Red Cross Ball, Monaco: 2005 - 2019, 2021 - 2024


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
rosana said:
I wonder how they expect Caroline to look. She´s 54, she has not gone through surgeries. Leave her alone! The same for her sister. They have lived life to the fullest, they like sun. It must be very difficult to live near the Mediterranean and not sunbathe on vacation!!! I prefer those wrinkles that they carry on so elegantly, and not a plastic face full of botox.:whistling:
Click to expand...


Perhaps a softer hairstyle and some jewelry for Princess Stephanie would have complimented her lovely dress. Her recent dress choices (to the wedding) have been a change for her, elegant and softer. A surprising change, perhaps she has found a new designer that she likes or maybe she and her daughters are having fun choosing mommy’s dresses.

I liked Charlene's necklace. Some posters have suggested that the necklace did not go with the dress’s fuchsia color, but the blue sapphire and fuchsia color might be in the same color palate. I saw pictures of the Ocean Tiara and wondered how it would look on Charlene as a necklace; it looks like lace at her neck.

Caroline's dress almost stole the show. Look at how she carries herself. 54 years old, graceful and elegant (in a strange dress) full of life and unafraid to experiment with fashion at such a high profile event. It would be boring to always have the perfect dress on Caroline so please madame, experiment and surprise us some more.

Amen rosana! Botoxed faces (Rigor mortis look) have been robbed of the ability to express Joie de vivre. "Age" is removed and replaced with a cold expressionless indifferent air. Style, grace, poise, elegance are an attitude that emanates from within and have nothing to do with facial wrinkles and $$$$ wardrobe. Botox, face lifts and injected fillers squelch naturalness and destroy the spontaneous ability to express one’s self. The Princess sisters of Monaco are aging gracefully and are content with their own person. Bravo!
 
Last edited:
Baroness - I agree. I always feel that Charlene does not need strong or loud colours. She can carry herself and her body by herself - no further accoutrements needed.
As you said, pastels are perfect, and they accentuate whatever she may be wearing.
 
I actually think it the pink wasn't so shiny it compliments the necklace well, with the shiny bright pink it overpowers the gorgeous necklace but it's certainly not a bad look
 
A softer pink would have really looked lovely on Charlene and with the necklace, too. I can't wait to see it worn as a tiara.
 
lazuli said:
Like i said: the whole family reunited... :crown4:
As for the ladies outfits... dreadful! />
Click to expand...

I agree; Caroline's dress is hideous, Stephanie's looks like a nightgown, and Charlene's is garish. I don't think any of them look good!
 
Renata4711 said:
Baroness - I agree. I always feel that Charlene does not need strong or loud colours. She can carry herself and her body by herself - no further accoutrements needed.
As you said, pastels are perfect, and they accentuate whatever she may be wearing.
Click to expand...
Agreed! She can wear a potato sack and she will look stunning!
I think she's soooo beautiful, speculation of plastic surgery or not!
I just love her! :)
 
:previous:IMO the speculation of plastic surgery is promoted by those who for some reason think they have to tear down someone in order to build up another up. Unfortunate it makes for unnecessary warring factions. :lol: Charlene looks lovely though I would have preferred the dress to be in some shade of blue. Anyone looking at pictures of Charlene from years ago can see that she is a natural beauty and at this point enhanced by makeup and high style clothes.
 
I actually love Charlene's dress. The rest of them...can they not afford a stylist? I've never understood why Caroline and Stephanie dress so poorly.


MM
 
I loved Charlene's dress and thought she looked stunning!! Caroline's dress: What on earth was she thinking?? Absolutely awful!! Stephanie looked blah and bland! Her hair pulled back tightly off her face is not becoming! She looks like she has a tiny head on a large body! Charlene looked the classiest of them all!!
 
I think if Charlene had worn the exact same dress in a sapphire blue shade it would have been even better with the necklace but, on saying that, I did think she looked great. Also I suppose that since she has this Ocean tiara for life now we will see her wear it with many a blue gown in the future.
 
Smush said:
Agreed! She can wear a potato sack and she will look stunning!
I think she's soooo beautiful, speculation of plastic surgery or not!
I just love her! :)
Click to expand...

Do we really need that old saw about the potato sack? If it's an image, how about creating a more interesting one? If you really believe it, then you have no understanding of style. Have you seen Caroline in a potato sack? No. And for good reason. When Princess Caroline dresses badly, it shows. We may or may not like her style when she is dressed for an event, but I have seen paparazzi pictures of Caroline when dressing well was farthest from her mind and she had a haggard look about her, and she didn't look good. Why ? Because she is a human being, not a goddess.
Can we stop this reflexive worship of the Princess? It does The Royal Forums no favor and drives away people who want more substantial debates and don't like to have their fingers slapped everytime they dare step away from the party line.

