Finalist Miss Sweden Universe 2011

Photos :

Photo Credit : Miss Sweden Website

Road To Miss USA 2011

Check Photo Jamie Lynn Crandall, Miss Utah USA 2011

Photo Credit : Miss Utah USA Website

William and Catherine Royal Wedding: The Royal Family Red Carpet!

La Reina y everybody else...and THAT FABULOUS Hat Princess Beatrice wore!!!

Continuing with my "Royal Wedding Red Carpet Report", I couldn't leave out the Royal Family of course...Let's begin with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I expected her to be in a soft pastel but no, kids, she went ALL OUT COLOR, wearing a primrose wool crepe coat and dress from Royal Dresser Angela Kelly. Kelly has been The Queen's personal designer/stylist/wardrobe coordinator for about 17 years and in 2006 was recognized with the honor of becoming a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.

Primrose Queen: Queen Elizabeth II

The color was outstanding in that it made her presence known. And surely, NO ONE could miss her--even the kids watching from the farthest of bleachers! She has stated that she wears bright colors to these events with large audiences, so that everyone can spot her. She accessorized it with the stunning Queen Mary's True Lovers Knot brooch (how appropriate!) and also wore a matching hat, her ever-present pearls and of course, her handbag.

The Fashion Girls Have Arrived: Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice of York

The Younger Royals were well represented in terms of fashion with Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York, daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York. Both girls have become quite the Fashionistas and were expected to be "giving" fashion with a Capital "F". Eugenie (the younger of the two, on the left) wore a Vivienne Westwood fitted multi-colored jacket and poufy silk taffeta skirt and Jimmy Choo shoes. Beatrice, on the right, surprised a lot of fashion insiders by not wearing a British brand and in fact, choosing to wear...

Valentino Haute Couture Spring 2011. How a 23 year old university student can afford to buy Couture (that hand-made custom ordered coat-dress probably costs in the vicinity of $25,000. Not kidding) is questioned but then again, she is a Princess so I'm sure she's got a "Princess Checking Account". Incidentally, Beatrice is FIFTH in line of succession for the Royal Throne of SIXTEEN independent states: Hello!

Chapeau Divas: Princess Eugenie and Beatrice of York, in Philip Treacy

I thought Beatrice's Valentino Haute Couture coat-dress was elegant, timeless and appropriate for a Royal Wedding. And--more importantly--made a perfect canvas for THAT over-the-top Philip Treacy hat! I LOVED it! I'm sure there are "haters" who just "didn't get it" but huney, you've got me in your corner darling! Kudos to Philip Treacy and Kudos to her for having the inner-drag Queen Fabulousness, to wear it! Oh yeah, I liked Princess Eugenie's chapeau as well...

Their father, Prince Andrew, Duke of York looked great in uniform...

As well as their Uncle--and Father of the Groom--HRH Charles Prince of Wales and heir apparent.

Who Looked Best? Carole Middleton or HRH, the Duchess of Cornwall

Mother of the Bride, Carole Middleton was quietly elegant (maybe too quiet for my taste) in a pearly blue wool crepe coat and silk shantung day dress by Catherine Walker, a favorite designer of the late Princess Diana. The coat featured matching satin piping and braiding at the waist and sleeve hems. Her hat was created by milliner Jane Corbett. It was the perfect "Mother of The Bride", simple, serene. But part of me wanted just "a little more". Next to her, is HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who looked slightly more fabulous in a champagne-colored silk box-pleated coat and duck egg blue-and-champagne silk dress designed by Anna Valentine. Her hat was by Philip Treacy.

Princely Chic: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex with his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex

Sophie, the Countess of Wessex had her ensemble custom made by British Designer Bruce Oldfield, and supposedly paid full price for it (estimated at approximately 6,000 pounds according to some sources), according to the UK tabloids--and good for her! (and Oldfield--no freebies darling!!). LOVED the sleeve embroidered detail and the horizontal seaming in the jacket at the torso-bust.

And last but not least, we have Princess Anne, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and aunt to the groom, Prince William. Bless her heart--she wore a flower-printed lilac and lime green coat with large cuffs and a purple silk taffeta dress underneath. It was kinda too EIGHTIES/early NINETIES for my taste (those fold-up cuffs! Hello!). The hat and swooped-up hairstyle, dated--as well as aged-- her. On a positive note: Her figure under all that looks GREAT!

