The summers of the royal family in Mallorca are, at present, simplified to those fixed outings that the royal couple, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, undertake. However, there was a time when the island did not only host the presence of Marivent for the monarchs and their children, but also welcomed visits from other members of the royalty, such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and then-Prince Charles.
It was in the 70s and 80s when holidays in Mallorca experienced their peak splendor and the members of the royal family delighted us with poses that were much more relaxed, informal and in different areas of the Marivent Palace. And it was there that we saw one of the best stylistic versions of Queen Sofía.
Although the emérita is considered one of the most elegant royals and today continues to stand out for pieces with history, meaning and for accessories that take all the protagonism, in archival images one can find formulas that foreshadowed what would decades later become a style reference.
And Mallorca witnessed a much more relaxed version of Doña Sofía, where she wore comfortable, summery, fresh, and color-pop outfits that are absolute inspiration today. And not even the famous Desigual dress that Letizia and her daughters have worn so much, nor the Menorcan espadrilles that the current queen wears for comfort, nor the tie-dye prints that Leonor uses have managed to dethrone the elegance, style and sophistication that Queen Sofía boasted during those summers on the Balearic island.
The kings and their children in 1975.
In fact, looking back and seeing some of the photographs published from that time, we find combinations that could perfectly be current today among the proposals of fashion trendsetters.
For example, Queen Sofía frequently relied on the headscarf, an accessory that is in full trend this summer and that she combined in different ways and placed in various positions. That look with yellow pants and blue T-shirt that she wore together with her children and King Juan Carlos is already Mallorca vacation history.
Queen Sofía, in 1975.
También es súper recordado el look con unos pants with a heart print que causó sensación y que bien podrían formar parte del armario de esas chicas portuguesas que presumen de un estilo en el que combinan prints a todo color. La reina Sofía prefirió una fórmula algo más básica y añadió una camisa blanca de manga corta, un estilismo que muchas copiarían a día de hoy. Lo combinó con el pañuelo en la cabeza del que te hablamos y con su sello personal: un collar de cuentas a todo color que en la actualidad sigue llevando de manera similar.
Un seventies style que este verano ha regresado y que confirma también que la reina Sofía tenía el poder de encontrar piezas y combinaciones atemporales. Aunque en la moda todo vuelve, doña Sofía posee el poder estilístico de la temporalidad y ha llevado looks que perfectamente podrían rescatar la princesa Leonor o la infanta Sofía.
The royal family in Mallorca.
Fans of the Emerita Queen’s style miss that the heir to the throne and her sister reclaim those pieces that made Queen Sofía stand out so much. And how well Princess Leonor would look in this printed midi skirt. Queen Sofía paired it with a short-sleeved shirt, but Leonor could update it with a T-shirt or top and her inseparable wedge espadrilles, footwear that Queen Sofía also wore during the summers in Mallorca, also known as espadrilles.
They are the footwear par excellence of Letizia and her daughters, and, although it seems that this is something the queen invented, the truth is that the inspiration seems to come from Queen Sofía, who also adopted this comfortable footwear as a reliable summer vacation staple.
Queen Sofía with espadrilles in 1980.
Here we see her pairing the espadrilles with a midi skirt, and we particularly like the touch given by a wide golden belt and the pink shirt collar raised. Details that make the difference and that are pure inspiration for those who like to wear outfits that stay in memory.
