14 May 2016

Royal Windsor Horse Show

The Queen attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park, Windsor.

As usual, The Queen went casual for a few days to browse around the Royal Windsor Horse Show, where she looked just as entertained as we all are that her prize for a winning horse was a Tesco gift card. Just what she needed!

She was also spotted the following day (Friday), again in casual mode with her engagement and wedding Rings and one of her casual watches.

The RWHS usually brings a brooch or two as well.

A photo posted by Kent Farrington (@teamkpf) on

To present the King's Cup to American show jumper Kent Farrington, a brooch we haven't seen in three years came out of hiding: the Gold Lace Work Brooch, worn alongside her Pearl Stud Earrings and a double strand of pearls.

UPDATE: On the final day, The Queen presented prizes again, wearing the Aquamarine Clip Brooches. You can see photos at the Daily Mail. (With thanks to Jelena.)

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12 May 2016

The Duchess of Cornwall at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party for Barnardo's

I am here for any and all appearances of my favorite pearl choker from The Duchess of Cornwall's collection, so let's talk about today's garden party.

The Duchess of Cornwall, President, hosted a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to mark the 150th year of the Barnardo's charity, supporting vulnerable children and young people.
The Queen gave special permission in her birthday year for a few additional garden parties to be held, and this is one of them. By the way, in the photo above she's walking with designer Bruce Oldfield, who is the Vice President of Barnardo's. He's also the designer of this repeated pink suit, which is great because it brings out appearances of a) this necklace that I love, and b) one of her more fabulous Philip Treacy hats.

"C" Charm Necklace Underneath
Barnardo's Pin

Photos: The Royal Family
The Queen wasn't present for the garden party, but she was well supported by Princess Alexandra of Kent (wearing a pearl choker of her own) and The Duchess of Gloucester (skillfully using some ruby clips to tie the color of her hat into the rest of her outfit). 

 
(Oh, and The Queen herself? She was in casual mode at the Windsor Horse Show today. The show usually brings a few such sightings, so we'll round 'em up later on. Sunday will be the big birthday show, for which she and The Duke of Edinburgh will be accompanied by The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.)
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10 May 2016

Parliamentary Addresses and Buckingham Palace Garden Party

The Queen hosted a reception for representatives from Parliament on the occasion of her 90th birthday, where Humble Addresses from the House of Commons and the House of Lords were presented to Her Majesty.
 For more: Zimbio gallery.

So much talk of politicians - who said what, who wasn't there - but we're here to talk about Her Maj and her fabulous brooch selection. Two fabulous brooch selections for the day, in fact. Prince Albert's Sapphire was also her choice when she attended a cabinet meeting during the Diamond Jubilee year.


Engagement and Wedding Rings 


Later, The Queen and other members of the Royal Family hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
For more: Zimbio gallery.

This is the first garden party of the year for The Queen (Princess Alexandra hosted the actual first one over the weekend), and this is the perfect garden party ensemble. I love this outfit, and it's a nice background for the Flame Lily Brooch.

(Funnily enough, this was apparently just a day to get caught on camera saying the truth of what's behind the diplomatic front. The Queen was heard to remark on the rudeness of the Chinese officials at last year's state visit.)


The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke of York, The Countess of Wessex, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra of Kent were also present. The Countess of Wessex wore Emilia Wickstead, The Duchess of Gloucester wore an intriguing set of jewels, and Princess Alexandra wore a favorite brooch not unlike The Queen's own Six Petal Diamond Flower Brooch.
Royal Family Twitter
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07 May 2016

