Best of the Tasteful Near Misses
Princess Gisela of Saxe-Gessaphe
Left to Right: the Margravine of Baden, the Hereditary Princess of Baden, Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen, Princess Gisela of Saxe-Gessaphe, the Duchess of Braganza, Lady Nicholas Windsor
Most of the ladies in attendance at this wedding were nice and dignified, which is always good to see. But a few just missed the mark by a bit, these ladies included. The Margravine of Baden wore the same thing she wore to the Monaco wedding, except she added that belt (oh, so close!), and her daughter-in-law the Hereditary Princess had all the components of a successful ensemble (but the colors just miss!). The mother of the groom, Countess Donata, came in an excellent green dress, paired with red accessories (Christmas in August!). The Duchess of Braganza is terribly cute, but as usual she's dressed several decades older than necessary (she's only 44!). Lady Nicholas Windsor is pretty in purple, but that's pretty much a turtleneck tucked into a skirt (anticlimactic!). The prize, though, goes to Princess Gisela, for her taffeta take on a wrinkled bathrobe. (Wow.)Worst of the Costumes
Princesses Louisa and Dorothea Orsini
L to R: Princess Susann of Prussia, the Duchess of Castro, Princess Louisa Orsini, Princess Dorothea Orsini, Duchess Elizabeth in Bavaria, Countess Sandra Bernadotte
Some were dignified...and some came dressed for costume parties of varying themes. Duchess Elizabeth selected a Flintstones Safari theme, Countess Sandra went for a Minnie Mouse look (not helped by the fact that she looked so incredibly wee next to her husband!), and Princess Susann opted for the Detract From Your Hair motif. None of them hold a candle to our favorite perpetually themed Duchess, Camilla Castro, and her Pirates of the Caribbean 4 costume...but even she can't compete with sisters Louisa and Dorothea, and their courageous interpretation of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Go to a Royal Wedding theme. Thus, they shall share this "honor".
Best Dressed
The Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe
L to R: Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan, Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma, Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, Princess Ursula of Bavaria
Returning to the classy and elegant...you can never go wrong with Sarvath, Sibilla, and Ursula. Carolina and Margarita are injecting a welcome shot of color (plus, I just love that Margarita always turns up in her wedding best. She always seems so enthusiastic!). My favorites were Kelly and Nadja, the Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, whose navy ensemble wins it by a hair.Most Fascinating Headgear
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
L to R: Countess Tamara von Nayhauss, Princess Katharina of Hohenzollern, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Archduchess Gabriela of Austria, Archduchess Eilika of Austria, Countess Sophie von Schönburg-Glauchau
And some humor to finish us out: those that fall into the "fascinating millinery" category. Tamara, Katharina and Sophie are all good until you get to the top. And then, suddenly, Tamara turns into a synchronized swimmer; Katharina turns into a shooting star or something else of an exploding planetary nature; and Sophie...well, that's a rainbow, friends. The dual Archduchesses of Austria make the category for different reasons: the overwhelming pinwheel nature of Gabriela's hat, and the underwhelming modesty of Eilika's headband. (The Habsburgs must still be in mourning for Archduke Otto, who passed away at the beginning of July - they wore black for all the wedding events.) But nobody - NOBODY - competes with the Russian Diva Supreme, Maria Vladimirovna. She's back at it, and that kokoshnik is an awfully overt way to stake one's claim to the Russian throne. (Also: the bow! And: the shoes!)
Who made your best- and worst-dressed lists?
P.S.: Stay tuned for the outfits from the evening gala!
Photos: Getty Images/Reuters Pictures/Daylife/a11/ZUMA Press/PPE