Gowns of the BRF

I don't understand how that woman birthed 3 babies with those swizzle stick hips.

MURIEL - FRAU-BLOCK THIS THREAD

Could someone make a list of all the brand new, £100,000+, navy blue gowns Meghan has made every week? They make her look fat and her wig look Korean!

Nothing like the elegant, demure, popular Princess Kate!

She will be the downfall of the monarchy, Markle my words!

Oh, R2, don't be a wet blanket!

It's been soooo long since it was just about clothes!

Speaking of which: I take more kindly to the Temperley number, it isn't fabulous, but it isn't bad. What I think is interesting about the photo is Kate's 1960s Woodstock hairdo. We haven't seen THAT recently, as she moved forward to a Retro 1970s-1980s look - particularly with the McQueen lace gown she wore yesterday to the Royal Variety Performance.

My personal favourite among Kate's gowns is the red one with the asymmetrical neckline she wore in Canada with the Maple Leaf Brooch on one shoulder and her hair up. I believe the gown is tea-length, as well.

Sorry, I do not know how to post links.

Others I did not like: the granny-ish pink one she wore to the state banquet for the Spaniards - Letizia blew Kate out of the water, and that teal thing she has, also with lots of lace and pleating in turqwaz, which was meant to cling to curves, not fall limply off a frame indistinguishable from the hanger the wearer removed it from.

I liked the gown she wore to her wedding party, and the one she wore to the BAFTAS this year, and a black velvet off the shoulder one whose occasion I cannot recall, although she wores some spectacular ruby and diamond waterfall necklace with it, and the one she wore getting off the plane in Pakistan recently.

She should stay away from pink chiffon and do more red. That said, I did not like the red gown she wore to the banquet for the Chinese lot.

I believe, however, that the worst of the lot was Erdem gown she wore on a trip to Sweden that looked like a Victorian sofa covered with ormolu.

I still haven't made up my mind about the French Blue ruched Wild West Saloon dress she wore to the banquet for the Dutch royals. It actually went well with the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara and the Belle Epoque matching pearl and diamond necklace she wore with it.

I wish she would wear more pearls, she has the height for some delicious long ropes.

R1 - Well, she did, so get over it and enjoy the couture discussion.

If this doesn't work out, come here. We're talking tiaras that may or may not fit on swollen heads or match the digits of State!

R6 - I know, I migrated from there to here, just dying for some Couture Only talk, and it would be TOO bad if we can't get it to stick!

I'm waiting for the BRF vajazzle thread.

I thought Diana would be slaying left and right.

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Here's my favorite Kate dress -- she's worn a few times. Here Kate is a few months pregnant and accessorized it with fantastic impossibly-large emerald earrings.

I adore the inky black teal with a velvet belt and the lovely wrap bodice, a modern update on the portrait collar.

Kate and Meghan are both silly hoes but Kate has some nice dresses

This is a slide show of Princess Margaret's fashions. The delicate pale pink gown from 1949 is sublime. Click to see.

A sampling of Diana's gowns. Some have stood the test of time; others, not so much.

Some of Kate's gowns.

R11 - I agree, that (what I think of) as mossy green looked beautiful on her. And, yes, she wore that again when pregnant with Louis, I think, at the BAFTAS with an extraordinary suite of emeralds.

To be fair, I'm trying to find some images of Meghan in a gown that looks good, but I can't. They all seem to ill fitting. It might be down to her height and choosing the wrong gown for her shape. This is probably her best gown look. I liked her blue sapphire sparkly number, but it didn't fit right.

R15 - omg that fourth one is an Erdem and it's bad, but not as bad as the one she wore whilst pregnant in Sweden.

The chiffon dress keeps changing colour - in one link it looks soft mossy green and in another it looks a very deep inky teal, as noted by another poster. I agree with said poster on the gorgeous deep inky teal, if that is indeed its true colour. Great gown.

Gowns by Helen Keller

R14 - The navy slip dress is just heinous. And it was all wrong for Diana - you need to be built like a ballet dancer for that one or you do indeed look like you forgot to put your dress on.

R19 for the win.

I do hope people got it . . .

R13 - I think that was a Beaton portrait. He did several of her over the years. But really, it was all over for her by the mid-1960s.

r4

[quote]and a black velvet off the shoulder one whose occasion I cannot recall, although she wore some spectacular ruby and diamond waterfall necklace with it,

I had forgotten about that. Love the velvet mermaid gown with the small satin ruffle around the neckline. The ruby necklace was a private gift.

This was my all-time favorite Diana gown. Cannes, 1987, ice blue.

r13 - Margaret was old-fashioned beauty, love her portraits in the slide shows.

r17 - Meghan's black velvet gown, with black polish on fingers and toes, was a fantastic look, especially for a pregnant woman. Granted the tailoring must have cost $$$, but it gives a pregnant body uncommon glamour.

Diana's ice blue gown was, indeed, lovely. How it looked on her, depended on her posture of the moment. The strapless with the scarf looked great when she stood up perfectly straight. Not so much when she stopped concentrating and her shoulders stooped.

My other Diana favorite. Really showed off what a tall drink of gorgeous water she was.

However, I always thought her black "revenge dress" made her look like a tart!

R23 - Kate looked absolutely stunning that night, gave her a fabulous hour-glass figure.

Kate is that most enviable thing, a small tall girl. Diana who was much rangier, bigger boned - and a bit taller.

My favouite of Diana's gowns was the Catherine Walker off the shoulder gown of a very, very, very pale pink with blue roses all over it. Also a mermaid silhouette, although it had a slight train. Diana wore it, I think, in Australia, with her hair up (I didn't like the hair that night) and that enormous sapphire pendant one of the Arab sheiks gave her as a wedding present.

I saw the gown in person at Christie's in New York, where I was fortunate to be visiting at the time. Absolutely fantastic material.

Don't know much about Harold Wilson, just keep hearing the Beatles' "Taxman" "Ah ah, Mr. Wilson....."

Oh sorry for mis -post. Bouncing around BRF threads, like the royals groupie I am.....

Kate is looking more and more like Caitlyn Jenner as she ages, without Caitlyn's huge bolt ons. Same raddled face and dry, over dyed hair. Her figure isn't exciting at all. No hips, ass or breasts. No wonder William cheats on her.

R25-That look showed that Meghan can get it right. It's mystifying to me that she so rarely does. I think she tries to dress like someone who is 5'10" or taller, and it just doesn't work. It's been said ad nauseam, but she needs her Suits stylist on speed dial. She looked lovely then.

R31 has used the exact same language re Caitlyn and Kate with another account on at least one other thread! Hello, welcome to 'ignore' again.

R33, and you have used the exact same language about MM having a 'barrel' torso and terrible dress sense over a hundred threads. She didn't have the "Suits wardrobe co-ordinator' working as her private stylist, you dummy, and she looked great on plenty of red carpets.

Oh Christ, we've been sniffed out by the Frau who bangs on about Kate's skin. Please don't engage, just block her so this thread doesn't devolve.

Meantime can we marvel at the early-70s fabulousness that was Princess Anne?

Here is quite a spectacular gown.

The younger generations can thank Queen Mary (and her mother, Big Mary) for their tits.

Queen Anne had many a beautiful gown.

Who wore it best?

r35 Anne did look much better in her twenties but she was never considered a beauty. Her near contemporary Princess Caroline (who started young) completely outshone her. Caroline in the seventies was story for the ages.

Here is Caroline Chérie at age 15 attending Monaco's New Year's Red Cross Ball.

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This was a lovely gown.

Caroline was stunning, and she’s endured.

My quibble with the Middleton sisters is those bullet bras they wear. On both their wedding days, their boobies popped out too much.

A palazzo pants jump suit seems to be one of the most ill-advised things ever. You can split yourself vertically leaving possibility of embarrassing camel toe AND you can accidentally sink your heel into the billowy hem, tear, trip, etc. It's a twofer.

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As a young queen, Elizabeth had the figure of her time, busty with a cinched waist. Large "real" jewelry was still very much in fashion. Below is a silhouette she wore many variations of.

--- Note that she is wearing a strapless gown, as Queen, in full regalia. I am [italic]astounded[/italic] at the disinformation regarding staples dresses being forbidden in the BRF. They are not forbidden and any journalist peddling that to criticize Meghan ever showing a shoulder are disingenuous at best.

--- Some much jewelry - if ya got it, ya flaunt it. The diadem, huge dangling earrings, two bracelets, mixed metals, a major necklace, and three large brooches.