Flashback: The Wedding of Princess Margaret and The Earl of Snowdon, 1960

The Queen’s outfit for the wedding of her sister, Princess Margaret, and Antony Armstrong-Jones on May 6, 1960 was in some ways a departure from her usual outfits – and, ultimately, would mark a departure from a certain style of royal dress codes.
Norman Hartnell dressed the bride in her sublime white gown (which you can read more about here) and dressed her reigning sister in an ensemble designed to complement. (He also, of course, dressed all of the rest of the principal women of the Royal Family, because he was indeed the royal couturier extraordinaire). Taking a step away from the elaborate embroidery that often adorned Hartnell’s full-length outfits for The Queen, the dress is simple turquoise blue silk taffeta and silk tulle with guipure lace on the top and down the back. Lace also adorns the matching bolero jacket. The hat was topped by roses as a nod to Princess Margaret Rose.
Royal Collection Trust/Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen’s jewelry marked the formality of the occasion. Two larger strands of pearls, the larger version of her pearl and diamond button earrings, and a bracelet and watch were worn, as well as the True Lover's Knot Brooch. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother came decked out in some of her favorite pieces: the Greville Peardrop Earrings, Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Parure Necklace, and a brooch.
Princess Margaret’s wedding was the last such occasion for which the royal women would wear long day dresses. Even then, it was already slightly less formal than it had been for The Queen’s own wedding in 1947, where the women also wore their order sashes. This type of dress code, once rather common among royal houses for special day events, has continued to die out over the years. But it still lives on in some monarchies: the Danish, Spanish, Dutch, and Japanese houses are among those who keep this modern sort of court dress for certain occasions.

This outfit is currently on display as part of the exhibit Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The exhibition is the largest display yet of The Queen's fashion, and runs at Holyroodhouse from April 21 - October 16, 2016, at Buckingham Palace from July 23 - October 2, and at Windsor Castle from September 17 - January 8, 2017.
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06 May 2016

Berkhamsted School Visit and Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen, Patron, visited Berkhamsted School, Hertfordshire, to celebrate its 475th anniversary.

A perfect brooch selection, this is - in color, style, and size. Well done, Your Maj.



May 5: The Queen received the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, for a private audience at Buckingham Palace.

Another audience, another brooch staple.

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04 May 2016

The Duchess of Cornwall's Magic Alhambra Malachite Necklace and Earrings

The Duchess of Cornwall, an avid Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry collector, unveiled a new addition to her collection in May 2016.
Embed from Getty Images
At a reception for British Oscar winners, The Duchess of Cornwall debuted a striking necklace and earring set in Van Cleef & Arpels' Alhambra motif. A staple of the famed Parisian jewelers since 1968, the clover-esque motif has been interpreted in many different designs and materials. The pieces worn by The Duchess use vibrant green malachite to fill in the quatrefoil shapes, which are framed with gold and connected by gold chains.
The Duchess' necklace has multiple strands and could be one of the longer models, wrapped around more than once. When the malachite version of the design was reintroduced in 2013, necklaces from both the Vintage Alhambra collections (which uses motifs of the same size) and the Magic Alhambra collections (using varying sizes) were released. Camilla's version is from the Magic Alhambra collection, with motifs of multiple sizes.
A long Magic Alhambra necklace (left), and a double strand Vintage Alhambra Necklace (right)
The Duchess has either a long necklace wrapped around twice, or a double strand necklace, which looks more likely. The retail version of the long Vintage Alhambra necklace, as an example, includes 20 motifs and is listed for $17,600 currently; 10 motif versions are also available.

 
Camilla's malachite earrings are also from the Magic Alhambra collection, featuring three motifs each. The earrings are listed for $9,350 currently. She also owns this earring design in the diamond and white gold version, which we first saw in 2012. I've always loved those earrings for being among the few long enough to be seen from underneath her hair, and the malachite is such a fun addition to her collection. With its bright color and plentiful striations, this is a stone with a lot of personality.


Appearances:
24 May 2016: Visit to Northern Ireland
4 May 2016: Reception for British Academy Award Winners

Photos: Getty Images/ITN screencaps/Van Cleef & Arpels
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Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen received Baroness Scotland at Buckingham Palace, on her appointment as Commonwealth Secretary-General.

Back in London after Easter Court at Windsor, and back to a Cullinan. Not bad.
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