Kate Middleton is a style icon because she makes glossymagazine top ten lists, she whips little known designers into household names just by wearing their dress to dinner, and turns totally outdated trends into worldwide crazes (pantyhose, anyone?). But Jetsun Pema, the newly crowned Queen of Bhutan, is earning the title for very different reasons.
The poised, raven-haired 21-year-old is the fashion pinpoint of culture changing more rapidly than any other on the planet. TheBuddhist kingdom of 700,000 has been one of the last to adapt to global technological trends, in an effort to preserve its ancient culture. Only a certain number of tourists are allowed in the country at a time, and television was just introduced 12 years ago. But these days Bhutan has a version of "American Idol", a generation of teenagers on Facebook, and now its very own fashion superstar.
Like Kate, Jetsun is a commoner with a knack for updating monarchal traditions without overstepping her bounds. For her wedding to 31-year-old King Jigme, she wore a traditional Kira, an ankle length wrap dress hand stitched for months by a team of local weavers. But certain flourishes, caught the attention of Western fashion-followers.
(Check out some of the colorful looks of the Queen of Bhutan in the gallery bellow.)
Jess Cartner-Morley, fashion reporter for The Guardian, writes: “The bridal kira featured sleeves in a contrasting shade of fuchsia pink, echoing the trend for ‘contrast sleeves’ currently seen at Burberry and Yves Saint Laurent, and was teamed with shoes with striped block heels similar to those currently on sale in Fendi. She finished her look with a pair of statement earrings (very Miuccia Prada).”
More than likely, it was a case of European couturiers taking cues from Jetsun’s rich ancient culture and not the other way around, but for the first time the queen of the isolated Himalayan kingdom is captivating the Western fashion industry and possibly inspiring worldwide trends.
Jetsun doesn’t worship Armani like Charlene of Monaco and she doesn’t crave McQueen like Middleton. She once donned an outfit by Indian designer Manav Gangwani to a gala event, but for the most part, her style is home-grown with a colorful twist.
For her first public kiss with her new husband she wore a gold jacket with magenta cuffs and four 'dhar' scarves, a kind of symbolic marital emblem (think Jetsun's version of Kate's lace veil). Photos of the couple kissing spread like wildfire on the internet and landed on a Facebook page called Bhutan Street Fashion, as an example of the new queen's beguiling glamour. The photo got over 400 likes.
Although Jigme and Jetsun are beloved by their people, Bhutanese traditionalists worry rapid modernization will destroy their closely guarded culture. Already the new king and queen broke a major rule of the Bhutanese monarchy. They decided to have a monogamous marriage, shirking the longstanding tradition of marrying multiple siblings.
More than just a fashion trendsetter, the young queen is a reflection of the evolving culture in her kingdom. On the Bhutan Street Fashion page, there are photos of anonymous women in traditional silks but there are also shots Bhutan residents in Ralph Lauren tweed jackets and Ugg boots. There are also several shots of the young king and queen on their wedding day followed by doting comments from readers. “I like her clothes,” wrote one commenter. Another simply added, “Gorgeous.”
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