Princess Charlene Brings Dior to Monaco: A Look at The Collection!

So as expected, Dior presented the Cruise 2014 in Monaco in a not-so-expected rainy weather which somehow made the show even more interesting as the cruise seemed to be in a stormy sea!

Shared by @cedricverany on Twitter.

Above we see the set with the view of the sea. Below we see another photo shared by @ELLEfrance

Among the guests were those billionaires we always see in Monaco, those fashion people we see in most shows and stars like Marion Cotillard, Jessica Biel, Liv Tyler, Zhang Ziyi and Princess Clotide of Savoy (who is an actress, too). All were in Cannes this week and came for the event (Monte Carlo is only 45 minutes away from Cannes), and all were in Dior head to toe.

Clotide wore the Dior little black jacket, after her unlined Elie Saab gown from the movie premiere this is a huge step on the dressing-appropriately side!

Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco were the last to arrive, shortly before the show started.

Vogue Turkey on Instagram

The photo you see above was the first photo I saw of the couple arriving , to say the least I was totally disappointed in Charlene’s all black outfit. Until I saw the real colours!

Along with Albert and Charlene were Andrea Casiraghi and his girlfriend Tatiana Santo Domingo, Have we ever mentioned here that Andrea and Tatiana welcomed their first child, Sacha one day before the Rose Ball this year?

Tatiana looks great for someone who has gave born less than two month ago, her boho style is hiding anything that should be hidden well, nice shoes for her, Louboutins, Bad shoes for Andrea.

Charlene arrived wearing a stripped black and blue dress, naturally by Dior. The dress features a knee-length full skirt, long sleeves and round neckline, the stripped part of the dress is different in material which makes the sleeves part look like a top worn under a strapless dress (or maybe it is?).

The dress is a modified version (or not) of this dress from the pre-fall 2013 collection which will be hitting the stores from next week.

Charlene wore simple black patent pumps and carried the Andy Warhol shoe-printed clutch from the Dior fall 2013 collection which isn’t available yet. Char finished her look with a pair of heart shaped diamond stud earrings.

Princess Charlene of Monaco wearing the Andy Warhol Gold Slippers Clutch from Dior.

Dior’s Cruise collection wasn’t exactly something new from Raf Simons (Dior’s creative director) but rather something refined, reinvented and recreated. Unlike other designers’ resort/cruise collections, Raf’s creations in this one are pieces that Charlene and her alikes (those who can afford Dior) can wear on a cruise on their yachts, on a beach, beach party or to attend some summery event, yet the collection had a suit or two that can be worn for work and a few cocktail dresses that can be worn at any season. You can check the whole collection HERE, but below are my favorite pieces that I would like to see Charlene rocking!

Dior Resort 2014.

You can right click on each image and open it in a new tab for a bigger view.

Dior Cruise 2014

The combination of white black and powder pink in the left side look is divine, the skirt had that half and half effect which gives it an edgy look without giving up on elegance.

If Charlene is going to wear black forever as she does, then silhouettes should at least be interesting. And that’s the case with the two LBDs above center and right. I especially like the one on the right; the asymmetrical hemline which falls under the knee in its shortest place, very ladylike! It also combines different materials, and a strange V-neckline (can’t really describe it), and Char has worn the three features before.

After the presentation -which took less than than 20 minutes-, it was time for a reception at the Oceanographic Museum.

The Princess of Monaco arrived with husband wearing a dress that we saw only less than an hour before her arrival! The dress comes from the Cruise 2014 collection!

The sleeveless dress features a round neckline, asymmetrical high-low hemline, an explosion of colour made of fabric leftovers and lace panels in light blue and black on the back which luckily Charlene got lined!

Charlene kept her clutch and earrings but changed her footwear to a black open-toe platform pumps by Dior which you can buy from HERE for $490.

 The reception included a mini-exhibition showing Dior dresses worn by Princess Grace and Charlene, makes sense since the whole idea about showing in Monte Carlo was keeping the strength of the strings between Dior and Monaco!

Above, the gown worn by Princess Grace in 1970 when she introduced Frank Sinatra’s concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London. You can see HERE how she’s floating rather than walking in the dress, fairly princessy (also the video linked above is a good opportunity to hear some nice introduction to a great artist and the whole concert.)

Above: Two of Princess Grace’s dresses on the right and on the left, in the middle is the dress Charlene wore to the Princess Grace Awards 2011.

Above: Charlene’s gown for the Red Cross Ball last year (the one we all thought was Akris) and behind it, three of Grace’s outfit including the tent dress she wore while expecting Princess Caroline in 1956.

Some more gowns of Princess Grace’s, the red one in the back is Charlene’s she wore last year to the Van Cleef and Arpels exhibition opening in Paris. If you look behind Charlene in the photo posted earlier, you’ll be able to see the pink gown she wore to Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee dinner last year, we’ll discuss its story below!

Prince Albert, Princess Charlene and Raf Simons

Seeing this collection presentation in Monaco proves some facts and gives some thoughts:

1. Charlene really meant it when she said she wants Monaco to be a fashion capital; and not only than, she also has a plan to achieve it. Now Dior presented a collection in Monaco, maybe it will be followed by others. Char will then have only Stella Mccartney, Manolo Blahnik left to open in Monaco to be done. Oh! Wait, and Starbucks!

2. Charlene actually looks good in full skirts; they actually balance her shoulders and define her waist better, but maybe she’d look even better in a less constructed full skirt!

3. Charlene can pull off colours; which she proves that every time she wears any colours, I just wish the Charlene Blue (the light baby blue she wore on her civil wedding, it’s named after her now, see the lace panel in the dress above) would become her go to colour.

5. Charlene only displayed the dresses she won’t wear again: Char has many other Dior gowns, cocktail dresses and day suits, I guess she only displayed the ones she won’t wear again. You won’t wear a dress after displaying it to the whole world, makes me kinda sad since I wanted to see the pale pink gown again.

5. Charlene wears other brands than Akris; even if what she wears is screaming Akris, like that costum made white and gold gown. Char would go to a huge fashion house, get them make her a one of a kind dress that looks exactly like Akris, sigh. And that leads me to thought number 6!

6. Dior should be ashamed of their PR: When I contacted Dior last year for confirmation on that pale pink gown Char wore to the jubilee dinner, they said they didn’t design the gown, but I was sure they did since Carla Bruni has worn an identical piece, since the gown wasn’t Akris and Dior denied it I ended up with no post (was too busy failing in my exams to fight with the PR girl), but it is in her face now. And look! they even forgot to send Clotide a blouse!

7. Christian Dior introduced the New-Look to the world will Raf Simons introduce a new look to Charlene?

8. Jan Taminiau and Felipe Varela have the best PR: Yeah I’m still angry!

10. Weather isn’t always on your side; Jan wanted the show to be open air with birds from the sea visiting them inside and the fresh breeze coming and going, instead because of weather, they had to put plastic sheets  (looks like glass but it’s not) to keep the place inside dry!

Katia Toledano, Sidney Toledano, Princess Charlene of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault and Helene Mercier

One last look at the princely couple and the people who own Dior!