Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie's Fashion & Style, Part 1: Oct. 2012 - April 2013

[HRHHermione]

That's right that the DVF dress is not tied properly, I was wondering why the nice sash was not hanging down the way CP mathlide has it on her dress. I also prefer the collar on mathilde as more flattering.
However, the European Parliament video shows Stephanie walking and it really is appalling, she needs help with her "cowboy" gait!

Yea, I noticed the tie after it was pointed out and it looks very awkward tied that way.

I think she must have just been very sheltered and raised around older women and so she's never developed a fashionable or young style. I think she's one that could really be helped out by a stylist, at least at first- someone to help her find her way.

 

[NGalitzine]

Yea, I noticed the tie after it was pointed out and it looks very awkward tied that way.

I think she must have just been very sheltered and raised around older women and so she's never developed a fashionable or young style. I think she's one that could really be helped out by a stylist, at least at first- someone to help her find her way.

Its not like she lived her whole life in a cloistered convent, I mean she went to university, she worked, she traveled, how could she not see that she dressed like a middle age matron compared to her contemporaries?

She needs help and quickly.

 

[Lindy]

That's right that the DVF dress is not tied properly, I was wondering why the nice sash was not hanging down the way CP mathlide has it on her dress. I also prefer the collar on mathilde as more flattering. However, the European Parliament video shows Stephanie walking and it really is appalling, she needs help with her "cowboy" gait!

Here is the video that shows her gait and how she has tied her DVF dress at her backside instead of at the hip. I hate that she is carrying that big scarf.
http://audiovisual.europarl.europa.eu/AssetDetail.aspx?g=a505e1cd-4b5c-4a7f-be95-36b03f2677ae

 

[HRHHermione]

Oh goodness, yes. Someone needs to teach her how to walk in heels.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I have to agree with HRHHermione. Those flared pants make Stephanie's hips look wider than a mack truck, they are simply beyond unflattering. What's really troubling is that she seems to like them...she wears them often. If I was her maid or housekeeper I'd risk my job by taking them from her closet and burning them.

On the other hand, I think DVF wrap dresses are they way to go for her, she looks smashing in the purple print. It's a simple, elegant pretty look for her.

I don't think Stephanie looks dreadful at her appearances, just not very well put together. She mentioned in one of her pre-wedding interviews that she is comfortable around much older people because she was grew up mostly around them and her clothing choices probably reflect this. But if dressing badly is the worst of her flaws I think the Luxembourgers got a great deal. She seems charming, engaged, poised and determined to do her best.

And she's got a beautiful head of hair!

 

[casualfan]

I don't think there is a "right" way to tie a wrap dress. Some women prefer to have the tie at the back. She wasn't wearing the scarf, but it's still pretty chilly in many parts of Europe, right? So, I'm going to give her a pass on the scarf.

The pants are not flattering, but at least the top wasn't oversized, too.

 

[IloveCP]

Not a fan of the purple dress. I would prefer it in a solid color.

 

[blauerengel]

Here is the video that shows her gait and how she has tied her DVF dress at her backside instead of at the hip. I hate that she is carrying that big scarf.
European Parliament Audiovisual

Thanks for sharing this video,they looked so sweet and especially HGD Stéphanie was sparkling and fresh with her whole appearance
Because posters have commented on her walk:I must say that I have seen far worse,but she probably just doesn´t feel comfortable in such high heels (they looked like +/-10cm to me!) and even models have to practice a lot to walk in those shoes...
On a side note:I believe that extremely high heels are not healthy,although they look great and glamourous! I would only wear such shoes for a short time and only if I don´t have to walk a lot,but to everyone his own choice,if I were not that tall I would probably also wear more high heels
I am personally enchanted by both Guillaume & Stéphanie,they are good royal role models with sophisticated behavior, decent manners,their work for their country and with their sweet romance
If Guillaume should wish for a "perfect gait" he could purchase a Lippizaner horse from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna,they are great in every way

 

[Mariel]

She's pretty and happy and her hair pulled back is a GREAT improvement. She walks funny because of the heels and maybe she always will until the learns to wear lower heels.

 

[dazzling]

The shade of purple in the dress looks really good on her though I dont like the print. The cut & style she wore well. It would be nice if she wears more colors like the dress than greys and neutrals.

 

[julliette]

I don't think there is a "right" way to tie a wrap dress. Some women prefer to have the tie at the back. She wasn't wearing the scarf, but it's still pretty chilly in many parts of Europe, right? So, I'm going to give her a pass on the scarf.

The pants are not flattering, but at least the top wasn't oversized, too.

There is not. Some women tie it at the back, some others at the front/side. We can have personal preferences (I prefer it on the side/front) but there is no Right vs Wrong way of tieing it.

