The Australian Christmas


The day before Christmas Eve, I think it is about time to give you a resume on how the Crown Prince couple and their four lovely children have spend December in Australia. Because as you now, the family are going to celebrate Christmas in Tasmania with the Crown Princess' family for the first time in 11 years. What I know of the family arrived to Australia one of the first days in December. On December 3rd Mary visited the Children's House SIV, here, which was her last event before leaving the country.

As Daily Mail writes, here, the family have been seen in various locations from the Margaret River region to Ravensthope. Locals know how far these locations are from each other and to the rest of you; it is about six hours each way. They have been spotted at Cowaramup Bakery getting coffee, buying bubblegum in Gnowangerup IGA and enjoying some time with her brother John Donaldson at the Margaret River Chocolate Company in Swan Vally. Everywhere they go, they are  barely noticed. People describe them as down on earth and acting like everybody else.

About a week ago the Crown Princess was spotted shopping with her friend Amber Petty, Princess Isabella and Princess Josephine. In Australia the royal family also enjoy the rather good weather by swimming Mermaid Beach in Queensland. A few days before the 24th the crown Princess was also spotted with some of her friends south of Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens in Byron Bays hinterland, here, dressed in a grabbing outfit. She has also been last minutes shopping with some friends wearing white shirts, sipping a smoothie similar in colour to her blouse. Just a few days before the family returned to Denmark, they spend a few more days on the beach.

Update: I received a request from one of you, to do a more specific update on what Mary was wearing during her month in Australia. In first place I decided no to, because I think it is a private vacation and I think they should be on their own without journalists and photographers following each and every step. Still, this is a fashion blog about the Crown Princess, which is why I am now going to inform you about what she has been wearing -but no pictures. Only facts.


Margaret River in Swan Vally
Shades: Dolce & Gabbana DG4175

Shopping with Amber Petty
Shades: Chanel 515H in Gloss Black
Blouse: By Malene Birger
Skirt: Ganni Brown Skirt
Necklace: Orit Elhanati The Abyss Necklace
Bracelet: Marianne Dulong Pacific Bracelet
Bracelet: Marianne Dulong
Bag: Ralph Lauren Soft Ricky Bag

Mermaid Beach in Queensland
Swimwear: Body Glove Blouse
Bracelet: Marianne Dulong

Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens in Byron Bays hinterland
Jumpsuit: ROXY Midnight Edge Jumper
Shades: Dolce & Gabbana DG4175
Necklace + Pendant: Ole Lynggaard + Medallion Pendant + Lotus Pentant
Bracelet: Marianne Dulong
Ring: Ole Lynggaard Leaves Ring
Bag: Ralph Lauren Soft Ricky Bag

Last minute shopping in Byron Bay
Shades: Chanel 515H in Gloss Black
Blouse: Zara Yellow Printed Tunic
Necklace + Pendant: Ole Lynggaard Medallion Pendant + Lotus Pentant
Necklace: Orit Elhanati The Abyss Necklace
Bracelet: Marianne Dulong
Bag: Ralph Lauren Soft Ricky Bag

A day on the beach in Byron Bay
Dress: Seed Heritage Embroidered Frill Dress
Shades: Dolce & Gabbana DG4175
Bracelet: Marianne Dulong
Sandals: Prada Leather T-strap Cage Sandals

Shades: Dolce & Gabbana DG4175
Hat: Susanne Juul
Bag: DAY Birger et Mikkelsen Day Gweneth Palm Bag

Out for a run
Sneakers: Ascis Womens Gel-Kayano 21 Black/Lightning/Raspberry

Queen Margrethe's dresses on exhibition

To honor Queen Margrethe on her 75th birthday in April, the National Museum of Denmark have exhibited some of her dresses and costumes from her 32 years as princess and more than 43 years as Queen of Denmark. All to represent the Queen and her life devoted to Denmark and the Danish people. Some of her most elegant and colourful dresses were exhibited in the Banquet Hall at Frederiksberg castle.

