Your Opinions About Felipe and Letizia

[Duke of Marmalade]

and now she only works with Felipe Varela. It could be that they've become the best of friends that she's loyal to him. Also, it could be that the King gives her a tight shopping budget that she has to stick to (maybe Varela is cheap or he gives her a discount?), therefore we see her repeat her clothes. Everything she does, says, decides or not is controlled by Zarzuela, so I don't really know.

Poor woman. What a journey from an independent career woman to what is left of her now, being treated like a child.

Not only that Varela's clothes are cheap, they look cheap as well. And as mentioned earlier, Letizia being more or less an accessoire she used to fill out that position in public very well in the past years, being nicely dressed and styled. Now not even been nicely dressed and styled and looking exhausted to boot I wonder what people will now think about her role?

I expect more from a princess than wearing clothes almost any other woman in Spain can afford and having a hairdo that can be done by any hairdresser around the corner. At least in Letizia's case as she does not have a profile of her own in terms of her work - Spain is Spain, but nevertheless - and her looks are even more important to make a good impression. What else is left? Being a good mother? Hardly enough for a Princess of Asturias and a future Queen of Spain.

 

[MissSaga]

I just think that she always looked amazing when she was a journalist, and in the first year of marriage, even the second one. Groomed, Natural, Elegant, and well, beautiful, as she is. And she was thin, but it looked amazing! Now it looks much more unattaactrive than attractive. I don't want to get into her weight, because there are at least 100 pages on this forums about Letizia's weight, it is just how I fell!

 

[Little_star]

It is strange, to my I neither am upset with them I nor surprise the black stockings ... maybe because this winter I have seen them every day in many women ... like now I see the "leggins" ... it is fashion. You can like or not, but there is no doubt that it is fashion. When she goes classic because she goes classic, when she follows the fashion ... because she follows it.

Same here, lula.

This trend has been everywhere recently so it's hardly a surprise if the CP chooses to follow it. Moreover in some occasions it doesn't look that bad.

 

[lula]

Duke, you return to commit the mistake of seeing the things with a look that do not see the Spanish. For us the reference is the Queen Sofia, a woman that exempting some pieces of her wardrobe (some Escada's suit or some gala dress of Valentino's), to diary takes suits of a designer called Margarita Nuez, who is not specially known or famous. The Queen buys some pieces of international designers but most of her wardrobe belongs to Margarita Nuez. She repeats again and again classic suits in different colors. In Spain nobody hopes either that the Princess takes hat.

I do not believe that the clothes of Felipe Varela seem to be cheap, it is a Pret to Porter realized with good fabrics. Evidently it is not High Couture, but I do not believe either that the Princess has a budget to be able to take every day High Couture.

 

[Little_star]

As for meetings with designers, it's common practice among Royals.

For example the Saudi RF is well-known for arranging meetings at home with the designers. They'll bring a selection of clothes and the princesses may choose what they like out of it. I suspect the Jordanian and Morocca families have a similar strategy.

If the Spanish RF has a similar procedure I really don't see what the problem is....

 

[lula]

Exact Little. Petro Valverde, the designer who realized the wedding dress of the Infanta Elena, travels several times a year to make dresses for members of the Jordanian Royal Family, as the mother of the King or the Princea Alia.

 

[dazzling]

Poor woman. What a journey from an independent career woman to what is left of her now, being treated like a child.

I would guess she wouldve seen it coming, from her engagment day and onwards. especially when she got criticized over the white engagment suit. That wouldve said everything.

Not only that Varela's clothes are cheap, they look cheap as well. And as mentioned earlier, Letizia being more or less an accessoire she used to fill out that position in public very well in the past years, being nicely dressed and styled. Now not even been nicely dressed and styled and looking exhausted to boot I wonder what people will now think about her role?

I agree most of his suits are cheap & boring. I honestly expected Letizia to be a more confident lady in public when it came to outfit choices. I mean if the media are going to criticize her over a suit, is she going to let them win? I think she already did. I thought she;s be more of a fun person, leave behind your career wardrobe & dress like a princess's. Nice dresses, color & a few accesorizes here & there...Im not saying she needs a huge budget, but it can be done.

