Flashback Friday: Royal Engagement Outfits

I've been thinking about it, and I've decided this: the royal engagement outfit has to be one of the hardest outfits in royal life to get just right.

First of all, it's not an everyday business meeting. (Well, I suppose once upon a time it was a business meeting, but I should hope we've moved past that by now.)

Now, I love me some Tatiana, but her engagement outfit just wasn't...special, you know? And even when you fancy the day-to-day suit up, à la Letizia, you're not immune to criticism.

Second, it may not be an every day event, but it's still not an evening occasion - Sophie's engagement suit I recall being criticized as too "evening" just because she went for a little beading. And there's something off about Charlene in a long dress next to Albert in a regular old suit.

That said, it's not a casual occasion either, Mathilde. (I guess they were going for the young and fresh angle?)

Thirdly, one must be careful not to date oneself.

Because as these two ladies well know, the engagement photos will remain long after the marriage ceases to exist.

Yes, timeless is the way to go. Princess Elizabeth looks well-dressed even 60 years later.

And at least Madeleine can be proud of her engagement outfit, even if she didn't end up being proud of the engagement.

Now, let us revisit the case of Miss Catherine Middleton:

Another one for the timeless category, I say. Not too fancy, not too casual. Made by a British designer (Issa, a fave of Kate's as well as Beatrice and Eugenie). Hits it on all points, all while managing to avoid too great a comparison to the inevitable:

  
Tell me: who tops your all-time best dressed royal fiancée list, and where does Kate rank on your list?

Gold Star: Letizia at the Prince of Asturias Awards

Regular readers of this blog (or, at least, the regular readers I had when I posted on a regular basis) will probably have noticed that I don't always have the kindest words to say when it comes to Letizia and her fashion choices. Irregular readers will also have noticed this, based on the angry comments I've received from ardent Letizia fans.

So I feel the need to state here, for the record, that my snark is based on fashion only. Frivolous and harmless, just like it says over there on the sidebar. I think Letizia's one of the hardest working princesses on the block, and you won't catch me saying anything ill about that. Her style's just not my cup of tea, is all. To each their own.

So I was extra excited when I saw these pictures pop up (quite some time ago, I'm totally tardy in writing this), if for no other reason than I finally get to prove that I have no personal vendetta against the Princess of Asturias. When she gets it right, she gets it right.

Look how pretty:

I ADORE this. That slight fullness in the skirt is just so dainty and ladylike and delicious. Good shoe choice too.

And good makeup, and good hair:

Gold star: awarded for instantly making my list of all time favorite Letizia outfits.

What's your all time favorite Letizia outfit? Share! Me, it might be that red dress from Frederick and Mary's wedding. Or this.

Royal Trend Watch: Safety Woes

Here's a lil' tidbit about yours truly: I'm an interior designer. My particular job involves developing the aesthetics of large buildings, offices and such. What I'm saying is this: I spend a significant amount of my time mucking about construction sites and the like.

Why am I bothering you with this information? Because I want you to know, when I say this, that it comes from deep personal experience:

There is no way to make construction hard hats and safety gear look good. Mette-Marit, I sympathize.

Let me tell you, there's nothing worse than having your style smashed by safety requirements. (Well, alright, there's a whole lot out there that's worse than that. But my world is small and shallow.) High heels are not encouraged in these environments, which is blasphemous. And I'm not even going to get into what these things do to your hair.

Poor royals. Factories, construction sites, you name it: many have tried to rock their safety gear....

...all have failed. A most unfortunate royal trend.

But, hey, I think Mette-Marit's come up with the first step to combating the woes of safety wear:

If your scarf is big enough, it'll cover everything else. Someone needs to tell Letizia.

Photos: Corbis/ANP

The Royal House of Bourbon

Country: Spain

Royal House Name: Bourbon

Current Head: King Juan Carlos (born: January 5, 1938)

Reigned: since November 1975

Consort: Queen Sofia

Successor: HRH Prince Felipe, the Prince of Asturias 

King Juan Carlos

Since its unification in the middle of 16^th century, Spain is ruled by the Hapsburg monarchs who descended from Emperor Maximilian I. The Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile were united under the name Spain by the first Hapsburg King, Charles I who would become Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (son of Joanna the Mad). But when his grandson, Charles II, died without a direct successor, the throne passed to Prince Philip, grandson of a Bourbon King, Louis XIV of France.

KIng Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia

The Spanish throne heavily drew its history on different wars of succession. The Carlist Wars, the series of armed conflict in Spain, were considered as the last major European wars where pretenders to the throne pressed its claim. Ferdinand V’s brother, Infante Carlos, forced his sister-in-law, who sat as regent for her infant daughter Isabella II, to flee the country. The country endured political and economic turmoil for many decades, in 1931 during Spanish civil war, King Alfonso XIII, who was married to Queen Victoria of England’s granddaughter, Princess Eugenie Mountbatten, was forced to leave the country with his family.

But one of his sons, Prince Juan, made effort to make peace with the dictator, Francisco Franco. He then brought his son, Juan Carlos, to Spain to receive a Spanish education and maintained a diplomatic relation with Franco’s government. Franco relented and agreed to return the country into constitutional monarchy, but Prince Juan declined the throne to give way to his only son, who became King Juan Carlos on November 22, 1975. The King  was credited for the smooth transition of government from dictatorship to constitutional monarchy.

  

King Juan Carlos, an Olympian in the sailing event, married to Princess Sofia of Greece, daughter of King Paul I of Greece, on May 14, 1962. The couple had three children: Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina and the heir-apparent, Prince Felipe, the Prince of Asturias.

Royal Family of Spain

HM King Juan Carlos

HM Queen Sofia

  HRH Prince Felipe

  HRH Princess Letizia

       HRH Infanta Eleanor

       HRH Infanta Sofia

HRH Infanta Elena, the Duchess of Lugo

HRH Infanta Cristina, the Duchess of Palma de Mallorca

HRH Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma de Mallorca