Around the opening in March 2015 the Queen herself visited the exhibition and with great pleasure she admired every single piece. Unfortunately, I did not get to see it myself but a good friend of mine did. Pernille visited the exhibition and took lots of photos. She has allowed me to share them with you in this post. I have created the post with knowledge from the book Dronningens Kjoler written Katia Johansen.

Please, remember that these photo can only be used with my written permission. Thanks.


The little fur coat you see in the background, was worn by the Queen from approx. 1942-1944 and is made of small pieces of squirrel fur all sewn together in a special way. It features a little collar and four large buttons. The label says Birger Christensen, Copenhagen. After Queen Ingrid's death it was apparently handed over to the Amalienborg Museum.

Just a month old, Margrethe was christened in Holmes Church in an old christening gown from the time of Frederik IIX and Queen Lovisa when their son Christian (x.) was born (1870). The lace were found by Queen Lovisa herself in Belgium. Since Prince Christian X was christened, many other royal children have worn it, including Queen Margrethe in 1940. This christening gown has also been worn by Crown Prince Frederik and three of his four children.

From 1958-1970, Queen Margrethe attended the voluntary service with the female flying corps and this is her uniform. Made of a very delicate wool in a marine blue colour. The white 'label' you see on the left pocket says 'SG Prinsesse Margrethe'. What you can't see, is that it comes with a matching hat featuring her name inside and a short jacket.

One of the most important dresses of them all -her wedding gown from 1967, here. It is created by Jørgen Bender, who has designed many of her dresses afterwards. 15 dresses he created to the wedding according to the book, where Margrethe also tells that it was her wish to get long sleeves, a square neckline and wearing her mothers old lace, which are not on the dress anymore. The Crown Princess wore the same lace on her wedding gown and as the time of Margrethe the lace was also taken off her dress. The train is five meters long and attached to the gown in a way that it's able to be removed.

Another dress designed by Jørgen Bender. With it's classic 80s style this yellow dress features white dots and a matching hat, which was worn on May 26th 1986, here. A special day because her oldest son turned 18. It also features a draping on the back. Later it was worn on a state visit in the Czech Republic in 1991.

Here we have a dress from the time around her engagement in 1966. The Queen tells that she purchase the printed fabric in Kyoto in around 1963. With great certainty the dress is from Magasin (not the same as we know today). Originally, it was created without any sleeves, but about a year later, sleeves were added. She wore it back in 1967, when she visited Ottawa and attended a gala dinner with the Prime Minister.

This is one of my personal favourite gowns of them all. I am crazy in love with it. The dress was given to her by Erik Mortensen on occasion of their weeding. It is made of the same fabric as the weeding gown and is from Balmain. At the time Queen Margrethe wore the dress with a long coat featuring matching pearl embroidery as in June 1967 when she attended a dinner at den French embassy, here, and again in 1969 at one of the annual New Year reception.

This has to be the "dress" owned by Margrethe that has been redesigned most times. Originally, it was designed back in 1973 to her fist state visit in Sweden, by Jørgen Bender in collaboration with the Queen. One year later, 1974, the floor length dress became a skirt and worn with a white lace blouse as in the 1840/1860s. Then in 1986 the dress was now a blouse, skirt and jacket as we know it today and as it was exhibited. She has worn it at several New Year receptions from 1987-1997. Here you see her in 1995. And here on one of her official photographs.  

This bordeaux lace dream of a dress was also created by Jørgen Bender. Around 1972, Magasin and later Illum did not make dresses etc. anymore and Bender was the one to make Margrethe's gowns. According to Dronningens Kjoler, the Queen purchased the lace in France. It was worn in 1983 at a state visit in Spain and actually it appears more than once over the years. Like here and here


This Jørgen Bender-dress was worn by the Queen at the party in Tivoli before she turned 50. The dress is called "the Tivoli-dress" mainly because she wore in on that specific occasion and I think also because of the many colours. Margrethe purchased the fabric herself by the milliner Vagn. 

This rather large gown was made in 1994 on occasion of Prince Henrik's 60 years birthday, here. The significant floral embroidered sleeves features smaller roses in the middle, which you unfortunately can't see. Since 1994 she has worn it multiple times -1994, 1995, 1998. 