I also expected from Letizia to do more on her own, head a few of her own patronage, attened a few things that involve charity etc. all those could be done on her own. she might be happier with Felipe but she is the future queen of Spain & when that role comes, she cant have Felipe by her side...
I also think Felipe doesnt support her or push's her much to have her own things, imo.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Duke, you return to commit the mistake of seeing the things with a look that do not see the Spanish.

I am aware, Spain is Spain

For us the reference is the Queen Sofia, a woman that exempting some pieces of her wardrobe (some Escada's suit or some gala dress of Valentino's), to diary takes suits of a designer called Margarita Nuez, who is not specially known or famous. The Queen buys some pieces of international designers but most of her wardrobe belongs to Margarita Nuez. She repeats again and again classic suits in different colors. In Spain nobody hopes either that the Princess takes hat.

I am fine with that as my overall opinion is that Sofia is a good dresser. One may like her hairdo or not (same over a few decades - similar to Queen Beatrix who never changes hers ) but I give respect as I can't recall a bad hair day of Queen Sofia. But I see a huge difference to Letizia and therefore I don't like that she follows the example to the Queen too much: age & media focus. Letizia is 25 years junior to Sofia, so her wardrobe should look very different to Sofia's. She is a young woman after all but dresses - with help of Varela - as a mid fourties woman, not smart, just very ordinary. Same with her hair, ignoring all options she'd had.

Sofia might have been lucky that she spent many years without the impact of today's media surveillance and lack of respect - of course there was media coverage but by far not as intrusive as today. I don't say it's a good thing that today everything is superficial and all about looks but on the other hand it's a fact that Letizia is mainly judged on her looks and somehow she has to respond to that, as a look at her peers reveals.

 

[lula]

I do not understand your sense of the fashion ... ordinary?... I do not believe it. Of bad quality ... neither... The Princess follows a style of classic suits of jacket for her official activity.

For my last year, it is not very assessable, not like it will be in other countries, but in Spain it is really difficult to find clothes of pregnancy that it is not of sport, and the Princess was taking the style of clothes that was removing that winter, dresses and dark stockings.

A Princess must have a correct image, is not a model not even an icon of the fashion. The important thing is the act to the one that comes and not the suit that dress. In it she has to look like the Queen.

 

[planetcher]

I also expected from Letizia to do more on her own, head a few of her own patronage, attened a few things that involve charity etc. all those could be done on her own. she might be happier with Felipe but she is the future queen of Spain & when that role comes, she cant have Felipe by her side...
I also think Felipe doesnt support her or push's her much to have her own things, imo.

You have to remember that she or he or they don't have the last word. I've already said above that her role (ie image, agenda, etc) is defined and controlled by the gray-men of Zarzuela and the King. Of course Felipe supports her and could push her to do her own thing, but if their "bosses" say no then what could they do?

 

[ricarda]

As for meetings with designers, it's common practice among Royals.

If the Spanish RF has a similar procedure I really don't see what the problem is....

There is no problem at all with that procedure.
I for one was simply contradicting lula's remark that Letizia organizes her cupboard with no great help.
IMO that's impossible for a woman in her position, she has to have help and advice.
And I believe that someone is somehow rewarded for that help/advice,
in one or the other way.
Nothing wrong with it.

lula
Ricarda, please, reads well. Most of the clothes that the Princess dresses in her acts are of Felipe Varela. They meet at the beginning of each season and the Princess chooses suits. The designer does and he sents them.

Letizia wore different designers in her first very busy year, they were not all from Varela. How were things organized back then? With no help?
Isn't it strange that she was better dressed when she had definitely much more to do? I really believe she must have had some fashion advicer then, some journalist friend from the fashion department perhaps (Diana got advice from some fashion magazine editors in the beginning) but of course this is pure speculation from my side.

Anyhow, as I said, this is not the most important thing for me and I am not going to fight over it.
If only her presentation would change, she could wear Varela every day and I wouldn't bother.
And I am saying this because I like her and - as a working woman - I think it's almost a tragedy what happened to her. I am sorry but that's how I feel.

 

[lula]

Since she is a Princess of Asturias, Letizia has dressed generally of 3 designers, Felipe Varela, Adolfo Dominguez and Lorenzo Caprile.

