I find the appearance of the Spanish royal couple quite disappointing. For a State dinner, the King could have worn a uniform, or at least black tie.
Regarding the Queen, I find the dress quite puzzling. The bottom part of it, with its silver embroideries, is really beautiful and enhances Queen Letizia's slim silhouette. But the top part looks like the blouse any normal middle-class lady could wear during her working day. It is not ugly in itself, but really not appropriate for a Queen during a State dinner... It looks like if the Queen had chosen a few clothes at random in her wardrobe, and mixed them without thinking about the visual result...
As for the Queen's jewels, I regret the lack of bigger jewels. The diamond earrings and the bracelet are nice, but I would have expected more... I understand that Queen Letizia may not be a jewels addict, but wearing a necklace and/or a brooch would have done no harm. The Royal Family owns quite a lot of small or medium-sized necklaces (either antique or modern) which would not be overwhelming for Letizia's small frame, but would underline (even in a understated way) her new regal position... (these jewels are probably Queen Sofia's property, but she would certainly not refuse to lend some of them to the new Queen, as she had already done with Letizia when she was Princess of Asturias).
And the argument of Spain's economic situation does not really convince me. Of course, the Royal Family could be blamed for if they spent thousands and millions of euros in buying new jewels. But I suppose the vast majority of Spanish people can understand that wearing jewels which are commonly known to be already in the royal collection does not cost a single cent to the Spanish taxpayer... Nobody in Spain has blamed Doņa Sofia or Doņa Letizia for wearing grand jewels during the recent State visit of the Mexican President... I am even sure that the Spanish citizens themselves expect their King and Queen to show up in style when attending ceremonies of a high level of protocol...
--Previous Message-- : Now I see them, thanks for the HQ pics. The : bracelet seems to hace a style conection : with the prussian tiara, the vertical : daimond bars, very nice, thanks!!!!!!!! : : --Previous Message-- : Thank you Cristina. How could I have : forgotten : that HM wore these earrings for her wedding! : Thank you for clarifying which jewels she : wore for the Inauguration. My memory is : obviously not as good as it used to be. : : --Previous Message-- : Thank you for the link to the HQ images, : Cristina! : : I really like both the earrings and the : bracelet. The earrings are small enough for : her delicate features, yet substantial : enough to make a statement, and the bracelet : has the perfect "cool" : contemporary look for Queen Letizia (but : then, I also much prefer the Prussian tiara : to the floral tiara on her). : : Perfect choice of gown, I think, : effortlessly elegant, restraint and : glamourous at the same time, and the best : imaginable counterpart to Lalla Salma's : Maghrebinian opulence. Impressive! : : : : : : :
on July 15, 2014, 1:53 pm, in reply to "