lack of detail from far away is one of the things that makes this dress work. Maria Teresa's never been the tall, willowy sort, and bathing her in a sea of ruffles or sequins would have been a disaster. This is simple and clean, even with the fur trim.

I am fundamentally opposed to fur trim on wedding gowns (it's a tad too Evil Snow Queen for me), but this is subtle. And it was February, a full-on winter gown is appropriate.

Another thing this dress has going for it: a good train/veil length. Long enough for the occasion, but not so long as to swallow her whole. Interesting detail: part of the train extends directly from her shoulders, cape-style.

She covered her face with a front veil when entering the cathedral on the arm of her father. Maria Teresa's tiara was one of the few royal wedding tiaras that could actually accommodate a front veil easily. The Congo Diamond Tiara was a gift from the Belgian colony of Congo to then-Belgian Princess Josephine-Charlotte (Henri's mother) when she married, and she wore it at her wedding. After Maria Teresa, both of Henri's sisters wore it for their respective weddings.These days, Maria Teresa occasionally wears it in necklace form.

Speaking of Princesses Marie-Astrid and Margaretha, their wedding gowns bring me to another point of consideration when looking back on Maria Teresa's gown: the ability of the design to age well over time.

Marie-Astrid (left) was married a year after her brother, in February of 1982, and Margaretha (right) was married in March of 1982. Lovely though these two ladies are, I think the volume and ruffle-age on their gowns shows the pay off of the relative restraint of Maria Teresa's design over time.

I confess I didn't like this one at first, but it really has grown on me. Then again, Maria Teresa's also become one of my favorite royals, so I won't claim an unbiased viewpoint. I hope they have a very happy 30th wedding anniversary, and a quiet one as Henri is on the mend from his recent heart troubles.

What's your verdict: is this gown a win? And where do you stand on the fur-on-wedding-gown issue?

Flashback Friday: Máxima's Tiaras

Willem-Alexander and Máxima celebrated their wedding anniversary this week. (They were hitched on 02-02-2002 - that's one way to make sure you don't forget the date!) Since I've already sung the praises of Máxima's wedding dress, I thought I'd mark the occasion by singing the praises of my other favorite thing about Máxima: her bling.

Heaven knows I love a tiara, and among her peers, Máxima reigns supreme with the greatest variety of sparkly headgear. By my rough count, Máxima has worn 12 different tiaras. Twelve!! Let's put that in perspective, shall we? (I'm no expert, by the way. This is what's in my Swiss cheese memory, correct me in the comments.)

• Mathilde: Only 2 tiaras - and one she wore only on her wedding day, never since. 
• Mary: 3 tiaras - and the Midnight tiara is said not to be owned by her, or the royal family, but is rather available as a loan when she needs it. The other two of course are her ruby tiara and her tiny little wedding tiara.
• Camilla: Also 3. One (the gigantic Delhi Durbar) has only been worn once, and another (the Shand-Cubitt tiara) is her family's tiara. Before Camilla, Diana only had use of 2 tiaras - again, one belonging to her family, and only one from the Queen.
• Letizia: 3 tiaras worn so far, the Prussian (worn at her wedding), the shell, and the floral, with a fourth new one that hasn't been worn yet.
• Mette-Marit: 3, the diamond daisy tiara she wore on her wedding day, the amethyst necklace tiara, and the pearl and diamond tiara she wore to Victoria's wedding. Oh, and she did wear the Vifte tiara as a necklace, I guess.
• Victoria: Even a future Queen Regnant can't compete - V's sported a solid 8 tiaras, but most of the rest of the Swedish collection is used only by Queen Silvia. There's the Cameo (will she wear it again after the wedding day, or will it go back to the Queen only?), the 6- and 4-button tiaras, the amethyst necklace tiara, the Baden fringe, the steel cut tiara, the diamond necklace bandeau which is more like a hair ornament than a proper tiara, and her 18th birthday tiara (and that hardly counts, as it's mostly wire).

And now, here's Máxima:

1. Mellerio Ruby Tiara
2. Emerald Tiara, with pearls
3. Ruby Peacock Motif Tiara
4. Emerald Tiara
5. Mellerio Sapphire Tiara
6. Aquamarine Tiara
7. Diamond Bandeau Tiara
8. Diamond Festoon Tiara
9. Pearl Button Tiara topped with Queen Emma's Diamond Stars
10. Mellerio Sapphire Tiara, diamond setting
11. Antique Pearl Tiara, no pearls
12. Antique Pearl Tiara, with pearls

Plus, she wore a diamond haircomb at Victoria's pre-wedding celebration. (Did I miss any?)

Clearly, without being a Queen and having access to whatever you want, whenever you want it, Maxima's got the best deal around.  And the Netherlands has one of the best jewel collections - tons to pick from, and many of the pieces are convertible so you can switch it up. I can't wait to see what goodies she busts out for us this year!

Tell me: which one's your favorite? I'm partial to #5 and #12, myself.

Flashback Friday: Royal Wardrobe Malfunctions and Mishaps

I'd like to apologize in advance for the content of this post. Máxima made me do it. Let me tell you something: once you start looking at wardrobe mishaps and malfunctions, you can't stop. It's the train wreck that keeps on giving. Allow me to demonstrate:

Apart from flashbulb peril, Máxima seems to be prone to earring problems. (Goes with the territory when you wear giant rocks as jewelry, I suppose.) Noticing you lost an earring (left) is not nearly as embarrassing as not noticing (right).

