Tag: clothes

Summer is traditionally the deadest period of Norwegian newspaper journalism. It is so dead that it is called cucumber season, because the stories of cucumber-growers (or other similar small pebbles of stories) suddenly become almost front page material. They therefore naturally all rejoice when something unexpected crops up.

One of the big  topics in the Norwegian media this past summer was the storm of the royal dresses. More precisely, Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s dresses. It started after she was interviewed by Dagbladet. Published in July.

[On the critique that she spends tons of money on clothes she wears on conferences, and meeting poor people, and bringing a stylist along on this trip] “There are some lines drawn up in this role I have, on how to dress and how to behave and everything like that. I try to stay within to those lines, and I can see a certain use in relating to them. But if there is something I think I have to work on, it is the critique I get for that.”

Including the above quote, she also said that it becomes tiresome when she is out working for more serious issues, but what ends up in the media is what she is wearing for the events.

(It should be pointed out that Dagbladet chiefly is, and has been, a republican-minded tabloid newspaper.)

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One of the foremost things a female royal today can do for her country’s fashion industry is to wear what they produce in public. Where she will be photographed. It is a promotion of that country and that industry. (Fashion is less important in the role than the humanitarian aspects and other official duties, but it is still an industry.)

Some of them are very good at this. The house of Natan in Belgium have a massive promotional value in the Belgian royal ladies wearing their couture. (Although, it can be debated if always wearing it successfully.) Another is the Princess of Asturias who is a frequent wearer of Zara and Mango – both Spanish brands.

And some are very good, but it leaves a question mark with me on how wise it is, to do the excessive wear. One of those is Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. She wears plenty of H&M clothes. It’s not a bad idea, on the surface.

It is a Swedish brand. It is not a high cost brand by any means. A good profile for the Swedish heir to the throne to wear.

Her friendship with the heir to the H&M empire, and its CEO, and her own shares in the company, although less now than a year ago, makes it a tad questionable for me.

And when she showed up on the official visit to London yesterday, with a jacket from H&M’s new designer collaboration line that isn’t out officially until November 14, I feel that it has seriously topped the line of promotion of a brand. Huffington Post has the picture of Victoria in a jacket from the Isabel Marant for H&M collaboration.

Promotion of Swedish fashion abroad is very well, but here H&M receives a boost to a line of clothing that isn’t out yet. If this had been the only issue here, I wouldn’t have had a problem.

My main point is that: I think the Swedish monarchy should be more neutral in terms of promotion of their friends, and companies where they personally have shares, when out and about on official visits for Sweden.