Welcome to our Defense of the Dress (DotD around here), where we argue the merits of royal dresses that are divisive. Today, we are throwing down with one of the granddaddies of divisiveness, Queen Sonja of Norway and her Big Bird gown.
The Facts
I actually don’t have many facts on this dress, as strange as it seems. Sonja has worn it oh-so-many times, and for oh-so-many years. I couldn’t even find the first outing of the dress, although it’s definitely been around at least 20 years. Sonja wore it at her combined sixtieth birthday celebrations with Harald.
The photos below are from Prince Carl-Phillip and Sofia Hellqvist’s 2015 wedding. I don’t have a designer or much information on the fabric. I chose to highlight this outing because we get to see it with Queen Maud’s Pearl and Diamond tiara, and there are plenty of well lit photos from that event, so you can examine it closely.
The Case For the Dress
LuckeyGirl: Yes…it’s yellow and eye-searing yellow at that. But for all the detractors (yellow, 20+ years old, etc.) I actually kind of like it. Would I like it more in a different color, most definitely; but this is definitely a gown that stands out, especially with the gorgeous Pearl Tiara. And as hard as it is for a color this bright, it looks quite good with Sonja’s coloring. So for lighting up our royal world (quite literally) I will defend this dress!
The Case Against the Dress
The Handbag: Oh, mercy. So yellow. So ruffly. Did I mention so darn yellow? Oh, it has its merits – the neckline is nice. I bet it’s fun and swishy and you can execute a nice twirl before you leave for the ball. Ultimately though, I have to come down and say that it’s time for the back of the closet with this one. I admire the woman wearing it, very much, she’s fit and has retained her figure for years. It’s the dress itself that is just darn tired.
OC: Honestly, I could go either way with this one. I’ve ultimately chosen Against because it’s time to retire this beast. It’s so distinctive that it hasn’t aged well. There is not one chance this style will go from quirky to classic and so I won’t be upset when it gets lost at the dry cleaners.
LiL: Hmmm…. It almost looks nice in that top photo. I think it suffers from her piling on all of the jewels these past few outings. Less clutter is the way to do this gown since it has so much going on already. So while I can’t exactly defend it along with LG, I can’t really go against it either. I think she should pass it on to M-L. She’d be able to do it justice, I think.