At the wedding in 2004 Queen Margrethe was wearing the white floral gown (right) created by Mogens Eriksen, here. As her wedding gown, this features a square neckline. A little more interesting is the other dress (left) because you may remember at the wedding, Margrethe wore a floor length coat over the floral dress. This is it. It was redesigned to a dress with shorter sleeves and a square neckline. Both dresses have been worn at several occasions since. 

Back in 2000 Margrethe celebrated her 60th birthday, here. On that occasion she and Verner Enquist designed this purple dress. Significant is the square neckline and of course the wonderful crystal belt. The Queen drew this herself and Verner Enquist did the embroidery. Here you see the dress about a years later. 

This massive tulle gown is drawn by Uffe Frank, created by Verner Enquist. The midnight blue tulle gown is the first dress after Jørgen Bender pasted away. The dress was worn in 2000 on occasion of her 60th birthday, here. It features the characteristic square neckline the Queen loves to much. The tulle is embroidered with an abstract pattern in silver threads. 

A bright red dress which was a gift from Jørgen Bender to the Queen on occasion of her 50th birthday in 1990. It features several very special details: first of all the unique neckline, second the large draping, third the slim sleeves. 

One of my favourite gowns of them all which reminds me so much of the Crown Princess' Birgit Hallstein dress. Margrethe's was created in 1997 in the most wonderful burgundy velvet. It features slim sleeves and a beautifully designed train. At front a significant pattern of leaves and birds designed by the Queen herself. Because if was designed to her jubilee in 1997, it is designed to have space for all her orders and golden chains. 

When Margrethe and Prince Henrik celebrated their silver wedding at Fredensborg castle, she wore this dress, which she had designed in collaboration with Jørgen Bender. It features rather large tulle sleeves, a low neckline and dark purple flowers. The fabric is purchased in France and features silver threads. The many meters of fabric have become a beautiful train to complete this (different) purple shade evening gown. 

This huge blue dress has a story that goes back to a visit in Saudi Arabia. Some of the fabric is from another dress from 1974, where more fabric was added. Around the 90s the blue dress was transformed to what you see today. The paisley-fabric is from another dress the Queen did not like to wear. 

A greenish A-line evening gown from the 70s created by Jørgen Bender. The very different colour of the dress may have occurred because there had painted a portrait of the Queen and the painter had the dress sway backed and it might has been faded in the sun. Since 1973 the dress has been worn at several different occasions. It features a low neckline on the back, which you unfortunately can't see.

The Crown Princess Mary obsession #9


We are so close to Christmas eve. My most loved evening of them all. Each day I am getting more and more excited. Everything about Christmas is wonderful I think. Another thing I am very excited about is the fact that I am going to share the next obsession post in line. Today I take you to California to meet the one and only Royal Watcher. A wonderful woman I have know for about a new and she is the most dedicated royalist I have met in a very long time. And she is in love with Crown Princess Mary's style as much as the rest of us. Her interest began in Great Britain, but travelled all the way to Denmark.


Royal Watcher introduced her three page email like this: "My obsession with Crown Princess Mary started in 2011 just before the weeding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Full disclosure: I have been a royal watcher all my life; however, my interest was mainly in the British royal family. I'm a "student" of history first; however, one cannot help but be drawn into the intrigue of the live of royals, especially, present day royalty when the information is everywhere -at our fingertips, really. However, I digress. I first learned about the Crown Princess when a soft news outfit compared the current Duchess of Cambridge to the Crown Princess of Denmark. It truly piqued my interest and began my research. Granted, the outfit had compared the fashion choices and much more of both women but I was not drawn to the crown princess because of her fashion choices." Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge, has taken the world by storm. She is loved by everyone no matter of age, gender and nationality. She amazed the world from the second she married Prince William. Despite the dark brown hair, Catherine and Mary are two very different women living in two very different countries.
Another thing that caught her attention was her story. The story that we all love and adore: "I was intrigued because of her story. I had not known at the time of Crown Prince Fredrik and I soon learn that he had married a “commoner" named Mary Elizabeth Donaldson. My research began in earnest when I read the little said about her background and when I tried to find a book about her there was but one. It was published many years prior and could only be acquired as “used” for quite a sum."

