Category: Japan

Hofdame Bits and Bobs
Belgium · Britain · Japan · Monaco · Sweden

Hofdame Bits and Bobs

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Who knew November was such a busy royal month? Birthdays, feasts, appearances – the royals have been everywhere. Let’s get started.

The First and Last Words about Prince Andrew

We understand that The Handbag is a drama-free refuge for most of us. We will not be covering or mentioning Prince Andrew in posts while the serious allegations around him remain unresolved. We will continue to cover both Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, and of course, all other members of the British royal family.

The Hofdames really appreciate that our Community has not broached the topic of Andrew in the comments. We have had a couple of inquiries as to whether discussion about the clothing of Beatrice and Eugenie is allowed, and it is absolutely welcome as long as we stick to their fashion choices. We thank you all for your discretion and your continued support of this blog and its objectives. You all have been terrific.

Getty Weekly Photo Roundups

If you are reading here, we assume you like royals and you like photos. Getty links to some of the events of last week:

Emperor Naruhito performas Daijosai Rite
King Albert and Queen Paola celebrate King Philippe’s Birthday
Princess Charlene distributes Red Cross Christmas Gifts
Duchess of Cambridge Opens Nook Children Hospice

Mathilde

Queen Mathilde sometimes likes to sidle up to the sartorial crazy side and just embrace it. Here she wore a very complicated Natan coat ( I think I would need a set of step by step instructions just to put it on) during a royal visit to the ‘Institut du Sacre-Coeur’.

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I haven’t been able to find confirmation on the designer of this ensemble, but I would put money on Natan. The Queen was attending the opening of the 1st Congress of the International Mukwege Chair, a group dedicated to interdisciplinary study on the effect of sexual violence. 

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She repeated her Carolina Herrera blue lace dress in a joint appearance with Philippe.

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Japan

The banquets related to the enthronement continue in Japan.

Once of our classic princesses, Princess Hisako, has been insanely busy, including a lovely kimono outing. It is astounding how her good humor never flags.

Our Community Efforts

Our community members Iselen and Too Much Hemlock have submitted videos that are balm for the eyes.

From Iselen, a video about the clothing of Queen Sirikit of Thailand, who developed a new, traditional style for her 1960 royal tour of Europe and the United States. The fashion incorporated traditional Thai style and modern elements, many of which were designed by Balmain. You’ll also glimpse an enormous tiara and some European royals of the day. Enjoy the beautiful video of the beautiful Queen. More videos can be found here.

From Too Much Hemlock, here is an enchanting video on the wedding of the Duchess of Vendome, whose dress we covered a couple of weeks ago.

If you are looking to do some early royal-related Christmas shopping, you should check out The Crown Chronicles shop. Working in conjunction with artist Amelia Noyes, they have created a royal-themed collection in time for the holidays.

Book Nook

It’s in Swedish, but it might be worth learning to read the language! Princess Christina has written a book about her grandmother Princess Margaret of Connaught. The cover alone is intriguing, and apparently the book features conversations with Princess Benedikte and Queen Margrethe. Princess Margaret (Margareta) has descendants in the Swedish, Danish and Greek royal houses, and we have discussed some of the wedding traditions that continue on due to her legacy.

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Hofdame Bits and Bobs
Denmark · Japan · Spain · Sweden

Hofdame Bits and Bobs

The HandbagLeave a comment

If you missed our Remembrance post this weekend, you can catch up here. Let’s get moving into a new week, where we’ll see Chuck and Cams going on tour and a Koningsfeest (King’s Feast) in Belgium. We’ll proceed with our regular weekly schedule, with wedding dresses tomorrow and some What If Wednesday action, too.

The Plaid life

Back in the late 1980s, early 1990s, I owned a few plaid pant suits of my own, so I was interested to see they seem to be having a royal resurgence. Princesses Marie and Victoria put their own spins on the trend. Marie’s suit is by Maje, and Victoria is wearing a suit from a Swedish brand, Acne Studios.