--- And the dress had a pattern.

Yet, because of the sash and the cut of dress, it did not look fussy.

Meghan in a short black number with hip flounces. That man with her is HOT.

r46 here -- I forgot to add the dress!

Elizabeth II in all her glory.

Lady Helen of Windsor and Tim Taylor

Kudos for trying something different but it doesn't work.

Princess Caroline of Monaco and Phillippe Junot (1978)

I guess the dress isn't too bad. Don't care for the veil.

R50 That is my absolute favorite royal wedding gown of all time. I don’t know why. Maybe just because it’s so sweet. She looked darling.

Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII on their wedding

I guess she's trying to be more modern but I really don't like that look for a wedding dress.

A delightful gown worn by the most beautiful royal, Lady Amalia Windsor.

Princess Anne

Not so much

Oh my. Check out the ultra wide sleeves.

I like it.

Lady Jane Grey meets the 70's vibe...

They should have married on the Tower Green.

I guess it's not easy for brides in the British royal family since bare shoulders and arms are not allowed.

Lady Kitty Spencer meets Frieda Kahlo, with her septuganarian boyfriend tagging along.

R51 Yes, Caroline's was very sweet and demure. My favorite part - the absence of a tiara.

Despite the availability of this one.

Another Windsor sartorial winner!

Oh dear. Princess Anne at Diana's wedding in 1981

I think the French called her look "omelette norvegienne".

r61's photo has two photos of Anne wearing same dress to two different weddings: Diana's in 1981, and Lady Rose Windsor's 21 years later. No one said she wasn't frugal. And she fits into it well both times.

r43 - Pippa had moment.

Yes but do you actually like that look, R63? The bright yellow fascinator at Diana's wedding is a bit distracting. I'm glad the Queen has updated her look. I really don't like her hat at Diana's wedding. It's terribly old fashioned and matronly.

No not really r65 but it was the 80s. Tacky seemed to be the look of the moment back then.

Anne is known to be really thrifty and frugal, re-using the dress decades apart is just a funny (or admirable, depending on your angle) way to accomplish this.

r65 - Hideous dress, regardless of time or age of wearer. Some people don't care about dressing up, Anne must be one of them.

I love the flowery hats of the 60s and 70s. Who would be brave enough to revive them?

I like the flower-petal hats, too, even though they remind me a bit of those flowered bathing caps from the 1960s.

I like the swim caps, too. They’re all just so frivolous and fun.

Princess Grace wore them, too. The flowered hats were all the rage.

[quote]R65 - Hideous dress, regardless of time or age of wearer. Some people don't care about dressing up, Anne must be one of them.

I think many of the older members of the royal family always went for a conservative, unsophisticated, unfashionable look. Not exactly sure of the reasoning. Maybe that was common among the upper classes at the time. Maybe people who tried too hard to be trendy were looked down upon. I wonder if it had anything to do with Paris being the center of women's fashion for more than a century and the old English-French antagonism.

Well we got a good look at Pippa's rear end at Kate's wedding and now she's showing her cleavage.

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The Queen and Princess Anne are the only members of the royal family who pay full price for their gowns. Princess Anne doesn't order many new ones and as you can tell, often recycles outfits she wore decades ago. The Queen has always been very scrupulous in making sure everyone involved in making her look good is well compensated. Diana was the same until she and Charles divorced and then she would accept discreet discounts.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was notorious for dropping not so subtle hints for getting the lowest prices she could. She began this from her days as Duchess of York and continued until she died.

Sarah Ferguson always demanded things for free, explaining that what she wore would be well worth it as a form of advertising.

Anne wearing gown here.

But this is overshadowed by her dramatic antics. I assume she was imaging that she was appearing before Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.

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R54 - well, de gustibus, as they say. I loved Anne's wedding dress - I thought the medieval sleeves inspired and even on television you could see how sumptuous the material was. It was regal without being fussily feminine, and the pin-tucking was amazing.

In contrast, I hated Caroline's dress - even her husband later admitted he was disappointed. She looked like a milkmaid dressed up for First Communion.

One thing I do notice about the Queen's strapless gowns, is how well-fitted they are. You don't see her girls falling out or pushing up.

As for the Meghan troll upthread saying Kate has no breasts: actually, she does - we've seen them, and they show quite nicely in her dresses. It's the reason Kate looks good in those tailored outfits: slim hips, flat read, small waist, nice bust, and nice legs. Oh, and the height and the hair - you know, the hair Meghan pretends to have but doesn't?

Go back to Celebitchy, honey, where Kate gets slagged just for breathing.

^*flat rear (because all the women in the world want Meghan's Hugeass, right?)

R74 - Oh, good God. Actually, Bea appears to have lost those two stone or so already. That said, neither girl should ever be seen in those pancake hats, or heavily color blocked or patterned clothes. They need stylists so badly, it hurts.

I see the Express has a piece up saying that Bea's wedding will be "collateral damage" from the fallout from Andrew's sins finally catching up with him. What that collateral damage probably means is a much more private wedding, which is too bad - it is annoying not to see the guests in their terrible outfits arriving. We'll only get formal shots.

Both girls are small. Eugenie managed to carry off lots of cloth despite her short stature. I would advise Bea not to try, but her love of Victoriana suggests an onslaught of frills and lace . . .

Always dressed as Cinderella´s evil Stepmother and evil Stepsisters.

Kate is always beautifully dressed.

The silk for Anne's dress was woven to designer Maureen Baker's express specifications, if I remember, 1,000 deniers per square inch, which is why thee material held up under all that pin-tucking on the bodice and the folding for the sleeves.

I still think it the most individualistic, yet classic designs in royal wedding gowns over the last few decades. The rest all seem to be knock-offs of each other, and don't start me on Diana's Meringue Mess.

The only royal wedding dress that seemed equally innovative yet simple was Crown Princess Mary's of Denmark. Also sumptuous material not heavily decorated but with an unusual front.

I liked now-Queen Maxima of The Netherlands gown, which was by Valentino (who also did Pss. Madeleine of Sweden's horrible milkmaid dress). In Maxima's case, the design was perfect, with again sumptuous material, a stand up bateau collar, and an A-line silhouette.

Anne's, Mary's, Maxima's, and Kate's wedding gowns enhanced their looks. Diana's and Madeleine's and Caroline's gowns, in contrast, made them look less pretty than they actually were.

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I know how many feel about Diana’s wedding gown, but I approve in the end. It was an exuberant confection suited to the person and occasion. It completely ushered in 80s excess. I wouldn’t have wanted to see Diana in something tastefully subdued.

Camilla's wedding dress looked good. I just didn't like the wacky hat.

R86 - I partially agree on Diana's dress. It could have been redeemed with fitted sleeves, the material was, again, beautiful, but those leg o mutton sleeves totally ruined the dress. From the back, Diana, who hadn't much of a waist, looked like a box. The dress failed on the sleeves.

Whew, that photo from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s wedding day. Wallis Simpson looks as if she’s attending her own funeral.

Love the dress, though. Perfect for a third marriage.

Princess Charlene looked good except for the nipplage. Didn't anyone notice this before the wedding?

Pippa's wedding dress looks like it's made of plaster. I wasn't that impressed with Kate's wedding dress but it definitely looks better than her sister's.

I didn’t like Pippa’s sleeves. Although she looked good. Most women could not pull off those sleeves.

^^^ True. And she looks awfully thin.

A good look. Royal Opera House 1959

Not sure what she was thinking when she chose the outfit on the far left.

The Queen dresses much better as an old woman than a middle aged one. In her hey day, she rocked the fashions. Here's another old colored photo of the Queen.

[quote] I partially agree on Diana's dress. It could have been redeemed with fitted sleeves, the material was, again, beautiful, but those leg o mutton sleeves totally ruined the dress. From the back, Diana, who hadn't much of a waist, looked like a box. The dress failed on the sleeves.

Did someone mention sleeves?

A common silhouette, I guess.

What the bleep

R94 - Pippa is, or was, a serious amateur athlete. She has the body of one, lean and utterly without fat. That's why she looked that way. I thought she looked very good at her wedding - the dress, tiny little diamond veil hold, hair, etc., were very in keeping with Pippa's persona. Wouldn't be my choice, but it worked on her. It was neither imaginative nor outstanding, but then, neither is she.

Sarah does get it right once in a while.

The Queen's wedding dress in all its glorious embroidered & appliqued detailed. Now, yellowing with age.