As I wrote in the Fashion thread, I like her gown, but recognize that it is not an easy one to like. I happen to like those particular colors, patterns, sort of parrot-like mixture of jewel-tones, the combination of gold and blue veering to purple, as well as the silky feel of the gown from the photographs. I also found that in the formal pictures, once again Caroline stood out in the way she carries herself and seemed to have an innate (but obviously well honed) idea of what a royal presence should look like. She looked tall, slim, her head up, with a friendly smile, whereas poor Stephanie, as usual in these formal portraits, looked like a deer caught in the headlights, petrified, about to cry. I disliked that little-girl gown, with its Empire style. It put the emphasis on her bust and made her look thick in the waist. But she had a delightful smile in a picture taken at the dinner-table. Charlene looked tentative, obviously wanting to do well and not confident that she was. Albert was Albert, I thought more tender and at ease than in the wedding days. It was a joy as well as moving (for me) seeing them dance, reminiscences of Grace and Rainier. A new family is being created, the old guard stands close-by, and that's cause for rejoicing.
 
iloveroyals said:
Do we really need that old saw about the potato sack? If it's an image, how about creating a more interesting one? If you really believe it, then you have no understanding of style. Have you seen Caroline in a potato sack? No. And for good reason. When Princess Caroline dresses badly, it shows. We may or may not like her style when she is dressed for an event, but I have seen paparazzi pictures of Caroline when dressing well was farthest from her mind and she had a haggard look about her, and she didn't look good. Why ? Because she is a human being, not a goddess.
Can we stop this reflexive worship of the Princess? It does The Royal Forums no favor and drives away people who want more substantial debates and don't like to have their fingers slapped everytime they dare step away from the party line.

As I wrote in the Fashion thread, I like her gown, but recognize that it is not an easy one to like. I happen to like those particular colors, patterns, sort of parrot-like mixture of jewel-tones, the combination of gold and blue veering to purple, as well as the silky feel of the gown from the photographs. I also found that in the formal pictures, once again Caroline stood out in the way she carries herself and seemed to have an innate (but obviously well honed) idea of what a royal presence should look like. She looked tall, slim, her head up, with a friendly smile, whereas poor Stephanie, as usual in these formal portraits, looked like a deer caught in the headlights, petrified, about to cry. I disliked that little-girl gown, with its Empire style. It put the emphasis on her bust and made her look thick in the waist. But she had a delightful smile in a picture taken at the dinner-table. Charlene looked tentative, obviously wanting to do well and not confident that she was. Albert was Albert, I thought more tender and at ease than in the wedding days. It was a joy as well as moving (for me) seeing them dance, reminiscences of Grace and Rainier. A new family is being created, the old guard stands close-by, and that's cause for rejoicing.
Click to expand...

My first impression was "awful" but without the bolero it already looked better. And now I am not so sure anymore. Maybe within a few days I even come to like it.
 
:previous: iloveroyals: iloveyourposts!! :clap:

This 'potato sack' and 'stunning' thing is so dull...
I am a fan of Princess Caroline but I do admit that many times she does dress badly and does not look good. Mind you, I am not talking about her gown at the Red Cross Ball. When I first saw it, I was kind of :ohmy:, but then it grew on me. I also happen to like the colours, patterns, etc, as you´ve put so well.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Originally Posted by iloveroyals
I also found that in the formal pictures, once again Caroline stood out in the way she carries herself and seemed to have an innate (but obviously well honed) idea of what a royal presence should look like. She looked tall, slim, her head up, with a friendly smile.....

I also think Caroline has natural poise and gravitas in her bearing; true regalness indeed.
 
If that is what sun does to your face, I will never be in the sun again. Stephanie looks years older than her sister and it's just sad to see. Caroline and Stephanie's children need to take note.
The beautiful fuscia color worked wonderfully on Charlene; I wonder if they could keep the tiara as a necklace.
 
Princess Charlene has a beautiful dress and I like very much her collier/tiara, she had no other jewellery apart this necklace. Her hair had bucles which looked like the waves desighn of the necklace. I prefer the dress she had for this gala than the one she had last year for the red cross gala of 2010. I find the dress of Princess Stephanie also very beautiful. I do not like the dress of the princess Caroline , it looked like the cloth I put on my table.
 
Xenia, you're absolutely on the mark about sun damage; not only can it prematurely age you, but you must worry about the very real danger of skin cancer as well.:ohmy:
 
Last edited:
Ugh, Melina I just googled Charlene's 2010 Red Cross gala outfit, and I agree this years was much MUCH better! But the bun in her hair was very beautiful.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
there is on the first page of newscom two photos where prince Albert and Charlene danced cheek again cheek. lovely
 
iloveroyals said:
Do we really need that old saw about the potato sack? If it's an image, how about creating a more interesting one? If you really believe it, then you have no understanding of style. Have you seen Caroline in a potato sack? No. And for good reason. When Princess Caroline dresses badly, it shows. We may or may not like her style when she is dressed for an event, but I have seen paparazzi pictures of Caroline when dressing well was farthest from her mind and she had a haggard look about her, and she didn't look good. Why ? Because she is a human being, not a goddess.
Can we stop this reflexive worship of the Princess? It does The Royal Forums no favor and drives away people who want more substantial debates and don't like to have their fingers slapped everytime they dare step away from the party line.
Click to expand...

