State Visit from South Africa - State Banquet: HM The Queen of Norway
I think I can figure out Sonja's reasoning here: "Trippy green dress = massive green emeralds!" And, you know, fair play. But I wish we'd had massive diamonds here instead. The hypercolor dress is sort of stealing the show from the gems, yes?
But hey, let's look on the bright side: at least this time the dress isn't orange!
PHOTO CREDITS: REUTERS/Stian Lysberg Solum/Scanpix
Tags: state visit, tiara
I want so much to love Sonja 100% but days like this I can't. I think she has some serious color issues. Personally I appreciate the orange more since she was trying to be a bit daring and this is just so eh.
I've never much loved this tiara, and the dress isn't helping...I just don't understand the bizarre purple layer.
You just really can't get any better than Sonja wearing emeralds, especially with the Empress Joséphine Tiara, yet the dress is a bit unfortunate. The green of the fabric is odd and it seems ill-fitting. She can carry off jewels and hairstyles like none other, but can't we get somebody to help her get dressed better?
I think that this dress maybe has some sort of colour changing shimmer through it - it might look better in motion than it does in stills. Still, it's not salmon and there's no ruffles so lets just all heave a big sigh of relief. I do think that the plain cut of the dress provides a lovely setting for the emeralds - the necklace looks particularly good. It all looks a bit more to scale than normal, like it's got room to breathe.
I do like her dress and the purple shimmer helps break the boldness of the kelly-green dress. I love when she busts out the big jewels and they go very well with her ensemble.
Ooh, there's a lot going on here isn't there. Still, those emeralds are pretty much my fave rocks on the block.
A little too Christmas-like with the red sash and green dress. It looks like an iridescent overlayer of fabric and perhaps it does look better in motion rather than in photos, but I'd have liked less fullness to the dress and I don't like those bulky sleeves. I actually think purple gems would have coordinated better with the purple shimmer, though I can't fault those magnificent emeralds and Sonia's always-impeccable tiara hair.
I like everything about Queen Sonja's dress and jewels, but I can't say the same about the dress worn by the wife of South Africa's president. I know the lady is not royal, but what was she thinking? I have a sudden craving for cantaloupe!
@ Arthur - you took the words right out of my mouth!
Not sure why you're all so worried about a dress that is respectable and respectful when coming right up behind is the First Lady of South Africa, bursting out all over!
A very poor dress choice for a royal occasion.
Maybe he said Oslo and she heard Las Vegas! Maybe he said dinner with a King and Queen and she heard royal flush at the poker tables!
Harald's smiling anyway.
My love (nay, fetish) for emeralds is still unabated, but a slightly quieter dress would have been nice. She certainly sticks to a theme, does our Sonja.
The chebs on the Presidient's wife are certainly competing for attention, though! I you can't bust out some big jewels, just show 'em what nature gave you, I suppose...
@Sir Tom - at the risk of sounding too vulgar, I believe Mrs. President did "bust" out the big jewels.
Okay, okay, let's move on, guys.
I'll bet this dress dazzles in person. No one has better tiara hair than Sonja, but I really wish she'd let it go gray like QEII or Margarethe. Can you imagine how lovely the emeralds would look?
Any non-salmon flap dress on HM is a winner in my book! (Unless it's the yellow disco dress...)