Mathilde was a princess at the time of Charlene Wittstock and Prince Albert’s wedding in 2011, but she brought the queenly style in a big way. We are going to do two ensembles today, her ballgown for the after-party and her dress for the daytime wedding. Mathilde, perhaps mindful that she was in Monaco, decided it was a double Armani type of event.
The Facts
The wedding was held in hot, sunny Monaco in high summer. The ceremony was outside, at 5:00 p.m., and the wedding invitations specified hats for the ladies, not tiaras. That threw some of the guests for a loop, because a cocktail dress and a hat is not an easy ensemble to put together. Even though the wedding was held in the party happy Mediterranean locale, it was a Catholic, religious affair, so some decorum in dress was required. Mathilde approached this challenge with with a structured purple Armani, which she zhuzzed up with a waterfall brooch. Her grey accessories are a nice touch.
The party after the wedding required evening dress and tiaras. The Armani gown was done up in a shiny waterfall of saturated rose/purple/pink (depending on the light). The band across the bodice gave her more structure in her upper body, and the ballgown skirt is pure princess. She accessorized with the Laurel tiara, which was her one tiara to that point.
Weigh in on the Wedding Ensembles!
The Case for the Dress (es)
The Bag: She did very well for the day. I like when some detail is added to her neck/shoulder area, because it helps balance out her figure. The capelet is used to its best effect here.
LiL: I’m okay with them. The extra frou at the shoulders helps to balance her hips, draw the eye up, and helps to minimize her short waist. For those reasons alone I’m willing to overlook a few fit issues.
OC: The day dress is Mathilde. Classic, muted colors with an heirloom piece of jewelry. The night dress is ALL Monaco. I think she presented herself well in a somewhat awkward dress code.
The Case Against the Dress (es)
The Bag: You will see me in both camps today, I’m afraid. The shine on the evening gown is just simply too much for me, even with the fact it’s Monaco, the place to put on the glitz.
The Case of the Split Vote
LG: Day Dress: fab color and fit, but not loving the way the cape was done. Looks odd to my eye. But I LOVE the evening gown! Is it a bit shiny, sure, but for a Monaco event, I’ll let that slide.