I know…I had one of those “off weeks” and next thing I know, I missed the royal shakedown in Amsterdam! Well, we won’t cry over spilled Salmon-Billecarte, I’m sure everyone else in the universe wrote about it. So let’s get nostalgic, do the opposite and put up a nice pic of Queen Beatrix’s coronation.
Nostalgia’s fun…
So here’s a nice little video about the life of Queen. Beatrix…well I guess she’s Princess Beatrix now. Doesn’t ring right, does it? Well, definitely not the “Dowager Queen,” that’s too dowdy…or too ’Downton.’ Take your pick. How about “Princess Supreme” or Ultra-Mega Madame la Royale? Ok, so it’s a work in progress…I haven’t started drinking yet. Just watch the video.
What’s the most exciting part about the new king in Amsterdam? MORE MAXIMA! I just can’t wait to see what she’ll be rocking as the Royal Consort! (In case nobody remembers the lovefest we had over her red dress at the Luxembourg royal wedding, check out this Tiara Time: golly can Maxima rock those rubies!
Can’t wait see what she’s got on deck! Oh sorry, Willem…we’re stoked about you too. Wouldn’t it be great if she sold this dress for charity? Or just mailed it to me? heh…
Alright, kiddies, your Blog Hostess with all her marbles tomorrow….maybe Monday.
What about you guys? What’s your favorite Maxima look? Or better, who’s your favorite princess of “this generation” and why?
hey kids! yes I know what day it is…the dumb WordPress ap gives Us the illusion that a post has published. I check a day later and it’s a draft! errr…well, at least it saved the draft.
two more fine examples of nymphs in gaulle…
I haven’t got the citation, sor’!
this next one’s my personal fav of Mme. LeBrun. We lack certain facts…I sense a theme
A theme for theme week! the layers, they’re like onions!
There’s something about the girl in this painting that reminds me of me…it’s weird. It’s just a thing. Nobody would say we look alike. Nameless lady and me. And the last one for tonight:
The chemise fashion plate from the Journal des modes; I believe it was the first such publication. Okay, petit pixies of Trianon…May your evening be gossammer with starlight*
True, Mme. Vigée LeBrun’s portrait La reine en gaulle went over like a lead balloon with the French public. Their queen had been immortalized in what essentially was her underwear. It wasn’t just the gossamer nightgown that set her critics off; the rose in her left hand gualled* them further. The rose being the symbol of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family. As the Queen of France shouldn’t she be gripping a fleur de lys? What seems like an innocent prop just threw gunpowder on the austrichienne fire. *Sorry I couldn’t resist
The portrait had to be removed from display and another commissioned to replace it. Public disdain over the portrait of their Queen did not mean the chemise à la reine was disavowed at Versailles. Soon every lady in the Queen’s Circle was wisping about in one. Even those on the Queen’s Shit List–duBarry!– clamored to get their hands on Rose Bertin’s latest frock.
(1) maria josepha of savoy (2) madame elizabeth (3) comtesse duBarry
Marie Antoinette’s older sister, Maria Josepha, forewent the sun-hat for a spray of plumes in her coif while Madame Elizabeth (Louis XVIs sister) eschewed the chapeau with the head-band up-do and slightly less puffy-pirate sleeves. Finally, Comtesse duBarry–unable to soak herself in jewels with this ensemble–added another bow, insuring her habitual status as “most decorated”.
Georgiana with Lady Elizabeth Foster by Jean Urbain Guerin
Lady Gerorgiana Cavendish, commonly known as the Duchess of Devonshire, was a regular visitor to the French Court. Upon seeing all the ladies of Versailles flitting about the gardens, Georgiana needed one too. Many credit the Duchess for introducing the gossamer gown to Ol’ Blighty. Gaulle was soon all the rage among London’s Fashion élite.
Since it’s so atypical for London and Paris to set the fashion trends, soon the diaphanous gaulle dress flowed across Europe just like the fashionistas’ silhouettes. The chemise was the must-have in every aristocratic placard from Portugal to Poland.
Elzbieta Czartotyska; Lady with a book; Princess Louise Augusta of Denmark; Wiktoria Madalińska
In the true spirit of winning the “Who Wore It Best” Olympiad, many of the damas accessorized or altered the Bertin original in order to make it their own. The ladies above are obviously no exception. Wiktoria’s red-and-black striped sleeves are a daring choice while “Lady with a Book” brings the gaulle to elegant new heights with a finer choice in fabric. Not to be outdone, the Princesse de Lamballe and the Duchesse de Polignac even sat for multiple portraits to immortalize their chemise stylings.
princesse de lamballe duchesse de polignac
The far left and far right portraits show M@’s favorites in dresses so similar to the Queen’s that you’d think they all decided to dress alike one day in junior high. Maybe they’ll think we’re triplets! The princesse switches it up, accenting with pink ribbons and topping it off with a very Trianon-spirited chaplet of matching roses. At first glance I thought it was her hair but that’s a hat she’s rocking underneath the garland. (Wow, one headdress wasn’t enough. You go Lamballe!) Such a fashion risk couldn’t be one-upped so Polignac went for the artsy, intellectual look. Imagine the hours she held that open book aloft, frozen in that posture and expression to imply her reading has been interrupted by an abrupt compliment on her teal-green sun hat with veil.