Before, she dressed an Armani in the engament, and something of Miguel Palacio close friend of her cousin-in-law Laura Ponte. It was a time of experimentation in the first months, but from two months before of the wedding Varela and Caprile did almost everything.

I have said that the Princess does not pay any stylist, if she receives any advice belongs to the own designers or to any relative or friend ... but she is who chooses and decides.

Felipe Varela and Lorenzo Caprile receives to the Princess in their workshop and between both they decide the designs. That has commented it the own Lorenzo Caprile. When the Princess went to Adolfo Dominguez she had a friend there, of her time of journalist where she already dressed Adolfo Dominguez, who was the one that helped her. But this person has changed to another designer, I believe that Armand Bassi, whose style does not agree much with the style of the Princess.

LORENZO CAPRILE
Un referente del buen gusto. Gente, eldia.es

For a few years there are frequent enough the orders of the members of the Royal Family to the tailor of Madrid, who proves to be delighted with this confidence. " Hope that all the clients were so simple as they. The treatment is much more normal than what the people thinks. They themselves come in person when they want something and the proofs are realized as the whole world, in general a minimum of three and one maximum of five. In addition, though they avenge with a certain idea, they are in the habit of leaving advising without any problem, since it happens with any other woman ", he indicates.

 

[carlota]

i really see no change in letizia's wardrobe from the beginning until now. you can prefer some clothes a bit more, and some a bit less, but all of them (most of them, since we all do fashion mistakes from time to time) seem apropriate and i wouldn't qualify her as "dressing better before" or "not dressing well enough now". you may prefer the kind of matching suits she wore with trousers or skirts, which she used a lot before, and now she seems to be wearing some dresses or more trousers perhaps, but her style hasn't changed.

i also doubt she has a fashion advisor: trust me, if she did the press would have already found that out, especially in spain! she may get ideas or advice from the designers, but i believe it's her ultimately who chooses what to wear. perhaps she may get some help from the infantas?

in her first years, most of the designers who made letizia's clothes were caprile (just for galas), varela, palacio and adolfo dominguez (daytime wear). she wore some other designers ocassionally (miriam ocariz, i remember, which she used once, or lemoniez), although quite rarely.

 

[lula]

I do not believe that the Infantas were advising her directly, what if it is that the Princess has come to designers who already had worked for the Royal Family, and that could be of confidence . In case of Varela, he has his workshop in the same building in which until one year ago there was living the Infanta Elena, who has dressed his suits. Caprile had fulfilled different dresses for the Infantas, and Palacio is friend of Laura and Simoneta. Jaime de Marichalar has given her some shoes of his Blanhik's shop.

 

[MissSaga]

Since she is a Princess of Asturias, Letizia has dressed generally of 3 designers, Felipe Varela, Adolfo Dominguez and Lorenzo Caprile.

Before, she dressed an Armani in the engament, and something of Miguel Palacio close friend of her cousin-in-law Laura Ponte. It was a time of experimentation in the first months, but from two months before of the wedding Varela and Caprile did almost everything.

I have said that the Princess does not pay any stylist, if she receives any advice belongs to the own designers or to any relative or friend ... but she is who chooses and decides.

Felipe Varela and Lorenzo Caprile receives to the Princess in their workshop and between both they decide the designs. That has commented it the own Lorenzo Caprile. When the Princess went to Adolfo Dominguez she had a friend there, of her time of journalist where she already dressed Adolfo Dominguez, who was the one that helped her. But this person has changed to another designer, I believe that Armand Bassi, whose style does not agree much with the style of the Princess.

LORENZO CAPRILE
Un referente del buen gusto. Gente, eldia.es

For a few years there are frequent enough the orders of the members of the Royal Family to the tailor of Madrid, who proves to be delighted with this confidence. " Hope that all the clients were so simple as they. The treatment is much more normal than what the people thinks. They themselves come in person when they want something and the proofs are realized as the whole world, in general a minimum of three and one maximum of five. In addition, though they avenge with a certain idea, they are in the habit of leaving advising without any problem, since it happens with any other woman ", he indicates.

