Does Letícia really pack her suitcase for members of the royal family?

BarcelonaWhen Letícia discovered that in the most serious matters—those that could truly entail substantial changes for the institution—she wouldn't be able to command as much as she would like, she decided that within her restricted sphere, she would do whatever it took to make them stand out and, at the same time, create an image of herself as a beautiful woman that would at least save her from the fearful decisions of Palau. The problem is that her scope of action as consort is very small, since it is basically tied to fashion and other issues related to certain stage productions. However, as expected from someone with the journalist's tenacity and intelligence, she has managed to promote a much fresher image of the monarchy, which has meant a radical change in the old-school aesthetics and sociopolitical invisibility of Queen Sofía. The problem with this is that the change she has implemented works very well for herself but not so much for the other members of the royal family.

Her public appearances in Mallorca this week have made this duality clear: how well she embodies the appearance of a 21st-century person, and how this falters when applied to the personalities—physical and political—of the other three members of the Crown. The most critical moment of this dissonance occurred on Monday at the traditional reception for the authorities and personalities of the Balearic Islands, which the Spanish monarchs hold at Marivent, the palace in the Balearic town where they stay when on public holidays in Mallorca.

Letizia looked radiant, with a healthy tan and a white adlib-style dress decorated with lace trim that further enhanced her skin tone and dark hair. The dress, much more Mediterranean and less formal than those she had traditionally worn at Marivent, was by the Ibizan brand of designer Tony Bonet, a guest at the reception who discovered live on air that the queen had worn the dress, which she had had in her wardrobe for two years. Letizia's tribute to the Balearic Islands was further enhanced by the earrings inspired by the main rose window of Palma Cathedral, designed by Mallorcan jeweler Isabel Guarch.

The queen sealed the look with two esparto wedges in golden tones like the earrings she wore. The outfit looked youthful thanks to the slight transparency of the tips that the dress had on the abdomen area, in the low V-neckline and its thin straps. Her loose and slightly wavy hair gave her a look bohemian ending that many people can identify with what is mostly understood as a Balearic summer.

Contradictory 'Look'

The problem came from the hand of King Felipe VI, with whom Leticia had tried to make match stylistic, dressing him in a pristine white like his own. So far, the idea was sound, but in practice, it didn't work. Applying this casual, relaxed aesthetic pattern to someone who can't allow himself to stop looking like the King of Spain for even a moment makes sense. Put it on a white linen guayabera to make it look like your own version fresh But combining it with the grey trousers and black leather shoes that she could wear to preside over the inauguration of any minister is a huge mistake. It's a look We could define it as a Mr. Potato Head, where one half is summer and one half is winter; where one half is familiar and fresh, and the other half is as cold and canonical as the entire monarchical history of Spanish democracy. In short: it's completely untenable.

Perhaps this strange ensemble is the embryo of a mutant king, the first installment of a change that will come little by little and that will turn him into a more current man, who can carry a total look Light-toned linen without suffering because Spain abruptly and massively converted to republicanism. However, the king's effort must be appreciated, since last year—and more or less at the rest of Marivent's receptions since becoming king—he wore a navy blue dress that he could have worn to any event at the Royal Palace in Madrid. Seeing the monarch so stuck while men's fashion has undergone such a massive revolution in just a few years is a bad feeling. I think the same will happen to Leticia, who pays such close attention to the sector. All that said, it's appreciated that she tries. Men of her generation never do. Even less so those who hold a position.

'Young' Person

The heir to the Spanish throne, Leonor, was subjected to similar contradictions to those of the king. The Bourbon cadet, who began her military training for two years this August, made her debut alongside her sister as hostess at Marivent's reception. For the occasion, goes decide She wore a white suit with a blue print by the Catalan brand Desigual that her mother had brought to the same event two years earlier. All the messages she was sending were, from a political point of view, very appropriate: reusing clothes as an act of environmentalism, borrowing clothes as a sign of good family harmony, choosing a suit made with eco-friendly material when everyone is looking at you, choosing fashion. Made in Spain...The problem with all this? Not being able to see—or underestimating—that what is modern for a 52-year-old woman is not for a 20-year-old.

A model who transforms Leticia into a young-spirited woman who knows how to take certain stylistic risks and, thanks to this, can connect with people outside her generation doesn't have the same effect on the heiress. If, because of the position she holds and what she will face in the future, the girl is perceived as a person young –young and old at the same time–, she just needs to start putting on her mother's clothes. If there's one reason Leonor should be especially valued by the institution, it's to connect with the new generations, who don't even casually watch the media in which she appears. Leonor should wear looks They should go viral so young people would know her! She doesn't need to dress like Bad Gyal or Arca, but someone should tell them to help her not look like an emeritus before she's even reigned... The judgement isn't on how well the outfit looks on her—magnificently combined with hair and accessories, by the way!—but on how well it fits in relation to the functions she's supposed to fulfill. They shouldn't be satisfied with just looking summery because it takes her to Mallorca in August. The task this institution must perform to survive is infinitely greater.

Sofia, the experimental

And finally, it's Sofia's turn. Poor Sofia. Sometimes it seems as if she's dressed up just to make her heir sister more joyful. The dress worn by the second in line to the Spanish throne, taken from this summer's Zara sales, has been much discussed. It was a dress on sale for 9.99 euros that also sent appropriate messages for an institution that wants to present itself as modern: it was made from recycled materials, it was from an accessible brand, it was—in its own way—daring... What was the problem with the dress, then? Well, mainly two. First, what to wear. fast fashion It should not be well regarded by those who can afford to wear clothes made in countries where there are labor rights, and, secondly, it was neither well thought out nor well put together.

We do not know if, just as the king and Letizia represent the face conservative and progressive of the Crown, respectively, want to make the same happen with their daughters. Leonor embodies the classic and Sofia, the modern. However, Palau should be careful with this decision. Sofía's dress can't be a good length, or a good neckline, or a good combination—being polyester as it was—with esparto grass wedges—flatter than her sister's, as always, so that the heiress doesn't look short next to them. It's hard to believe that all this look The implausible sentiment of the Infanta, who was not in the least bit happy, was supervised and approved by Leticia, to whom none of this would ever have happened in person. Having said all this, if the three of them have really gone through the filter of experience fashion Regarding Queen Letizia, we can only ask ourselves: is the institution so full of contradictions that it's insurmountable, even when it comes to clothing? Perhaps none of this is so complicated, and ultimately, the only thing that happens is that what they say about Letizia dressing the whole family with the sole objective of always being the best-dressed is true.