6 of Princess Charlene of Monaco’s favourite fashion brands: she spent more than Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton on clothes last year, rocking Dior, Louis Vuitton and Versace
Reviewing the fashion spending of 19 royals all over the world, the website figured out that Charlene splurged almost US$800,000 on close to 200 pieces in one year, of which each costs US$12,000 on average, also putting her collection at the top when it comes to the average price-per-item. She left Middleton and Markle far behind, who came in third and sixth with total spendings of US$233,000 and US$117,400, respectively.
Charlene has discerning taste too, carefully selecting chic and unique items from the world’s best fashion houses, making her the embodiment of a style icon. So just where does she shop the most? Here are six maisons that appear to be her favourites …
Which luxury brands will launch BTS members as their global ambassadors next?
1. Giorgio Armani
Armani won Charlene’s trust for her big day. At her wedding on July 2, 2011, she appeared in an Armani silk gown that took 2,500 hours to create and featured 40,000 Swarovski crystals, 20,000 mother of pearl teardrops and 30,000 stones in gold shades, according to Vogue. Later that night, she changed into another elegant white dress with a sheer neckline and tiered skirt, also by Armani.
She has also shown up at events in glamorous Armani dresses since then, such as the off-shoulder grey silhouette gown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival or the impressive lilac gown with V-neckline and hand-painted look that she wore at the Red Cross Gala 2016.
2. Dior
Dior is another of Charlene’s picks for important moments. In 2014, the then expectant mother hit the Princess Grace Awards Gala in an empire-style white flowing Dior Haute Couture gown, charmingly hiding her baby bump. A few months later, British media reported that she decided on a white skirt-and-jacket ensemble by Dior Haute Couture for herself and Baby Dior for her little ones, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, at the twins’ baptism.
In addition, in an official photo of the royal family of Monaco released in 2021, she opted for an off-white silk cady jumpsuit from the French designer’s spring 2020 collection, pairing it with the Mise en Dior necklace, while Gabriella also wore a pink skirt from Dior with a top and matching cardigan.
Other memorable moments where Charlene donned Dior? Her classy blush-coloured dress for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee at Buckingham Palace in 2012 or the vintage black dress with red beads and the sweet long-sleeve white silk dress with a leaf motif at the Princess Grace Awards Gala in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
7 handbags named after famous female icons, from Princess Diana to Selena Gomez
3. Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton is Charlene’s brand of choice when it comes to making family memories. In another official family photo in 2019, she dressed in a teal-blue silk pleated gown with an Elizabethan-style collar and drawstring cuff detail. One year later, in Charlene and Albert’s 11th wedding anniversary photo on Instagram, she wore another light-teal silk dress with pleats at the sides.
4. Ralph Lauren
For fancy gowns, Charlene’s go-to is Ralph Lauren. A typical example was her glittering burgundy column gown oozing Old Hollywood glamour at the 2017 Princess Grace Awards, which costs US$10,000, according to The Royal Couturier.
In 2013, she also donned a navy blue and amethyst silk taffeta gown at the Ralph Lauren autumn collection show and a rich dark-green taffeta gown with a ruffled high collar at the Princess Grace Awards Gala.
With her evident passion for the colour white, her collection also includes a Ralph Lauren’s satin halter-neck gown with silver beading on the neck and the back at the 2012 Princess Grace Awards Gala as well as a sophisticated column dress at the 2015 Monte Carlo TV Festival.
8 times Victoria Beckham dressed celebrity friends and family
5. Versace
Charlene also clearly appreciates sparkles – and Atelier Versace provides that in spades. She looked phenomenal in a glittering silver strapless jumpsuit with flared pants and a mermaid-inspired gown full of beads in blue, gold and crystal at the Red Cross Ball Gala 2017 and 2018, respectively.
6. Akris
Later, she picked a hot pink silk gown with one sleeveless side at the 2014 Grand Prix Gala. She also wore a peach pink shift dress with a pleated side during a visit to the Princess Grace Hospital Center in 2019 and a blush-pink structured midi dress with a lace cape and scarf while taking her children to their first school day of 2022, per The Royal Couturier.
Some of her most striking white pieces are also from the Swiss brand, like the floor-length pleated gown with high-neck collar paired with an Akris cream clutch at the 2012 Academy Awards or, more recently, the stylish long white coat dress and black hat at the last Monaco National Day.
- Who could forget Princess Charlene’s Armani wedding silk gown that took 2,500 hours to create in 2011? Since then, her wardrobe has included stunning pieces by Dior and Versace too
- The style icon prefers Louis Vuitton for family photos, but Ralph Lauren for fancy red carpet events – and has been seen wearing lots of pink from Swiss brand Akris throughout the years