This Week’s Extras

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Princess Hisako wore a smart ivory hat with layered green hatbands and silk butterfly (or bow?) today in Fukushima Prefecture to open a national football training center.
A whole lot of new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Vibrant navy, purple and turquoise straw boater with pompoms by London-based milliner Lisa Tan
Very pretty pink scrolled percher saucer with flower & quills by New Zealand milliner Claire Hahn
Wonderful pattern on this vintage fabric hugger with feather peony by Australian milliner Cessiah Alice
Very fun textured pink saucer with bow by British milliner Jess Collett
Bold and very fun navy polka dot boater hat with navy ribbon from Australian brand Murley and Co. Millinery
2 bandeaus: Pink silk with braid and blue straw with hand cut & dyed petals from British milliner Laura Cathcart
Lilac straw button percher with cream extended flying brim and feather from American milliner Tiffany Arey
Punchy colour scheme on this grey and orange straw fedora with turquoise hatband from Belgian brand My Bob
Statuesque pink fur felt riviera with pink ombre hatband from Melbourne based Jill and Jack Millinery
Stunning sequinned and beaded flapper cap from American milliner Karen Morris
Adore the vibrant colour and graceful movement on this flower trimmed bandeau by Irish milliner Laura Hanlon
Classic straw wide mushroom brimmed design with black crin twists by British milliner Jane Taylor

And from British milliner Rae Oakley, this pale blue cartwheel brimmed picture hat with flying bows of blue straw and yellow and lime green flying crin. The colour scheme is unexpected but so charming!

Touching tribute from the Countess of Carnarvon to her late mother-in-law (Jean Margaret Wallop Herbert, wife of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon who was a close friend and former horse racing manager of Queen Elizabeth, died on April 10).  The Prince of Wales’ letter to French President Macron on Tuesday was also poignant.

Prince Gabriel celebrated his third birthday this week and the Swedish monarchy released this adorable portrait.
Sweet snap shared by Princess Madeleine of her own trio of Easter bunnies
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Happy Easter from our bunnies!

A post shared by Princess Madeleine of Sweden (@princess_madeleine_of_sweden) on

And finally, the Danish monarchy released this clip of Queen Margrethe painting Easter eggs. May you all have a very happy Easter and if you’ll be wearing an Easter bonnet, tell us bout it (or share an embedded social media photo) in the comments!  I’ll pop back later tomorrow for the Easter hats at Windsor.

Photos from social media as indicated

Imperial Visit to Ise Shrine

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Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko journeyed to Ise this week to take part in rituals at Ise Jingu Shrine related to the emperor’s upcoming abdication. One of the most sacred Shinto shrines in the country that can only be overseen by a chief priest or priestess from the Imperial family, it is currently under the charge of Sayako Kuroda, the couple’s daughter, who celebrated her 50th birthday on Thursday.

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The Emperor and Empress’ arrival at Ujiyamada Station on Wednesday gave us a great view of the oyster hat Empress Michiko recently brought into rotation.  The lattice crin underbrim and darker grey piping on the bow are delicate touches to be appreciated and ones easily missed from the further views we usually get. These subtle contrasts give layers of texture and interest to the hat, making it a much more complex and nuanced design than it appears at first glance.

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Designer: unknown. Likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: Mar 26, 2019
For the visit to the shrine Thursday, the Emperor wore traditional morning suit and carried a black silk top hat.
Empress wore a pearly white rimmed saucer with pinwheel silk bow and delicate lattice crin underbrim
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Designer: unknown. Likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: March 25 2014;
Following the shine visit, Empress Michiko repeated her pale pink disc with crin underbrim, trimmed with double silk bows and silk flowers. It’s another delicate design (and not grey!) that she wears really well.
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Designer: unknown. Likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: Feb 24, 2019; Nov 14, 2018
For the couple’s return train journey to Tokyo yesterday, the Empress repeated her slate bluey-grey rimmed saucer with looped silk bow trim. We’ve seen this hat a few times on Michiko but it remains a great one on her- at closer view, the silk bows have the most beautiful sheen that just makes the hat.
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Designer: unknown. Likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: Mar 28, 2019; June 10, 2018; Mar 29, 2018; Mar 7, 2018; Oct 29, 2017

It’s amazing to think that there will be a new emperor and empress in Japan in 10 days… and while it’s unclear what role this couple will have, I hope we’ll see them from time to time. I’ve come to appreciate many of Empress Michiko’s signature saucers – especially some of the ones here – and I would hate to see both the hats and their very dignified and elegant wearer disappear altogether from public view.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Queen Máxima Attends Financial Congress

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Queen Máxima was in Utrecht yesterday to take part in the jubilee congress of the National Institute for Budget Information. For this event, she repeated her blocked black felt teardrop percher with deep crease, trimmed with a black quill with jewelled beads.

