Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito the inauguration ceremony of King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima of
the Netherlands at New Church on April 30, 2013 in Amsterdam,
Netherlands.
A couple of weeks back was the Inauguration/Crowing of Willem-Alexander and Máxima of the Netherlands. Queen Beatrix abdicated her throne to her oldest son and became Princess Beatrix and now Europe has a fabulous South American-born Queen! But lots of attention went to Crown Princess Masako of Japan. Why?
Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito the inauguration ceremony of King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima of
the Netherlands at New Church on April 30, 2013 in Amsterdam,
Netherlands.
Well, for starters, this was her first official trip abroad in nearly 11 years! After marrying the Crown Prince in 1993, Masako has been quite of a mystery and much-discussed royal. HIH
Crown Princess Masako graduated from Harvard University and she came from a diplomatic family. After
the marriage, HIH Crown Princess Masako found a lot of difficulty
adjusting herself to her own position as a crown princess of Japan. In December 2003, she came down with shingles and
spent weeks in hospital. In July 2004 the palace announced an official
diagnosis of “stress-induced adjustment disorder.”, saying that Masako suffered from a mental illness. She refrained from doing almost all
the official duties of crown princess. She has been undergoing treatment for a stress-induced
illness for many years which has restricted her travel and her workload
to almost nothing. Oh, and did I mention she has "failed to produce" a male heir. Mon Diue!
Chanel Suit Princess: Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako departing Tokyo for the Netherlands for the Inauguration Ceremonies of Willem-Alexander and Maxima
So, yes, it's been a difficult road for the once-vivacious Masako. I was intrigued by all this but of course, I wanted to look into her FASHION and then I realized that the off-white damask completely covered-up gown which she wore at the Dutch Royal Inaugural Ceremonies, well..she's worn it before...SEVERAL times. If I didn't feel bad for Crown princess Masako before, now I really do! I have a feeling she's not being a "Recessionista" or a COUTURE Recycler. Nope, Not so much. You would think as the Crown Princess of Japan that the Imperial Palace would, at the very least, provide her with some NEW Haute Couture. Seriously. But nope...Check out Exhibits A, B and C:
Japan's Crown Princess Masako appears before well-wishers as she
celebrates Emperor Akihito's 77th birthday at the Imperial Palace in
Tokyo December 23, 2010--wearing the same ensemble she wore in April 2013 at the Dutch Royal Inauguration Ceremony
Same Gown, No Pill-Box Hat: Japanese Crown Princess Masako greets well-wishers with Crown Prince Naruhito from the balcony of
the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2, 2012.
And here as well, same pill-box hat, same band-collared gown...
Now, this has not been the first time Crown Princess Masako has recycled an outfit:
In 2008 at the Emperor's 75th Birthday celebration, Crown Princess Masako wore this deep royal blue velvet suit with Nehru sequined collar, pill-box hat and pin accessory...
She also wore it on another occasion in 2008...
And in on January 2, 2010 celebrating the New Year at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan.
Here's a a look back at Crown Princess Masako's most recent fashion statements:
2008: Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito (L) and Crown Princess Masako attend the
welcome ceremony of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at the Imperial
Palace on November 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The King and the Queen of Spain were
on a 6-day visit to Japan for the first time since 1998, when they
attended the Nagano Olympic opening ceremony. Masako wore a teal-colored suit--very 80's styled with a black and teal hat with bow
Pink Princess: On October, 2008, the Crown Princess Masko (and her Crown Prince) welcomed TRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as
they arrive for a private dinner at the Royal Residence in Tokyo, Japan. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla,
Duchess of Cornwall were in Japan as part of a ten day tour of East Asia
that takes in Japan, Brunei and Indonesia. This blush-pink suit is more suited for a woman TWICE her age and is unexplainable to me why she would even wear it. The fabric is quite luxe but the silhouette and edge-trim is aging.
Mint Princess: Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito Celebrating the Emperor's 76th Birthday in 2009--I liked this look on Crown Princess Masako, at least she wasn't recycling ensembles. The hat is different and very Asian Airline flight attendant fab!
OMG, she shows some SKIN: Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito see off Emperor Akihito
and Empress Michiko departing for Canada at Tokyo International Airport
on July 3, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. The emperor and empress are on
fortnight trip to Canada and Hawaii--I think this was one of her best most recent ensembles--the vanilla/creme color was nice and more importantly, the notched collar neckline allowed for some skin to show! The skirt length, however, is still soooo made for a 70-year old woman.
Lets hope we see more of the beautiful Crown Princess Masako and well, that she gives FASHION that A) she hasn't worn THREE times before and B) that suits her age, figure and C) is more from the 21st Century!
