Queen Letizia wore an ikat dress at a Red Cross event in Madrid: tragic or cute?

Here are some photos of Spain’s Queen Letizia at the World Red Cross-Red Crescent Day of Commemoration in Madrid. Letizia is a long-time supporter and patron of Spain’s Red Cross organization, and she often attends Red Cross events solo. On Tuesday, she was honoring different people, one of whom tripped on her way up to the podium. That’s the kind of sh-t that would happen to me. On a big day, all cameras on me and the queen, and I would be the one to go ass over tea kettle.

Anyway, I wanted to talk about these photos because I really dislike Letizia’s dress! Usually, I think Letizia gets it right, even if I don’t always love her style. She worked as a professional woman for years and she brought that professional-woman aesthetic to her royal style. She often wears pantsuits and simple sheath dresses. But this is… bad, right? I’m not even flatly opposed to ikat prints, but the colors and material look so cheap, as does the construction. The tiers on the skirt, the way this looks so dated and too casual, it’s a rare moment when Letizia really got it wrong.

The one positive thing about Letizia is that she works all the time, so she’ll probably give us a better fashion moment by the end of the week.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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39 Responses to “Queen Letizia wore an ikat dress at a Red Cross event in Madrid: tragic or cute?”

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  1. girl_ninja says:

    The dress isn’t cute and paired with that kitten heel? No thanks.

  2. koko says:

    I like the bag, that’s all I have.

  3. Tiffany says:

    I don’t mind it. It works for the event she is it.

  4. Chaine says:

    It would look fine as a blouse, or even an above the knee length sheath dress. But as a full skirt long dress, no.

  5. HeyKay says:

    The print and color seem a little busy and dark for almost June but I like the style.
    It seems fine, a day time work dress. I’d go 7/10.
    I prefer this style to a more trendy look.
    I do like the low heel shoes tho.

  6. notafan says:

    I like it! I think it would have been better with some bands of solid colour as the belt, and maybe a different purse. But I think the material and the design/ruffles kind of break up the pattern in an interesting way. And it looks airy and comfortable. Ah, well, different strokes for different folks, right?

    • Soapboxpudding says:

      Agreed, I like the print as well and the style seems fine for the event. It’s not full Little House on the Prairie. The kitten hells on the other hand…ugh. Why not just wear flats?

    • DeeSea says:

      Agreed on all counts. I really like the dress. I love how subjective fashion is, and I love that we don’t all have to agree on what’s beautiful and what’s tragic. Fashion is fun!

    • Cerys says:

      I like the dress too but I don’t like the kitten heel shoes.

      • Lucky you says:

        She can’t wear high heels anymore. She suffers from Morton’s neuroma.

  7. nikomikael says:

    I really like it! Its professional but still laidback.

  8. MrsH says:

    This is very Kate.

    • JanetDR says:

      That’s my thought. I sort of like the print, but the neck is too high, I dislike the buttons, belt and ruffles as well as the sleeves. Picture it with a sleeveless maxi with a short jacket.

  9. Julianna says:

    It’s terrible!

  10. Becks1 says:

    I would like it more without the tiers/ruffles at the bottom, and different shoes. High heels would have looked better with it than kitten heels IMO, it would have balanced it out a bit more. The pattern isn’t really my style, but I thought it was okay until the tiers. Those are not good, in my opinion lol.

  11. Beverley says:

    Love the bag! But the dress seems like a departure from her usually modern chic style. This dress is giving Kkkhate vibes, and even seems like something Sophie might wear. Letizia rarely makes fashion mistakes, it’s weird to see.

    It’s a definite naw from me, dawg.

  12. Original penguin says:

    It’s very Kate, but she displays it with more panache than Kate would due to her posture and styling.

    I really like the colours too.

    Not sure why you’d say it’s tragic?

  13. Chill34446 says:

    The trend of ruffles on dresses in everywhere maybe it’s a summer thing, but it not a favorite. She looks good, the colors do look nice on her.

    • AmelieOriginal says:

      They’re called nap dresses and I hate them lol. I dislike them but this dress, I think maybe due to the interesting pattern, doesn’t really qualify as one.

  14. J says:

    I don’t understand, it’s just a whatever nice work dress. She looks professional and polished. She’s not trying to steal spotlight. Why is this a thing? It’s not bad.

  15. Lululu says:

    At least she didn’t add a high ruffle collar and puffy sleeves and 16 big gold buttons.

  16. Hel says:

    I like it but I really dislike the shoes.

  17. Athena says:

    I really like it and think she looks great

  18. Lightpurple says:

    It’s a work dress. It’s fine

  19. Eurydice says:

    1. I don’t like shirtwaist dresses, no matter what the fabric.
    2. I don’t like ruffles, on anything.
    3. I don’t like this fabric design – both dark and dizzying.

  20. MsIam says:

    I like whole outfit. Its conservative and appropriate for the event. I even like that she went with a pink bag instead of going with black to match the shoes. To me the whole outfit is giving “rich lady at a charity event” vibes.

    ETA: I honestly thought that thumbnail picture was Caitlyn Jenner!

    • BothSidesNow says:

      I did too!! Though, her choice for this event was perfectly fine, IMO. Though I don’t care for those tiered dresses at all, though I am petite and they look awful on me.

  21. yellowy says:

    • I love the dress! I want to buy one for myself
    • Though her hair doesn’t match. Perhaps a ponytail or a topknot.
    • For some reason I think it would looks better on a blonde or a black woman (or a blonde black woman!).

  22. DaniM says:

    I think the pattern gets oddly elongated and lost between the waist and bottom tier, but otherwise I think it’s great?

  23. AmB says:

    The dress is fine if a bit schoolmarmy, the fabric is shiny because of the dyeing process.

    The look is off though because it’s half-assed – a casual dress with rolled-up sleeves paired with dressy slingbacks. Either unroll the sleeves and go full Miss Krabapple or hem them up and wear less fussy shoes.

    • Hannah1 says:

      You nailed the problem. The dress looks nice in motion, but her relaxed stride in the fussy shoes makes me as an observer tense up

  24. Gina says:

    It’s not tragic, though rather close to it.

  25. AmelieOriginal says:

    I actually like this dress on her and I really hate the ruffled/tier nap dresses that are all the rage right now. I think the pattern is fun and very summery. Letizia FTW again for me.

  26. Mel says:

    The dress is fine, the length and the kitten heels are making it frumpy.

  27. Scout says:

    It’s the pattern. Leti is so thin she can make any silhouette look great. But those colors! Yikes.

  28. Eating Popcorn says:

    The dress just isn’t photographing well.

  29. SJ says:

    Beautiful dress.
    Great she’s gone to a lower heal .
    Health over “fashion” any day.

  30. Lynnie says:

    And exactly where is she supposed to find a beautiful dress WITHOUT silly ass ruffles, weird sleeves and tiers these days? That’s all the designers make anymore. This trend has been ongoing for a solid four years and it NEEDS TO STOP. DESIGNERS: STOP INFANTILIZING women with this juvenile nonsense. Why is it so hard to find a sophisticated, knee-length dress with 3/4 sleeves? I swear it’s harder than getting Democrats and Republicans to agree on something.