I love it when she wears Adolfo Dominguez, and I like Caprile's designs sometimes, but I hate Varela most of the time.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

i really see no change in letizia's wardrobe from the beginning until now

There is a big change IMO from what she wore before and in the first two years of her marriage to last year and now. It's not about labels or expensive clothes, it's about style and inspiration.

In the beginning, her costumes or suits were colourful and smart, with matching earrings, scarfs, shoes, handbags etc. You looked at her and thought, oh, how nice and charming! Same with her hair, always nicely done, all possible variations and certainly with the help of a hairdresser.

From last autumn onwards, when she became pregnant again, it changed. Hair the same all the time and the usual pattern: stockings, simple dress, coat. And then she even started to repeat some of those dresses, very uninspired and it has not improved since.

There is nothing wrong with simplicity but the line between simple and cheap can be thin. Why do I want to look at a princess with almost no make up, wash and go hair and housewife clothing style? I can see that in the supermarket every day, so my expecations are a bit higher here I am afraid.

 

[lula]

Duke, is that you are centred on a period that has been different.

The Princess has spent a bad pregnancy, with continuous gastric problems that have had her very isolated from the official activity, her assistances were improvised and she chose for a more comfortable style with dresses, which in addition were the fashion of this winter. Since I have commented in Spain, there are not sold many clothes of pregnancy elegant, generally it is a clothes of sport, and it had not been normal that the Princess had entrusted many clothes later not to dress it. Later her sister died, and the Princess passed, to the world in black. Later only one has seen her when she went out of the hospital, in the funeral os the soldiers and in Sofía's baptism... where she has returned to take the clothes of always.

Now they are of vacations, and they all dress as persons who are of vacations ... the King and Jaime with trousers of colors, the Queen with her gauze of flowers, the Prince does not shave...

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Now they are of vacations, and they all dress as persons who are of vacations ... Jaime with trousers of colors

Jaime actually doesn't wear his coloured pants only on vacation but in everyday life ... he is one of the SRF members who I will never critizise for being boring

 

[Little_star]

i really see no change in letizia's wardrobe from the beginning until now. you can prefer some clothes a bit more, and some a bit less, but all of them (most of them, since we all do fashion mistakes from time to time) seem apropriate and i wouldn't qualify her as "dressing better before" or "not dressing well enough now". you may prefer the kind of matching suits she wore with trousers or skirts, which she used a lot before, and now she seems to be wearing some dresses or more trousers perhaps, but her style hasn't changed.

I don't see any major change either. She's still sticking to her "smart" working wardrobe, which is best imo.

 

[Little_star]

There is a big change IMO from what she wore before and in the first two years of her marriage to last year and now. It's not about labels or expensive clothes, it's about style and inspiration.

In the beginning, her costumes or suits were colourful and smart, with matching earrings, scarfs, shoes, handbags etc. You looked at her and thought, oh, how nice and charming! Same with her hair, always nicely done, all possible variations and certainly with the help of a hairdresser.

From last autumn onwards, when she became pregnant again, it changed. Hair the same all the time and the usual pattern: stockings, simple dress, coat. And then she even started to repeat some of those dresses, very uninspired and it has not improved since.

There is nothing wrong with simplicity but the line between simple and cheap can be thin. Why do I want to look at a princess with almost no make up, wash and go hair and housewife clothing style? I can see that in the supermarket every day, so my expecations are a bit higher here I am afraid.

You're talking about a period which can be one of the most difficult for a woman. If she feels comfortable in less tailored clothing when she's 6months pregnant then what is wrong with that?

Especially as she has been reported as having had a difficult pregnancy, with the additional sorrow with the death of her sister. Perhaps her wardrobe isn't highest on her agenda right now?!

 

[Little_star]

Exact Little. Petro Valverde, the designer who realized the wedding dress of the Infanta Elena, travels several times a year to make dresses for members of the Jordanian Royal Family, as the mother of the King or the Princea Alia.

Really? I wasn't aware of that, thanks.

 

[yamamah]

I think Princess Letizia always dresses nicely and she can really make everyone say wow when she wants like the red dress she wore. beautiful. I like this lady that she is dignified and not all that interested in being a fashion model. I like that she is very intelligent PhD and she made her career and fame before she marries a prince. She makes many appearances and is happy to support her husband and show respect to the king and queen.