William and Catherine Royal Wedding Guests Red Carpet Fashion Report: Part 2!

Westminster Abbey Red Carpet Continues...

Proper Becks: David and Victoria Beckham

Footballer and all-around HUNK, David Beckham--and his wife Victoria--were "special guests" of William and Catherine and EVERYONE was awaiting their arrival. They stood with the rest of the invited guests in the "You Are Not Real Royalty" line--it's like an "Economy Class" Airport Security Line (as opposed to Premium Class). Needless to say, they acted and looked very Posh & Proper.

David, always a dandy when it comes to style looked handsome in his Morning Suit with top hat and silver satin cravat. Although many are docking him style points for apparently wearing his Office of the British Empire Medal on the wrong lapel!! Que Horror!

Besides those SKY HIGH Stilettos (hello, isn't she like 6 months pregnant??), Miss Victoria wore...

A tent-like dress from her own Victoria Beckham Fall/Winter 2011/12 Collection, seen above on the runway in brick red. Hers was a dark (almost black) navy blue. Her hat was from Philip Treacy. I really thought Mrs. Beckham was going to wear a "Va Va Voom" fitted dress that she would have had custom made to fit her growing tummy. But nope, she went the comfy route.

The Other Queen: Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish

Sir Elton John and David Furnish also went the Posh & Proper route, both choosing to wear elegant Morning Suits--as was suggested...strike that!... REQUIRED, in the Wedding Invitation. Many people expected Miss Elton to be all crazy and wear a fuchsia Versace suit but really kids, he hasn't done that in years and he knows that a Royal Wedding is NOT the place and time for that. I liked how Elton was the one giving you hints of color with his lemon yellow waistcoat/vest and violet tie. Proper...but with a "twist".

Cobalt Lady: Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

Socialite, "It Girl", TV presenter and all around "British Paris Hilton" TPT (as she's dubbed in the UK) wore cobalt blue HEAD TO TOE, with her dress matching her hat, gloves, shoes and clutch. When I first saw her on TV lining up in that "Economy Class Westminster Abbey Line", I was like "WHO is Miss FIERCE???". Leave it to Tara to not want to blend in. No pastels or blush colors for her, darling! I think she's FAB! I love women who KNOW they have an "Inner Drag Queen" and aren't afraid to use it! Especially at Royal weddings! How did she get invited again???

Swedish Class: Crown Princess Victoria in Elie Saab Spring/Summer 2011--and her husband, Prince Daniel of Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (she's going to be Queen someday!) was one of my favorite royals at the William & Catherine Wedding. She looked every inch a "modern/next generation" princess. No fussy suits, no coat-and dress combination. Nope, just a sexy, side gathered salmon-colored dress from Lebanese designer Elie Saab and a variation on a dress from his Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2011 Collection. A wide brimmed hat and matching shoes finished off her look. Why, though, is there something about Daniel that makes me want to slap him upside the head? Like a student who's trying to get one over on me...that's what he reminds of...Just sayin'

The New Grace Kelly: Prince Albert of Monaco with his fiancée, Charlene Wittstock

And then there's Prince Albert's fiancée, the statuesque Charlene Wittstock, who was born in the former British colony of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Their upcoming nuptials on July 2, 2011 is THE next "Royal Wedding of The Century" in case you wanted to know and Armani is designing her wedding gown. Until then, we can all live in the splendor that is Charlene above as she arrives--Prince in hand. Dove-gray princess seamed coat, stand-up Peter Pan collar, gloves, clutch, nude heels and sleek wide-brimmed hat. Her mother "done taught her right". She knows what it takes to look like a Royal darlings. Seriously.

William and Catherine Royal Wedding Guests Red Carpet Fashion Report: Part ONE!

Reporting From the Royal Red Carpet...

Viva España: Queen Sofia, Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain

First up on my "William and Catherine Royal Wedding Red Carpet Fashion Report" is the Royal House of Spain. Queen Sofia of Spain wore a mauve-colored silk taffeta suit with jeweled button accents and stand-up shawl collar. I think she looked great; loved the color! And as always, she has her pashmina shawl which she never leaves her Palace without! Her son, Crown Prince Felipe, dashing in uniform and Princess Letizia...