 

[bertie5252003]

I am not crazy about her style it needs lots of work and with sooo many people to assist her I am surprised it is taking so long. However on this occasion the colour is nice on her but her bag carrying and scarf holding need work ... she is ill at ease and I guess that has it's charm but the over all appearance and her walk need work and that is only IMO ....

 

[Baroness of Books]

I like the color but not the print of the dress, though the style is definitely nice on Stephanie. She looks good in bright colors and should experiment more in a similar range. I agree that her lumbering walk is due to the heels, so she should probably practice more with them or just wear a lower heel which is probably healthier anyway.

 

[Meraude]

Its not like she lived her whole life in a cloistered convent, I mean she went to university, she worked, she traveled, how could she not see that she dressed like a middle age matron compared to her contemporaries?

She needs help and quickly.

Not all young women are interested in being dressed in the latest fashion, perhaps Stéphanie prefers a more modest (old-fashioned) style. Why not let her dress the way she wants and let those princesses who are interested in fashion be today's royal fashion plates. I don't think Guillaume married her in order to have a well-dressed doll at his side. I don't see that her role as a future grand duchess is dependent on what she wears.

 

[miche]

Stephanie sometime dress like she hasn't look in the mirror

 

[Pranter]

Is it possible she has some sort of hip or leg problem which causes her to walk as she does?

LaRae

 

[HRHHermione]

The shade of purple in the dress looks really good on her though I dont like the print. The cut & style she wore well. It would be nice if she wears more colors like the dress than greys and neutrals.

Agreed. This color really flatters her pale coloring and makes her skin look wonderful. The greys and neutrals wash her out and don't flatter her skin and hair nearly as well.

 

[NGalitzine]

Not all young women are interested in being dressed in the latest fashion, perhaps Stéphanie prefers a more modest (old-fashioned) style. Why not let her dress the way she wants and let those princesses who are interested in fashion be today's royal fashion plates. I don't think Guillaume married her in order to have a well-dressed doll at his side. I don't see that her role as a future grand duchess is dependent on what she wears.

Perhaps because this is a thread about fashion and not about roles & responsibility. I never suggested she has to become a fashion plate but it would be nice and appropriate to her role if she wore clothes that fit well and flattered her figure. Dressing like a middle aged matron does neither. Her husbands grandmother knew how to dress well, in a way that was both stylish and appropriate to her role.

 

[Meraude]

Perhaps because this is a thread about fashion and not about roles & responsibility. I never suggested she has to become a fashion plate but it would be nice and appropriate to her role if she wore clothes that fit well and flattered her figure. Dressing like a middle aged matron does neither. Her husbands grandmother knew how to dress well, in a way that was both stylish and appropriate to her role.

We don't know why Stéphanie dresses the way she does, and I doubt we ever will be told. Perhaps she likes the clothes she is wearing, or finds them comfortable, or perhaps she dresses in a way her husband likes. It's one thing to say that you don't like the style or the colour of something another person is wearing, but it's another thing to say that a person have a bad taste in clothes, especially when we don't know why she makes the choices she does, to me it's a complaint on who she is as a person. Would you be willing to voice the same complaints with the same words about the lack of style face to face to a person you don't know?

 

[HRHHermione]

We don't know why Stéphanie dresses the way she does, and I doubt we ever will be told. Perhaps she likes the clothes she is wearing, or finds them comfortable, or perhaps she dresses in a way her husband likes. It's one thing to say that you don't like the style or the colour of something another person is wearing, but it's another thing to say that a person have a bad taste in clothes, especially when we don't know why she makes the choices she does, to me it's a complaint on who she is as a person. Would you be willing to voice the same complaints with the same words about the lack of style face to face to a person you don't know?

This is a fashion thread, where people come to discuss fashion. You can absolutely say that someone has bad taste in clothes in a fashion thread, and there's no need to read any deeper meaning into the statement.

Also, these boards exist to discuss royalty, and mostly it's done in a pretty respectful way. Discussing the way a public figure appears at a public appearance on a forum specifically dedicated to that topic is very different than walking up to a random person on the street and giving your unsolicited opinion on their look. You're comparing apples and oranges.

 

[NGalitzine]

We don't know why Stéphanie dresses the way she does, and I doubt we ever will be told. Perhaps she likes the clothes she is wearing, or finds them comfortable, or perhaps she dresses in a way her husband likes. It's one thing to say that you don't like the style or the colour of something another person is wearing, but it's another thing to say that a person have a bad taste in clothes, especially when we don't know why she makes the choices she does, to me it's a complaint on who she is as a person. Would you be willing to voice the same complaints with the same words about the lack of style face to face to a person you don't know?

This is a fashion thread where people discuss what the royals are wearing and express their opinions, good bad or indifferent on their fashion choices and that includes saying they have bad taste. Nothing has been said here about Stephanie that has not been said about other princesses. What exactly are you expecting when you visit a fashion thread?

