The Luxembourg Royal Family celebrated their country’s National Day this weekend with a traditional visit to the city of Esch and a Torchlight Parade on Saturday, followed by a Te Deum and military parade yesterday. For the more formal events yesterday, the women of this family attended in a rainbow array of marvelous hats.
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a dramatic lavender straw vertical saucer hat trimmed with a dramatic flourish of purple roses feathers and curled ribbon tails (I suspect it is a custom Philip Treacy design. There are several similar hats in his Spring Summer 2013 collection). My first thought was that this hat looked like a flower shop exploded on her head. My next thought was that it was totally over the top and, dare I say, too young for this Grand Duchess. I must admit, however, that the color is great and the tall shape really lengthens Maria Teresa, who is…um… vertically challenged. I just think matching eye makeup to the colour of one’s hat should be outlawed. No. No. NO.
The Hereditary Grand Duchess looked beautiful in a pale aqua straw hat with a short cartwheel brim and a cluster of bow loops on the side. I leaped for joy when I saw this hat because it is the first hat we have seen Princess Stéphanie wear since entering royal life that was not matronly and awkward beyond her years (and not BEIGE!!). I am still on the fence about her hair braid- is it chic and stylish or is it too informal? I can’t decide either way but one thing is clear- her hat is brilliantly beautiful.
While Stéphanie’s hat was beautiful, Princess Alexandra’s fascinator was truly bizarre. Made out of celadon green straw ribbon, this fascinator was a messy mass of twisted bow loops stuck to the side of Alexandra’s head. It looked tired, crumpled and not flattering, especially with her washed out Natan lace dress.
The surprise of the day was Princess Tessy, who was not expected to attend this event. Her hat was also a surprise- it appeared she was wearing a classic white feathered pillbox but her hat was actually a very wide bandeau headband. I think it is a great shape on her but I found the contrast between the stark white headpiece and her teal blue dress a little jarring.
There was a little bit of everything today in the Luxembourg royal hats- something bold, something beautiful, something bizarre, and something unexpected. Which one was your favourite?
Photos from Dutch Photo Press and Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis
Royal Hats 
I like Stephanie’s hat but I don’t like it with her dress and coat. The dress is very pale and flowy, and the coat is very delicate and pretty. The hat, in comparison, is more bold and all those squiggles make it bold. It’s still in a soft color but it’s not a soft hat. I think a much simpler hat would have gone much better with this coat and dress. I love the coat and dress!
I love the lavender hat on Grand Duchess Maria Teresa….however, it looks like a bridal boquet which missed it’s mark…Nevertheless, a fun hat to wear with her lovely outfit.
Marge I agree with you 100%. It’s a real pretty color of purple but it looks like she cought the bride’s bouquet in her hat! LOL! The princess in the blue hat looks real nice.
MT’s hat is Philip Treacy and I think Stephanie’s may be as well.
I agree about MT’s looking too young, especially when her daughter-in-laws are wearing more grown up hats. I think Steph looks lovely, but Tessy takes the cake for me with her entire look. I love that her dress and hat are different colors, but they still go. She looked beyond stunning, j’adore!
I agree- Maria Teresa’s hat looks like a Philip Treacy. I suspect that Stephanie’s hat was made by someone else.
I think Grand Duchess Maria Teresa looked beautiful in that purple hat! I loved the flowers and the twisted ribbons. It looked so happy and festive!
I like the idea of this hat but I do not like how it looks in reality. If it were a little smaller, at less of an upright angle, with less flowers and feathers, I think it would be beautiful. I just needed a little less of everything. And matching eyeshadow to a hat? That is just terrible. By all means match your lipstick but never your eyeshadow!
MT’s hat is beautiful…so why does she have have to go and mess it up with the mono-earmuff placement!?!? I really, REALLY hate those. It looks ridiculous, like things growing out of the top of her head, not to mention wondering how it’s kept on …..super glue? I like Stephanie’s hat, outfit, shoes…everthing but the pigtail. It is nice to see her in color, a hat with some summery embellishment, and a coat that actually lets us see that there is a dress underneath. Hate Alexandra’s wad of straw for the same reasons mentioned above. I guess her ear-ache was on the opposite side as Mum’s. Tessy is winning wows, oohs, aahs, and all kinds of love on other sites for her look, but I don’t get it. I don’t really like the hat, but don’t hate it. Maybe it’s the dull teal dress. For whatever reason it gets a ‘meh’ from me.
I’m pretty sure these kinds of hats are designed to be worn this way. If you look at the designer’s websites they all have them on the models this way.
Oh yes, I know they are supposed to be worn that way. I just think it is a case of designers trying out something new without regard to how flattering the new thing or way appears on their clients, i.e. “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Even if the designers say it is the ultimate in ‘haute,’ that hat placement still looks ridiculous. 🙂
Maria Theresa does look ridiculous in this hat. It is just silly.
That is a whole lot of purple (& flowers) on Grand Duchess Maria Teresa! It’s way too old lady look for her as well. Agree Stephanie looks great. Tessy looks great – thanks for putting this together.
I only like Tessy’s hat. Very lovely.
MT looks ridiculous. And I don’t like Stéphanie’s hat. Her hat maybe is nice but Stéphanie looks like little girl in mum’s hat.
Stephanie looks wonderful.
I can’t get over the braid, either.
Really? I seriously adore her hat and braided hair, Stephanie looks so lovely. IMHO She looked the like the best dressed there, i do love the pretty shade of purple that Maria-Theresa wore though.
For me Maria Teresa’s hat was too much but like you, I was very happy to see Stephanie in this modern and fun hat. It looks lovely and finally it’s a hat in line with her age. I like the hair too. The braid is youthfull and I think the hat might have a looked a bit matronly with the hair tied back.