President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlova are making a state visit to Luxembourg at the invitation of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. On the evening of the first day of the state visit, Grand Duke and Grand Duchess held a gala dinner at Grand Ducal Palace in honor of President Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlova. The gala dinner was attended by Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie.
Everyone is elegant; and I wonder how many guests enjoyed the meal … from the photos it looks like a private affair which I doubt it was for all that effort! MT’s jewellery and hair are so beautifully matched and intertwined but I find Stephanie’s beautiful up-do mismatched to the tiara, which looks like an afterthought (which of course it would not have been). I wonder if there’s not a more romantic and less solid tiara for her in the vaults. - AnneLise
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Stephanies tiara. This tiara asks for a more romantic, less severe updo. But they all look great. I very much like the First Lady's fabulous dress. Damsel Dragonfly
DeleteI agree re HGD Stephanie’s tiara. The base needs widening/opening so it’s sits more like a tiara than a coronet. But,her dress and hair is lovely.
DeleteWOW : Glitz and glamour.
DeleteDoesn’t get more glitzier than this.
A treat for the eyes.
Would love to see the menu.
Even better would love to have been there 😀
Madame Pavlova's dress is gorgeous, both colour and style. I think Stephanie's tiara is at the wrong angle for that particular piece. It looks similar to that worn by Princess Eugenie at her wedding but that was tilted far more
DeleteDès la première photo, j'ai remarqué que le diadème de Stéphanie ne se combinait pas vraiment avec sa magnifique coiffure ; un modèle plus léger choisi avec soin aurait certainement mieux convenu à son port de tête ! La Première dame tchèque est élégante dans cette robe rouge au superbe drapé !
ReplyDelete@ AnneLise. Well if you take a better look at the 2 last pictures, you see a long table for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, the Presidential couple and a few more people. On the last picture you see a round table and in the left corner you see a part of another round table. I suppose there were several round tables to receive the other guests. Always look carefully before giving your comment.
ReplyDeleteYes! - the last 3 photos were posted to the blog after I wrote my comment! All very elegant! - AnneLise
DeletePs “always look carefully before giving your comment” is a little condescending, dear anonymous person! Very often, if you look carefully at this blog, extra photos are added after the initial blogpost is made. - AnneLise, who is a careful double-checker ;-)
DeleteAnonymous @09:45 Your comment to @AnneLise was rude to tell her to look more carefully before commenting, no harm was done to you or anyone else. I really enjoyed seeing The Grand Duchess wearing her beautiful jewels! FITZHUGH
DeleteThe pictures have been added after I made my comment to Anne-Lise.
DeleteAnon 09:45. A very arrogant comment. AnneLise's comments are nothing but friendly, respectful and considerate. She was just wondering about a small detail and as Fitzhugh said, no harm was done. It wouldn't hurt to think carefully before writing. @AnneLise: I hope you don't mind my speaking-up. Sanna
DeleteThank you Fitzhugh, thank you Sanna. I find the creeping in of personal and mean comments completely contrary to the fun and supportive discussion style we’ve built over the years here. I will always point it out when I see it, giving the commenter the benefit of the doubt in case it was inadvertent. Rarely is it ever from a commenter with a declared name, and I really dislike this trend where anonymous people on social media declare their meanness is a freedom of speech right. There’s room for all opinions about fashion and the photos here - in fact the more mixed opinions the more fun eh! - but it can all be done with kindness and thoughtfulness. - AnneLise
DeleteI like a festive gown as much as anybody, but I feel Stephanie's gown was not a lucky choice....softer, lighter colours and fabrics and also less structured gowns look much more flattering on her. Her hair and her tiara are lovely, though.
ReplyDeleteGD Maria Teresa looks good in her dark dress and jewelry. However I think that the diamond necklace is a bit too much. HGD Stéphanie's neckline is too square for her, it makes her look broader than she is. I think the fabric of her dress is velvet which is not good for her either. I like her updo, but the tiara is badly placed on top of her head. She should have worn a little or thin tiara more backwards on her head and attached at her updo. The red dress of the first lady looks very lovely and stylish.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful red gown worn by the Firs Lady of the Czech Republic. The GD Maria Teresa looks very elegant in her black gown and diamonds. Classy! The very square neckline of HGD Stephanie's gown in combination with pulled back up-do makes her look boxy, which is a pity as she is so beautiful. I wish she had worn a softer looking tiara. This one needs more hair around it in my opinion.
ReplyDeletePrincess Stephanie is looking beautiful, very queenly - classy and elegant.
ReplyDeleteMary
I agree!
DeleteI have some reservations, the dress looks very severe ans strict. The same for the GDss.
DeleteThe First Lady looks lovely in red and I think the dramatic one shoulder takes it from being a fine dress to a fantastic and memorable dress! GDMT looks wonderful and elegant in from head to toe. That necklace is absolutely gorgeous! CPS I think misses the mark this outing. The dress cut paired with the severe updo and strange tiara placement is hard to understand, especially all together.
ReplyDeleteOf the three ladies and their gowns , my vote goes to the first lady.
DeleteCzechoslovakia has a very active haute couture industry.
There is a Czechoslovakian version of Vogue magazine (available in English on the net.)
Czechoslovakia does not exists any more. It is the Czech Republic and Slovakia Republic.
Delete@Anon 20:41
DeleteThanks for the information.
With all the territorial and name changes over the last 100 years, it’s been difficult to keep abreast of who owns what and where.
