Wonderful Weekends (Arcwhite Charity Photo Shoot)

Lady Arcwhite has called upon some of her most influential Royal friends to join her in a day of fun and dress up in aid of child welfare. The very stylish Lady Arcwhite commissioned another friend, Alison's Couture, to design seven awe inspiring dresses with her Royal friends in mind. The idea being that they all come together for a series of photos to be sold to raise funds for child welfare in each of the countries represented. Suffice it to say, the photos shoot was overwhelmingly spectacular and we hope it raises the much needed funds. 

Each Royal participant was also asked to make a donation in cash along with their time. However the day was totally worth it as the ladies got to "play" for a change and not just dress up for formality's sake. It also serves to boost the public profiles of our popular Royals as a full spread was done in the Mine Magazine. Let as take a look at this amazing event and see our Royals in a slightly more relaxed glamorous take on Royalty and their jewellery. 

Princess Oktavia, the "Punk Princess" rocked this edgy retro ball gown with her family rubies.

Specially designed like all the outfits, to compliment the wearer and her choice of jewels, this Alison original suited the Princess to a "T".

Grand Duchess Azantha, a personal friend of the designer got her favourite colour namely aquamarine blue.

Azantha paired the cool colour of the dress with deep pink, boldly complimenting the dress perfectly.

Lady Victoire of Champagne looked awesome in red. There isn't much more to be said.

The Champagne ruby collection includes one of the world's largest specimens in this brooch that was perfectly off-set by the amazing dress and beautiful Princess.

The lime light stealing Princess Kirsten exploded with colour complimenting her Art Deco amethyst jewellery. The colours are certainly very fun and fantastic unlike the sleek style we are used to see the Princess in.

The Youssopoff amethysts look like they have found their perfect stage in this dress.

The Shahbahnou of Perlistan hails from the Middle East and this dress is of a striking Arabesque inspiration in both fabric and design.

Our third set of rubies again is the perfect accompaniment for this clean cut dress.

The Crown Princess Imperial looked like an Empress but also like a superstar in this deep blue mermaid tail dress. If ever Royalty and Hollywood could be spliced this would be the look.

Imperial sapphires and glitzy blue dress shouted praises at each other that almost rivaled the wearer's blue eyes and broad smile.

Alison's Couture saved the lightning strike for the host of the event, Lady Arcwhite, who has never worn yellow in public and looked out of this world.

Black and yellow cannot help but evoke a "Queen Bee" effect and that Lady Arcwhite certainly can be at times and was for organizing this event to the benefit of thousands of children. We hope you our fans enjoyed it as much as we did and we thank our Royals and Alison for their time and effort in making this bright and beautiful event.

What's Up Wednesday (Christmas Ball 2014)

This year has come to a very relaxed end after some serious tensions that flared at some very controversial moments. Political fevers ran high during the Arcwhite Crisis and some eyebrows were raised during the execution of Empress Crystobel's assassin. We are truly happy that we can all kick back now and celebrate family and friends over this holiday season. As always the year-end brings a celebration but it was decided that this year should be toned down to family gatherings only. All the various Royal Families gathered for their own private events. Only the annual birthday ball will from 2015 be the single great royal gathering on the annual calender. 

Thus Royal Christmas Ball has come to an end but those private family gatherings that allow press coverage, will obviously be shared in depth on this blog. The Crown Prince Imperial and the Duke of Swann has allowed the cameras to document their 2014 family holiday dinner that took place yesterday evening. After lunch today the Royals will leave to spend Christmas Eve and Day in their respective homes. 

The Duke of Swann's private residence in Hanoveria, Schloss Scwhanstein, played host to the entire Imperial House of Aldarian which includes the Crown Prince Imperial, Duke of Swann, King of Syldavia, the Grand Duke of Hanoveria and their close family.

The Ball Room in the palace was sumptuously decorated for the event. The guests assembled here for cocktails and the press photo opportunity before entering the Banquet Hall for their private dinner that was not allowed press access. 

The Imperial Christmas Tree. 

The Duke of Swann and his cousin and heir, Prince Dillon awaited the arrival of their guests.

First to arrive was the Arch Duke and Arch Duchess of Fulco D'Este. The Arch Duchess, Princess Marie-Elizabeth, is the Duke of Swann's sister.