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En særlig boggave bestående af en række af Prins Henriks litterære værker blev i dag for første gang vist offentligt frem på Mulernes Legatskole i Odense. H.K.H. Prinsesse Marie åbnede bogudstillingen på skolens bibliotek og fik samtidig mulighed for at møde de danske afdelinger af Alliance Française, der i dagens anledning var samlet på skolen. Prinsesse Marie takkede i foråret ja til at overtage protektionen af ”Alliance Française i Danmark” efter Prins Henrik og mødte dermed i dag for første gang medlemmerne af alliancen, der fortalte Hendes Kongelige Højhed om deres arbejde med at udbrede kendskabet til fransk sprog og kultur i Danmark. 📸 Kongehuset©️

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Tours

Speaking of Victoria, she and Dan made a two-day official trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina. They began with a visit to the Presidential council, attended a few meetings on smart cities, and toured the old town and Childhood War Museum. On the sartorial side, Victoria wore an Andiata suit during the first day activities, which I find very flattering. She opted for Quite A Pattern in the evening, in a dress by House of Dagmar.

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Mary!

Our Poppins Princess made some unusual choices last week, but they worked for me. She was in an educational mood, visiting Rødding Højskole, one of the oldest high schools in Denmark. She wore a swinging cape over a full skirt, but in her Mary manner was able to overcome all that fabric and look great. The skirt was by the Giuliva Heritage Collection and the blouse by CO. She went casual in a grey sweater with fitted black trousers for a visit to a boarding school. Style of Mary has all the details and more photos

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Den 7. november 1844 slog Danmarks første højskole dørene op til sit første elevhold, og i dag var H.K.H. Kronprinsessen med til fejringen af skolens 175-års jubilæum i Rødding i Sønderjylland. Rødding Højskole blev grundlagt som led i kampen for at bevare dansk sprog og kultur i grænselandet og for at forberede bønderne til at kunne deltage i det gryende demokrati. Ved arrangementet var der sang ved Sønderjysk Pigekor, officielle taler ved blandt andre formanden for Folkehøjskolernes Forening i Danmark og forstanderen samt elevindlæg. Derudover blev Kronprinsessen vist rundt i den ombyggede stald- og ladebygning, hvor det nuværende elevhold fremviste, hvad de arbejder med. Rødding Højskole er en almen højskole, der bygger på Grundtvigs tanker om livs- og folkeoplysning. Fra starten har det været en almen højskole med vægt på både uddannelse og dannelse. 📸 Morten Svane ©

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Letizia

Letizia and her boyfriend Felipe appeared at the closing ceremony of the 16th Congress of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language. That is a Zara split sleeve blazer, and it might signal a mini-trend since Camilla wore something similar recently.

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Masako

The Empress is finally through the round of enthronement activities. A long journey, and one that brought on a lot of emotion.

Sisters in Solids

Two of the Danish sisters were out and about this week, sporting some dashing solids. Queen Margrethe wore a gorgeous shade of purple (with her super snazzy BRIMMED hat, just recently seen at the opening of Parliament) to greet Germany’s foreign minister.

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So, let’s end with her sister, as is our wont. Princess Benedikte indulged in some very well dressed classic princessing at the Laugenes Show. The show is held at Moltkes Mansion, and showcases fashion and jewelry designers.

What did I miss?

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Random Royaling – Colorful Clothing from Lesotho, Japan and Jordan
Japan · Jordan · Lesotho

Random Royaling – Colorful Clothing from Lesotho, Japan and Jordan

The HandbagLeave a comment

Note: Due to some scheduling difficulties, the Hall of Fame post on Princess Margaret is scheduled for next week. We did update the Maxima post with her outfit from yesterday, which is a must see.

