Crown Princess Mary's Eveningwear Part 20: November 2021 - January 2024

[iceflower]

Crown Princess Mary at the New Year's court today, January 1:


** Full view ** Full view ** Full view **

 

[Saragli]

Is this the same gown she's had for nearly 20 years? Its timeless.

 

[iceflower]

Since 2007, according to some articles, I don't remember the exact year myself

Some examples:

** 2007 ** 2012 ** 2014 ** 2019 **

 

[Katiedidit]

Pretty color and great fit but a new gown would have been nice.
This once has been seen alot.

 

[Sunnystar]

Since 2007, according to some articles, I don't remember the exact year myself

Some examples:

** 2007 ** 2012 ** 2014 ** 2019 **

The 2007 dress is not the same as the 2012-present dress. There are four major differences in the dresses linked.

1) Waistline - the 2007 dress has an empire waistline with no waistband while the 2012-present dress has a natural waistline and waistband.

2) Neckline - the 2007 dress has a modest scoop neckline that has a slight gather while the 2012-present dress has a boat neckline. There is no way you can ADD fabric to a neckline that way without completely remaking the dress.

3) Sleeves - the 2007 dress has clear seams encircling the biceps while the 2012-present dress does not. It's hard to tell for certain but my educated guess (as a seamstress who has made 200+ formal dresses) is the 2007 dress sleeve is slightly puffed on the upper section and attached to a fitted section that extends from the bicep to the wrist.

4) Skirt seams - the 2007 dress has two very clear seams on the front (front pattern piece and two side front pattern pieces) whereas it's clear from the 2014 picture that the 2012-present dress is one single pattern piece for the skirt front with no seams.

The only similarity between the dresses is the color and possibly the fabric -both appear to be velvet to my eye. The 2007 dress is very much in keeping with some patterns I have from that era - the Regency/Empire look was pretty popular from around 1998-2010 and there were patterns galore. The 2012-present dress is certainly, I agree, a more timeless, mature style that suits Mary much better than the 2007 dress.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

That dress is certainly a favourite and not really surprised she wearing it too.

Sunnystar - CP Mary was around 5-6 months pregnant with Princess Isabella in 2007, hence the empire-style dress.

 

[IloveCP]

Crown Princess Mary at the New Year's court today, January 1:


** Full view ** Full view ** Full view **

A stunning dress.

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

The 2007 dress is not the same as the 2012-present dress. There are four major differences in the dresses linked.

1) Waistline - the 2007 dress has an empire waistline with no waistband while the 2012-present dress has a natural waistline and waistband.

2) Neckline - the 2007 dress has a modest scoop neckline that has a slight gather while the 2012-present dress has a boat neckline. There is no way you can ADD fabric to a neckline that way without completely remaking the dress.

3) Sleeves - the 2007 dress has clear seams encircling the biceps while the 2012-present dress does not. It's hard to tell for certain but my educated guess (as a seamstress who has made 200+ formal dresses) is the 2007 dress sleeve is slightly puffed on the upper section and attached to a fitted section that extends from the bicep to the wrist.

4) Skirt seams - the 2007 dress has two very clear seams on the front (front pattern piece and two side front pattern pieces) whereas it's clear from the 2014 picture that the 2012-present dress is one single pattern piece for the skirt front with no seams.

The only similarity between the dresses is the color and possibly the fabric -both appear to be velvet to my eye. The 2007 dress is very much in keeping with some patterns I have from that era - the Regency/Empire look was pretty popular from around 1998-2010 and there were patterns galore. The 2012-present dress is certainly, I agree, a more timeless, mature style that suits Mary much better than the 2007 dress.

It is the same Birgit Hallstein dress. She has just reworked it several times and in 2007, she was pregnant, hence the major remodelling afterwards.

 

[Sunnystar]

It is the same Birgit Hallstein dress. She has just reworked it several times and in 2007, she was pregnant, hence the major remodelling afterwards.

LOL. No, it's the same fabric but there is no "re-working" of the 2007 dress into the 2012 dress. It is LITERALLY impossible to take the cut pattern pieces of the 2007 dress and turn that into what she has worn since. The cut pattern pieces from the 2007 dress are smaller than what would be required to make the 2012 dress. I am an experienced seamstress and have made and re-made many formal dresses during the 25+ years that I've been sewing and I can assure you that the only part of the original dress that has likely been re-used exactly as cut would be the back skirt panels. The rest of the dress would need to be re-cut. I could see cutting the new sleeves out of the front skirt panels, but I'm confident that the designer would have kept 2-3 yards/meters of fabric from the original purchase to use for any re-working that Mary wanted post-partum and any remodeling amounted to essentially making a brand-new dress out of the original fabric.