A rare moment as the Duke of Swann's brother, Prince Dennis, makes an appearance due to it not being a strictly official event.

The cousin of the Duke of Swann and the Crown Prince Imperial, Princess Kirsten and her husband the Prince Youssopoff arrived next.

Princess Augusta as usual, looked the part, for the event and her personality.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hanoveria struck a decidedly festive yet regal tone. 

The King and Queen of Syldavia.

The Duke of Swann also specifically invited the close friend of the family, the Seeress of Muren who debuted her daughter onto the public stage. The statuesque Alice Richter is tall and beautiful enough to shatter any modeling contract.

Finally as protocol demands, the Crown Prince Imperial and his wife, Princess Odeliah, arrive last looking toned down but totally in character.

Dressed in black, the Crown Princess Imperial looked great.

The three cousins pose for a unique photo opp.

The family pose for a group photo. 

Chats and mingling before dinner saw Prince Dillon take a keen interest in speaking to the Seeress and her daughter. 

Alice Richter, a shining new star, stole the show at this decidedly private affair. We wish our Royals a restful holiday season and a very prosperous 2015. 

Memory Monday (Style Icons Part 4 Princess Kirsten Youssopoff)

We finally return to our "Style Icons" for the first time in over a year with today's installment. We might not share one every week but plan on doing a few over the next few weeks.

Her Royal Highness Princess Kirsten, the Princess Youssopoff may truly be considered a style icon. She joins our list among our previous notaries, Queen Maria of Hispania, Princess Augusta and Princess Xenia of Wallachia. We aim with these posts to give a broad view over several years of the particular Royal's individual expression of identity through their unique taste in fashion.

As a young Princess, Kirsten was born to wealth and privilege as a member of the ruling House of Hanoveria. One might say she was born to style and good taste with nothing to prove as well being a high ranking Royal in her own right. She had the freedom and means to be who she felt like being and her sense of duty and the responsibility of setting an example was clear. In the above pictures we see the young Princess as she stepped out into the public scene. As left the 2009 engagement of her cousin the Crown Prince Imperial and at left the wedding of the same saw her wearing family jewels and keeping within the bounds of moderation and dress code. During these early years she did not make big splashes but also did not fail to turn the odd head. Her style was fresh but did not take any risks. 

Not unscathed by tragedy, the Princess faced the hardship of losing her father to an assassin's bullet and herself required plastic surgery a few years later after surviving one herself. With a help of the surgeons knife and her own coming of age gave us a Princess with  radiant beauty and a seemingly new found defiant confidence. These years before her eventual marriage saw the Princess attack the red carpet with a vengeance and she was quoted to say: "A bullet cannot hit its mark in the face of a blinding glare'.  Her style obviously bolder style became more sophisticated but remained within the bounds of good taste.

The inevitable came in the form of one of the wealthiest Royals in the world. Prince Felix Youssopoff, and his vast resources, was what it was going to take to harness Kirsten. The loving and exuberant match was obvious for all to see and the engagement and wedding took place in 2011. Even though her wedding dress was more "poofy princes" than expected, the effects of her marriage on her fashion sense was to make more than a few ripples on the style Richter scale.

The first event attended by the new Youssopoff Princely Couple was diplomatic, official and a front page affair. The Investiture of Queen Gloria of Normandia saw Princess Kirsten and her husband representing the Ruskian Imperial Dynasty. This required strict protocol adherence but also afforded her an opportunity to be put on the map like never before. Kirsten dropped a style bomb that hit the sweet spot like none other. With this gold Barbie International couture design and the sleek Youssopoff Comet Parure she was second only to Queen Gloria as an attention grabber. A total slam dunk as upstaging the Queen would have been insulting.

Since then Princess Kirsten has supported her husband and the Ruskian Empress in pretense at many official and otherwise gala functions. Her look is young, sleek and attention grabbing without overstepping bounds.

At less formal affairs we can see the Princess taking more risks with colour, hemlines and more "risque" designs.

A combination of Youssopof and Hanoverian family jewels allows the Princess to pull all the stops when necessary but she remains confident in her "nothing-to-prove" mode allowing for a cleaner, sleeker look.

