Danish New Year Courts: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

[Larzen]

Hard to belive the Queen is wearing the youngest looking dress of the ladies:p She looks grand.

All the gowns are quite formal and frumpy IMO but this event some how required "old Dresses" since they are wearing the collar of the elephant a strapless dress or one with almost no top would not work.

I dont like Marys dress though, it seems to tight around her torso and scrunches and wrinkles, and the harido makes her look older. Alex has such a nice smile but enough with that dress already, it looks tablecloths glued to her top and she has alrwady worn it twice at this event before

[pollyemma]

Originally Posted by Larzen

Hard to belive the Queen is wearing the youngest looking dress of the ladies:p She looks grand.

All the gowns are quite formal and frumpy IMO but this event some how required "old Dresses" since they are wearing the collar of the elephant a strapless dress or one with almost no top would not work.

I dont like Marys dress though, it seems to tight around her torso and scrunches and wrinkles, and the harido makes her look older. Alex has such a nice smile but enough with that dress already, it looks tablecloths glued to her top and she has alrwady worn it twice at this event before

i wondered that too. what's with the same dress 2 years in a row? it just seemed odd to me. i dont share your opinion of the dress i like it but if she was going to do a repeat she might pick one of the lovely gowns she has worn in the more distant past.

[paca]

I wondered that too. I accidentely looked ealier in the thread at a pic that was exactly the same as as this years. I thought I got the pics mixed up or sth, for I couldn't believe that she would wear exactly the same dress with the same hairdo every year. Talk about traditions . Nothing aainst recycling, those dresses are expensive and it would be a shame to wear them only once, but there are ways to alter a dress slightly (I think the Queen has this done very often) etc. Besides it seems to be sth like top and skirt, so she could have easily worn a different top or sth. Seeing her like this again feels a bit like the movie groundhog day. Or maybe now that she is a divorcee she wants to demonstrate that she hasn't got the money to efford a new robe every year

[Roxsteve]

Yes, the dress is much too tight for Mary. The Queen does not have the best taste in clothes...maybe it is rubbing on Mary. Mary's dress is 2 sizes too small. You can indeed see the wrinkles around the waist. She must feel so odd in those clothes. She must feel like a doll from a museum...poor thing!

[purple_platinum]

several more without watermark from dpa

[GömdNatt]

I don't know why everyone thinks Mary looks old. I think she looks absoutely gorgeous and I think her dress fits just fine and is extremely appropriate for the event.

[ysbel]

On second look, the top of Mary's dress DOES look tight but other than that its a lovely gown for the occasion.

Thanks for posting the extra pictures purple platinum. I thought at first that some gold material flowed out the front of Mary's skirt. Now I can see it was the attendant's breeches! :p

[Mandy]

Thanks everyone for the pictures!

Despite their flaws, I think all three ladies look elegant and equal to the pageantry of the occasion.

[Lady Cathrine Rose]

I think Mary's skin is amazing!!! I'd love to know what she uses on it!

[StoneCold]

The Queen looks awful

Does the Prince Henrik know how to wear the Stars of an Order Chivalry?

Princess Mary looks OK, but she could of done better.

As always, Princess Alexandra is the best dressed

[gattica28]

Originally Posted by magnik

Crown Princess Mary's dress it's something like one of Margrethe's dresses. That is a nice and cut reagal dress. I think that dress is too serious for a young woman like Mary. It will be better to wear when Mary will be much much older but now it was a wrong choice. She should wore a dress which she wore for a past - this kind of dresses which we know/she wore. Btw Mary looks really wow after a childbirth. Why she doesn't wear a Family Order? The Queen take it for her or Mary doesn'y know where/how to wear it?
Queen Margrethe as always great. I like her dresses but I think that she need few more.
Princess Alexandra very regal and stunning. Old, good Alex.

