She could not believe it. The designer Charo Ruiz knew that Doña Letizia had bought two dresses of hers, but the last thing she expected was that she would choose one of them, the Aryana design, from the Barbary Paradise collection, for the most important event on the agenda for the King and Queen during their vacations on Mallorca. The Queen had already chosen another model of hers, the Aida, from the Essentials collection, white and more classic, in 2020 for her visit to the island in the middle of the pandemic, so I did not think she would repeat with an Ibizan dress in an official act. She went to Mallorca thinking of the joy of her second granddaughter who was about to be born in Can Misses. And there she was met another joy: the Queen wearing one of her dresses. Again.
It’s the second time the Queen has chosen one of your dresses…
I’m so happy! Also, I knew she had bought two dresses, but I didn’t know she was going to wear one of them for the reception in Marivent, which is an important event. It was an incredible surprise.
Dont tell me there could have coincidences with in outfits…
Well, precisely during the dinner at Marivent we were chatting when the Queen and a researcher coincided with the same dress at an awards ceremony. She was very amused. Someone, in fact, asked me what would have happened if I had worn the same dress as her. Well, I would have found it very funny!
How did this dress come about?
We have a young Mallorcan painter, Sebastián Marc Graham, who is a friend and a wonderful artist. He paints watercolors… Last year we did the print for the Ritmo collection with him, which was a huge success. This year I wanted to do something with a typical plant from the islands, the prickly pear. He did several tests and we chose the one we found most interesting. You see the print and if I tell you that they are prickly pears, you can distinguish them, but if you weren’t told, you see some leaves that make a very nice play of colors, but you can’t clearly see that they are prickly pears.
Can you describe the dress?
It has a rouched body, which makes it fit very well, with a bardot neckline and a heart shape on the chest that looked beautiful on her. She looked stunning in it!
I imagine a few have sold by now.
The dress can still be found in the physical stores and in our online store, from when she appeared in it in Marivent until the next morning about fifteen have sold. And I do not know if we have more stock. In addition, the dress is now discounted. It cost 439 euros and is now 351 euros.
Is it a dress that fits any body?
Yes. It is a dress that gathers the chest very well. It also leaves the shoulders uncovered and that is always very flattering. It is also a cotton voile fabric with a slightly silky finish. It has a lot of movement and is very cool. With all these features it can only flatter. The whole collection looks great: dresses, short skirts, crop tops? It’s very popular and it’s selling well. Both in the orange color that the Queen wore and in the other two: the prickly pears with a black background or with a beautiful blue.
Doña Letizia chose orange, a much bolder option than the other time, right?
Yes, in 2020 she chose a white dress. I think that on Thursday she got it right with the dress because you can’t even imagine how hot it was in Marivent. Being so light and wearing her hair up, she was quite cool. It was very popular and I think that’s why, because it is light, flattering, with movement, very summery.
How did this dress reach the Queen?
Her stylist got in touch with Alberto Amador from my team. They had already seen the designs and asked us to send them several they liked. The Queen chose two. She returned the ones she didn’t keep and paid for the ones she did.
Put like that, it’s like when anyone makes an online purchase, isn’t it?
Yes, the same. Imagine! The Queen can be gifted anything, but she doesn’t allow it. That’s fine with me. Considering everything that’s going on, I think she’s covering her back. She likes something and she pays for it. I think it’s great.
Describe the moment when you realized the Queen was wearing one of your dresses
[Laughs] It was very shocking. You get dressed up, you arrive at the reception and there is a queue before greeting the King and Queen. The Minister of Industry, María Fajarnés, was a little further ahead in that queue. Then I saw that she was a little out of line and she said to me “Charo! Charo! The Queen is wearing your dress!”. But I didn’t see her properly and told her that it couldn’t be, that she must have got confused. She insisted that no, that it was one of mine, but I was not sure. As I got closer I saw that it was mine. It gave me a rush… When I arrived, I greeted the King first and then the Queen recognized me.
Did she say anything to you?
I told her she looked beautiful. That was the only thing I could say to her. Next to her was the Queen Mother, Doña Sofía, who, as she explained to me, had said the same thing to her daughter-in-law when she had seen her already dressed for the reception. Doña Letizia was sharing this anecdote with me! It was a moment of happiness. It’s an important event, she’s wearing your dress, she tells you these things…. They were very close, everyone asked them for photos and they agreed to take them, they talked to each other. It’s the first time I’ve seen her so close. I knew her from fairs, from having seen her, but that she stays by your side and talks to you as I am doing with you now…. she is the Queen!
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