It’s been raining here for three days and my rain gauge says 4 inches have fallen. It’s getting colder, the six month winter gloom is starting to set in, and, to top it off, starting this weekend it will be dark from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Can you tell I need a shot of colorful clothes worn by beautiful people? In sunny places? I do – let’s go.

A couple of weeks ago in Bits and Bobs, I posted a photo of Princess Senate Seesio of Lesotho, wearing a tiara on her 18th birthday. She has also posted a series of photos from her birthday photo shoot, and I am in love with the blue dress. Also, for those of you who despair of the younger set ever taking up brooches, please note what is pinned to her shoulder.

The princess and her mother, Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso, posed for a photo on South Africa Heritage Day, held on September 24. It’s an interesting holiday, which is almost unknown in the U.S. The Queen and Princess are wearing traditional basotho blankets in beautiful colors.

Queen Rania is a consistent supporter of agricultural initiatives and, in particular, woman in farming. Recently, she visited the Kufrsoum Agricultural Cooperative Association of Pomegranate Producers. She wore a beautiful black dress, decorated with triangles, traditional in Northern Jordan. She has worn this shawl before, but this time I noticed that it is similar to the ones the women at the co-op are wearing. Maybe one of our community – ahem, Jane Maple – can tell us if it’s a traditional shawl from the region. More at Queen Rania’s Closet.

At the fourth court banquet for the Japanese Emperor’s enthronement, the Empress and princesses wore traditional kimonos. I love what the evening light does for these garments and in particular love the patterns on Princesses Tsuguko and Yoko.

Anyone who is on Twitter, and interested in the Japanese royals, should definitely follow Prisma. She replied to Wendy’s question with some beautiful photos.

Hope the color was what you needed, as well!

Hofdame Bits and Bobs
Bhutan · Britain · Denmark · Japan · Sweden

Hofdame Bits and Bobs

The HandbagLeave a comment

Madness is the only word to describe the last two weeks in the royal world. We are back to normal programming this week. We’ll have our second in the series of coats and capes wedding gowns tomorrow, What If Wednesday, and end with Princess Margaret in the Hall of Fame on Friday (line up those photos of ballgowns and tulle!). Onward to the week of regular royal duty.

Handbaggers Embiggen the Royal Reporting World

Our Handbaggers continue to enliven the online world of royal watching! Remember our Royal Warren(t)’s fabulous Chaumet photos? They are being highlighted over at The Court Jeweller! Head on over to learn more about the history behind the sparkles.

Our own Triple Duchess has a guest post this Thursday – not going to spoil the surprise – but you don’t want to miss it!

Geogirl is always on the hunt for things that might interest Handbaggers. She submitted this quite some time ago, but we have been so busy we haven’t posted it until now. Take a tour of Balmoral!

Inside the Duchy of Cornwall

The documentary which highlights the life work of Prince Charles is both touching and fascinating. I highly recommend it, both for an inside view of British country life, and for how a prince who remains an heir for 71 years fills his time. The answer is: quite productively. Part One is on YouTube, link below.

Regular Royaling

A lot of regular royaling went on, even during enthronement week. It’s a good thing Fred and Maz are fit, because they were right back at work, attending a dinner party with the American Chamber of Commerce. Remember this dress? The floral print Erdem was previously worn at Harald and Sonja’s birthday celebrations.

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I Moltkes Palæ i København deltog Kronprinsparrets i aftes i en festmiddag i anledning af det amerikanske handelskammer AmCham Denmarks 20-års jubilæum. Middagen var en fejring af de kulturelle og handelsmæssige bånd, der findes mellem USA og Danmark. Efter middagen overrakte H.K.H. Kronprinsen prisen ”Foreign Company of the Year” til den amerikanske biotechvirksomhed Amgen, der gennem videnskab, innovation og teknologi omdanner ideer og forskningsresultater til medicin til patienter med alvorlige sygdomme. AmCham Denmark (The American Chamber of Commerce in Denmark) er en nonprofit forening, der repræsenterer 260 virksomheder med investeringer i Danmark og USA. Foreningen blev etableret i 1999 og er en del af det internationale AmCham-netværk, der findes i mere end 100 lande. 📸 Pamela Juhl ©

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Talk about regular, King Harald flew commercial to the UK last week, practically undercover.

