April 2016: The Recap

Even as we kick off May with Star Wars Day (“May the Fourth Be With You”) and Cinco de Mayo, we have to recap an eventful April. This polarizing month was bittersweet, conjuring T.S. Eliot’s chilling poetry:

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

Birth Announcement

On April 14, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen welcomed Luna Simone Stephens into the world. The birth announcement was particularly significant in light of Teigen’s well-documented struggle with fertility in the past. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 11 ounces, the baby princess’s first photo garnered nearly 400,000 likes on Instagram in a matter of hours. Miracles do happen! (PC Chrissy Teigen).  

In Memoriam – From One Legend to Another

On April 21, Prince, the legendary songwriter, singer, and eccentric showman was found dead in his home. He was 57. The details surrounding his death are still murky but his legacy is cemented in time. Described as a man “bursting with music” and the “greatest solo artist of the rock era,” Prince wasn’t just a recording artist—he was a prodigious musician, an actor, a sex symbol, and always comfortably left of left of center. And let's not forget about his seismic influence on fashion (Getty Images). 

In the words of President Barack Obama: “Few artist have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent. As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all.”

Pop and Politics – The White House Correspondents’ Dinner

On April 30, journalists, politicians, and celebrities gathered at the Washington Hilton for President Obama’s last White House Correspondents’ Dinner. While presidential frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton didn’t make it, the star-studded event was crowded by the likes of quarterback Tony Romo, actors and actresses Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jared Leto, Kerry Washington, Gabriel Union, and the music industry’s DJ Khaled and Aretha Franklin. Guests from across the pond included actresses Helen Mirran and Emma Watson (Photo Courtesy Rex/Shutterstock). The full visual list of the well-dressed red carpet arrivals can be found here.

Across the Pond – A Century of Style

British Vogue celebrates its 100th birthday with Vogue 100: A Century of Style. The feature? Who else but the Duchess of Cambridge? Prior to being revealed in April as the cover for British Vogue’s centenary edition, Kate Middleton had actually never posed for a magazine shoot, despite being one of the most influential fashion trendsetters. The June 2016 issue will be made available May 5 and features a personable and accessible Duchess (Josh Olins/British Vogue via AP).

Sidestepping other royal accessories, Middleton exclusively wears her renowned sapphire and diamond wedding ring that once belonged to Princess Diana, and creating the one-of-a-kind aura of casual royalty. Click here for more on the oval-cut/shape of the center stone and the brief story behind this sacred family heirloom. 

Here is our version of the well-talked about royal ring, appropriately named after The Duchess, herself.