Left to Right: Crown Princess Mary, Sara Buys (now Sara Parker-Bowles, daughter-in-law of Camilla) at Charles and Camilla's wedding, an engaged Lady Diana Spencer, Princess Michael of Kent

The unplanned problems are the saddest, really. Even the best laid outfit plans can go astray. Poor Máxima's not alone, Mary's also had some issues with camera flashes and visible undergarments. And who looks at the back of their skirt in a bus-climbing pose before purchase? Another failure to consider camera angles resulted in one of the most famous royal wardrobe malfunctions of all time from poor Diana. At least she didn't do it intentionally...ahem, Princess Michael.

Princess Eugenie's among the ones I just expect to have some embarrassing moments, what with all those perilously short skirts. She's not the only one to have let the wind get the best of her, though:

L to R: Queen Elizabeth, Queen Paola, the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Letizia, the Princess of Wales, Princess Madeleine

Oh, wind. How dare you mess with the royal composure. You have to give credit to these ladies for rolling on like nothing happened after such unfortunate incidents - some worse than others. (If you recall Letizia's windy moment, you know that I am posting the most delicate photograph I could find. Poor girl.) I had a Marilyn Monroe moment once myself, on a street in London. It still pains me to think of it.

Extra composure points are awarded for those that have to deal with the wind on the worst possible days. Poor Marie. I'd make a face so much worse than that if nature decided to have its way with my wedding dress. Oh, we'd have words, Nature and I.

Some royals are more prone to mishaps than others, it seems. Mary's lost her hat on more than one occasion (at Parliament before her wedding, and not so long ago in Vietnam). Lucky for her dashing soldiers always seem to be around to do the hat fetching. Recently, she lost her shoe while in Washington, D.C, proving why a princess shouldn't leave the house without a pedicure. Just in case.

Here's my question: is Sarah Ferguson truly more prone to wardrobe malfunctions, or do people just take extra delight in her mistakes?

I know, Sarah. I'm not helping. But I take a stance like Boyfriend Dave there does: what good does a sour face do us? Just have a laugh and move on.

Finally, my investigation into the phenomenon of  the royal wardrobe malfunction turned up a few particularly disturbing incidences. What do you call it when a mishap is planned, and prepared for, and...intentional?

L to R: Princess Mabel, Princess Kalina of Bulgaria, Princess Caroline

Lest anyone be tempted to make excuses for these ladies, let me clarify: this is Mabel attending the King of Norway's birthday celebrations, Kalina attending the silver wedding anniversary in Luxembourg, and Caroline at the Rose Ball. Not a costumed function in sight.

Listen: if I have to be scarred for life, so do you. We're in this together, friends.

Flashback Friday: Readers' Best of 2010

Here we go! Your suggestions for additions to the Best of 2010 list. Ah. This is just what I needed after a week of Worsts and bores and SHOOTIES.

Princess Mathilde

I quite like that orange plaid number. My only hesitation comes from the addition of what appears to be orange shoes and orange earrings. A little matching goes a long way, methinks.

Princess Beatrice

Excellent leg showings, both. Though I did think that first number was better standing still, rather than in action trudging through the Ascot lawn.

Princess Letizia

With the exception of that SHOOTIE appearance (or booties, or whatever you want to call them - it's all fug to me) on the end there, I'm in agreement.

Crown Princess Mary

A true abundance of options. The floral Jackie O. inspired look from the Washington, D.C. visit very nearly topped my list too. Divided opinions, though, on the orange gown (and also on that brown jumpsuit...not for me, that).

Princess Máxima

That floral Valentino is a lot of dress: not many could pull it off, but she does. Someone mentioned the bicycle riding outfit, which was also worn departing on the train for Margrethe's birthday celebrations, and that got me thinking about this super Hollywood appearance from the train's arrival in Denmark. Chic!

Crown Princess Victoria

More excellent choices, particularly the Elie Saab. I don't care for those YSL shoes in the middle, but I think I'm alone on that.

Many thanks to all that weighed in!

Flashback Friday: Leaving the Hospital in Style

Mary's leaving the hospital with her twins today! Yay. Even snarky old me has to love a snugly little baby (times 2!).

What a tricky appearance, though. I'm not a mother myself, but I can imagine that the absolute last thing you'd want to do so soon after birth is present yourself before the world's media. You're not back to your pre-pregnancy form (not even close, assuming you're human!), you're tired, and sweatpants must be carrying a far greater allure than they ever have before.

Let's see how past royal mums have handled the situation, shall we?

I think there are only two pictures in existence of my mother pregnant. Now I know why. If I ever decide to gestate a human of my own, I'll make sure to thank my lucky stars that maternity fashion's come so far in the last few decades.

Nowadays, the rules of regular fashion still apply to maternity and après-maternity wear: when in doubt, go with a flattering jacket. Seriously, how cute is Mathilde in that red number?

Here's another useful strategy for new mothers that might not want the spotlight on their fashion or their figure: apply the art of distraction. You've got a cute baby, use it! There's no reason to focus on the mother.

Here's Mary showcasing the pretty blanket strategy, Claire employing the extra fabric strategy, and Letizia going straightforward by showing off that little munchkin face. I'm far more concerned with trying to figure out how much of Claire's bundle is baby and how much is just fabric than I am with what she's wearing. (Though, for the record, Mary's appearance there with baby Isabella is my fave. No need for distraction there - such a lovely top.)

If I were a royal mum, though, I think I'd push for another strategy altogether.

Let the mother sneak quickly out and leave the parading to the new father. Pose for family photos later on, after you've had plenty of pajama relaxing time.

Who wins your prize for best dressed new mother?

Photos: Life/Getty Images/Hola