I wish modern gowns had lines more like this.

Fergie actually looks winsome, soft, and well turned out there.

To say she has not aged well is a galactic understatement.

The Queen still looks better than Sarah Ferguson does today.

That looks really beautiful, R104.

[quote]The Queen still looks better than Sarah Ferguson does today.

Any idea if Fergie is a heavy smoker?

There's something vaguely Morticia Addams about Kate's dress in the OP's pic.

As a young woman, the Queen Mother, having bobbed her hair, cut bangs, ditched the corset, and wearing a tiered-lace flapper dress. Hard to imagine those we knew only as old were young.

[quote]There's something vaguely Morticia Addams about Kate's dress in the OP's pic.

Agreed. The dress needs more shape to it, rather than drooping off her body.

It would have looked better if she had gone with black dress with white lace (less Morticia). Even better, if the dress had been made of a stiffer fabric in a more long pencil dress line. Also, that weird line from the lace right above her hips just looks odd.

If she HAD to go with the current version, it would have also looked less droopy if the lace had not gone below the hem line of the underlying dress. It would have looked better if the lace stopped at the knee or mid thigh.

Now with a handkerchief hem in the flimsy 7-veils style of the time, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon dresses like IT girl of the Jazz Age.

R109 - Her hair wasn't bobbed, but up in the back. This is close to the time she became engaged to Prince Albert, and the photos then show that her hair was up in back. She never cut it short.

However, after they came to the throne, she grew in the bangs, thinking them too frivolous for her position.

Yes, r109 I saw that after I posted.

The Queen Mother was quite busty. Her breasts must have been demurely bound during the 1920s.

[quote]Fergie actually looks winsome, soft, and well turned out there.

My guess is she isn't naturally attracted to understated elegance. She likes flashy.

Unusually flashy for the Queen, but I like how she looks in it.

I can't believe that's real, R116. Are you sure it isn't photoshopped?

The Queen loves her hats. Here's a questionable look from the 60s.

Princess Margaret in pink at Clarence House, before her marriage to Mr. Jones.

I loved Diana’s 80s clothes.

Yikes. She took a risk and fell flat on her face. Sarah at a film premiere.

I actually like that on her r121. Call me crazy. It's colorful and it work on her.

It's real R117. I can't remember to which event she wore it.

God only knows what the hell Anne was trying to accomplish with this outfit.

Princess Alexandra was always considered one of the best dressed royals. She probably inherited her dress sense from her mother, Princess Marina.

'Oh, and the height and the hair - you know, the hair Meghan pretends to have but doesn't'

And here we have a racist Klan member, mocking a black woman's hair for the umpteenth time in these vile racist threads which you all say aren't racist.

Really, R122? To me it looks like she's going to a Halloween party.

[quote]It's real R117. I can't remember to which event she wore it.

That's awesome if it's real. She's trying to upstage the Christmas tree ornaments.

R117 the Queen wore that gown to the 1999 Royal Variety Performance at the Hippodrome in Birmingham.

You're right, R129. It is real. She deliberately chooses colours to make herself the centre of attention but she really outdid herself that time.

I think the Queen Mother was quite flat-chested as a girl. There is a photo of her very shortly after her marriage in a nearly off the shoulder low cut dress and you can see she's not got much going on. I think that changed with her two pregnancies.

The photo is very interesting, I wish I could find it. She has, I think, her hands steepled in front of her and she looks, for once, staring coolly into the camera, very like the steel merigue she actually was. It's well before she had Elizabeth, but after her marriage. Black and white. She still has the bangs.

'Oh, and the height and the hair - '

The height that makes poor Kate look like a transexual. No hips and A cup breasts. No thanks. The long dyed dry hair that makes her look like Caitlyn Jenner. No thanks. Petite Meghan has curves and is still very slender. She has a striking, dramatic and very feminine look that the beanpole Middleton utterly lacks.

cunt and troublemaker at r126: you're a troll and a liar. no one mocked anyone's hair or make even close to racial comments. Everyone knows Meghan sometimes uses hair pieces, as does Kate actually on occasion. Its open for discussion like most else, gowns, clothes, hairstyles. We continue to discuss all of them.

You make trouble over the board.

^^ all over the board.

Stupid Klan member at R133

R79 made this racist comment., you silly, blinkered bitch:

'Oh, and the height and the hair - you know, the hair Meghan pretends to have but doesn't'

You're so racist you don't even understand why this is racist.

Muriel, please delete this racist thread as you have many, many others.

R133 - I'm not making fun of a black woman's hair. I'm making fun of a mixed race (she isn't black: she's white AND black, remember?) woman who claims to be proud of her African heritage but hides it with her hair. Ya know what the man said: sometimes a cigar is just a cigar?

Meghan Markle wants long straight hair like a white girl's. Only she doesn't HAVE hair like Kate Middleton. She gets to pretend she does with hair weaves and extensions and "relaxing". I know you're pissed off at hearing the truth spoken aloud: Meghan wants hair like Kate Middleton's.

Say - you wouldn't be the Kate Hate Troll who keeps talking about how Kate has no hips, ass, or breasts (despite the fact that we have seen her perky breasts), and is boring and conformist . . .

would you?

Troll my arse. You're just another twisted hysteric who can't stand the truth. Meghan Markle - straightened hair, narrowed her nose surgically, has never dated a man of colour in her LIFE, is on her second white husband, thus ensuring that she has a milk white baby . . .

Oh, I know, one musn't point out the obvious, must one?

And you're calling ME a racist? Why don't you call Meghan up and ask why so much of her life revolves around - the unbearable whiteness of being?

And you're blocked.

Sure crazy lady at r135, because stating someone pretends to have hair she may not have is racist. That's so racially charged. My mother pretends all the time to have hair she doesn't have, and I've posted about it on DL multiple times. It must be my klan tendencies, as you say, even though my mom is caucasian.

And if you call me or anyone else a KLAN MEMBER one more time, I'll personally haunt the WM to get you booted, freak. That's an obnoxious slur toward another poster and violated TOS. Take your meds and good riddance.

This was a great thread until the trolls showed up. It will probably be gone by morning, sadly. But back on topic: I love Anne's look at r124. She has a great figure and likes pops of colour in her dresses. She looks great there.

'I'm making fun of a mixed race (she isn't black: she's white AND black, remember?) woman who claims to be proud of her African heritage but hides it with her hair. '

You are mocking women of colour for straightening their hair and saying they should 'go natural' because straightened hair and extensions displease you.

FUCKING RACIST CUNT.

Why aren't you making fun of ugly Kate for dying the life out of her greying hair? Surely she should LET IT GO NATURAL?

See what a silly Klan member you are. Ugly ancient fucker.

Muriel, please delete this racist thread of racist posters attacking a woman of colour.

Please ignore the unhinged troll at r139. Back on TOPIC: Alice the Duchess of Gloucester's beautiful wedding ensemble. Was it really a light shade of baby pink as has been rumored? It looks shaded in this photo:

And to answer my own question (Google sometimes is quick): is was actually blush pink! Very ahead of her time, esp for a royal bride.

Am looking for pics of her DIL's wedding, Birgitte. The ones I recall seeing showed her dressed very simply. It was a 1970s wedding.

Oh how exquisite, R125!

Diana was so fetching in tartans....

Alexandra has style and taste. Her wedding gown was one for the ages, will try to find a photo.

The Duchess of Gloucester's gown was actually a shade of pearl, but photographed as pink under the lights. Gorgeous though. She carried dark red roses.

Bea is reputed to be going with a Basia wedding dress. Very very ornate.

Paola of Belgium was one of the most beautiful royals of all time imo. This is a dated look from the early to mid 60s, but the empire style embellished top is lovely. Is this white or pink, can't tell. Nice, discreet use of jewels too.

I hope Beatrice is able to have a big fat fancy wedding, despite all. Poor kid.

Oh yes, Paola of Belgium was so chic. I don't think the dress is R146 is especially dated. Just classic beauty.

Diana looks adorable at R143.

I love that Anne can still wear clothes from decades ago. All that riding must help her stay fit.

More Paola. wish we could see this in color. The dress, hair, jeweled barrette (is that what it is?). The 60s were so experimental.

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Paola in a bubblegum pink halter gown. Love the full length white gloves.

The winter wedding gown of Paola's sister, Fabiola, later Queen of Belgium. Unique neckline and cuffs. The train appears to fall down from the neckline.

This wedding dress is beautiful...on some people.