At last a well balanced comment! Glad to see you back iloveroyals! Personally I didn't like the dress Caroline wore at the last Red Cross Ball. It seemed to have been made with remnants. It would have looked better on a younger person, such as Charlotte or Beatrice. Caroline should give up with this behaviour of hers who wants to appear young. It doesn't favour her, no matter how beautiful and fit she still is, her face and hands show their age... You can have your face and part of your body retouched, but it's impossible to retouch your hands. That is not what you would expect from a lady who's regarded as an intelligent one. I don't mean she should dress like Princess Grace did at her same age - she had American tastes -, but since Caroline is an elegant lady, she would surely find lots of clothes in keeping with her age.
 
:previous:I don't think they dress poorly. I think they wear what they want to wear. There was nothing wrong with either Caroline's or Stephanie's gowns. Sometimes I think we expect too much.

I thought Charlene looked great, even though the color was a bit strong.

As for Albert and his white dinner jacket, it is the summer equiv. of black tie tuxedo (semi-formal) which is worn all year round in hot climates or more casual societies (I'd put Monaco in there, i.e., James Bond and George Clooney) and during the "white" season (Easter to mid-September) for everyone else.
 
Princess Caroline's dress was simply awful. That dress is the ugliest rag I have ever seen. Fortunately she is beautiful and elegant, which saved the day. Princess Stephanie... well, she looked okay-ish. That color on Princess Charlene pops –– love it! Fabulous debut for the Ocean Tiara I'd say (and appropriately worn as a necklace for this occasion). It's so nice to see the senior Grimaldis so comfortably together, but I missed the Casiraghis...
 
Am so glad to not see Charlene in another black - pastel - or white gown
 
Tosca said:
At last a well balanced comment! Glad to see you back iloveroyals! Personally I didn't like the dress Caroline wore at the last Red Cross Ball. It seemed to have been made with remnants. It would have looked better on a younger person, such as Charlotte or Beatrice. Caroline should give up with this behaviour of hers who wants to appear young. It doesn't favour her, no matter how beautiful and fit she still is, her face and hands show their age... You can have your face and part of your body retouched, but it's impossible to retouch your hands. That is not what you would expect from a lady who's regarded as an intelligent one. I don't mean she should dress like Princess Grace did at her same age - she had American tastes -, but since Caroline is an elegant lady, she would surely find lots of clothes in keeping with her age.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Tosca, it's good to be back too. I also like how discussions seem more civil now and we can agree to disagree in harmony. You're right about hands. It was said you couldn't conceal an aging neck either, but I guess maybe surgical progress has been made in that area. When you see Caroline's neck in profile, especially next to Charlotte also in profile, you can see how her neck has changed, thickened, making a direct line from chin to top of collarbone. On the age issue, I've always wondered why Caroline insisted on wearing bikinis, worse, her daughter's bikini a couple of years ago, they don't flatter her figure which has no waist definition. But again, she's free, if she wants to wear a string bikini at 54, go ahead, most people will ooh and aah anyway. I am sure Caroline could have worn something more age-appropriate at the Red Cross gala without going the Princess Grace way, who had to envelop her figure in a lot of clothing after 45 or so. Grace had a very nice palette of pastels to work from, she looked like a painting, soft and subtle in mood.
Caroline looks more like a Matisse (gone wrong?), a Miro, or one of those contemporary artists who use bold colors in odd combinations and patterns. Me, they make me smile. But style-wise, I can see there is a lack of structure, unity, coherence. Yes, the circus would have been the best place to wear it...
 
Charlene looked amazing and is certainly proving to be a fine ambassador for Monaco. She has honed a look that is simple, elegant and stunning. I must say that I absolutely loved Stephanie's dress as well, very very pretty. I do wish sometimes she would steer away from the croyden facelift...and style her hair softly and loose. She needs that soft frame around her face it would look lovely on her.

What to say about Caroline's dress.....it was like a child had found several different pieces of material, each on their own dreadful, and stitched them together to form a dress. It was truly and utterly hideous. What has happened to her amazing sense of style. There was a time she could make one draw a breath in amazement when she appeared at evening functions. Sadly no more it seems. I also did not like the gown she chose for the evening function for Albert and Charlene's wedding. She could have taken a leaf from her own daughter's book that night when Charlotte appeared in that stunning soft blue floaty gown with matching cape. How hard could it be with the best of designers at your finger tips to pick a stunning evening dress.
 
Renata4711 said:
Baroness - I agree. I always feel that Charlene does not need strong or loud colours. She can carry herself and her body by herself - no further accoutrements needed.
As you said, pastels are perfect, and they accentuate whatever she may be wearing.
Click to expand...


I think Charlene should stick with a pastel color palette as well, but when she does she is accused of being "boring".

Anyway that necklace would have been SMASHING with an ice blue or pale green gown! :whistling:

Nathalie Cox said:
Well, that depends on the eye of the person. For me she looks like an actress, not a princess
Click to expand...


True, but most princesses(there are a few exceptions) look like actresses now, IMO. :sad:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

tbhrc
A Retrospective: Red Cross Ball - Monaco Part 2
2
Replies
53
Views
49K
queenofthelight
queenofthelight

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom