Designers today know that the true success of a fashion show is not measured by the appearance itself, but by the strength of the front row. For many, this means courting the latest Hollywood darlings or social media ingénues (see: Zendaya and Amelia Dimoldenberg), but the real coup is landing a royal, specifically a princess.
"Throughout history, fashion houses have had strong ties with royal families, especially in Europe," explains Davina Chelsea. from Tatler social editor. "I think people are fascinated by the younger generation of princesses following in the fashionable footsteps of their ancestors, and gaining insight into a world we normally don't have access to."
While you're unlikely to see a working royal in the front row, those lower down the pecking order can do whatever they want - and brands are more than happy to snap them up. "Inviting 'real' royalty essentially means going back to the basics of couture," explains Ivana Giachino, founder of communications strategy and talent partnership agency Lo Studio. "It is strategically important to invite princesses to dress and build long-lasting relationships. They are the ultimate dream costumer: young and stylish, but they also convey to viewers a very fairytale and romantic idea that has been lost lately. It is pure elegance and refreshing."
The shows in Paris this week saw a particularly strong princess turnout. Princess Alexandra of Hanover was at Chanel wearing her mother's vintage LBD; Princess Eugenie of York made her fashion show debut at Fendi menswear; while Queen Sonja of Norway took her granddaughter, TikTok influencer Leah Behn, to Dior.
Here's everything you need to know about the newest front row stars.
Princess Alexandra of Hanover
When your grandmother is Princess Grace of Monaco, being stylish is in your blood. Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 24, is the younger half-sister of Charlotte Casiraghi and the only daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and Prince Ernst August of Hanover. A regular at Fashion Week since she was 20, she made headlines this week by wearing her mother's Chanel LBD, first seen in the Fall/Winter 1990 couture collection, at Virginie's latest couture show Viard for the fashion house. On Monday evening she was also a guest on Giambattista Valli's show.
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Her wardrobe includes both designer (she also regularly appears at Dior shows) and high street clothes, including a very trendy polka dot dress from Reformation, which she wore to the Monaco Grand Prix last year.
Alexandra may have bumped into her sister-in-law Beatrice Borromeo (an Italian aristocrat married to Pierre Casiraghi) while in Paris for the Dior show.
Princess Eugenie of York
Princess Eugenie, 33, made a surprise appearance at the Dior Homme show this week. The late Queen's granddaughter, who works as an associate director at the Hauser and Wirth art gallery, has built a relationship with the brand in recent years through creative director Kim Jones, who also designs for Fendi.
For the show, she epitomized Parisian chic by wearing head-to-toe black Fendi: a wool jersey dress with a logo buckle belt, slingback heels, a tuxedo jacket and a Peekaboo ISeeU bag. Although she has been criticized by some for her fashion choices in the past, her style has matured in recent years. Her wedding dresses by Peter Pilotto and Zac Posen were particularly elegant and she is now often seen in Jones' Fendi designs, including at last year's coronation.
Queen Sonja of Norway and Leah Isadora Behn
It was a family affair at the Dior show, as Queen Sonja of Norway took her granddaughter, Leah Isadora Behn, as her plus-one. Leah, the 18-year-old daughter of Princess Märtha-Louise of Norway and her late ex-husband, Ari Behn, is carving out a place on TikTok as a beauty influencer.
She splits her time between her native Norway and Los Angeles (where her mother and husband-to-be, Shaman Durek, live) and her style is intertwined with West Coast cool and a penchant for Y2K staples like wide, low-rise, cropped jeans. jeans. tops, as is fashionable among Generation Z. For the Dior show, she wore a navy blue mini dress, a beige belted blazer and black tiger print tights, accessorizing a nude Miss Dior bag borrowed from Queen Sonja.
Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece
A bona fide member of the international jet set, 27-year-old Princess Maria-Olympia is the daughter of Prince Pavlos of Greece and New York socialite Chantal Miller. The genetically blessed princess is no stranger to fashion events and has modeled for Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Cartier, and walked in the Dolce & Gabbana show that brought out a slew of aristocratic names in 2018.
This week she was spotted front row at super cool Swedish label Toteme, where she was a royal advertisement for the brand, wearing the signature black wool coat and T-lock clutch, which she paired with a simple shift dress and knee-high boots . Maria-Olympia would look good in whatever she wears, but she has a penchant for championing up-and-coming names like Alessandra Rich, Brock Collection and Monse.
The Princesses of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
Why invite one princess to your show when you can invite three at once? That may have been the idea for Giorgio Armani's show, where Princess Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies sat in the front row next to her daughters, Princess Maria Carolina and Princess Maria Chiara.
Hailing from the Spanish Bourbon house, which ruled southern Italy and Sicily from 1734 to 1860, Princess Maria Chiara made headlines last summer when she was linked to then-Prince Christian of Denmark, who has since become Crown Prince after the abdication of his grandmother, Queen Margrethe.
The mother-daughter trio reminded the world of their glamorous appeal in Paris this week as they wore opulent black and velvet at Armani. Maria Carolina and Maria Chiara were spotted at Elie Saab the next day, peacocking in jewel-toned dresses.