Well, who DID wear it best? You’ve got a few choices…in case you forget, they’ll all be listed again for citation purposes. I’m really looking forward to your commentary on this one. We’ll have a full poll tomorrow, but I need your feedback since Polldaddy only allows for 10 options.
Who will the 10 Gaulle finalists? Only you can decide!
And we’re back! Your Blog Hostess should have mentioned Our holiday jaunt over three weeks ago, before We left. Alas, We did not forget about you, delightful friends! Moreover, welcome to Our new followers who enlisted during the hiatus.
If you recall, way back when We had talked about a March 11 state dinner in Stockholm. This video footage led us to a post on the Nine-Prong Tiara, then a second on the famous Steel-Cut tiara. The irony in Our reporting on the latter tiara is that Crown Princess Victoria was not wearing THE Steel-Cut tiara at the state dinner. The tiara donning the Crown Princess’ was, for lack of creativity, the Other Steel-Cut tiara in the Bernadotte collection.
Shall we call it the Steel-Cut Bandeau? Check out the matching comb on the right!
With its low rise, your Blog Hostess toys with the idea of dubbing it the Steel-Cut Bandeau. Would you say she’s wearing it like a headband? Eh…not really. The real hitch is that We have essentially no information on this tiara at all. Perhaps we should call it the “Mystery Steel-Cut tiara” instead. Another website claims it was part of the Napoleonic Steel-Cut parure; I tend to disagree. It doesn’t look like the other pieces in that parure and–more importantly–how many parures come with two head-toppers? The only official word on Our enigmatic bandeau was from a historian/spokesperson for the Royal family who simply said, “the Swedish Royal Family has many tiaras.” Duh! But thank you anyway…
Obviously We feel like the Blog Hostess-Come-Lately because last month was not the first time Victoria wore the Steel Cut Bandeau. (Yeah, We’re sticking with that one.) She wore it to the royal banquet held for the Nobel laureates on December 11, 2012 (right) and to the Royal Wedding Gala in Luxembourg that previous October. (Below).
Looking happy as a clam at the Luxembourg Royal wedding.
Bless Vicky’s heart, she looks good in every color she dons! That buff-pink Elle Tahari dress is stunning and regardless of my lofty ego, that color would wash me out! She wears that crimson red as if she were the upcoming Christmas present. It seems like everything–tiara, gown, track suit–looks great on the Crown Princess. What do you think of Victoria’s style?
I know I repeatedly say that this is a jewellery blog not a Monarchist blog, but I must aver that Victoria of Sweden is probably my favorite of the “spotlight princesses.” What do you think? Who’s your favorite?
If you want a really funny post, ask me which princesses turn my stomach like month-old yoghurt. *shudder at the very thought*
it sparkles like all hell but nary a diamond in it!
Behold a tiara with no sparkly baubles at all! The Steel Cut Tiara is made of–this is a stretch–highly polished steel and set with golden embellishments in the shape of flowers, feathers, oak leaves and acorns. Feathers and acorns aren’t really common tiara themes, making this baby even more unique. Not a single stone in it, but golly does it glimmer! Don’t believe me? Think steel only has its place in Pittsburgh? Originally designed for candle-lit tiara events, the light dances off the polished facets in a way that suggests the scintillation of diamonds.
Watch the way it glitters when the camera zooms in on the Crown Princess’ head.
You really must see it in motion to truly appreciate the shimmery sparkle. And sparkle is the whole reason we’re here…or at least why I’m here.
A tiara so important that it’s postage-stamp worthy.
Just like cameo tiaras, steel tiaras are pretty unique. Steel tiaras were popular from the First French Empire through the Victorian Era. A modest, yet interesting material, polished steel provided an alternative for those who wanted a tiara but couldn’t necessarily afford something gem-encrusted. On the other hand, the Steel Cut tiara isn’t “slumming it.” It’s nothing at which to turn up your nose. Steel was considered a valuable material in its own right and plus very few artisans who had mastered this time-consuming process to shape and polish the facets to give the brilliance of diamonds.