RW's favourite hat worn by the Crown Princess
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It was when Royal Watcher began her search to find much more about this "new" Crown Princess of Denmark that she discovered a blog that was a little different than all the others: "It was then that I started to research blogs and I came across much that was written about the Crown Princess that was negative, but this blog “StyleofMary” did not. Granted it did not give a lot of information about the Crown Princess but it was enough as what was out there in the blogosphere left a lot to be desired. Suffice it to say, I have been reading “StyleofMary blog every day, ever since." She goes on: "The crown princess’ story was an intriguing one. A middle-class lady, who followed her heart and had the strength of her convictions to say “yes’ to moving to the other side of the world; to take on a life style steeped in tradition, centuries old and one filled with protocol that is not a choice but a way of life. This all so very different from what she probably experienced as an employee of an advertising firm but she was up to the challenge. It does not take a lot to deduce that the crown princess is someone who is driven; is determined to make a difference and more importantly, to succeed. It is my opinion, that despite the challenge, the crown princess has shown beyond the shadow of a doubt that she is up to the task. She will one day become Queen, yet another challenge before her, but she has shown that she can rise to the occasion--come what may."

The one and only favourite evening gown
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"This is deliberate, as “Style of Mary’ does not present the crown princess as a “clothes horse”; but as a royal with a keen sense of what is expected of her, in her role as crown princess, wife, mother and someone on the world stage, who can use her influence to good effect. What is so special about Mary is perseverance to make a difference: "She has many patronages as most royals do in this world where republicanism is very real and royals must prove their worth and seem to always vie for publicity, deserved or not. I say this, because, I had not known of the crown princess until four years ago, however, she has been fighting for women and girls health from the early days of her marriage. Her name is not all over the English-speaking world, (I live in North America), and nevertheless she continues to fight for poor women and girls in third world nations who suffer untold abuse and the disadvantaged in society." With her personality, she gained the Danes trust and with perfection she is now able to represent Denmark. "I feel she knows that it is not about her, but about the fact that she can effectively use her status to bring attention to such abuses and to the disadvantaged. Therefore, the crown princess in her role as representative of the Danish Monarchy dresses well; she rarely if ever have a fashion faux pas and having said that, I think that the office of crown princess is not mainly about fashion." "Being appropriately dressed is part of being a princess, as it is part of being a “first lady” or an executive in a large corporation. The crown princess wears classic pieces that she brings back time and again –one can learn about mixing and matching from the crown princess as she reuses different pieces from past seasons that she teams with new coordinating piece to create a new look. "

"She hired a stylist because I think she understood from day one that how you present yourself matters, no matter your job. I most admire her attention to detail which many would like to emulate as we see this play out in the crown princess’s style and deportment. As regards her style, I greatly admire how she is always impeccably pulled together; all the elements that go together to make any outfit regardless of occasion are always coordinated and her assemble well suited for the event. Her hair perfectly coiffed; her make-up flawless and accessories perfectly coordinated." Isn't it what we all think? 


Elegant, classy and feminine. Royal Watcher's most beloved suit.
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With this picture I want to thank all of you for giving me the pleasure to share your stories. It was been wonderful for me to hear, write and read your stories. This was the last post; no more left. But I am always on the look for new stories. So, do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to share your story with the rest of us.

"The Christmas Seal Home - The Fight for a Good Childhood"

Monday, October 26th

Off record, Crown Princess Mary visited the Christmas Seal Home 'Kildemose' as the patron of the Christmas Seal Foundation, here.


And now this show up one and a half month later. The Crown Princess has been visiting one of the Christmas Seal Home's back in October. Her visit was recorded and made into a documentary, which was broadcasted this evening. We follow Emma-Sophie, Laura and Lucas who have all been fighting to change bad old habits. This is why three children are staying at Kildemose: to rebuild faith, learn about good eating habits and loose weight. Laura also struggles with low self-esteem after years of bullying. We hear how the Christmas Seal Home's and the Christmas Seal Foundation try to help children with their problems and give them the tools to become a better version of themselves. Let them know that they are appreciate and worth as much as everyone else.