Looks like elegant tissue paper r153. Don't know about those gowns on Beatrice. She'd look better in something polished yet simple.

Fitted waist, A line skirt, and fitted sleeves (but not lace ones) would suit Bea. Plain, heavy ivory satin. I can't see her suiting white; you need a more golden skin tone for that.

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Lovely flapper look; loved the head band tiara.

Another 20s dress; is that fabric Fortuny?

Alexandra's wedding gown.

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was 34 years old when she married and supposedly remarked to friends that she would not be wearing a white wedding gown.

This would look good on Bea

Ok I tend to be very forgiving of Diana’s early outfits, but....oh dear

R154 - You can see how blue the Queen Mother's eyes were even in black and white photos. The legendary complexion doesn't come through in those, but in that photo you can rather see why Bertie fell for her despite the tubby legs and toothbrush eyebrows.

That photo of Diana in tartan up at the Braemar Games was her first attendance at the Games after the wedding. It's incredible looking at that adorable winsome face how much havoc she was already wreaking on Charles and the BRF up at Balmoral.

Yes, Diana wore some howlers in the early days. First among equals is still the spotted ankle socks with little (well they weren't so litte, she had big feet) flats and the pleated skirt at a polo match.

I think that wedding dress looks li

R160 - Lady Alice was the daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch, one of Scotland's biggest landowners, and a distinguished aritocratic family. She had more class than Diana, Fergie, Kate, and Meghan rolled up together.

R162 - Diana was pregnant with William there, I believe, and probably trying to look "mature" given her youth beside Charles. Those scalloped collars were huge back then, nearly a signature of the Sloane Rangers, as her set of girls were called. The hat is beyond heinous. Only her youth, beauty, and charisa allowed her to get away with it.

R158 - That is the Strathmore Tiara, I believe. That came from her family, not the Queen's. Hasn't been seen in forever and word was it had become so fragile over time it was retired. The frame was probably not heavily constructed. If it's been repaired enough or reset, it's something Bea, as the Queen Mother's great-granddaughter, should consider wearing. It will go perfectly with her almost certainly Victorian look.

R153 - Yes, that wedding dress would look beautiful . . . on the floor next to the bath in the loo.

Paola was stunning - but it didn't stop her husband from cheating on her.

Pss. Alexandra's veil was originally supposed to be her train. During fittings and rehearsals, it proved tiresomely cumbersome, and finally Alexandra picked it up and put it on top of her head, and, voila. Innovation in design . . . it was a huge hit at the time.

Diana started out frilly and fusty. But she did improve immeasurably with age.

The late 70s/early 80s were the New Romantic years in London. Adam Ant, Steve Strange, Spandeau Ballet. Couture was all about 18th century excess - frilly and flouncy.

Di loved that movement and had crushes on both Simon le Bon and (hilariously) George Michael. Her huge wedding dress was the original frothy meringue, a delightful and on trend confection. It set the fashion for wedding dresses for the next 15 years.

Around the late 90s, strapless gowns became de rigueur, until Kate debuted her lace sleeves and changed the style of bridal couture once again.

Are the strapless bridal gowns almost done? I certainly hope so.

R170, I remember my sister getting married aged 30 in 2001 and practically everything in the bridal shops was sleeveless or strapless. She ended up designing a dress herself.

You would see these overweight gals with fat white dimpled arms trussed up in strapless gowns, wobbling around Registry Offices in mid February. Ghastly.

Kate's lace sleeves looked lovely on her delicate arms but these can also be very unflattering to weightier women. Meghan and Eugenie's gowns are easy to wear styles and there are now plenty of dresses with different kinds of sleeves available.

Some chavvy or show offy women here will always pick the sleeveless/strapless option, however, usually combined with a vast skirt or a mermaid style skirt and long train.

Here's Diana attending the Munich opera house in 1987. Not such a great look.

In Japan, an interesting trend has been to take traditional kimonos and make wedding dresses out of them.

While I'm sure that DL won't approve, I find the idea appealing, even if the execution is wanting. The silk used to make kimonos is often quite beautiful.

The often create a modernized take of the obi in the back.

Di in an Azagury dress. Nope

Here’s an outstanding compilation of Diana’s best gowns. Mind boggling. She really was a constant aesthetic delight. However, looking at all this glamour in retrospect makes me pause and wonder if her emphasis on being a superstar and fashionista was really appropriate for her role. It was all a bit de trop. Can’t really blame the old guard for sideways glances.

R174 I saw that one at Kensington Palace a few years ago. I remember being disappointed, thinking is that the best they have to display? But it is quintessentially 80s.

R175 Photo #2 shows her at her eating-disordered worst, when it really showed. It was a brief period, however, and she never looked that "worryingly thin" again. In fact, her figure was just about perfect for the rest of her life.

Diana's wedding dress was one of the worst - even by the standards of the period.

Like the commenter above, I also saw an exhibition of Diana's gowns. The workmanship was exquisite, outside of antique papal vestments, I had never seen such exquisite beading. The dresses glittered and she must have sparkled as she made her through throngs.

A favorite.

From that DM article

[quote]Meanwhile, friends of Andrew are still wondering about aspects of the disastrous Newsnight interview, especially his bizarre explanation of why he could not sweat for a time.

[quote]He claimed he suffered an overdose of adrenaline during his time as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War.

[quote]But a former aide to the Prince, now based in the U.S. tells me that during the 1990s the Duke had treatment to stop hair loss which prevented him sweating. 'We often went to Annabel's nightclub and even after ferocious dancing, he hardly ever perspired,' says the source.

^^^ Sorry. Wrong thread.

I've always liked Diana's "fairy tale princess" wedding dress, even though some dismiss it as a meringue. It wasn't sophisticated but it suited her.

I love this slinky gown, with more daring cut-outs, Kate wore shortly after her marriage. She purchased it during her single days. I wished she would have retained her more daring, sexier style.

Looking at old pics of Elizabeth, Margaret and the Queen Mother - all were fashion forward. Some of the strapless numbers the Queen wore accentuated her ample bust and echoed those worn by her contemporaries, like Liz Taylor, etc.

Oh dear.

R184 That was viewed as pretty slick back in the day!

I really don't like the headband. Fortunately she stopped that later on. I guess the dress isn't that bad.

I think R184 was real, but had a minor adjustment through Photoshop. Not really unusual, though. I never liked the choker worn as a headband, to be honest. She received a lot of praise for it, but it always left me cold.

The Daily Mail criticised this dress but I like it.

Sarah looking half decent back in the day

R187 it was too gimmicky. How it didn’t slip down to her nose I’ll never understand.

R187 I have a book on the Queen’s jewels and if I remember correctly, Diana has a piece of felt installed around the band to make sure it didn’t fall down when she wore it as a headband.

The headband was considered a major misstep even back when she wore it

Unfortunately another headband when visiting Japan in 1986. Not an elegant look.

A flattering outfit from 1989.

The glittering headbands make her look like a superhero. A bit silly but good for her for trying something new even though it really doesn't work in my opinion.

Women were into headbands in the 80s. At least Diana’s were real jewels and not something from Claire’s Boutique.

Meghan takes a risk in an Oscar de la Renta dress. I think it looks good.

R188 - Which shows how much the DM knows. That is possibly my favourite gown of Diana's, which I saw at Christie's in New York, as mentioned early in this thread, and I can't begin to describe beauty and sheen of the material. With her skin, eyes, and height, I cannot imagine how glorious Diana must have looked in this, in the flesh. And it fits to perfection.

What ruins it, is her hair. Updo, absolutely, but not done in the front like that, she looks too much like she's auditioning for The Baroness in The Sound of Music. It absolutely ruined the look.

R197 - Well, it was better than the first de la Renta she wore to the Spencer wedding in June 2018. But it was a middling success, and quite a few people thought it didn't work well with the pregnancy bump. Still, it's a pretty dress - and this is another occasion when I think a chignon would have made all the difference in upping the elegance quotient.

Thanks for the interesting info, R198. I'm not crazy about her hairstyle in R188 either.

R193 - That was one of Diana's worst ensembles. The headband is also one of her chokers, didn't she wear it properly, on her neck, with one of her midnight blue velvet gowns?

The Queen Mary emerald choker used as a headband with the green off the shoulder gown worked better, but still, at bottom, it's . . . silly.

[quote]Well, it was better than the first de la Renta she wore to the Spencer wedding in June 2018.

True, R199. Pretty shapeless.

[quote]That was one of Diana's worst ensembles.