Regular Royaling does include sequins! Sils sparkled it up with two handsome escorts at the gathering of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) at Stockholm Concert Hall.

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I går närvarade Kungaparet och Prins Daniel vid Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademiens (IVA) högtidssammankomst. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ IVA firar i år 100 år och verkar för en positiv samhällsutveckling genom att främja tekniska och ekonomiska vetenskaper samt näringslivets utveckling. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Under högtidssammankomsten delade Kungen ut akademiens guldmedaljer till: ekonomie dr Hans Dalborg, professor Max Tegmark, civilingenjör Lena Olving samt Spotifygrundarna Daniel Ek och Martin Lorentzon. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ På kvällens bankett i Stockholms stadshus höll Kungen ett tal. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ”Ta bara några av de program som akademien bedriver: för fler unga ingenjörer, för ett starkare entreprenörskap, för en utveckling som är både ekonomiskt och miljömässigt hållbar. Vad är allt detta, om inte starka skäl att känna just hopp för framtiden? Mina damer och herrar. Jag har härmed framfört mina belägg för att denna hundraåring är både ung och lovande. Jag hoppas att ni håller med mig, och att vi tillsammans kan bekräfta detta med ett fyrfaldigt leve för Kungliga Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien!” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📷: Daniel Söderberg/IVA (bild 1, 3), Pelle T Nilsson/SPA (bild 2, 4-6)

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Even among Japanese royals, regular royaling went on. Princess Hisako at the J.League Levain Cup Final. I am in love with the blazer/necklace combination.

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Let’s End with Benedikte

This is becoming a bit of a mini-tradition, right? Princess Bene opened the headquarters of the Princess Benedikte Institute in Brazil. The Institute aids children who have been victims of sexual molestation or come from homes where drug addiction has made life impossible. Benedikte was particularly lovely with the small children. More at New My Royals.

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Random Royaling – Enthronement Bits and Bobs
Japan

Random Royaling – Enthronement Bits and Bobs

The HandbagLeave a comment

This is a gift that never stops giving, right? There’s been much chatter on Twitter about the jewels worn last week, and I know some of the same questions have arisen here. Also, a few of our favorites posted some previously unseen photos. So away we go!

Crown Princess Kiko and Queen Jetsun Pema

We have discussed what to call what Jetsun Pema wore to the banquet – a headband? A small tiara? A hair ornament? Regardless of what it is called, it is apparently part of the set including the earrings and necklace, according to an eagle-eyed Twitter observer named Lucas. Also, Kiko wore what the Order of Splendor termed The Japanese Crown Princess Scroll tiara, a nod to her change in status in the family.

I never have to have an excuse to post photos of such beautiful people. Jetsun Pema shared some images from the enthronement, and the glow goes on. There is a Gyalsey sighting – sort of a cherry on our ice cream sundae of happiness here.

The Sparkle Sisters, Mako and Kako

We didn’t focus on them during the actual ceremony, so I was chuffed to see the following tweets showing their tiaras from the first banquet. Princess Kako wore her Mikimito tiara and Princess Mako wore her own version of a scroll tiara.

Here are Princesses Mako and Kako at the second night of banquets. Look at their coordination, which is a change up from the sea of pastels we typically see on Japanese princesses.

Other Royals Wearing Cool Stuff

We debated who accompanied the King of Eswatini. It is reported to be Queen LaMashwama and here is a gorgeous shot of the modern necklace she sported. Also, a lovely tiara and huge brooch and necklace on the Raja of Malaysia.

For you foodies, more food, again at the second banquet.

I feel like the enthronement might be an event that we discuss for years!