There is not anything to dislike about Dona Letizia. She is a very good example to royal ladies.

 

[dazzling]

You have to remember that she or he or they don't have the last word. I've already said above that her role (ie image, agenda, etc) is defined and controlled by the gray-men of Zarzuela and the King. Of course Felipe supports her and could push her to do her own thing, but if their "bosses" say no then what could they do?

okay & why wouldnt the gray-men of Zaezela give her her own agenda from the start? Could it been she wasnt ready or fit for her own agenda?
Im thinking that the person incharge should get fired imo if that is the case, he is keeping Letizia in the shadow of her husband, she does have talent and could be out there much more

 

[Stefanie]

Maybe they keep their eyes on her because they know that she´s a republican and against the monarchy deep in her heart...
Specially young, successfull women like Letizia are IMO typical for not being a fan of monarchy. I mean, in the end she married Felipe for love and only put up with the fact that he´s the crownprince....

 

[chuchu]

Lula, I really like reading your posts. You are so sensible and very objective.

Duke of Marmalade, Aren't you glad you are not Spanish and she is not your princess?

 

[Vanesa]

Not an easy answer to give, Chuchu...For in a certain way I think like you, but in others, I'm glad that Spain has a Monarchy after so many years of Republic and the fact we rather like to have another kind of Princess of Asturias must not make ourselves blind to the very fact that Spain STILL IS a Monarchy and we must be glad of it.

I realized (only recetly, so I'm not blaming anyone if he/she feel otherwise about this matter ) that my problem is related to the conception of nowadays Monarchy and not to particular persons. I must have less or more sympathy for a Royal, but most of the time we can't point to a single person as being the absolute culprit of a situation. We can't (for example) point to Princess Letizia or Princess Mette-Marit saying we don't like them. It's a nonsense. Of course, we have our right to dislike them, but we must think that they were choosen by two Crownprinces to be their wifes, and ultimately, Queens of their country. Our deeper analyse must go to another direction. This is: "What kind of education current crownprinces of the world are receiving?" , "How their own conception of Monarchy really is?", "Where exactly did they study and who were their teachers?", "What kind of music does they likes?", "What does they thinks about society and culture?"...and so on. And you'll notice that more than once is the Crownprince (or Crownprincess) the one to blame...and more than this, the kind of education they are getting, and more than this, the new conception if Monarchy that is around.

So, you see...Complex answer to a complex question.

But hope is always there, and this one never dies. The new little princess and princes that were recently born could change things totally. We must put our love and care on them...and pray for they will be correctly educated.

Vanesa.

 

[Vanesa]

Maybe they keep their eyes on her because they know that she´s a republican and against the monarchy deep in her heart...
Specially young, successfull women like Letizia are IMO typical for not being a fan of monarchy. I mean, in the end she married Felipe for love and only put up with the fact that he´s the crownprince....

And what we'll you think we must think about a person who defines herself as a Republican? She has a daughter who could become the Queen of Spain! So, are you statng that she could ruine her daughter's chances to rule?

These words of "succefully and intelligent women who marries by love" sunds too familiar to me? Do you believe that a Monarchist must be stupid , narrow-minded and not being married for love? This is a cliché. Every human being in the world could love and married for love. Queen Victoria married for love, as Empress Alexandra did. Adding to this, I do not need a person being "succeful" to like her or love her even. Too much "succeful" cold people around here these last time. I'd rather like big-hearted, warm loosers (not resentful, for these are worse than succeful people! ).

Queen Victoria was not a "succeful" journalist. She didn't have time. She must to take care of too many things for she was UK Queen, a thing much more important than any career. And she surely married for love...and NEVER divorced. She would have died in pain if she would. Her husband was the best man in the whole world for her, even if he was (my personal tought) not too much intelligent. But she felt in love with him and loved him so deeply that the very idea of divorcing him would have distroyed her. Queen Victoria was Queen, mother, wife and of course, when years came, she was also a Granny from a great deal of little princess all around Europe. She gave her name to an era. No need for her to be a Republican, nor a resentful divorcist, nor a woman working "outside". Her succes was to be "Queen of England". I hope that Infanta Leonor, who has her blood will be just a little like her.