She is also not beyond wearing outfits more than once as this photo in comparison with the one above, second from right, proves.

From bold black and white at the 2012 Christmas Ball (top left), to traditional princess at the Syldavian Investiture 2012 (top right), to sassy pink  and then sexy silvery sleek at the 2013 Christmas Ball, Princess Kirsten flicks that Richter scale every time albeit sometimes less and sometimes more.

At the 2013 funeral of Empress Crystobel, her aunt, the Princess was obviously toned down but her true nature as remained undiminished under hat and with diamonds.

Her undeniable glamour and the spectacular Youssopoff diamonds (seen above) will always draw a crowd and the media. This factor she has unfailingly harnessed in favour of the many charities she support as was seen at this year's charity auction of a sapphire parure.

The Princess is one of the few who has experimented with her look but always with success as this stylish outfit proves. Worn a few weeks ago it was her latest red carpet appearance to date and we look forward to many more as she keeps up the good fight of inspirational shining in the face of predjudice. May this Princess inspire the Princess in whichever heart it may be found.

Memory Monday (Top 10 Dress-Up Ensembles of the Past Royal Decade)

Today's Memory Monday deals with history but not of the political nature but rather that of style. It is also sometimes good to see relevant topic based photos grouped together for proper comparison. Thus we decided to do a list of the top 10 dress-up ensembles worn by our Royal women over the last 10 years. 

The list is limited to outfits worn to events, but not wedding dresses. Dresses worn in State Portraits are excluded from the list unless also worn and photographed at an actual State Event and where the chosen ensemble was deemed best outfit at that particular event.

1

We will never forget this dress and jewellery ensemble that set the stage and precedent for all events to follow. Lady Arcwhite made her debut wearing this to the 2010 Christmas Ball. The Ice Queen look was fitting to the Christmas theme and the country she represented but was "warmed" with pink tones giving Lady Arcwhite an imposing yet welcome place in our hearts. It is therefore ranked no 1 and has yet to be bettered.

2

The Annual Christmas Balls always brings out the best in outfits and jewellery. To reign supreme att these events takes something special. For our no 2 spot we selected this ensemble worn by the indomitable Empress Crystobel to the 2011 Christmas Ball. It reflects the awe inspiring glamour and style of a true Empress without taking it to extremes. 

3

As befitting of the Queen of the moment, the 2012 Investiture of King Nikolas III of Syldavia allowed Queen Maxima to dress for the part. being a restored monarchy the balance between regality consideration of practical budget was what this look was all about. Queen Maxima strikes that balance perfectly by wearing a dress made by a local designer with simple lines giving it a very modern feel. White is chosen to allude to a bride committing to her husband, which was in principle the role of the Consort Queen to the King. The long train adds majesty but it's also removable accenting practical use as the dress can be worn again for a different, less formal event. The Queen added traditional jewellery to complete this very successful look. 

4

A new "Empress" has definitely appeared on our red carpet at the 2013 Christmas Ball. The event saw all the guests pulling all the stops and many of the outfits were milestones in style for their wearers. However one lady took the cake, the Crown Princess Imperial. Often the humble Princess, although strictly speaking the highest ranked woman in the world, is over shadowed by more upfront Royals when it comes to dress-up. However the Princess, who does not care to much about outward appearances often hits the ball for a six. This event was her tour-de-force. After the death of Empress Crystobel a period of mourning put a damper on showy events and even the Christmas Ball was under threat of cancellation or at best serious down tone. However, The Scotney and Britanian Governments decided to host it as a diplomatic event in amends for the assassination of the Empress. It was the first time the Crown Prince Imperial and Crown Princess Imperial stepped out in full dress-up in public since he funeral of Empress Crystobel and the diplomatic significance of the event required something special to be worn. The Crown Princess Imperial wore a stunningly appropriate dress of dark tones to hint at mourning but with regal blue shining through in rich brocaded patterns. She paired it with a tiara from the Crown Collection to affirm her rank and also wore some of Empress Crystobel's private jewellery that was left to her husband the Crown Prince Imperial. It is amazing how clothes and jewellery can be such an intimate testament of the state of the heart and state of affairs. 