Maria Teresa looks much more elegant and tasteful in her attire than I sometimes feel is the case. Stephanie’s updo is very pretty, but as others have noted, her updo and tiara do not look quite right together.
ReplyDeleteI was interested to see in the pictures of the tables that the bread rolls appear to have been placed directly on the tablecloth instead of a bread plate. I am wondering if this is typical in other countries. (I have no doubt it is correct in Luxembourg if they are doing that at a dinner of this magnitude.)
-Royal Watcher
@Royal Watcher: I noticed that about the bread as well. Having studied some gastronomy in France (personal interest), and dined in some formal places, I can confirm that it is proper etiquette to serve bread directly on the table without a plate. Many restaurants conform to modern standards and serve it on a side plate but the traditional way is without a plate. It appears that this is the case in Luxembourg as well.
Delete- Anon 9:13
@Anon 9:13 - Very interesting, thank you for the information.
Delete-Royal Watcher
Yes, we are serving bread rolls on the table without plate here in Luxembourg .
DeleteAva
And there is no bread and butter plate and no butter.
DeleteYou just break the bread as you need it.
Traditional table etiquette for France and some other countries.
I find that in most “Frenchy” restaurants today, the bread is cut into small -ish pieces and placed in a basket in the middle of the table.
DeleteYou just help yourself as needed and of course, no bread plate nor butter.
@Deadeggs 08:23 Correct. No butter either, and no little butter knife. You simply break a bite sized piece of the bread and eat it. Stems back to tradition when bread was not a course but used to mop up sauces or soup from your plate. Everyone gets a small individual roll (instead of a sliced bit) and sometimes the shapes can be fun, instead of plain round 'ballon'. (In the class I took, we had to make them 5" oblong, like a pair of lips with two sharp pointy ends, lol). Yes, the table will be full of crust crumbs, but that's why you have a waiter come to 'crumb' the tablecloth with a small little brush when all the plates and cutlery have been cleared at the end of the meal, and before dessert or pudding (there is a difference) is served.
Delete- Anon 9:13
In my country butter is still served with bread at dinner. In some restaurants you receive your bread on a plate with a little butter knife. In other restaurants they put bread in a basket in the middle of the table. And what is new since a couple of years aromatic olive oil is served instead of butter. Bread is generally (not always) served with the 1st and 2nd course after that with the main dish no more bread is served. If you still need bread, simply ask the waiter and he will be pleased to bring you a basket full of bread.
DeleteNice dresses. I'm not keen on the way Stephanie is wearing the tiara, MT on the other hand perfect.
ReplyDeleteCPS is lovely, with a romantic gown, coupled with the hairdo and tiara which transports her back in time to a more Victorian era. Suza
ReplyDeleteI cannot tell from the photos what color Stephanie’s gown was — whether black, deep midnight blue, or deep emerald green. I hope it was the latter, which would be especially striking with her peaches-and-cream complexion and lovely red-gold hair. — Jane
ReplyDeleteMaria Teresa looks chic and young, but Stéphanie doesn't. She isn't chic and she doesn't know how to dress well and to her advantage. And the expression on her face reminds me of how she looked before she had her two lovely boys -in those days she very often looked unfriendly.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful but was there a memo to only wear black?
ReplyDeleteThe First Lady's dress may look simple but it has lots of style elements and she looks great in it. That shade of red is lovely too.
ReplyDeleteMT looks very nice as well. One of her best recent looks. The fitted black gown and her hair style and tiara suit her perfectly. A more delicate diamond necklace would have been the cherry on the cake but MT doesn't usually do 'delicate' :)
Like most others on here, I'm not in favor of Stephanie's overall look. It's too heavy and boxy. I'm getting a 'young Queen Victoria' vibe.
- Anon 9:13
All 3 ladies look great. I love the Czech First Lady red gown--very pretty on her and a classic look. Princess Stephanie looks good--her velvet gown is very elegant. I have one big problem--the placement of her tiara. It is too far forward on her head. The profile view in one photo shows it on top of her forehead. If it had been moved back a couple of inches the tiara would have looked better on her and much better with her hairdo. GD Maria Teresa looks the best she's looked in my recent memory. Great dress and fabulous diamonds! Her tiara is perfect--perfect for her and perfect for her gown. Its really exciting to see some of Luxembourg's treasures out of the vault.
ReplyDeleteJanet
Very much in agreement with your comments, in particular re GDS tiara placement
DeleteIn photo N°7 it appears that the Grand Duke Henri is going to serve the soup that the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa has made for the dinner 😁
ReplyDeleteSo very glad you said this. Was feeling very alone with my soup tureen thoughts ;^)
DeleteBest dressed today Mrs Eva Pavlova, this gown looks stunning and the color too. Good look for the Royal Ladies. Stephanies Tiara don't look good the way she is wearing it. The jewels by itself are stunning. css
ReplyDeleteThe First Lady's gown was blah, MT, so-so, Stephanie, not quite sure. Stephanie's look seemed to harken back many decades, which gave her an Edwardian look with the velvet gown, hair swept into a curly up do and the placement of the tiara, seen in photo 4. However the tiara from the front view, seems slightly askew from her nose, not quite lining up perfectly straight, which tended to make her appear slightly off. Overall, Stephanie's pleasant demeanor and style captured the night, as she is soft spoken, lovely in personality and appearance.
ReplyDeleteEdwina
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