Darling readers, your response to the post on the Duchess of Alba and the Alba Wedding Tiara was like an avalanche of applause! And how better to reward you than with a little more visual? So please enjoy these nifty little videos of the Duke & Duchess of Alba at the Imperial Ball in New York. Fun!
Personally, we adore the beehive-tiara combo. You? Now we mentioned that the tiara was originally made for Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie. (below) The overwhelming consensus can be read two ways: (1) the Alba Tiara is a freakin’ behemoth or (2) today’s royals and nobles have dinky heads. [We’ll pause for laughter. Okay fine. OUR laughter.]
*ahem* There is actually historical fact to back this up–the gargantua part, not the pinhead part. Eugénie was widely considered to be the most beautiful woman in Europe [an honor or a burden?] but she had not a drop of noble blood in her veins. The fix? Bury her in jewels. Just a freakin’ rock slide of ’em. (Source: Munn. Tiaras: A History of 
Splendor. Words: Blog Hostess. I Grew Up in New Jersey.) But take a closer look…either Great Grandma Eugénie was Pinhead of the Year or it’s one of those tiaras that only gets seven miles to the gallon. And how many strands of pearls does she have on? Seven? Our eyes started to swim…
So yeah, the sister had some necklaces and headbands.The tiara upon which we gaze right now belongs to the princely family of Thurn and Taxis. Soon, kids.
As we all know, the Internet–especially Wikipedia–is always 100% accurate. Exactly how did this tiara come into the hands of the Alba clan? There is some ridiculous explanation on the English Wiki-page that–gah! Don’t get me started! Simply put, Eugénie’s sister was married to the 15th Duke of Alba. After her death, the pearls and diamonds were integrated into the FitzJames-Stuart family and eventually reset into the aircraft carrier-sized tiara we see waltzing above and again below, just for posterity.
Nice to have a rear-view shot, even if it’s just Eugenia. Get your mind out of the gutter! We don’t get too many of those, unless you count the unfortunately placed Laula tiara. Remember that hot mess?
Okay, okay. The day’s been hectic. Your Blog Hostess promises a NEW tiara tomorrow…maybe one about the “Cotton Gin Tiara” you all love so much.
history buff, jewelry whore, chatterbox, mets fan
tiara the size of an aircraft carrier–gah!
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OMG! While I was researching this next tiara, I found info on the designer of Eugenia’s dress from the first post where you said she looked medieval with the aircraft carrier and all…Unago, the dress designer, intentionally went for a medieval look when he tailored her gown!
Good eye Angie!
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I really do love this tiara. It’s size does not bother me if the woman wearing it can get some serious tiara hair going to hide the base. I HATE when you can see the bases. Completely ruins the effect for me.
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I agree! The ‘do she’s rocking at the Imperial Ball can certainly punch its weight with the tiara! Bases were meant to be hidden!
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And that gif of her.. that look on her face and the movement of her arm. “Peasant, I’m a Duchess.” Which sometimes carries much more weight than Princess or even Queen!
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heee
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