Royal Style: Never knowingly under-jewelled, let's be like Daisy and shine!

[Maireas]

New thread, thanks for the brilliant title suggestion, as ever!

She was literally on the cover of Vogue!

Doesn't mean she reads it though!

No that's true.

And I think I'm quite glad that's not the case. I think I'd find it rather distasteful if that was her main aim. I like a happy medium! Wouldn't mind if she sidled on over a bit more towards the edgy side, mind!

I love Kate's purple suit and I love Beatrice's dress. I don't like CPV's orange suit though.

I think that the younger royals born in the 1970s onwards, in many countries, are trying to establish themselves as modern, working women who are doing a job for their countries as opposed to the ladies in posh frocks who turned up to cut a ribbon in the generations born 75-100 years ago. It is noticeable with Kate that she has adopted a lot of business attire since becoming Princess of Wales.

However, I am looking forward to some upcoming tiara and jewels events. There is the State Banquet for the President of Korea next week and then the Nobel dinner in December.

I don't think any of the current crop of royals are fashion icons, though some of them are very stylish.

In fact I'm not sure there's been a royal fashion "icon" since Diana. But in her case I can remember her style AND her causes!

Alexandra Shulman's book, Inside Vogue, has an account of the cover shoot with Kate, and it's interesting how surprised she is at Kate's lack of (for want of a better word) princessiness. That's partly where I get the impression that clothes are not top of the list for Kate.

Also, she didn't really dress up for Vogue. It was hardly a glamorous shoot, and certainly not fashion forward.

Yes, I think she has been anxious not to be seen as a fashion plate from quite early on.

Wouldn't mind if she sidled on over a bit more towards the edgy side, mind!

I part company with you on this for two reasons I'm afraid. Firstly, I think her role is an intrinsically conservative one, and I'm not sure edgy would work in her position. The other reason is my own personal preference for what I think of as classic clothes (which I fully appreciate others may find boring!).

Oh I’m with you all the way @KillingMeDeftly! When I use ‘edgy’ about Kate I really just mean a tiny toestep over the mid-line. E.g. red nail varnish!

Or short(ish) hair!

I think we remember Diana as a fashion icon with the benefit of hindsight because we remember her iconic outfits but often forget that she had her share of misses as well. Diana imho improved as she got older and adopted a more pared down style without the flounces or barbie colours

That ruffled gown with the gloves 🙈 But it was the 80s and she certainly had fun with fashion!

Meghan looked stunning at an awards show last night. The dress I'm not that keen on but cut and colour are very her and she looks radiant. She (or her makeup artist) has really nailed the "natural" makeup look.

And here's Laurentien of the Netherlands and her daughter as proof that Maxima isn't the only Dutch royal who's likes to push the style boat out a bit.

That’s a good look on Laurentian - dramatic but not too dramatic. And nice to see her daughter leaning into her arresting facial features (I’ve thought for a while she has a bit of the Cara Delevigne about her face - her eyebrows, mostly!).

Meghan looks fabulous from the chest up - that’s a very flattering neckline on her. But the rest of the dress was just a sad trombone from me - so much beige. I much prefer her in jewel colours for evening wear - like the emerald green dress she wore at Invictus.

I thought that the main problem with Meghan's dress was that it couldn't make up its mind whether it was a dress or a jumpsuit in the photos. It was a great neckline on her to widen her shoulders and add some curves. I also agree with the make up. Great lashes!

Meghan looks fabulous, I love the colour on her.

I can't make out if the dress is meant to be off one shoulder or is it meant to be worn as a cowl neck, there is an asymmetric seam on the bodice that looks a bit odd and makes me think it should have been straight up the center.

Gosh, there are some shockers there @Lunde!

I sometimes forget just how different fashion was in the 80s. For the 'ordinary people' there certainly wasn't the choice of clothing that we have now with the endless opportunities to browse/shop online, read social media feeds and fashion blogs, discuss fashions and get instant coverage of what celebrities are wearing etc.

Given that we only had the printed press, when Diana appeared at breakfast in the Daily Mail wearing something that was so different to what we would see locally I can see how she became seen as a style icon. She had access to clothes and designers that most of us could only dream of.

Judging from the models on various sites, it can be worn either off the shoulder completely or one-shouldered.

Diana had a certain X factor, no question about it! No Royal has come close since in terms of icon status.

But she certainly wore lots of shockers too. That’s what tends to happen when you play with fashion, especially in a decade like the 80s and into the early 90s!

I love that dress on Meghan. Lovely colour and drapes nicely, particularly at the back.
Makeup is gorgeous and nails the heavy but natural look.
The only thing I dislike is when she scrapes her hair back as hard as that. Very unflattering. A softer chignon would be much prettier.

No Royal the UK, I agree. But I have often wondered if Diana will have a legacy like that of Sisi, Empress Elisabeth of Austria. She was hugely famous as one of the most beautiful women in 19th century Europe who was famed for her clothes and hairstyles and beauty regime. She was a sensation everywhere she went too.

Like Diana she had a tragic life - an unhappy marriage, mental health problems, her only son committed suicide after murdering his teenage mistress - and she was herself assassinated by an Italian anarchist. She’s still very famous even now 125 years after her death - numerous films, tv shows, operas, books and ballets have all featured her, some hugely famous themselves. Mostly in Germany and Austria, but I think her fame goes wider than that. There’s been a new film and two TV series about her in just the last two years, for example.

I wonder if there’ll be similar about Diana in 2123? I wouldn’t be at all surprised.

The only thing I dislike is when she scrapes her hair back as hard as that. Very unflattering. A softer chignon would be much prettier.

Very much agree with you on this Eau. She has a beautiful face so gets away with it, but I'm not keen on harshly scraped back hair. CPV is another fan.

I agree about Sisi. I've also heard that Edward VIII, when PoW, was something of a megastar.