 

[Lindy]

Not all young women are interested in being dressed in the latest fashion, perhaps Stéphanie prefers a more modest (old-fashioned) style. Why not let her dress the way she wants and let those princesses who are interested in fashion be today's royal fashion plates. I don't think Guillaume married her in order to have a well-dressed doll at his side. I don't see that her role as a future grand duchess is dependent on what she wears.

I don't think Stephanie is particularly modest or old-fashioned, given the low cut dress she was wearing today. Nor does she have to be a "royal fashion plate" or a "well dressed doll." However, she does need to look neat and pulled-together. Some days her hair is washed and styled, some days it is not. Many of her clothes need to be tailored, with hems or sleeves that are too long. Her use of accessories, such as the scarf she carried today or shoes she can't walk in, often detracts from her appearance. She has a lot going for her and she needs to figure out how to look more presentable.

 

[Frelinghighness]

I agree 100%. Many posters are assuming many attributes to Stephanie, Old fashioned, not interested in fashion, to excuse her appearances.
I found the purple dress actually very low cut for a day dress,and frankly, on the loud side which is why I preferred Mathilde's version of it.
Wearing very high heels in which she cannot walk properly is another example of not ascribing to the old fashioned, modesty theory.

I will simply go with inexperience and ignorance.
Her husband wears fashionable, well cut clothing to represent his country. Why can't she?
If one doesn't look "professional" then the appearance attracts attention, and in the wrong way.

 

[Baroness of Books]

^^^So true. I'm just looking to see some well-fitted, flattering styles and colors on Stephanie without psychoanalyzing her or addressing deeper motives for her current preferences.

 

[Meraude]

This is a fashion thread, where people come to discuss fashion. You can absolutely say that someone has bad taste in clothes in a fashion thread, and there's no need to read any deeper meaning into the statement.

Also, these boards exist to discuss royalty, and mostly it's done in a pretty respectful way. Discussing the way a public figure appears at a public appearance on a forum specifically dedicated to that topic is very different than walking up to a random person on the street and giving your unsolicited opinion on their look. You're comparing apples and oranges.

I'm very seldom here in the fashion thread of the reason that my feeling is that sometimes the complaints about the fashion taste of the different royal ladies is a complaint about their personality. I do hope none of the ladies in question is ever going to see any of the comments made here. For me there is not that much difference from what I hope I have written on a forum and what I feel comfortable telling face to face to a person. Goodbye.

 

[Daria_S]

Is it possible she has some sort of hip or leg problem which causes her to walk as she does?

LaRae

I was thinking that maybe there's a balance issue. I have a similar gait and my awful balance is the reason why. Perhaps that's Stephanie's reason as well? Just a thought, of course.

 

[fandesacs2003]

Here is the video that shows her gait and how she has tied her DVF dress at her backside instead of at the hip. I hate that she is carrying that big scarf.
European Parliament Audiovisual

Oh my God, poor girl.... she carries her scarf as I was carrying my wool bolero when I was 5.

 

[blauerengel]

I was thinking that maybe there's a balance issue. I have a similar gait and my awful balance is the reason why. Perhaps that's Stephanie's reason as well? Just a thought, of course.

I do not think she has any physical issue,but it is natural and many ppl have it without any further problems that one leg is longer than the other one-usually you don´t notice!My mother has one foot a little bit larger than the other one,I am also not completely symmetrical and most normal people have small but usually unnoticed "asymetry" in their body.
If you have very different legs/feet you can get your shoemaker to change the shoes for your individual foot/leg so that your walk is smooth and without any "bounces" due to different length-legs
With HGD Stéphanie I would say it is only the problem of walking with extra-high heels, in other public appearances I found her walk normal,at least I did not notice anything. Walking in high heels needs a special technique,it takes some time until you walk elegantly in heels...I often see ladies walking like soldiers or moving their upper body in a strange way due to balance-issues when they wear such high heels
As with everything in life-practice makes perfect & a good technique can also be helpful!

 

[4Pam]

To me Stephanie looked great in both appearances. Her gait problem could be because she has a hip/balance or a combination of both. I like the way she dresses; she could dress like this for the rest of her life so we might as well get used to it. She's a beautiful, intelligent young woman and has the social skills that enables her to carry herself well in public. I like her a lot and she represents herself, Luxembourg, her husband, family and in laws very well.

 

[blauerengel]

Completely agree with your statement,4Pam!
HGD Stéphanie is a sophisticated, smart lady and a real asset to her husband as she is everything he could wish for-decent,well-behaved,educated and intellectual.
Her purple DvF-outfit is one of my favourite outfits I have seen her in,it is so fresh and really makes her stand out from the crowd without screaming"fashionista".It fits her body perfectly & also looks comfortable and elegant.What I like especially is that she chose a rather classic,simple pattern with a very vibrant,modern print-a nice contrast and very smart combination