The Steel Cut Tiara is also know as the Napoleonic Steel Cut Tiara because–you guessed right!–it was brought to Sweden by Josephine II. Like the Cameo, Leuchtenberg Sapphires, the Napoleonic Amethysts, the Steel Cut would appear to be another tiara that originated with Josephine I (aka Empress Josephine). Apparently, this tiara’s story is a bit different; it was made for Queen Hortense of Holland, Josephine II’s aunt. Perhaps Josie’s Aunt Hortense gave it to her as (yet another) wedding gift. I am remiss to wonder whether “How many tiaras does one bride need?” should be a rhetorical question or not.
We’ve all lost something in our closets. My favorite hooded shirt, my only clutch purse, or that right sneaker. How does a girl lose only one sneaker? Don’t ask. The Steel Cut Tiara suffered a similar fate. It was off the radar for decades and then appeared on Queen Silvia’s head in 1979 at an Austrian state visit. (See two center pictures above.) Once married to Karl XVI Gustaf, Silvia began rooting around in most-likely cluttered cupboards and cabinets and found the Steel Cut tucked away in a drawer! Those cupboards had to be a disaster area because who the hell loses a tiara? Who the hell loses one shoe? Touché…
The tiara actually has matching earrings and a choker, making it the Steel Cut Demi-Parure technically. The earrings and choker are rarely seen. The left photo is from over 20 years ago, Silvia wore it during a state visit to Iceland. (The right photo, that annoying text across her eyes regardless, is much more recent.)
After its “rediscovery” it was also spotted atop the heads of Princesses Lillian and Christina, King Karl XVI Gustav’s sisters.
I’ve often read complaints about the Steel Cut, It’s weird-looking. I don’t like the feather motif. (I like it, but to each their own. The feathery overgrowth in the center reminds me of the Peacock-tail Ruby Tiara of the Netherlands. Only difference is this bouquet of plumes is not removable as it is on the Ruby Peacock.
So we’re mostly accustomed to seeing the Steel Cut Tiara on Crown Princess Victoria. It is very much one of her go-to tiaras, especially at the Nobel Prizes.
In fact, I’ve heard many complain that they don’t find it to be a flattering tiara on anyone save the crown princess. I’m not sure what causes this phenomenon. I think the shades of brass, steel and gold compliment her skin tone, hair and eyes. Facts are facts: Vicky rocks the Steel Cut.
What do you think? Awesomely original or ugly and outdated. How about just plain weird?
Anyone else tempted to clean out the kitchen junk drawer to see if there’s some antique, Napoleonic jewellery? Stranger things have happened.
In case you haven’t noticed, I have a bit of a sweet spot for the tiaras of the Swedish Royal family. They’re all so unique not to mention wildly historical. Think about the Cameo tiara. One of the oldest tiaras out there, it still exists today mainly because it was set with cameos rather than gems. If it had sported jewels or diamonds, there’s a good chance it would have been dismantled and reconstructed. (It’s not a bad thing; lots of tiaras go through it.)
Anyone who’s ever image searched “tiara” has probably come across this little Photoshop featuring some–but not all–of the tiaras included in the Bernadotte collection. However not all of them are part of the Bernadotte Foundation. Take the Cyclops; (second row from the bottom, center.) this Aquamarine Bandeau was a gift to Princess Madeleine from her parents. It may one day be added to the Foundation but for now it’s hers.
The pic is neat as it provides a little visual checklist for Swedish Tiara Time. Let’s recap together. We already covered the Aquamarine Bandeau. (I find the moniker “Cyclops” amusing but it seems to inspire ire in others.
the Napoleonic tiaras
future-King Oscar and his tiara-toting bride, Josephine II
This is the swag that Joséphine II brought with her when she married Oscar I, King of Sweden and Norway in 1844. Some of them originally belonged to her grandma, Napoleon’s Josephine, while the provenance of others, like the Steel Cut Tiara and the aforementioned Cameo Tiara may lead back to Queen Hortense of Holland, Josie II’s aunt and Joséphine I’s daughter.
The Amethyst Tiara, with those mind-boggling egg-shaped (& sized!) gems turned me around on the subject of my birthstone. (I wasn’t a fan before.) Last but not least, we have the first of the Swedish tiaras about which I blogged, the Leutchenberg Sapphire tiara. Part of that glorious parure, if you haven’t heard your Blog Hostess gush about how she wished she was born in September instead of February or how she’d throw her body into rush-hour traffic just to borrow it for a month or so, you’re hearing it now. Well, if it’s rush hour traffic, maybe they should just give it to me.Yeah, that’s nice…
While I slip into the Land of Make-Believe, again, you may have noticed the Steel-Cut Tiara has been checked off. No, We haven’t covered that one yet. So you’ll never guess what tiara is coming up next!
