Category: Romania

Hofdame Bits and Bobs
Netherlands · Romania · Spain · Sweden

Hofdame Bits and Bobs

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We have a busy week coming up, but aren’t they all this time of year? We are reviewing some more bridal coats and wraps tomorrow, this time for second weddings. What If Wednesday is onboard, and we will talk about Empress Michiko’s evening wear in our Hall of Fame on Thursday.

As for the royals themselves, everyone seemed to be on the move, or preparing to move in the case of Will and Kate and their upcoming tour to Pakistan. Let’s move on ourselves….

Tours and Traveling

Victoria traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland, to participate in the 2019 Arctic Circle Assembly. She attended various events at the Assembly, and met with the President of Iceland, Gudni Johannesson and his wife Eliza Reid. For that meeting, she wore a new blue printed midi dress by Rodebjer, one of her go-to designers.

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🇸🇪🇮🇸 I dag fortsatte Kronprinsessans Islandsbesök med besök på landets energimyndighet och ”The Geothermal Training Programme of the United Nations University”. Där fick Kronprinsessan information om landets energisituation och de utmaningar och möjligheter som Island, övriga Norden och Europa står inför. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ På de geothermiska kraftverken Hellisheiði fick Kronprinsessan information om projektet Carbfix där forskare har utvecklat en metod för att lagra koldioxid i marken. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Efter en lunch hos Islands presidentpar besökte Kronprinsessan en anläggning där lågtempererat vatten omvandlas till ren elektricitet. Anläggningen drivs av isländska Varmaorka tillsammans med det svenska teknikföretaget @climeon. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📷: Pelle T Nilsson/SPA

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Rania and Abdullah recently visited Egypt on a trip designed to bolster trade relations between the countries. Rania wore a red belted crepe dress, an excellent color and length for her. The dress was a design by Andrew Gn.

I can’t seem to get enough of the brotherhood of WAX and Felipe. Felipe took a trip to the Netherlands last week to attend the opening of the Rembrandt Velázquez Exhibition in the Rijksmuseum. Last week in the B&B comments I posted a video of the two of them greeting each other, which was utterly charming. Here is the further photographic proof that this two really like each other. You also get a glimpse of the fascinating DNA room at Huis Ten Bosch, where the walls are said to represent the DNA sequence of WAX, MAX and Amalia.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

We don’t talk about her much, but that might be an oversight on our part. Margareta, the custodian of the Crown of Romania, traveled to the Netherlands to meet with the Dutch Red Cross. She, too, looks elegant in red.

This and That

Here is an interesting royal convergence – never would I think these two couples would be getting together, but why not?

Think twice before inviting a royal for the weekend! (H/T to geogirl)

Also from geogirl, check out the enormous blue diamond found at the Cullinan Mine in September. Over 20 carats, and rarer than snow in Memphis in June.

Mary and Frederik will attend the Japanese enthonement ceremony.

Charles has had a long tenure as Prince of Wales, and a new television show explores his work and his legacy.

What did I miss?

Britain · Romania · Sweden

Royal Wedding Gowns – Orange Blossoms

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Welcome our Royal Wedding Gown summer series, where we look at royal gowns from a different perspective. Today we’re taking a in-depth dive on gowns that are bedecked with orange blossoms.

Although no longer as common as they once were, historically, royal gowns made bounteous use of the blooms. They were considered symbols of both fertility and chastity, a dual message that is a bit boggling. “The Blossom” was also expensive and not easy to procure, which limited its use to those with means. Royals definitely had the resources to bedeck themselves in these powerful symbols.

Previous entries in this series include: Danish Heirloom Lace , Royal Wedding Venues, Venue Size and Scale, and Historical and Artistic References.

Bride: Elisabeth, Queen of Romania
Elisabeth of Wied was the Queen of Romania as the wife of King Carol I. She was a talented and flamboyant woman, known as much as for her literary endeavors (under the name Carmen Sylva) as she was for being royal. Her wedding dress was dramatic, big and heavily decorated with strands of orange blossom, threaded through the skirt and bodice.

Bride: Princess Maud
Princess Maud was a diverse character, described both as simply drop dead chic and terrifically rambunctious. For her wedding dress, she directed the designer, Miss Rosalie Whyte of the Royal Female School of Art, to design something simple and memorable. Her dress was woven in Spitalfields of pure white English satin. The square neckline was decorated with a full bow of mousseline de soie and orange blossoms, the skirt hem was trimmed with a ruche of chiffon and orange blossoms, and the bodice also sported a bow of mousseline and a cluster of orange blossoms.

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Bride: Victoria of Baden
Remember our lovely bride from the Baden post? It seems appropriate to see her again here, since she absolutely defines the word “festooned”, as in festooned in The Bloom. Neckline, veil, bodice and skirt are all decorated with orange blossoms.

Bride: Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria wore a wedding dress that was, well, fit for a Queen. Orange flower blossoms liberally decorated the skirt and the neckline in dense bunches. Victoria also started a trend by wearing a wreath of orange blossoms instead of a tiara over her veil.

Bride: Princess Alexandra of Denmark, later Queen Alexandra
The ultimate orange blossom wedding ensemble was worn by then Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Made of white silk satin (the silk was woven at Spitalfields), the dress was trimmed throughout the skirt and bodice with orange blossoms, myrtle and puffs of tulle and Honiton lace. Princess Alexandra wore a wreath of orange blossom and myrtle, and carried a bouquet of orange blossoms, to carry through the theme.

Modern Takes on the Tradition

The orange blossom tradition does continue, although as they have become easier to procure, their prominence in royal wedding dress has receded. Both the Queen Mother and the current Queen Elizabeth wore orange blossoms scattered throughout their wedding attire. The QM wore a wreath containing the flower and Queen Elizabeth’s dress was hemmed with the blossom. In 2013, Princess Madeleine decorated the base of her tiara with orange blossom, in a lovely nod to tradition.

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Which one of these best uses orange blossoms?
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