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The hat’s unusual shape and beautiful sheen give it memorability on its own but its the combination with the beaded magenta frock that makes it sing. The two pieces are so well balanced and contrasted, they both are elevated by the presence of the other. I’m not sure I’d be drawn to this hat on its own but as part of this ensemble, it’s marvelous.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. Dress by Oscar de la Renta
Previously Worn: Oct 24, 2018

It’s not been so long since we saw this hat- have your thoughts about it changed at all on this outing?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Queen And York Princess Attend Maundy Thursday Service

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Queen Elizabeth as joined by her granddaughter, Princess Eugenie of York, today for this year’s Royal Maundy Thursday service which was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

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For this service, the Queen repeated her yellow straw hat with a tall crown and gently angled brim, trimmed with a triple pleated hatband, yellow arrow trimmed feathers and a large folded straw bow. Interestingly, turquoise, royal blue and purple goose biot feathers have been added to this hat since its first outing (below left):

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It’s a good hat for Queen Elizabeth with great proportions and scale. While I understand the addition of the coloured feathers to link with the turquoise patterned dress of this ensemble, I think I prefer the hat in its original state- more streamlined but not boring in the least.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan. Coat and dress by Stuart Parvin.
Previously Worn: June 21, 2017

Princess Eugenie topped her floral dress with a navy straw pillbox hat embellished with a straw plait around the side of the design. The dark hat is a great counterpoint for the dress (and a great compliment to her grandmother’s ensemble, something I can’t imagine is coincidental!) and a colour that Eugenie wears well. This is a good look for her that fits well on what is clearly, a beautiful spring day.

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Designer: Juliette Botterill. It is a bespoke version of the “Pleated Pillbox” from SS 2018 Dress by Erdem.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

After our look at more than 60 previous hats Queen Elizabeth has worn to Maundy Thursday services over the years, how does this one compare? What do you think of those newly added feathers?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Queen Elizabeth’s Maundy Thursday Hats: Part 4

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So far in our look back at Maundy Thursday services from years past, we’ve seen the hats Queen Elizabeth wore in the 1950s and 1960s; the 1970s and early 1980s; and the later 1980s and 1990s. Today we wrap up this series with a look at the designs the Queen has worn to this Easter weekend service so far this millennium:


2000, 2001 and  2002  


Marie O’Reagan in 2003; 2004 and 2005

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Pale yellow and cream in 2006 and pale dusty pink by Rachel Trevor Morgan in 2007


Rachel Trevor Morgan in 2008 and 2009; Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) in 2010

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Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) in 2011; Rachel Trevor Morgan in 2012; Kelly/McLaren in 2013 & 2014

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Trio of turquoise designs by Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) in 2015, 2016 and 2017

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Royal blue silk cloque with brown faux fur by by Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) in 2018

While the shapes here are familiar, what greatly surprises me is with the exception of the magenta boater in 2014, every hat worn to this event in the past decade has been some shade of blue. No question, there are some lovely blue hats here but this streak of one colour at the same event is rather curious. An interesting side note- in preparing this post, I learned that the Queen has visited every single cathedral in the UK for Maundy Thursday (the last to be checked off her list was in 2017 at Leicester Cathedral). Back to the hats- what do you think of this group and what colour do you think we’ll see the Queen wear for this year’s Maundy Thursday service, later today?

With a weather forecast tomorrow calling for a sunny 22 degrees and my great wish for an end to this decade-long blue streak, I’d love to see Her Majesty in one of the vibrant yellow hats she debuted last summer (this one or this one).

Photos from Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Alex Livesey , AFP/Getty, Anwar Hussein Collection, via Getty; Peter Muhly/Stringer and Chris Radburn/PA Images via Getty; Getty as indicated

Queen Elizabeth’s Maundy Thursday Hats: Part 3

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After looking at Queen Elizabeth’s Maundy Thursday hats during the first two decades of her reign and through the 70s and early 1980s, we turn our attention now to the designs she wore to this service in the later 1980s and 1990s:


Royal purple and bumble bees in 1986, 1987 and 1988


High upturns in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992


1993, 1994 and 1995


1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999

Special thanks to readers Jimbo and Scarfie for helping me track down the 1990 and 1992 hats! Until preparing this post, I hadn’t realized how the Queen’s early 90s millinery style was dominated by these wide, upturned fly-away halo brims. The late 90s experimented with more rounded shapes until 1999 when we finally see something familiar and close to the sort of millinery shape we see the Queen wear today.

Next up we’ll look at the hats so far this millenium, many of which will be familiar to your eyes. Until tomorrow, I’m curious what you think of these 80s and 90s designs?

Photos from Tim Graham, PA Images, Tim Graham, Tim Graham and Tim Graham via Getty; Glenn Harvey; Chester Chronicle; John Shelley Collection/Avalon, John Shelley Collection/Avalon, Wojtek Laski, Tim Graham, John Shelley Collection/Avalon, PA Images and Tim Graham via Getty

 

Queen Elizabeth’s Maundy Thursday Hats: Part 2

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Yesterday, we began our look at Queen Elizabeth’s Maundy Thursday hats with those worn until 1969. Today, we continue through the mid 1980s and a period which brought some memorable (and voluminous!) millinery looks:


1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974 (the Queen was in New Zealand in 1970 and did not attend)


1975, 1976, 1978 and 1979 (photos from the April 7, 1977 service at Westminster Abbey can’t be found)


1980, 1981 and 1982


1983, 1984 and 1985

My thanks to Jimbo for hunting down the 1978 photo! This series shows another interesting evolution in the Queen’s hat shapes- the voluminous turbans of the late 1960s and 1970s are intermixed with equally inflated fabric tam ‘o shanters. The early 1980s sees a series of embellished pillboxes with two brimmed designs: the lovely floral trimmed fedora of 1984 and the low-crowned cowgirl design (with veil!) in 1983 . It’s simply a colourful bunch that makes me smile!

What do you think of this bunch of Maundy Thursday hats from the past?

Photos from Keystone/Stringer, PA Images, Serge Lemoine/Stringer, PA Images, Popperfoto, Anwar Hussein, PA Images, Tim Graham, PA Images, PA Images, David Levenson, Ron Bell/PA Images, PA Images