Wore a pleated mousseline blush-colored dress by designer Felipe Varela and matching shoes by Magrit. The dress was simple, understated and "Wedding Guest Appropriate". I would have loved to have seen a more dramatic hat however.

L'Afrique C'est Chic: Prince Seeison and Princess Mabereng of Lesotho

A good friend of Prince William and Prince Harry, Prince Seeison Bereng Seeiso of Lesotho was accompanied by his wife Princess Mabereng Seeiso, who wore a colorfully printed floor-length fitted "Mermaid"-style gown.

Takchita Couture: Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco

Princess Lalla Salma is the princess consort of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and she showed up sans her husband (but with some SERIOUS body guards!) to the Royal Wedding, in a traditional Moroccan caftan gown or takchita in silk organza, gold center front covered buttons and gold embroidered applique.

Dutch Royal Treats: Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of The Netherlands

Prince of Orange Willem-Alexander and his wife, Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands. Maxima wore a blush pink Chantilly lace dress featuring a "belted" waist tie and scalloped edges. Her "hat" was more of a turban/pillbox combination and very 1950's Retro.

Millinery Divas: Zara Philips and Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium

Two Royal Guests stand out for their fabulous Philip Treacy (of course!) creations. On the left, Zara Philips--only daughter of Princess Anne (Prince William's aunt)-chose a gunmetal colored hat of buckram with twisted side detail. On the right is Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium...

Seen above with her husband, Prince Philippe of Belgium, heir to that country's throne. She looks rather chic in an Armani Prive custom-made teal-blue satin "trumpet"-style dress and matching jacket that featured interesting waist-drape tie. The black asymmetrical ankle-strapped pumps are rather stupendous. Her hat: Philip Treacy. Her necklace: AMAZING!

Blue Boring: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was a disappointment for me. Usually HRH is the Go-to gal for KRAZEE florals and dresses and suits that an old Costume Designer who has retired to Boca would wear--and that's why I LOVE HER! But for William and Catherine's Wedding, she came rather conservatively dressed, in a lilac blue coat-and-dress ensemble. No prints, no KRAZEE. Boring. Even the hat did not excite me. At least, she had a winning smile which actually was the best thing she "wore"!

Wrinkled Duchess: Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

Another snooze-fest in terms of "Royal Wedding Red Carpet Fashion" was Maria Teresa, the Cuban born (yep!!) Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in the world. Wrinkled, ill-fitting and almost cheap-looking. The style of the dress and suit ensemble is better suited for--dare I say it--a commoner, as opposed to the Duchess of a country!

Miss Diva of Greece: Marie Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece & Princess of Denmark

On the other spectrum, leave it to Marie Chantal of Greece, wife to Prince Pavlos, to bring it when it comes to some fashion. Marie Chantal wore Chanel Spring 2011 Haute Couture darlings. A gray-lilac tweed dress with "spiderweb" hand beaded embroidery. Notice that her style has longer "glove length" sleeves. It is a Couture-ordering client's prerogative to change things a bit--especially when you are paying about $30,000 for a custom day dress darlings! Her flower-adorned hat: Philip Treacy.

For now, we'll end our "William and Catherine Wedding Day Red Carpet Report" with Prince Pavlos of Greece's father and mother--former King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie (she's from the Danish Royal Family, in case you didn't know). Both look quite handsome, elegant and Royal Wedding Appropriate, just the way exiled royals who have no country to rule should look like.

Nick Verreos on CNN International World Report TODAY Discussing Royal Wedding Fashion!!

ROYAL ALERT!!

Attention all ye Royal Watchers!! I am back on CNN International TONIGHT. If you haven't had enough of all things Royal, tune in to World Report to watch me Recap and DISH on all the Fashion at the Wedding of the Decade!!

Nick Verreos on CNN International's "World Report" discussing "William & Kate Wedding" Fashion

If you are in Europe, Asia, Africa or the Middle East and might still be celebrating the Royal Wedding, tune in to watch me at 1:45AM BST (4:45PM PST) on CNN International's "World Report" Program with Anchor Ralitsa Vassileva. I will discuss Kate's AMAZING Sara Burton Alexander McQueen Gown, HRH The Queen, David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, all the Philip Treacy hats...and much more!!

