Tonight, the Diamond Jubilee concert outside of Buckingham Palace took place. Sadly the Duke of Edinburgh was hospitalized earlier and missed out, but – cliché as it may be – the show must go on. And it was a wonderful show indeed, culminating in a touching speech by the Prince of Wales and some cheering for the absent Philip. And then there were the fashions, so long as you don’t mind judging from a seated position…
Best Dressed
Queen Elizabeth
Leave it to Her Majesty to show up despite whatever else is happening looking like a boss in her Admiral’s Boat Cloak (immortalized in portraits by Cecil Beaton and Annie Leibovitz). She tossed it off when it was time to hit the stage to reveal the sparkling gold lamé party dress underneath. Elton John still out-sequined her but, you know, some competitions aren't worth entering. For the cloak alone she wins the fashion stakes.
Best Dressed Guest
Princess Beatrice
Apart from the queen, the royal that caught my eye the most was Beatrice, believe it or not, in her bright Erdem print. Just enough interest and fun for a (royal) rock concert.
Best Use of Union Jacks
Princess Eugenie
Still sporting the Union Jack manicure we saw at the Derby, Eugenie accessorized with a flag ring and a red dress – subtle, but still fun. Well played.
Worst in Repeats
The Countess of Wessex
I love me some Sophie and she has some stunning numbers in her closet. So I’m particularly baffled as to why we saw her Paris dress repeated yesterday and now this shapeless white number repeated from the sovereigns' luncheon (just in case you didn’t catch that it was palazzo pants before…now you know). Please, please, let us be in for something shiny and new at the service tomorrow.
Best in Meh
The Duchess of Cambridge
Left to right: the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall
Well enough done, ladies, I guess. I’m not finding much memorable here (saving some sartorial magic for tomorrow, perhaps?), so…eeny, meeny, miny, mo, I’ll give it to Kate for her flag-waving prowess.
Best in Funk
The Princess Royal
For those of you that couldn’t watch the concert, I feel it is my duty to inform you that Anne here was rocking out to Stevie Wonder (while possibly wearing something left over from her maternity years, but never mind that), and it was basically the best thing ever. That is all.
Best Spot in the Crowd
Zara Phillips
There's plenty of other Where's Waldo? royal spotting to be had as loads of members of the extended family can be glimpsed in the royal box, but my personal favorite was Zara. I just love a little touch of Zara in any capacity, really.