5

For her Investiture as Queen of Normandia in 2011, Queen Gloria had to face the challenge of blending her own tastes with the requirements of tradition and national symbolism. Light blue is the national colour of Normadia, it combines with the requisite fur trim (albeit fake fur), symbolic of Royal status. The dress was obviously inspired by medieval design to pair respectfully with the medieval Crown Tiara but the entire look has a distinctly modern feel. Traditional dress has never been made to look so stylish with metallic detail and Queen Gloria's brand new earrings made to match.

6

After the 2010 Christmas Ball Lady Arcwhite retained some style momentum by stealing the show for a second time in a row only a few months later. The 2012 Heads of the Royal House Meeting saw some of the main players gathering for a strategy meeting. here Lady Arcwhite showed her clout to the media with a look akin to 1950's glitz. Pairing the metallic pink with some spectacular jewellery the event was taken from regular to cosmic.

7

It is allowed to steal the show as a lady at an event that intrinsically is to honour a man. Such was the case at the 2012 15th Anniversary of the Duke of Swann's Ascension. The most eye catching woman of this event  and no 7 on our list was undoubtedly Queen maria of Hispania dressed in all white and rubies. The almost iconic look set the precedent for what to expect from Queen Maria who at that stage was still gaining her footing on the world stage. 

8

Lady Arcwhite takes her third slot on our top 10 list but this time the memorability of the ensemble is based purely on the symbolism and not necessarily the purity of style. For the 2012 Christmas Ball Lady Arcwhite was the host and was required by tradition to wear certain official jewellery. The final result was very imposing, spectacular but also a bit creepy. However the look was perfectly in keeping with the event and its host and did leave a lasting impression on us all making it no 8 on our list. 

9

Effortless glamour is the hallmark of style. The Grand Duchess of Hanoveria never seems to try too hard and always looks the part but at the Birthday Ball in 2012 she had all eyes on her. The Grand Duchess paired the spectacular Hanoverian Aquamarines with a gold ball gown that almost gave the effect of a misty hays of gold. The look was truly memorable.

10

The first internationally published event needed the hostess to look the part. That look has stayed with us as we have come to expect from Princess Augusta. She put all our Royals back on the map and turned public opinion around reigniting public interest in the extravaganza that is Royalty. Her Byzantine inspired dress at the 2009 Birthday Ball burned itself into our minds and now that flame needs constant refueling with more glamour. 

Five honourable mentions must be made as they were worn at the same events as the top 10 but as such are strictly disqualified from our limited list. However due to the fact that they came to mind instantly while making the list we thought we would add them for good measure.

Also a true icon of style Princess Xenia of Wallachia dresses impeccably stylish yet she knows her place and never tries to upstage anybody. As such her incredible ensembles are often relegated to the back ground of major events but we do make note of them and this particular one has summed up her look. Worn to the 2013 Christmas Ball the Princess' dramatic personality and penchant for dark tones and purple are obvious. 

Queen Maria often plays the white card and does it well as mentioned on our top 10 list however this one is also noteworthy. The dress was actually her second choice and back-up after her original dress was torn badly while exiting her car. 

Princess Kirtsen Youssopoff pulls all the stops when the event requires it and when everybody else goes full tilt she does the same but in her own, almost "sexy-yet-regal" manner. Clean lines with a bit of glitz and leg is paired with stylish historic jewellery to give us the Kirsten we have come to expect. Undeniably chic. 

For their first major Royal event the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Reichenthal wanted to impress and that they did. Full length evening gown can so easily be frumpy or cake icingy but the Grand Duchess Azantha showed us hoe it should be done. Aquamarine dress hugs the figure yet surrendered full volume and paired with Royal Jewels it was a complete winner also at the 2013 Christmas Ball. 

Definitely the 2nd best dressed at this event and one of her most spectacular looks to date the Crown Princess Imperial redeemed her sapphire debut with this perfect pitch of Imperial yet not-stealing-the-limelight dress. The Syldavian Investiture required all the guests to play second fiddle to the new King and Queen. The Crown Princess Imperial was however going to make the most of it and and stayed in our minds as the best dressed after Queen Maxima. It was also the prime opportunity for the Princess to wear her sapphires in a noteworthy manner after they were completely overlooked when they debuted at the same event where Lady Arcwhite stole the show. Revenge is sweet.