Tiara ideas for soon to be Princess Catherine Middleton

Fashiona has Royal Wedding Fever.   On Easter Sunday...she watched Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding...again.  Fashiona was 6 when they got married and according to Mom watched the wedding EVERY time it came on. 

While Fashiona has not resorted to planting herself in front of the TV just yet, she does scan Twitter for those oh so important updates...like the fact that William has elected to have a groom's cake and he is following royal tradition by not wearing a wedding ring.

InStyle, one her favorite glossies, has done a stellar job of feeding Fashiona's wedding frenzy.  They developed a delightful virtual paper doll game where you can choose between gowns from Lanvin, Monique Lhuillier, Oscar De la Renta and Reem Acra. Then between 4 pairs of stunning designer shoes, a statement jewelry piece and finally a tiara. 

InStyle must have known that 4 tiaras  wasn't nearly enough to satisfy and shared 14 sketches that Designers submitted inspired by Kate. Fashiona's favorite of these was the one designed by Chopard.

Chopard, a jewelry house founded in 1860, designed a tiara that features hundreds of pear-shaped and round diamonds. 

Fashiona's cure for Royal Wedding Fever: she'll set the clock for 4 am on Friday April 29.

Social Sunday: Kate Middleton ushers in Modern Royalty

The April 29th wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William will be the most watched wedding since that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer almost 20 years ago. The facts that both women knew that they were marrying into the Windsor family and wearing a sapphire ring that deserves it is own zip code are essentially the only notable similarities. 

The physical differences between  Kate Middleton and the late Princess Diana is obvious.  Diana was a blonde and preferred short hair styles and Kate is a long haired brunette. Diana was a direct descendant of King Charles II while Kate is a commoner by British Royalty standards. Diana was barely 20 when she married a 32 year old Prince Charles and their marriage was "arranged" by the family.

Kate (29) and William (28), met in college and seem by all outward appearances deeply in love. While Diana eventually came into her own as her ill fated marriage was crumbling...Kate is already a woman's woman who is willingly marrying the man she loves...albeit a very wealthy and famous royal one.

Kate already has a sophisticated sense of style and sense of self that I hope she maintains. Like the rest of the "royal voyeurs"  I am a bit concerned that she is getting too thin but I hold hope that she is just stressed and overwhelmed by the wedding process...like most brides in the "real world" would be as their big day approaches. All brides have to make some concessions when they marry but she can't even use her nickname "Kate" anymore in public and has to learn generations of dated protocol and she has the entire world watching her every move and decision.

I would contend that Kate is more similar to Michelle Obama.  Both are independent women that have been thrust into a role steeped in tradition and social exceptions. Granted the First Lady has more flexibility in defining her position, I am confident Catherine will continue to carve her niche in Buckingham Palace and create her own legacy just as lasting yet very different then the late Diana...starting with a much much better wedding dress.

Alicia "aka" Fashiona

For Princess to be Kate Middleton Navy is the new Black

Most Fashionistas default to wearing black when they are in the "business of being seen" but it appears that the soon to be Princess Kate prefers wearing blue and indeed she looks stunning in all shades of the color.

Photo Credit: Huffington Post

Prince William and Kate Middleton stepped out in Blackburn, England on Monday April 11 as part of their last official trip before they swing by Westminster Abbey on April 29.

• Her engagement ring...passed down from the late Princess Diana is a magnificent Sapphire.

• She chose a blue dress by Issa for their official engagement photo that was copied within nanoseconds.
• Miss Kate is often seen around England wearing blue as she was in her last official State visit as a singleton. Her lovely navy skirt suit was designed by Amanda Wakeley featured hook and eye closures. (See first photo)

Fashiona predicts that after she is wed on April 29 she will continue to wear shades of blue to her hearts content and salutes Kate for her personal style and hopes she stops losing weight yesterday.

And if the Royal Duo shares what else Kate wear in honor of the "something blue" tradition...Fashiona will certainly share.

Lafayette 148 New York Previews Spring 2011 at Lenox Square

Fashiona does love a fashion show and did Edward Wilkerson from Lafayette 148 New York deliver…

All photos: Alicia "aka" Fashiona

March 31^st at noon Fashiona arrived at Neiman Marcus in Lenox Square for the preview of his Spring 2011 collection.  Soon after she was handed a glass of champagne...she spotted  Tammie from Talking with Tami. Tami, decked out in a poofy green skirt by Sergio Hudson, was the perfect seatmate...snapping pictures and providing her hilarious commentary as the show went on. 

 

Tammi Reed (L) Edward Wilkerson (R)

Fashiona felt transported to far flung ports with each look…Bombay, Morocco and Ibiza. Every piece was impeccably tailored and the dresses draped with exquisite precision.  Spring was definitely in the air with bright pop colors like turquoise and burnt orange. 

Though there was  a definite nod to the 1940’s with softly waved hair and matte red lipstick...the overall all feel of the show was modern. 

Wilkerson, who went to Fashiona’s alma mater Parsons School of Design, accessorized his collection with oversized floppy hats and chunky necklaces.

Amid the soundtrack of upbeat music…you could hear the ohhs and ahhs of approval and rapid  clicks of the cameras.