During the visit, she gave all her attention to the children. She was all ears, when visiting the children at Kildemose. With great emotions and pride for what they have already achieved, the children told her their stories. After 50 minutes I was just as emotional as the Crown Princess. What courage to share ones story, battles and bad habits on national TV? Not many would do that in the age of 10-12.

Photo @Agnés Colbert
I love the fact that this was a more private and unofficial visit. Makes the children feel more comfortable. It also gives us an unexpected outfit. She wore a mix and match of old goodies. All in lovely neutral colours. Today we start from the button. Mostly because these shoes are still a mystery. I haven't solved it yet, but maybe with your help. She has worn the boots before. You see a close-up above from an previous occasion in 2014 when she attended the Eurovision Song Contest with Prince Christian and Princess Isabella, here. Gianvito Rossi has been on my mind right from the beginning. Then I found a similar pair, but still something just not matched. Do you have any ideas where to look? In the meantime, I was able to identify her new grey wool blazer. Ralph Lauren popped up and there it was. Have a feeling that her grey turtleneck could be from the same designer as well. Take a look and let me know what you think. To me they look quite similar. One more thing I just have to mention is her hair. Looks all beautiful such as the rest of the outfit. I find Mary's outfit very inspirational. Can't wait to try it myself. Think about it; think how easy an outfit this is. A turtleneck, trousers, ankle boots and a blazer.

Blazer: Ralph Lauren Herringbone Wool Leigh Jacket

Ideas for identification
Blouse: Ralph Lauren Cashmere Turtleneck

Visiting the Children's House SIV

Tuesday, December 1st

Crown Princess Mary visited the Children's House SIV in Farum on her own request.

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I am not completely sure when the Crown Prince couple and their four children are leaving Denmark to celebrate Christmas in Australia along with her family, but it is actually going to happen. This will be the first time in 11 years she is about to spend Christmas with her Australian family.

Before it is time for the family to go to Australia for Christmas, the Crown Princess had one last job to attend back in Denmark. She visited the Children's House SIV, here, in Farum. The initiative is her own and the request as well. It goes a year back when she handed over the Cancer Society Honorary Award in February 2014, here. She showed great interest in the place and wanted to see how the children's house works in everyday. So, the Crown Princess arrived at exactly 10:30 am. At the arrival she was warmly welcomed by Sussi Olsen, head of the Children's House SIV, and Board member Berit Torm. During the visit she was given a guided tour around the house and see for herself how the house is furnished to adapt the children's individual needs. Literally, she was everywhere -talking, chatting, sitting at tables, playing with the kids on the floor and attended a sining game. The sining part is an important part of the process for the children, because one would like to do as much as possible to help the sick children develop skills, done by play and interaction with other children. This is really what the Children's House SIV is all about -to give seriously ill children and their families the best possibilities during at rough time in their lives.

At this last visit before going with the rest of her family to Australia, she showed up wearing a beautiful and chic everyday outfit. Mary was dressed in some good old pieces worn at several other occasions. I sense much confusion about when and where she has worn these pieces before. So, now I have to try to convince you that I'm right. The first time Mary dazzled in that Etoile Isabel Marant knitted jacket was in 2014 when she visited Herlev Hospital to hand over the Child Heart Foundation's Scholarship, here. Like in 2014, she wore the jacket with a knitted skirt. This has now been identified by Kate as a Hugo Boss design. If you got a moment, then take a look at the beautiful kitted pattern. Absolutely smashing. She beautifully embraced the style by wearing black tights and suede Prada boots. I have a similar pair myself and they are perfect for this time a year. With red nails and Marianne Dulong jewellery she completely won my heart with this outfit. A great idea for a different autumn outfit. Differently something I am going to try out myself.

Jacket: Etoile Isabel Marant Purple Ariana collarless jacket
Skirt: Hugo Boss Black Knitted A-line Skirt
Earrings: Marianne Dulong Aqua Earrings
Necklace: Marianne Dulong Roxy Mega Pendant
Boots: Prada