Kristin Contino, Chief Reporter
This month I chose Princess Sofia’s gown at the dinner for the Nobel Laureates and the Duchess of Cambridge’s Christmas Day ensemble.
Sofia wore a bespoke gown by Swedish designer Ida Lanto, per The Royals and I. The pale pink gown featured a mix of light pink and darker pink floral embellishments on it and long, sheer sleeves. She added her wedding tiara and a pair of dangling amethyst and diamond earrings.
As for Kate, she chose a custom double-breasted mohair Catherine Walker coat with faux fur cuffs and collar for the walk to church on Christmas Day, according to What Kate Wore. She topped the look off with a green Sylvia Fletcher for Lock & Co hat she’s worn on previous engagements.
Embed from Getty ImagesKristin’s thoughts:
Sofia’s pink gown was absolutely my favourite outfit this month. I haven’t been truly wowed by a royal outfit in a while, but this was a true Disney princess sort of dress to me.
Kate’s Christmas outfit was classic old-school glamour with a 1940s vibe. It’s like something you’d see someone wear in a black-and-white Christmas film. Plus, I loved how she matched her hat to the colour of Charlotte’s coat and also integrated green in her Kiki McDonough green amethyst and diamond earrings.
Brittani Barger, Deputy Editor
Many didn’t like the Nobel gowns this year, especially on the night the prizes were awarded. However, I really liked the hot pink gown Princess Madeleine wore by Angel Sanchez. It was so flattering on her! She was also in my favourite tiara of all time on her – the Aquamarine Kokoshnik. That tiara makes her blue eyes pop, and I wish she would wear it more often!
Embed from Getty ImagesMy second choice was the purple blouse and grey skirt Crown Princess Mary wore on 9 December to open a new emergency centre at the Regional Hospital Viborg. It’s a sleek outfit that looks very poised and royal. The blouse and skirt are unknown, but hopefully, we find out who the designers are soon!
Brittani’s thoughts:
Not going to lie, one of the reasons I loved Madeleine’s gown is because it reminds me of one of my prom dresses (that I love to this day) that I had back in high school. It was the same colour and strapless – although, Madeleine’s wasn’t strapless. Hers was just made to appear that way which was a nice touch, I thought.
I think the reason I like Mary’s outfit so much is because it’s something I can really see myself wearing. It’s something anyone could wear to work or church. It’s very classical.
Heaven LeeMiller, Europe Correspondent
This month was difficult for me because nothing really stood out, and I was disappointed by the fashion at the Nobel Peace Prizes but I’m going to say Princess Madeleine at the Nobel Ceremony and Banquet (in the pink Angel Sanchez gown) and the Duchess of Cambridge at the Diplomatic Reception.
Heaven’s thoughts:
As I said, I was disappointed by the Nobel fashion this year, but Madeleine can sell anything to me. I was expecting more from her but she still looked so stunning! The gown fitted her perfectly and the colour was smashing. The Aquamarine Kokoshnik tiara is one of my favourite tiaras, and I think nobody wears it better than Madeleine so I loved seeing it. It was a bold choice to pair the aquamarines with such a bright pink but I think it worked. I also really loved her earrings.
I chose Kate’s outfit at the Diplomatic Reception because I loved how she chose a gown that was simple enough to be a background to her sash and orders as well as her jewels. The gown looked stunning on her, so well fitted and appropriate. But what made the look for me was the jewels, as I think was the intention. The tiara is not a surprise anymore, but I loved seeing her wear the Nizam necklace again, this time with an updo because it’s really stunning and the neckline of the gown really showed off the necklace. It was the perfect gown for the jewels. Maybe not as interesting as her other gala gowns that’s for sure, but it really let the jewels shine and that’s why I chose it.
Laura Faurot, Reporter:
My first choice is the custom gown Princess Sofia wore to the Nobel Prize Ceremony. The gown was the result of a collaboration between Swedish designer Emelie Janrell, Princess Sofia, and her stylist. It was an off the shoulder turquoise gown with balloon sleeves, and a sweetheart neckline. She paired the gown with a new pair of turquoise earrings by LWL Jewelry. Both the gown and earrings were designed to match and highlight the turquoise setting of Princess Sofia’s wedding tiara, which was debuted at the event.
Embed from Getty ImagesMy second choice is the Duchess of Cambridge’s Alessandra Rich gown that she wore for the special she and William did with Mary Berry. The dress has a fun pattern featuring petals and polka dots and is done in a festive red and white colour scheme. Kate’s was customised to have a bow on the neckline.
Laura’s Thoughts:
Sofia’s gown provided the perfect backdrop and the earrings the perfect compliment to the new tiara setting which was the star of the show. All of the different settings and the different ways Sofia has styled them have really established her tiara as a versatile one and Sofia’s signature tiara. We haven’t seen Sofia in turquoise a lot but it is a colour that sings on her. The soft updo was also a nice compliment to both the tiara and earrings.
Kate’s dress was so perfect for the setting. It was appropriately festive for a Christmas special but the print added a different flair to it. The choice to add a bow was a brilliant one. The bow works so well with an apron which we saw Kate in a lot during the special. And the apron was appropriately coordinated as the navy blue of the apron gave the whole look a subtle nod to the Union Jack.