Nota fan of those ultra shiny fabrics. I guess they were popular in the 80s.

R202, I actually love that dress, but it is just enormous on her. She’s short, so it needed to be a petite and/or two sizes smaller.

R183 - Kate does look gorgeous in that Grecian style column dress. I think she took over for Charles at that reception at the last moment.

The suit and hat Diana is wearing in at the link at R194 is the poster illustration of what Diana really did best. She looks smashing: tailored, chic, sophisticated, love the checked jacket with the slim single colour skirt. Everything works, also thanks to her height and her legs. Every once in a while Kate comes close to this - some of her outfits at the Trooping the Colour and the Garter Ceremony have had this kind of tailoring, the right hat, the right pumps and bags . . . but she hasn't got Diana's charisma or camera-loving facial features: the huge blue eyes and the magnificent complexion set off by the blondeness. And whilst Kate's legs are nice, Diana's were spectacular.

Diana was a one-off, whatever else she wasn't. They used to put out books each year just on what she'd worn that year.

[quote]R202, I actually love that dress, but it is just enormous on her. She’s short, so it needed to be a petite and/or two sizes smaller.

A very similar Carolina Herrera dress looks better on the runway.

R193 The word "stunning" is overused, but that outfit is to me. She looks like an aristocrat from another era, the 1920s maybe. It's a haunting look, in a way. Nobody, but nobody, could have remotely pulled it off besides her.

R188 Love it, gorgeous. Was the complaint that it was a bit revealing?

What a glamour puss she was!

R175 - Thanks for the link. An interesting mix of Diana's best and worst - some of them are simply appalling, others are breathtaking.

She really did look amazing in red. Green was the only colour that did nothing for her, although she tried often; yellow was also tried a couple of times but always fought her hair.

r203

The photo does not do the dress justice. After seeing Diana's clothing exhibition, I can attest to the quality of cloth used and the workmanship on it. Her clothes, regardless of material, however embellished, did not glitter, twinkle or glint.

Instead, the beading gleamed and captured the light, the material shimmered. Unlike inexpensive prom dresses, her clothes did flash with shine nor glitter with plastic beading. As r198 implies, some of the clothes needs to be seen.

R197 People did like that dress, but I find it horrifying. All I can think of is "The Birds."

[quote]R197 People did like that dress, but I find it horrifying. All I can think of is "The Birds."

I like it because it's edgy. I like Kate but sometimes she is so much in too old fashioned elegance that her dresses and coats look too much like the styles of the 1950s and just look dated.

* so much into

[quote]R203, The photo does not do the dress justice. After seeing Diana's clothing exhibition, I can attest to the quality of cloth used and the workmanship on it. Her clothes, regardless of material, however embellished, did not glitter, twinkle or glint.

Maybe the photograph at R193 was taken with a flash which might exaggerate the shininess of the fabric.

I'm jealous that you were able to see the dresses in person.

I'm trying to think of THE most flat-out luxurious, queenly getup Diana ever wore. I came up with this one. Any other candidates?

That is gorgeous r214. Is that the Spencer tiara she's wearing?

This was a fantastic and very regal look (in a glitzy 80s way):

The problem with both de la Rentas, and with Meghan's clothes generally, is that they're obviously meant for someone else, someone with the figure she wishes she has, but doesn't: tall, leggy, and tiny-waisted. Both gowns would look fine on a woman 5'9" with beautiful legs and a small waist, none of which Meghan has. She's short and barrel-shaped, with pipestem legs. She isn't Audrey Hepburn and never will be. No matter what size the dress came in, it would still have been the wrong dress. And the hat was dreadful - you wear a large "picture" hat with a dress like that. She actually tripped over the bottom of it, Harry caught her.

Diana had a bad habit of cluttering her neckline, which she eventually grew out of.

R214 - I think the Elvis dress with the jacket. That had enough hand-beading on it to sink the Titanic.

One of Diana's successful later looks: All 90s streamlining. This was taken just a couple of months before her death.

If I were Meghan I would shamelessly copy the Suits looks forever: Classic, tailored, flattering on her. This should also be her go-to updo:

I love that look, R214, but I slightly prefer the simpler version she wore to Seoul in 1992.

R211 - I somewhat agree, but I also think that Kate is perhaps wise to stay away from more glamourous looks, because she's not that interesting in herself. Her clothes reflect her understanding of herself, and I'm not sure that she isn't right to stick toy what more genuinely reflects who she is.

She has worn some very beautiful gowns - poster upthread who submitted the dark, inky teal chiffon wrap dress was right, that's the kind of glamour Kate can pull off; the BAFTA dress this year got it right, too, and so did the red tea-length gown in Canada with the asymmetrical neckline.

I think these women look best when they understand who they are and play to it rather than working agaisnt it. That's where Meghan comes a-cropper: she keeps dressing against what she really looks like rather than playing to it.

Again, tailored and flattering, and suiting the proportions of a small, apple-shaped woman:

One of Kate's best looks ever: She was also pregnant and glowing.

Kate does look glorious in green.

She also looks very nice in pink. And this is one heck of an up-do.

R174 - She wore that on the first Italian tour, and I agree it's not a good look for her. One of the Italian fashion journos covering the tour said it looked like two dwarves standing on each other's shoulders. I don't mind the dropped waist, it's the huge shoulders that throw it out of proportion.

Diana also didn't carry off the mermaid gown well, either. That, too, is a look that only favours delicate boned women or, more importantly, hourglass shaped ones. To carry off the mermaid look. you MUST have a tiny waist, and that was something Diana did not have. There is a green beaded one in the collection that is incredibly bad on her and verges on the vulgar.

Speaking of updos, I wish Kate would wear a TOWERING retro one for some gala.

R221 That cornflower blue of the skirt is much prettier than the pink.

Kate's BAFTA look was one of her best, she looked - literally - dazzling

R230 - Yes, Kate knocked it out of the park that evening. You can tell Vanity Fair's bias as it called the updo "prim" - what it was, was simple from the front and beautifully complex at the back.

With some exceptions, I will say that for the most part, Kate wears her clothes, they don't wear her.

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I like that one too, r323

Also the pink sequinned Packham gown. She looked stunning both times she wore it, 5 years apart.

Love the Versace Diana wore on the cover of Harper's Bazzar

R231 R232 - agree with both of you, those are beautiful. The silver-belted one was actually lilac, if I remember. In these dresses, Kate resembles Diana in that it is her height that is crucial to carrying them off. Kate, however, is smaller-boned than Diana and has the waist that Diana lacked.

To answer the poster who asked about luxurious dresses - which to me means beading - what about the one-shoulder Hatchi dress she wore at the end of the Australia tour? She looked amazing in that.

Agreed r235 That Hatchi dress is one of the best dresses Diana ever wore

Kate more than holds her own as a fashion icon inevitably compared to Diana. Most importantly, she has height and dominant hair, and it's ideal that her mane is long and dark, in contrast to short and blonde. I liked Diana's figure better, though, only because she looked (ironically) healthier; I wish Kate would put on five to ten pounds.

I still say R214 is the one to beat for sheer opulence. I don't love it, though.

Well, split decision on that one. Diana had the legs, Kate has the waist. Diana was BIG (after she stopped being so thin you could see she was rangy), Kate is more delicately formed. But in terms of the sum of all the parts, Diana will always take the biscuit. The eyes, the skin, the legs, the camera just ate her up. I'm not sure that Kate isn't fortunate NOT to be able to compete there, because, after all, I think all that charisa and camera-love fed into Diana's problems. Kate's better off as she is.

Always liked this one. The color is described as "pistachio."

Yikes. Diana in Venice in 1985 wearing a David and Elizabeth Emanuel coat. Odd silhouette. I hate the big shoulders from the 80s.

Hmmm, Diana wore two gowns to the Middle East that might qualify as candidates in the opulence category: one a duchess satin wth one black and one white shoulder/sleeve and a black and white bow on the side, with a great deal of skirt, and an exquisite one with a narrow skirt with draping folds in the front and a beaded top - the latter one of her most beautiful gowns. She wore the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara with both. The material in both was sumptuous. However, she did yet again clutter up the neckline of the latter dress with a twisted pearl necklace that seemed out of place to me.

R241 - Everyone, everywhere, hated that outfit.

She looked smart in Bangkok in 1988.

[quote]R241 - Everyone, everywhere, hated that outfit.

Just too darn whimsical.

Not age appropriate. She needs a younger look.

R246 - Agree. Loved the hat but the dress was Victoriana gone wrong.

