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!
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!
8 Responses to "ROYAL COUTURE....Crown Princess Masako of Japan: A Fashion Recycler!"
Nick.. you've obviously never had depression/anxiety/mental illness of a stress induced sort. HIH Masako may well be wearing what she wears because to her it feels familiar, comfortable, covered-up and SAFE. The very last thing one wants when putting on a game face and dealing with the public for the sake of duty or protocol is to feel that one has been stripped of all of one's customary armor. It's why folks with depressive/anxiety illnesses always get the sweatpants and snuggy pass from me.
Why she hide the neck is due to atopic dermatitis.
Nick,
Princess Masako has a very strong mind, and hates advice from others.
She has worn a white robe on her
sister-in- law, Princess Sayako's wedding ceremony, which surprised many. She has worn dresses when all other royals wore Japanese kimono in a traditional event.
This time, she said she cannot make up her mind whether she will go to Holland and withheld her official answer till the last minute, probably because she was not going to attend the annual official garden party on May 18,and did not want to questioned why she can't greet her own people in her own garden when she can go abroad fly 12 hours abroad.
the garden party was on April 18, not May , sorry.
Please forgive me and allow me to post the following long comment, because
I would like you to know the truth about Princess Masako, not that self-produced image of a “sad prisoner”.
What would you think if a princess of a European country always refuses to go to church? and refuses to see her own people? Because that's what Masako is doing in Japan.
For the past 15 years ,she has skipped visits to shinto shrines,and religious ceremonies to pray for the welfare of the Japanese people , which happens to be the main duty of the imperial house. She claims she is "ill" and does not appear at annual garden parties, or any other official events. But on the very same day, she is healthy enough to go to restaurants and parties and concerts. Oh, of course she makes very short Palace Balcony appearances on New Years Day, just when there is the media and TV.
She shows up when royals from Europe come to the palace, but never when the guests are from Asia or Africa.(quite a racist, you should say) When there was a palace dinner for the President of Indonesia , she was not only absent, but was enjoying herself at a party at the Dutch Embassy in Tokyo.
Even after the terrible earthquake and tsunami in 2011, she was very reluctant to visit the area , and when she did, months later, she stayed only for an hour,.and that once only ( while the Emperor , Empress, and Prince and Princess Akishino, and even royals from abroad have repeatedly visited the area and tried to comfort the victims)
She and her husband (the crown prince) spend weeks skiing, booking the whole hotel inviting her own relatives and friends (not her husband’s) and spends months at imperial villas, shutting out the public and blocking traffic wherever they go, requiring to be guarded by thousands of policemen, which does not happen even with the Emperor himself ,who casually enjoys speaking with commoners. And no need to say, she and her husband enjoy a huge budget free to use unquestioned.
She claims that the imperial house, the tradition itself, is to blame for her "illness" and that the whole nation should let her do as she pleases in order to "cure" her. A scholar recently wrote that the couple could follow the footsteps of England's Edward and Mrs Simpson. and enjoy a rich life, free from duties. But she was reportedly enraged at this article because she is "very keen and waiting to become Empress". If the Imperial house makes her "ill", as she claims, then she should get out of it, with her husband if she pleases. The whole nation would support her and praise the crown prince. It is only herself and the people close to her( who profit from keeping her in the position) who claim that she is a prisoner, probably because then the couple would not have to leave; they could get the throne, and have their own way at the same time.
Masako is not a "sad " princess. She has an unbelievably strong will, a strong determined mind to have things her way. and her smiles even look triumphant these days. She attended the Dutch coronation ceremony as she wished, announcing that going abroad to countries of her favor is necessary for her “to get better”, but skipped interviews and all other appearances before the trip. In Holland, she did not show up at the reception party to see the Japanese residents the crown prince invited to their hotel. But she made two of them, former friends, to stay and come up to her room. Now she has returned from her trip abroad, but she is again repeating the same excuses that she is not well and refuses to see her own people in the palace, in Tokyo, wherever. The crown prince is completely under her control. So are the officials in their house. She has fired numerous officials and servants. And she is very clever to forge up the image of a "sad", "sick " "imprisoned" princess, using the media.
(continued)
By the way, not being able to have a boy has nothing to do with this Princess Masako problem. The empress Meiji , 130 years ago, had no children of her own, but was loved and respected by the people and still is. That's because she was a devoted person as a princess and empress. She founded the Japanese Red Cross, hospitals, schools for girls, women's universities, etc. She prayed for the people, and the poems she wrote are also very nice.
Masako was the only one among her colleagues in the foreign ministry, that could not get a masters degree. A very rare case, because young officials are sent abroad to Oxbridge etc. and they all complete their courses and get degrees.
Our tragedy is that Masako hates tradition, religious rites, to work for others, to meet the Japanese people, but, is determined to stick with the highest position and determined to execute the greatest privileges as the crown princess.
She can wear what she wants.. Thats just your opinion and she is just regal unique humble and doesnot conform to this centuries dressing madness of being naked.. Japanese royals dress the best.. Others are just wasting money showing off
She's beautiful and her outfits look just fine!
Post a Comment