THE WEDDING DRESS: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge wears Sara Burton Alexander McQueen Wedding Gown

The Best Kept Secret Is Revealed...

Earlier today, Catherine Middleton became Duchess of Cambridge as well as a Princess when she married Prince William at Westminster Abbey in THE WEDDING of the Century!!! Of course, even though I was filming all day doing a "secret" project, and came home at 11PM, I stayed up until 4AM (that's when my body--and eyes--gave out) to watch it LIVE. There was no other way! As everyone else who was watching, I was waiting to see THE DRESS! And finally, the best kept secret in the World was revealed:
Miss Catherine Middleton’s--now Duchess of Cambridge--Wedding Dress was designed by Sarah Burton, Head Designer for the House of Alexander McQueen.What a coup for her and the British House of McQueen!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! It was elegant, classic, very 1950's with a strong nod to Grace Kelly's Helen Rose-designed gown when she wed Prince Rainer of Monaco.

Here are the notes from the Official Press Release:

Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing. Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.

The dress epitomizes timeless British craftsmanship by drawing together talented and skilled workmanship from across the United Kingdom . The dress design pays tribute to the Arts and Crafts tradition, which advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often Romantic styles of decoration. Ms Burton’s design draws on this heritage, additionally giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive, contemporary and feminine character.

The Veil: Made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil is held in place by a Cartier Halo Tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen.

TIARA DISH: The Halo Tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother-seen above) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday.

THE GOWN: Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace was used throughout the bodice and skirt, as well as the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same color. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.

The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The train measures two meters 70 centimeters (about 110 inches) from the waist. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen’s designs. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.

It seems to be a tradition for Royal Wedding Gowns to include TONS of lace, whether in the veil--or somewhere in the gown. It's very "Royal Mantilla-esque". I loved how exquisitely fitted the gown was (surprised how she could breath in that corset) but then the skirt section had a "hint" of a Ball Gown but not too "Disney Princess" like. She looked Picture Perfect!! Everyone expected her to go more fitted or closer to the body, choosing softer more "liquid" fabrications (Kate loves a draped jersey dress as we know!) but for this--her Royal Wedding--she went for a more structured, architectural almost--gown in a stiffer fabrications. But yet, it wasn't overwhelming and "Princess Diana-over-the-top" grand.

Her sister's, Philippa Middleton, dress was also designed and created by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. It is of a heavy, ivory satin-based crepe, with a cowl front and with the same button detail and lace trims as the Bride’s dress.

And was clearly inspired by this dress from the Alexander McQueen Fall 2009 Collection.

William and Harry, Dashing in Uniforms: Prince William wore a Scarlet Irish Guard Uniform to signify his honorary rank in the Irish Guards. Prince Harry--the Best Man--wore the uniform of the Captain of the Household Cavalry featured aiguillettes (ornamental braided cord), a cross-belt, and gold waist belt with sword slings--bot no sword, thank you very much!

The Pages and Bridesmaids:

The Page Boys wore uniforms combining a Guards’ Red Tunic with gold piping, featuring Irish shamrocks on the collars and buttons arranged in fours, denoting the Irish – or Fourth – Regiment of Foot Guards. The buttons feature the Harp of Ireland surmounted by the Crown Imperial. The breeches are ivory and are worn with white stockings and black buckle shoes. SOOO cute!!!

The Bridesmaids’ dresses were created using the same fabrics as the Bride’s dress (silk satin gazar). The ballerina-length, full, box pleated skirt gives the dresses a sculptural quality. They have all been hand-finished with delicate English Cluny lace, which is visible under the skirts, and FOUR layers of netting/tulle underskirt (to make the skirt stand out). The puff sleeves and neckline are trimmed with the same English lace as the Bride’s underskirt. The backs have been finished with the same button detail. As a special memento, the Bridesmaid’s name and the date of the wedding have been hand-embroidered onto the lining of each dress.

What an amazing display of Pageantry! Not a single missed step! Congrats to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!