Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia were joined by family and friends today in the chapel at Drottningholm Palace for the christening of their second son, Prince Gabriel.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Princess Sofia broke with tradition and wore traditional folk dress. Her costume is from Dalarna, the area where she was raised and the duchy of which Prince Gabriel was named Duke at the time of his birth, making the sartorial choice a personal and sentimental one. Her vibrant ensemble included a traditional hand painted/embroidered red cap edged in cotton lace.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Queen Silvia topped a slate blue silk dress and coat with a veiled lace headpiece. The texture and sheen of the headpiece is a beautiful compliment to the streamlined coat and the colour, while muted, looks wonderful on her.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Philip Treacy. It is a bespoke version of OC 384 from AW 2017
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new
Princess Madeleine, who was named one of Prince Gabriel’s godparents, also made a sentimental touch with her millinery. Her lilac grey twisted silk headpiece with pink silk rose at the back is a clear nod to a similar peach design that Queen Silvia wore on August 31, 1970 for Prince Carl Philip’s baptism (and that Crown Princess Victoria had reinvented in June 2014 for Princess Leonore’s christening). We didn’t get to see the headpiece directly against Madeleine’s printed silk Valentino dress but it looks like it would balance really well.
Previously Worn: thisheadpiece is new
Crown Princess Victoria topped a stunning red suit with a leather hair bow. At an event where small headpieces reigned, I see the rationale in this choice but I’m not a fan of the twee shape or mismatch of shades between the bow and the suit. My reservations about the hairbow aside, the red suit is divine on Victoria and I adore her brave use of deep maroon accessories with it. And Princess Estelle’s matching maroon Mary Janes? SO adorable.
Previously Worn: this bow is new


Photos from Getty as indicated; Jonas Ekstrommer/TT; Frederik Sandberg/TT; Anna-Karin Nilsson; Jonas Ekstrommer via Getty
Sofia’s cap is a lovely nod to her home area and the bright red is a great color for her. Carl Philip looked very dashing in his military cap and uniform.
Silvia’s fascinator is my favorite of this group; it’s so different from most we see, and the details are exquisite. Her pairing of an ice blue outfit with burgundy lipstick is also a great choice.
At first I thought Madeleine had repeated Victoria’s headpiece from a few years ago; while I like the rose/floral detailing on this, I just can’t get into the overall idea of it.
Victoria’s crimson outfit is wonderful for her and the bow hairpiece is nice, but it definitely isn’t exciting and it’s unfortunate you can’t appreciate/see it from most angles.
I love Princess Sofia’s traditional dress, especially the cap (although it feels a bit odd seeing traditional clothes with modern makeup) and Queen Silvia’s hat is perfect.
My favorite here is Sofia’s cap. The colour and embroidery is superb and very flattering for the Princess.
I also really like Queen Silvia’s headpiece, light and airy as they seem to prefer, but still substantial.
During the ceremony Sylvia’s headpiece really sparkled in the light. I liked the sparkle!
Sofia’s cap is much more flattering than such caps often are – the shape allows enough hair to show to be attractive rather than merely confining. I love Silvia’s headpiece, intricate and interesting, and the veil makes it looks more substantial than it really is! (And I think veils are rather flattering too.) Victoria’s bow isn’t really awful, in fact, given that she’s wearing it, I do like the placement of it. But I wish she’d worn something else. I can’t say I’m particularly taken with Madeleine’s, but it does fit in with her overall theme of everything being loose and flowing…
Queen Silvia’s headpiece is my favorite of these. The swirled lace is unusual and brings some texture to the sleek suit.
What a missed opportunity for CP Victoria — a cocktail hat would have paired so well with her suit.
My favorite outfit is Princess Sofia’s. In Scandinavia these regional folk costumes are often worn for baptisms, confirmations, weddings, even family reunions or other important events. She looked perfect. Next I liked Queen Silvia; her elegant headpiece added a wonderful flourish to her beautiful coat dress.
I love that Princess Sofia wore the traditional folk dress of the area from which she hails. Queen Silvia looks so elegant in her ensemble. I usually don’t care for headpieces, but this one is charming. The women of the Swedish royal family seem to be particularly adept in wearing hats and clothing that link back to similar events of the generation before and thus create their own traditions. Very nice.
I think the small-scale headpiece is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. Everyone looked lovely, but the queen looked particularly beautiful.
I believe the traditional cap is stitched not painted
For what it’s worth, the author of this People magazine article describes the cap as embroidered (but it does look awfully flat!): http://people.com/royals/princess-sofia-wears-a-traditional-swedish-folk-costume-for-prince-gabriels-christening/