However, someone on CB realised that under that filmy demure dotted swiss or whatever it was . . . Kate was wearing a black G-string. Probably to titillate her husband. If you look closely enough in some photos of it, you'll see it.

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Thanks for the info, R247. What is CB? Did you mean DL?

Yes, the look is just too middle aged and old fashioned.

CB = Celebitchy, another online discussion forum.

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Here's a dress that is I like because it's a transitional dress, from the Halston minimalism of the 1970 to New Romantic look of early 1980s that included veiled hats, lace, fringes, etc. The dress is a beautiful black as is the chiffon of the wrap. The evening bag is Deco Revival (I think).

Princess Caroline at a nightclub in 1978.

For whatever reason I'm often underwhelmed at the time Kate wears a gown, but then upon revisiting find her look spectacular. I wonder if it's because Diana had so much charisma that she gobbled up the camera. Kate has quieter impact. Comparing and contrasting both women on this thread makes me appreciate Kate all the more. I'm finding her more statuesque and think she wears her clothes better. Diana's often wore her. Kate's looks are also standing the admittedly short test of time well. I wonder if she'll look quite as dated as Diana does now.

R252 very nice. Caroline was and is a beauty.

QUOTE] The problem with both de la Rentas, and with Meghan's clothes generally, is that they're obviously meant for someone else, someone with the figure she wishes she has, but doesn't: tall, leggy, and tiny-waisted. Both gowns would look fine on a woman 5'9" with beautiful legs and a small waist, none of which Meghan has. She's short and barrel-shaped, with pipestem legs. She isn't Audrey Hepburn and never will be. No matter what size the dress came in, it would still have been the wrong dress.

Typical of a misogynist gay man who thinks only women the same height and build as 16 year old boys should wear couture. Audrey Hepburn was 5ft 6 and her tiny build (a result of living in famine conditions in WW2) is more like Meghan's body pre pregnancy than like rangy Kate's

Meghan pre pregnancy was a UK Size 4/6. Nothing about her resembled a 'barrel'. Her legs are long and slender, very similar to Kate's, yet your inner racist means you hypocritically term them too thin.

Diana DID have a rectangular torso and a much heavier waist than Meghan. With her long beaky nose and permanently short hair, Di had a FTM aura sometimes. I don't think she would have been considered a great beauty if she was around today.

I don't think Diana was considered a great beauty back in the 80s and 90s. There was something about her face that was more interesting than the generic classic beauty. There's a reason why she was on magazine covers all the time and sold tons of them. She gave off a likeable, approachable vibe. You wanted to root for her.

Remember when Trump bragged that Diana would be his next wife?

R255, do you realise how many flowers were left outside Kensington Palace when Diana died? I seriously doubt the response will be the same when the Queen or Meghan or Kate pass away.

[QUOTE] I seriously doubt the response will be the same when the Queen or Meghan or Kate pass away

If Kate was killed in a car crash tomorrow, I think the response would be similar. It was the violent and untimely nature of Di's death at just 36 that shocked and moved the nation, as much as who she was.

The famous revenge dress.

Big muscular thigh there, Diana!

R258 - You have to realise that Diana was killed young and had been in her lifetime a megastar. How on earth would the Queen dying at 95 or Kate dying in old age possibly compete with that?

But the fact is, Kate seems to have been far more successful alive so far. And that's what counts. Diana for all her public adoration and charisma, screwed up her marriage, fucked up her kids, and ended up with moronic toy-boy totally controlled by a shady corrupt father. She also broke up at least one marriage as she skyrocketed across the royal sky.

Kate won't be there to count flowers at her demise. What will count is that her marriage proved stable and long-lived, her children are all right, and was true to her own identity. She doesn't want to be Diana, and that, in itself, made her the right wife for William. It takes emotional maturity not to have wanted to marry William so she could be Diana.

In the mid 90s, Di was already transitioning into more of a figure of fun. She was set to be another Elizabeth Taylor in her 40s and 50s and 60s, with multiple liaisons/children/failed marriages with unsuitable men.

Her attraction to Middle Eastern men worried the BRF hugely. They much preferred 80s Diana, crushing on Simon le Bon and George Michael. Her death arrested the process of her becoming unbeloved and enshrined her as the icon she is today.

[QUOTE] What will count is that her marriage proved stable and long-lived, her children are all right, and was true to her own identity.

You have no clue how her children will turn out. Charlotte and Louis will be expected to earn their own living if your beloved Swedenizing takes place, and Kate hasn't set any kind of example. George could be a wild card who refuses the throne.

I know I am in a minority here, but I didn't like the gown Diana wore to Cannes, recalling the one Grace Kelly wore in "To Catch a Thief". That is, I liked the gown, but not on Diana. She was too big-boned for it, her shoulders were flat, and the belt did her large waist no favours. I know the glamour effect blurred all that, but still, I didn't think it her best look. If you compare it to how she looked in some other gowns, like the Hatchi, the Walker column dress with the blue roses on it, the gorgeous white one she wore in the Middle East, you can see the difference in suitability for her body type.

[QUOTE] "Charlotte and Louis will be expected to earn their own living if your beloved Swedenizing takes place, and Kate hasn't set any kind of example."

r264 You are aware, I assume, that many, many professionally successful people had mothers who stayed at home to raise them, yes? In fact until the mid to latter 20th Century that description would fit almost everyone. Whether Kate "sets an example" for them to get a job is basically irrelevant as a guide to their future success.

Also, Kate does have a job outside motherhood: She publicly represents the UK and the Queen, and she does it absolutely flawlessly.

I think she sets a fantastic example not just to her children, but to others as well. There is even one specific person who would genuinely benefit enormously from endeavouring to copy Kate directly in every area of public life. (I'll leave it to you to imagine to whom I am referring, of course.)

Diana’s long, aristocratic English nose gave her face its magic. That’s what all the actresses who play her lack. Besides being too short, Naomi Watts looked just pleasantly pretty, nothing more.

[quote]If Kate was killed in a car crash tomorrow, I think the response would be similar. It was the violent and untimely nature of Di's death at just 36 that shocked and moved the nation, as much as who she was.

I don't think so. Kate doesn't have the same popularity.

How did Diana fuck up her kids, R262?

Maybe Kate is just more discreet and better at concealing her flaws, R262.

[quote]Prince William used to "push tissues" under the door when his mother Princess Diana was crying.

R269, I'm not R262, but here's an example.

I would hardly call that screwing up your kids, R271. She was very young and naive when she married. When you've married into the royal family and you're unhappy, getting a divorce is a little more complicated than for the average person.

Back to GOWNS!

Always thought the contrast between the Queen and Jackie here shows 1950s style giving way to the 60s. An emphatic modern fashion statement from Jackleen.

^^^^. Couldn't isolate the image, but it's number 5 in the gallery. Jackie and the Queen.

I was having a hard time thinking of any Meghan gowns I really liked. But then I remembered how truly good she always looks in blue.

Some panned this gown, but I really liked it. I think Meghan looks especially good in styles that are - I hesitate to use the word "exotic" - what I mean is, patterns and motifs from non-Western cultures. That said, I don't know specifically what inspired Carolina Herrera here, but it seemed appropriate for the Morocco setting.

I liked the color/pattern, but think the gown at R276 overwhelmed her.

This was one of the best gowns in R273's Town and Country article. Princess Anne at a film premiere in London in 1973. I don't like it.

R278, I wonder if she still has it and has worn it since. It sort of looks like a Pucci (who I always enjoyed).

Here's another one from the T & C article I don't like but it's probably because Eugenie doesn't have an attractive figure and not the dress.

[quote]R278, , I wonder if she still has it and has worn it since. It sort of looks like a Pucci (who I always enjoyed).

Isn't there an unwritten rule that British royals are expected to support British designers, unless they're going on a foreign trip and want to flatter the host country, eg. I thought Diana wore a Chanel outfit when visiting France.

I don't like that you often see the Queen in gowns with thick straps in old photos. It's like she's terribly worried about having a wardrobe malfunction with her ample cleavage.

[quote]Couldn't isolate the image

Just click on the individual photo and copy the image address.

Not so great. Too busy.

R281, I thought the Queen's outfits are all bespoke, but the the other Royal women sometimes wear foreign designers. There's just the expectation that they will show their support to the British fashion industry. When the Queen appeared with Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week, it was to show her support for British design. The tabloids actually seem to keep a tally of how many frocks that appear are from British versus foreign designers.

r282 - The Queen is incredibly well endowed. Excellent tailoring of her bodices, the cinched waist prevented her from looking like fat in her photos. Her figure synced with the fashions and body-types of the 50s perfectly.