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

Well, "lol" right back at you. If you refuse to take my word for it, surely you can take that of the designer of the dress. Or are you implying that Birgit Hallstein is lying when calling it the same dress? ("Yes it is the same dress, but after 2007 the top of the dress is cut in a new design; new body, new sleeves and a belt & a choker to use with it.")

 

[Emmily]

Whether it’s the same dress or not, Mary looks spectacular in it!

 

[Frelinghighness]

Well, "lol" right back at you. If you refuse to take my word for it, surely you can take that of the designer of the dress. Or are you implying that Birgit Hallstein is lying when calling it the same dress? ("Yes it is the same dress, but after 2007 the top of the dress is cut in a new design; new body, new sleeves and a belt & a choker to use with it.")

It seems you are both saying the same thing. The designer says it is the same dress except the top of the dress and the sleeves. The whole bodice was replaced, the whole skirt and back and train kept

 

[rominet09]

Beautiful dress in a nice colour, she is right to use it often.

 

[An Ard Ri]

That dress is certainly a favourite and not really surprised she wearing it too.

I agree its a wonderful dress and colour on Mary!

 

[Sunnystar]

Well, "lol" right back at you. If you refuse to take my word for it, surely you can take that of the designer of the dress. Or are you implying that Birgit Hallstein is lying when calling it the same dress? ("Yes it is the same dress, but after 2007 the top of the dress is cut in a new design; new body, new sleeves and a belt & a choker to use with it.")

Well, the designer can claim it's the "same dress" but she is admitting that she repurposed the skirt of the original dress. It doesn't seem to me that you have much understanding of the dress-making process if you accept what the designer is saying at face value about the dress being "the same".

It seems you are both saying the same thing. The designer says it is the same dress except the top of the dress and the sleeves. The whole bodice was replaced, the whole skirt and back and train kept

No, we aren't quite saying the same thing - and the designer admits that she basically seam-ripped the original skirt off the dress and made an entirely new bodice - with an entirely different silhouette - and then attached the original skirt to that. In pure and simple language - she made a new dress! And, I promise you, having re-purposed more than a few dress skirts in my quarter century of sewing, the time and labor that goes into removing a skirt, constructing a new bodice and sewing it all together is just as much (more actually) than making a whole new dress.

Beyond that, as I stated before, the designer would not have had enough fabric from the original dress' bodice to cut the new bodice & sleeves. She certainly had at least 2 yards/meters of the fabric from the original dress left over that she was able to use for the new bodice, sleeves, waistband and choker. Without getting too technical, the new sections would have needed to be cut in the same direction as the skirt they were re-using and based on the new bodice design, I can make a pretty fair estimate of how much extra fabric the designer would have needed.

Essentially, the designer is being disingenuous when stating the dress is the "same."

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

Dying on the hill that reworking an old dress makes it a new dress (when even the designer of the dress calls it the same dress) sure is a choice You're of course free to call it what you will. Personally, I will choose to go by what the acclaimed couture designer (that wouldn't be you) calls it

 

[muriel]

Since 2007, according to some articles, I don't remember the exact year myself

Some examples:

** 2007 ** 2012 ** 2014 ** 2019 **

A wonderful dress that has served Mary well over the years, a testament to its classic design. A big credit also to Mary to retain her body shape in all these years.

 

[Sunnystar]

Dying on the hill that reworking an old dress makes it a new dress (when even the designer of the dress calls it the same dress) sure is a choice You're of course free to call it what you will. Personally, I will choose to go by what the acclaimed couture designer (that wouldn't be you) calls it

LMAO. I'm just calling a spade a spade and am more than happy to bluntly point out that said acclaimed couture designer is playing word games. I mean, heck, the original design wasn't all that great and was very dated by 2007, stylistically, so good for her in taking it back and re-working it into something much better that has served Mary well for the past dozen years.

 

[iceflower]

Time to move on...Thank you!

 

[Izzie]

Mary looked absolutely stunning last night. It was the perfect dress to rewear for her last new years gala as Crown Princess. It looked perfect with the ruby parure pieces. Obviously it is a favorite of hers having worn it in various incarnations over 16 years. She looks classic and regal. IMO she knew that the photos taken last night would be historical and she wanted to look timeless. And, she accomplished that. She looked amazing.

 

[PrincessofEurope]

Ive seen this dress at the exhibition for her 50th birthday - it is stunning in real life with a longer train than I think can be appreciated in pictures.

I am so glad the dress has been worn lots and repurposed from her pregnancy days - these events have a dress code and thus the numerous recycled pieces esp cause it is winter