Princess Alexandra who was granted the Royal Family Order with QMII's portrait did not wear the family order in 2000 or 2003 when she attended the New Year's gala...so it appears that the royal women can choose to wear the order or not to the event. I think with the shape of the top of Mary dress with the large ruby & diamond brooch and the chain of the Order of the Elephant, there wasn't enough room to wear the order. We'll have to wait for the January 4th New Year's reception (the chain of the order of the Elephant isn't worn on this occassion) to see if she wears the family order! Remember this is the first time that Mary wore the chain so maybe she wanted to give it more prominance and leave the family order for the other New Year's reception. The below link has pics of Princess Alexandra attending the New Year's gala in previous years and including the 2 times she did not wear the order. See this link :http://members3.boardhost.com/Oranje...136121534.html

[lise]

After looking at the photos of this years dinner and last years dinner I think princess Alexandra wore the same dress to both. I like Marys dress but I think it was the wrong colour for her it would have looked better if it was red I like the Queens dress I think she is the best dressed out of the three of them.

[nilah]

It seems to me that Alex has an artificial hair.

[pollyemma]

Originally Posted by nilah

It seems to me that Alex has an artificial hair.

oh yeah definitely. but it looks natural which hair pieces often dont. kudos to her for that.

[princess gertrude]

I totally agree with many of you. I don't like Mary's dress very much. It is definately too old looking for her. Personally I think that she needs to have some fun with her clothes before she gets to an age that she can't where "fun" clothes anymore.

[Alexandria]

Thank you everybody for the pictures of this event. Like every year, it certainly shows Quen Margrethe's affinity for displaying the grandeurs of the Danish royal court!

I am a bit disappointed that Alexandra has chosen to re-wear the same gown she wore to this very event two years ago however. I respect and appreciate the recycling of gowns and daily wardrobe by royals, but for such a major and annual event in the Danish royal court's calendar, I would've hoped that Alexandra would've kept track of what she wore the last time, even if it was two year's ago. (Also I guess maybe I would not have minded the recycling of the dress if it had been a nicer dress that I liked! )

I agree that Mary's dress appeared too old for her and more suited for something Margrethe would've worn, but I think that in keeping with the grandeur of this particuarlar event and its regalness, I think Mary's dress was a fine choice. This very dress might seem out of place at a hipper fashion or younger event, but when people are wearing royal orders and the Order of the Elephant and the men are in proper uniforms, something in the vein of this Victorian-inspired dress seems very appropriate and very fitting rather than something with more bare arms or a lower neckline, or even, more fashionable.

Did Joachim and Beneditke attend? There don't seem to be many (any) pictures of either of them.

[ysbel]

Originally Posted by princess gertrude

I totally agree with many of you. I don't like Mary's dress very much. It is definately too old looking for her. Personally I think that she needs to have some fun with her clothes before she gets to an age that she can't where "fun" clothes anymore.

The problem is, the diplomats and dignitaries that the event is supposed to honor wouldn't be too pleased if Mary showed a little fun at an event that's supposed to honor them and their achievements.

Mary has lots of opportunities to have a little fun with her clothes outside of the most stately events so I'm sure we'll see her in lots of fun outfits in the years to come. This wasn't the occasion for it.

[Linda Hsu]

Originally Posted by ysbel

The problem is, the diplomats and dignitaries that the event is supposed to honor wouldn't be too pleased if Mary showed a little fun at an event that's supposed to honor them and their achievements.

Mary has lots of opportunities to have a little fun with her clothes outside of the most stately events so I'm sure we'll see her in lots of fun outfits in the years to come. This wasn't the occasion for it.

Exactly! Ysbel, well said! :)

Amen

[GlitteringTiaras]

I love the color, deep royal blue, on Mary. Besides being too tight on top and around the waist, the cut is extremely ill-fitting on her.

Other than that, honestly, she looks nice.:)

[Zonk]

All the ladies look lovely! I agree about the Queen's teeth. There is really no excuse. Also, like the Princess Royal, I believe she has beautiful hair..I just wish she would wear it differently. It looks so harsh.

Princess Alexandra...I adore her! She looks great as always...in regards to the recycling of the dress..yes..it would be great if she wore another dress.. but then she would have been accused of being flamboyant. It must be hard to be in the public eye...you can never please anyone.