Are these the straps you are referring, too.

Yes, that's one example. Another is the blue gown at R96. To me it doesn't look good. I wonder if she's very conservative and very thin straps would be too flirtatious.

The Queen has worn some strapless dresses baring her shoulders when she was younger. She really was a curvy young thing, as a young woman. Her former secretary, Martin Charteris, once remarked that the Queen is "strong as a yak". That's why she can still ride on horseback at 93.

R284 See, I like Meghan in patterns! I thought this looked neat and cute, a visually interesting dress that complemented her.

THIS, however, burns my eyes. The contrast of different awful shades of red, plus leather and wool.....I'm sorry, I'm just not edgy enough to appreciate this kind of thing, I guess. The messy bun doesn't help.

R280 Bea's big boobies are so distracting in that photo. I also thought Kate's little buds were too prominent in her wedding dress.

R289, if those reds had worked together I would have liked that look a lot. That sweater is a great color on her.

r290, that's the unfortunate dress Eugenie wore for her wedding reception. I understand the need to corset her in. But, the construction of bodice is vulgar. A bodice for full-breasted woman should NOT emphasize the shadow of the under boob. The boobs need not like apples ready to picked.

For a good example of tailoring for heavy woman with large breasts, look at an overweight Liz at the 1970 Oscars wearing Helen Rose. Even with the low neckline, the corset demurely hides the shape of her boobs.

r289

It's not lack of edge. Markel's outfit is something that probably looked good paper but not her. It simply is not flattering.

Not a fan of leather clothing. I only like it when it's used for handbags.

Maybe thick straps on gowns were the style in the 1950s.

Bump

Too "pretty" and too old fashioned.

The royals have a tough life. So many bitchy queens willing to tear apart everything they wear.

r296 -- It has an dreary 80s feel to it.

Here's Eugenie's reception dress from a slightly more flattering angle. It wasn't a great choice (although with her track record, she could have done worse!). At least the dress she picked for the ceremony was beautiful.

I love the old-fashioned dresses. Too many decades of seeing slutty, sexay outfits on celebs, I guess. Personally I'd be happy to see a return to 18th- 19th- and early-20th-century dress for royals.

The outfit on the far right looks like something Princess Margaret would wear in middle age. The colour definitely doesn't suit Kate. The other two looks are quite nice.

I'm waiting for this look to make a comeback.

I agree, R299. I love this look on Princess Margaret from 1951 from the T & C article.

One of Princess Eugenie's better looks.

Not so much.

R304 Oh dear. If you're going to try and channel Jackie, you better weigh her 120 pounds. However, Eugenie is pretty and often looks very nice.

r303 That is a wonderful cut on Eugenie.

Yes, R305. It's unfair how we criticise overweight women but she could have chosen an outfit that suited her better. Then we have anorexic Kate showing her ribs in R300.

[quote]R303 That is a wonderful cut on Eugenie.

Thank you, OP.

Quite a bizarre design

Princess Beatrice at Royal Ascot

Maybe some will find the skirt too flashy but I like this look.

Princess Beatrice again

Okay, this is for shits and giggles, but I'll post it because I find it disheartening to constantly hear about how fat the York Sisters are (and I'll even include MM). Bea was the first British Royal to complete a Marathon. She participated on a team wearing chartreuse tutus. She has a sense of humor, and seems like a good sport, and can't be that fat to run a Marathon, which I doubt most of us have done.

BTW, I'm a gay man, not a frau.

That's amazing that she was able to do that, R311. Good for her.

Guys in chartreuse tutus look hot.

Bea's fiancé, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, is very handsome but he gives off a gay vibe to me.

Not bad. Not sure about the angora cardigan though.

My dear. You really must wear a brassiere.

Too fashion forward for me. Kate wearing Gucci to an event at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2019.

Very nice. A Jenny Packham dress.

A good look. The gown was designed by Self Portrait.

I think she looks good in this Mussoni coat dress.

*Missoni

Too glittery and ornate. Another Jenny Packham dress.

r322 would look great if she weren't pregnant. Needs a nipped-in waist to add structure amid all the beading.

Catherine consistently looks good in appropriate gowns. Maybe she had a little coaching (to which she listened). What a difference it makes.

How loverly....

She looks so pretty in that photo, R325. Great choice.

Kate must have an enormous clothes closet. Where does she keep all this stuff? Surely she doesn't give it all away immediately.

Kate wearing Chanel in 2017.

Wearing a Tory Burch dress in 2016. A little gaudy.

I kind of like the dress she wore in New Delhi in 2016.

Once again, too old fashioned. Wearing a Jenny Peckham outfit while visiting Canada in 2016.

* Packham

I hate the old fashioned custom of making boys wear shorts until they reach a certain age. Sometimes the royal family is so conservative, it's a bit silly. It's the 21st century, not the 19th.

Not to be outdone by Diana’s blue star dress, here’s Camilla. I don’t really like stars as a motif but she looks good. Her clothes are always very nice. I’m trying to think of a famous clunker she’s worn, not really coming up with anything.

She looks quite chubby in this outfit.

Nope

Don't care for the colour and the hat.

The skirt? No, just no.

Not so much.

I don't mind any of those Camilla outfits, except perhaps for the horizontal-stripe skirt. God but I hate horizontal stripes, why would anyone wear them ever?

There's this.

Here she is trying to get away with drunk driving.

[quote]I don't mind any of those Camilla outfits, except perhaps for the horizontal-stripe skirt. God but I hate horizontal stripes, why would anyone wear them ever?

I don't like the "muddled" pattern and the mix of colours of the dress at R340. I'm glad the pointed shoulder look at R338 is no longer popular.

Love Queen Letizia's blue Armani gown...

Have to disagree on the queen of Spain’s gown. It looks like it’s falling off her bony Frame.

Good heavens. Diana at her first Royal Ascot.

That's the cut of the gown - I love the blue - bright yet dark but I can see where the drop on the arm can be problematic.

It is my favorite color, here's a different gown.

Not my favorite but a big improvement over R347. Sarah looks pretty good.

Not a bad look for Queen Letizia.

I like this red gown with the Queen. Love how she worked the sash.

Hahaha. We both thought of the same gown at the same time. What are the odds.

An elegant color on a lovely gown.

Heck no.

A good look for Camilla.

Queen Letizia in a Sandro scarf dress. Nope

r356 - I don't understand these prints! This one added pleats! OMG.

It really is too much and I'm not crazy about the colour. It would look much better with a simpler pattern.

R347 Not very often one feels like pointing and laughing at Diana, but.....ye gods

I really wonder who Diana's style icons were growing up. Oh well, she made a big improvement in a short period of time.

Isn't there some big do this week?

Do you mean the Queen, Charles and Camilla having a reception tomorrow at Buckingham Palace to mark the 70th anniversary of the NATO alliance?

R362 Yes, thank you. I've never been on the official site before, interesting. Princess Anne does indeed work her royal ass off. Camilla is pretty active. The others, not so much.

Yes, Princess Anne does take her charity work very seriously. Is her official residence Buckingham Palace when she's in London? I know she has Gatcombe Park out in the country.

Oops. Silly me. Wikipedia says she has an apartment in St. James's Palace.

[quote]R347 Not very often one feels like pointing and laughing at Diana, but.....ye gods

The red and white striped pattern makes me think of a carnival barker.

It seems like royal women like a variation of a pale blue Grecian gown. In this one worn by Letizia, the trim is just too much. Not only does it detract from the draping but the trim does not match the style of the dress.

The reception today at Buckingham Palace. The Queen looks good but I might have chosen a different colour. It looks like she's not wearing stockings. At first I thought Melania's cape was an annoying affectation but it's starting to grow on me.

Nope. In this photo, Melania's outfit looks silly, with the strong colour contrast. Camilla looks okay but it's not her best look.

r369 r368

The Queen and Camilla both looked lovely. However, I have not seen that shade of yellow paired with that shade of purple outside of a comic book.

If t I were to edit Melania's outfit, I would change the matching purple pumps to purple boots and make the interior garment a purple catsuit, with a huge Gold T down the front.

Haha. Great suggestion, Marie. Definitely not a sophisticated colour combination. Surely she has stylists to help her out but she probably thinks she knows better than they do. Or maybe she chooses stylists with gaudy tastes. I wonder why she likes capes so much.