And I'm not hating Letizia for saying this. Read my posts above and you'll understand me better. However, I'm becoming every day more and more surprised when I read opinions like yours in a Royal Forums!

Oh, and another thing: be sure that the ones who could criticize Princess Letizia time to time, are not jealous of her and about "how intelligent and succeful" she is. It's only we doesn't like certain of her behaviour. You are in your right to like her, but we are also in our own to point out what seems absurd and not suitable for us.

Vanesa.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Duke of Marmalade, Aren't you glad you are not Spanish and she is not your princess?

The only thing I do is give my opinion. No need to take critzism (or praise, yes, there are things I do like about her and I mentioned in my posts) towards Letizia personally, chuchu.

 

[donnaK]

Maybe they keep their eyes on her because they know that she´s a republican and against the monarchy deep in her heart...
Specially young, successfull women like Letizia are IMO typical for not being a fan of monarchy. I mean, in the end she married Felipe for love and only put up with the fact that he´s the crownprince....

Letizia had never joined any left wing party or organization, she had never declared her republicanism in public. She used to work for the ABC newspaper, the rightest pro-monarchy newspaper in Spain, worked for TVE under Aznar's right wing PP. There is no proof out there that she was a hard-core republican, only from the internet gossips, which we already know how accurate most of the rumors .

 

[lula]

Sincerely, I do not believe that in Spain you find many university that are considered to be monarchic, it is more in general we are a society who is not considered to be monarchic and who accepts the Monarchy as a system of stable and useful government for the country.

I believe that in the century XXI we all already know that blue bleeds it does not exist. Before the couples were of convenience and they it were for the rich ones and they it were for the poor, were the procedure of the society, now these procedure have changed. And it is not a secrete for nobody, that especially the men with certain social and economic power were keeping up appearances and doing their life ... their wives were not precisely happy and were couples more hypocritical enough.

The societies now have changing, and it is inevitable that the concept of the Monarchy also. The Monarchy already is not only a blue blood, is an institution in which the society of a country deposits a privileges and a responsibilities, and in the fulfillment of these responsibilities the value is. It is an ancient institution, but from which the modern societies demand a behavior.

The principal value of a Prince inheritor is in their education and in their work. Their wives are simple colitigants, and to them only it is necessary to to them to demand that they acquire the responsibility of this work and that they help the inheritor, for what is evident that they need to have a base of education. The inheritors are in the habit of being educated with more exigency, there are prepared they from children for the work that they will develop in the future. But the brothers or sisters receive a relatively normal education. Nowadays a person of middle class can have access to the same education that an aristocrat.

I have never understood that Letizia's fact is a divorced person it is a motive of critique. And I believe that in general in the Spanish society it is important enough little, because we are in a country in which in a few years the number of divorces will overcome that of weddings. She had a relation of many years, married and did not work ... she was a free person who only had responsibilities with her same, and therefore she does not have to apologize before anybody. She has not been a person of a lot of relations, and the previous men that she had in her life, they have never said at all on her and have treated her with an absolute respect ... it yes it is improtant. The Prince, as all the Princes also had other relations.

The Princess was a journalist that studied a Licentiate of 5 years in a public university (the Prince also studied the licentiate of laws in a Public University). She could have studied journalism and devote to the yellow press ... but the interest and the positive of the Princess is that her interests were different, it were the international politics and the economy. Probably it was what did that the Prince and she could begin a long conversation on having be known. She was not only a pretty, intelligent or nice girl ... she was a woman who had a good knowledge of many topics on which the labor of the Prince is based. If you look for the areas of work of the Prince, and you look for some interview of the Princess before her relation with the Prince, their interests are superposed.

The Prince represents Spain in the changes of government in Latin America, and knows very well this area ... always these countries had attracted the Princess, she wanted to be go to study Mexico, she had visited some countries and had travelled to report on some Latin-American summit. The Princess is the great reading one ... the Prince has the responsibility of inaugurating the Institutes Cervantes in the world. The Princess is Asturian, the founder and the director of the Foundation Prince of Asturias is a friend of her grandmother.

In this sense she haD interests, and a formation that she had been acquiring in her work, which they could contribute very much to the work of the Prince.