Well, I was in tears. When the Queen emerged from her limo, she shimmered.
She was in a white boucle coat with a ruched ribbon fastening, embellished with Swarovski crystals, designed by her redoubtable dresser, Angela Kelly, and a year in the making.
The only note of dishevelment was that her solid Launer of London handbag was open (Camilla soon told her to snap it shut); the sole sign of her advanced age a cashmere square for warmth later.
The choice of white was fitting, reminding us of the brilliance of diamonds, and a serene change from her usual vivid colour choice.
The Jardine Star brooch sparkled despite the rain, and she was also wearing her usual pearl Ladies of Devonshire earrings and necklace, a wedding present from Queen Mary.
Even Karl Lagerfeld, who hates women with a BMI and age above 15, wrote on Twitter: ‘For her role, and who she is, it is hard to imagine a different outfit the Queen could have sported better.’ She was, to put it simply, perfect.
It was the older women who shone on the day. The Duchess of Cornwall looked smart in a slightly floaty coat dress with lattice sleeves by Kensington couturier Anna Valentine and a Philip Treacy picture hat.
Carole Middleton was impeccable in a cream tailored summer suit.
Pippa was unusually frumpy in a prim nautical blue and white dress by Orla Keily (£345) and matching textured jacket (£295), completing the red, white and blue theme of the Middleton women.
Even the gruesome twosome, Eugenie and Beatrice, were understated. Beatrice wore a bespoke Fifties-style dress in silver and navy jacquard (£850) by my favourite London couturier, Suzannah, and a Stephen Jones hat. Her coat was Marni: a marvellously bohemian, and super expensive, Italian label.
Eugenie wore a Roland Mouret dress that sculpted her figure, a black, lacy bolero and a Stephen Jones hat. She also had a cream Moschino jacket in a military style. (Incidentally, Eugenie will be in a silk kaleidoscope dress in royal purple, also by Suzannah, for the thanksgiving service at St Paul’s tomorrow, a choice that tells me these young women have finally grown up.)
She was in a white boucle coat with a ruched ribbon fastening, embellished with Swarovski crystals, designed by her redoubtable dresser, Angela Kelly, and a year in the making.
The only note of dishevelment was that her solid Launer of London handbag was open (Camilla soon told her to snap it shut); the sole sign of her advanced age a cashmere square for warmth later.
The Duchess of Cambridge smiled as she waved to the crowds ahead of the Jubilee River Pageant. She joined her husband Prince William and the Queen on The Spirit of Chartwell
The choice of white was fitting, reminding us of the brilliance of diamonds, and a serene change from her usual vivid colour choice.
The Jardine Star brooch sparkled despite the rain, and she was also wearing her usual pearl Ladies of Devonshire earrings and necklace, a wedding present from Queen Mary.
Even Karl Lagerfeld, who hates women with a BMI and age above 15, wrote on Twitter: ‘For her role, and who she is, it is hard to imagine a different outfit the Queen could have sported better.’ She was, to put it simply, perfect.
It was the older women who shone on the day. The Duchess of Cornwall looked smart in a slightly floaty coat dress with lattice sleeves by Kensington couturier Anna Valentine and a Philip Treacy picture hat.
Carole Middleton was impeccable in a cream tailored summer suit.
Pippa was unusually frumpy in a prim nautical blue and white dress by Orla Keily (£345) and matching textured jacket (£295), completing the red, white and blue theme of the Middleton women.
The Queen arrives at Chelsea Pier in London, before boarding the royal barge to participate in the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant
A nice idea, but I’m afraid Kate, who took up the red mantle, needs to realise she has a new family, and should be complete and patriotic in her own right.Even the gruesome twosome, Eugenie and Beatrice, were understated. Beatrice wore a bespoke Fifties-style dress in silver and navy jacquard (£850) by my favourite London couturier, Suzannah, and a Stephen Jones hat. Her coat was Marni: a marvellously bohemian, and super expensive, Italian label.
Eugenie wore a Roland Mouret dress that sculpted her figure, a black, lacy bolero and a Stephen Jones hat. She also had a cream Moschino jacket in a military style. (Incidentally, Eugenie will be in a silk kaleidoscope dress in royal purple, also by Suzannah, for the thanksgiving service at St Paul’s tomorrow, a choice that tells me these young women have finally grown up.)
Chic: Pippa Middleton wore a classic navy and cream skirt suit for her appearance on the Elizabethan paddle steamer for today's flotilla. Pippa waved to crowds gathered on Battersea bridge as her boat passed underneath
A word, too, on the outdoor broadcast female TV commentators: why the oilskins and anoraks? If the Queen can get cold and wet, then so can you.
Even the normally glamorous Tess Daly was spoiled by a raggedy pony tail and gaudy jewellery that looked as though it came from Accessorize.
Richard E. Grant bothered to look impeccable, so shame on you all, ladies. Even the mums of Jubilee babies were up, dressed and wearing make-up and on the telly!
All eyes were, of course, on the Duchess of Cambridge, and I’m afraid she disappointed, from a fashion historian’s point of view.
Even the normally glamorous Tess Daly was spoiled by a raggedy pony tail and gaudy jewellery that looked as though it came from Accessorize.
Richard E. Grant bothered to look impeccable, so shame on you all, ladies. Even the mums of Jubilee babies were up, dressed and wearing make-up and on the telly!
All eyes were, of course, on the Duchess of Cambridge, and I’m afraid she disappointed, from a fashion historian’s point of view.
Elegant: (from left) The much-maligned Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie looked equally glamorous
Of course she looked exquisite, but that pillar box red dress was a customised design by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen from an off-the-peg version costing £1,195.
It should have been unique, and therefore should have been couture, not a lazy, hazy compromise.
But it did have a themed boat neck and was pinned with a brooch made of two silver dolphins, a gift from the Royal Navy submarines.
Unfortunately, the red blended with the Spirit of Chartwell’s soft furnishings — a fundamental mistake the Queen would never have made.
Kate’s svelte figure looked more curvaceous than usual, due to the nipped-in waist, fashionable peplum and sunray pleats.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at the 'Big Jubilee Lunch' in Piccadilly in London, left, and right, ophie Wessex arrives at Imperial Wharf, Chelsea, to board a vessel
This occasion will be viewed countless times, so Kate should have abandoned the rehashed and the High Street and gone for all-out bespoke glamour. I’d like her to look sexy and young while she still can.
The Queen, remarkably, stood for the whole journey. By Tower Bridge Kate, suddenly chilly, put on a wildly clashing Strathearn tartan scarf. She fiddled with her loose hair.
The young male royals have their uniforms; Kate needs to find hers. She is not quite ready to take the sartorial reins. She really should have pushed the boat out.
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