I wonder if Camilla would look better with a longer jacket.

And you can see all the veins in Melania's feet in R369. I wonder when the no stocking trend will end.

A longer jacket would look lovely on Camilla. Occasions like this make me wish women could still wear furs. The right black mink jacket would add a great finish to the look. Of course, I am referring to high-end faux black mink.

I know I’ll probably get flamed for liking Melania, but I do. She is gorgeous and campy in her way. Her clothes are weird but she pulls it off.

Yes but what about the nudie pics. No previous First Lady has had those.

Yawn, R375.

Anyhoo, not much to hoot and holler about fashion-wise re tonight’s event. We didn’t even get to see a full-length shot of Kate in her green dress.

Barred at the gates?

[quote]We didn’t even get to see a full-length shot of Kate in her green dress.

That's bizarre. I guess everyone was distracted by Melania's technicolor outfit.

[quote]Yawn, R375.

Really. You don't think nudie pics detract from the dignity of being First Lady. Of course, when she did them, she had no idea she would ever be FLOTUS. Up till now, First Ladies were usually born into a social class where they didn't have to do that kind of thing.

Not bad except for the clutch.

Sarah looking sultry. The necklace goes well with the outfit.

If this really is Kate's dress from yesterday's reception at Buckingham Palace, I'm not that crazy about it. Does she have to be so covered up?

It’s funny, In her dress and deportment, Kate is now so reserved and traditionally British, revealing very little of herself. Much more so, say, than Diana the aristocrat.

Maybe Kate covers up because she looks anorexic, eg. ribs showing in low cut dresses, and she's tired of all the criticism.

I like Kate, but will amend my post at R383: Her pants are usually too tight. I don't want to see the future Queen's thigh gap or cameltoe.

r384 - absolutely, especially considering that anorexics feel cold easily.

Good point, Marie. She really needs to put on 20 or 30 pounds but I guess she's deathly afraid of getting fat.

[quote]Barred at the gates?

Besides the clothes, her hair is too long for someone her age. That hairstyle is fine if you're under 40.

Not bad. In a lot of the photos, she doesn't have a nice curvy hourglass figure with a thin waist.

Dressed in Victoria Beckham's fashions. Pretty good though I'm not crazy about the hairstyle and the hat.

Oh, Meghs!

A flattering look. Dress by Antonio Berardi.

Um no.

Good choice.

[quote] In a lot of the photos, she doesn't have a nice curvy hourglass figure with a thin waist.

Then again, maybe she's pregnant or losing weight after a pregnancy.

Quite nice.

Good heavens no.

A bit flashy but I like it. This is back in 2013 so I don't know if she was dating Prince Harry back then.

[quote]Oh, Meghs!

I don't think so . Meghan has fairly good taste but her figure is less than ideal.

R389, If she has any taste, it's in her pinky finger. We've heard of fashion misdemeanors, but she's a constant fashion felony. And, to be clear, I understand shes's carrying post-pregnant weight. There's no reason she can't dress more appropriately and attractively than she does. She has resources that the rest of us don't have. And I'm a guy.

I don't know, R400. It's a difficult line to walk. Meghan obviously has to project a certain image now that she's married into the royal family. It's difficult to pick clothes that aren't too fashion forward or too conservative and that suit her figure. How many times has Kate chosen looks that are too reminiscent of the 50s or more appropriate for her mother? Women born into the aristocracy, like Diana (especially during the early years of her marriage) or Princess Anne, have chosen unfortunate outfits many times.

You don't like the dress at R389?

I do have to agree that this is not a great look.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

The Middletons all have athletic, healthy-looking bodies. Great new genes for the BRF and will make for lovely bodies upon which to hang gorgeous, tasteful clothes in the next generations.

Love the V-neck black jumpsuit she wore in S Africa. The earrings give it a casual touch of glamour. A wonderful look for a post-preggers body.

Lovely glow, too. The makeup is spot on.

R405 the earrings are great, especially with that hairstyle. A slightly “exotic” look works for Meghan.

Yellow and green with purple shoes?

What a sweet baby blue dress on Princess Grace.

Princess Grace at a fundraiser for the Film Society of Lincoln Center

I guess if this thread makes it to a part two, we should rebrand it as “Royal Fashions” or something. Anyway, so many of these dresses are divine.

A miss.

R413 VERY provocative photo. Well done.

Oops. I guess that would be from her acting days, before she married Prince Rainier.

[quote]R413 VERY provocative photo. Well done.

In some of her photos, she looks truly amazing - very beautiful and compelling.

The gown she met de Gaulle in. Love everything about it, the hair is divine.

Not so crazy about this one.

The famous wedding dress.

Not an expert on these things but the fabric of the actual dress at R421 looks rough and kind of cheap.

R421 - that looks like raw silk - it was fashionable at the time.

R421 - that looks like raw silk - it was fashionable at the time.

I didn't think she would pose for a photograph in a cheap dress. I love the way the mesh looks.

Raw silk was not cheap -

One of Anne's better looks. She was going to an event at the Dorchester Hotel in 1978.

A miss. Diana in Saudi Arabia in 1986. I don't like the divided black and white look and the bow. Not sophisticated.

Kate touring Norway and Sweden in 2018. A miss. Too much material, too loose, too covered up. She looks frumpy. You'd think she was visiting Saudi Arabia and bending over backwards not to offend her hosts.

The purple gown is too gaudy while Kate's beige / cream gown is too bland.

Wallis Simpson in 1937. A bit much.

American royalty

One of Mrs. Simpson's most flattering photographs

I never, ever understood Wallis' reputation as an out-of-this-world fashion plate. Apart from her severe wedding dress, nothing she wore was extraordinary or memorable to me. Her jewels were okay.

Jackie, however, was spectacular in the 60s and 70s. Her attire got merely tasteful and boring in the 80s as she aged.

I agree about Wallis Simpson, R434. And her hairstyle looks bizarre and unflattering to me. I wonder if it was considered fashionable at the time.

Edward VIII showing off his fashion sense.

^^^^ I have to say they look like a gay man and a lesbian to me but who knows. Maybe they had a very active sex life.

R437, I think it was with other people, though.

Holy shit, the tiaras at that gala tonight! Kate has the Lovers' knot again, can any of our tiara experts identify the others? That stunner on the Queen with the emeralds, is that the one Meghan supposedly wanted?

r439 - Kate looks stunning. Everything works - the black long-sleeved velvet the dress, the serious diamond jewelry - tiara, earrings, ring and necklace. Nice to see her wear a sash and her honors (regardless of how she earned them.)

I don't like the Lover's Knot on her, but that's just me, everyone else does. Click for more views.

Lol, R438.

[quote]I never, ever understood Wallis' reputation as an out-of-this-world fashion plate.

You can see that she is trying to be fashionable. I don't love the look but it's better than Mrs. Nixon's. A front slit seems kind of odd to me.

I actually like mod 1960s Wallis, but not severe 1930s 40s and 50s Wallis.

So that was the Vladimir that the queen wore last night? If indeed Meghan pitched a fit wanting that one for her wedding, that beats all world records for running, jumping and standing gall!

Socialites on the prowl.

Sorry. The Queen looks frumpy in that dress next to Jackie O.

The thing I always loved about these truly iconic photos is that a fair number of people aren’t even looking at them.

Wish we could see video, of this and also of that “uptown girl” dance she did onstage that embarrassed Charles so much.

I guess the neckline saves the dress from being too dull.

I prefer this look from 2018, another Jenny Packham dress.

I've never liked chokers on Diana, R448. I wonder why she wore them. I can understand older women wearing them because their necks don't look so attractive.

That is one impressive hat on the military officer in the background of R450.

Camilla looked fairly good at the Diplomatic Corp reception in a Bruce Oldfield dress. She is wearing a Boucheron tiara, which I assume is the French jeweller. I'm surprised they wouldn't use British jewellers exclusively.

Yikes

Ugh, where are the beautiful gowns and interesting commentary?

Can we talk about how cute Camilla’s outfits almost always are?

The Queen, Kate that is, is golden and glamorous at the BAFTAs.

Not a gown, but one of Meghan's better efforts.

Look at what you evil fashionista's have done to the Queen with the no stocking trend. Liz feels all self-conscious in R459.

[quote]Ugh, where are the beautiful gowns and interesting commentary?

Nothing to stop you from making brilliant comments on the gowns already posted, R456. Anyone can be cunty and dismissive.