On the final day of their tour of Australia, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended an ANZAC Day commemorative service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. As expected, Kate debuted the fourth and final new hat of this trip. This hat, a brimless pork pie hat in militaristic navy, was a more daring and quirky design than many of the hats we have seen on Kate over the past year. And it’s about time! It also looked like it was going to take off its perch on Kate’s forehead into flight at any moment. I could be on the fence about this hat but its paring with Kate’s sublime navy striped coat dress made the whole look a success in my book. I loved it. What do you think of this flying pork pie?
UPDATE: This hat was designed by Australian milliner Jonathan Howard who describes it as a “Felt button with flying bow trim”. Knowing its origin, I’ve fallen even more in love with the quirkiness of this hat and am so pleased to add another designer to our List of Current Royal Milliners.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Hatmaker by Jonathan Howard.While officially, it is a bespoke version of part ‘Boutton’, there are influences from the ‘Minoo’ design you can see in it as well.
Previously Worn: this is a new hat
Following this event, Prince William and the Duchess loaded up Prince George, waved goodbye and boarded their plane home. We have seen four hats on Kate this trip- which one was your favourite?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Absolutely smashing.
I like the colour in general but don’t find it particularly flattering on the Duchess. Also I find the hat a bit small and underwhelming. Maybe it would have looked better worn on a tilt as the designer seems to have intended – a bare pass.
If the designer says it’s the Boutton it must be the Boutton, but in that case I think either it’s been customised a bit or they are all individually fashioned and differ a bit, because the actual construction of the two flying wings looks different in the model shown on the website, ie the felt twists differently on one side from the way the other side twists, whereas on Kate’s version they are mirror images of each other. At least that’s how the photo looks to me (and not just that we’re seeing a different angle on it). Anyway, I think it’s great!
Here is the scoop about the customized hat (provided by hatmaker.com.au): The Duchess wore a version of the Boutton hat, we can make ‘as-it-is’ listed on the website in various colours, or we can do the version as worn by the Duchess
Can someone please explain to this American how the heck does that hat stay on? I’ve seen some have elastic but is it in the back of her neck under her hair or something?
Milliner Jill Courtemanche answered this very question in this post!
My favorite hat was definitely the blue Jane Taylor in Dunein.
My favourite was the grey Jane Taylor for Easter Sunday
I continue to like this hat. It is a hat that I would enjoy wearing myself. I am by no means an expert on hats, or how they should be worn, but the more I look at this hat the more I see, not bunny ears, but a stylized butterfly.
This hat has also grown on me the more I’ve seen it.
Truly hideous…Is she auditioning for a batman movie…or are they playboy bunny ears. A big Miss!!!!!
I think the angle of the hat placement shown on the designer’s website may look better than the choice of the Duchess. I watched the entire ceremony Live today, and even though the whole look is really approriate for the occasion, at some stages to be honest, the flying things being at the back made her look like Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty!
Moreover, I wonder why the Duchess always have her hair down for almost every occasion? I know her hair is beautiful and curly and she is known for it too but at least she still could have done chignon for a few appearances in between? If we have a look at last year’s Remembrance Sunday and see what happened? If we gone back to Epsom Derby in 2011 when the Duchess had an updo hair with the coffee/beige hat and I found that was one of the best and divine look of the Duchess.
Michael Kors is the coat designer! An American! Crazy. But she looks lovely. 🙂
My favorite hat of the tour was the dove grey (with a touch of lilac) Jane Taylor hat worn on Easter Sunday. My next favorite hat is the Jane Taylor aquamarine felt fern hat as a tribute to New Zealand.
I thought the picture of the royal hat boxes was great:
Handle with care: Staff carry the Royal couple’s gifts in Sydney, including the giant cuddly wombat given to Prince George by Australia’s Governor-General Peter Cosgrove
It’s in this article — cannot copy the picture here.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2612805/Duke-Duchess-Cambridges-little-prince-bids-farewell-Royal-tour-Australia-comes-end.html#ixzz2zuFmnP00
I also thought this photo was priceless!
It just makes you wonder — did she pack extra hats from Lock & Co. that she decided not to wear? Or are they fedoras or something William did not want? Or are the Lock & Co. boxes just easier to carry other hats in?
I was wondering the same thing. Until the hat she wore today was identified as Jonathan Howard, my guess was Lock & Co. based on these hat boxes! Either of your theories might be true (I am surprised we didn’t see any sun hats out while the couple toured Uluru). Or, Kate may have packed more outfits and hats than she needed, just to be safe. Those of us with babies know that they can mess up a mama’s outfit very quickly!
Does look a little as though the hat has wings and might fly away straightaway, but the (appropriately) solemn outfit does need bit of a lift, and the hat provides it.
The hat and coat have a distinct 1940s/50s retro vibe, which–though the hat is not one I would wear–it practically perfect for the occasion.
I like this hat, but for me the placement is wrong, I think I’d like it more if it was more to the side of the head or tilted more towards the back of the head. But that’s probably not how the designer intended it! It’s lovely to see Kate in some new hats and some new designers as well!
I love that hat. I hate Catherine wearing it! That gorgeous little hat is meant to be worn with panache, with style, with elan, not nailed to the forehead atop an over-abundace of overly poofed hair! There is just far too much hair and it’s all poofed out on top and out the back and just hanging down her face in her ubiquitous sausagey curls. Ugh.
She looked to be styling a 1940’s look and, had it been perched at a saucey angle atop a fabulous 1940’s updo, she would really have rocked that naughty little hat. But of course it wasn’t and she didn’t so it just languished nailed there, nailed to her forehead . . . maybe next time . . . or not.
The hat is charming but not the way she wore it. On her it looks like a trimmed version of Playboy bunny ears. The designer’s website shows it with the flying wings at the side, and it doesn’t have any of the bunny ear effect. Much better. Maybe if she changes the angle on a future outing I could like it.
I agree about the “bunny ears.” Good thing it wasn’t her choice for Easter–imagine the comments!
Is it me? Or does the brim on the hat on the designer’s website swoop to the back on one side, whereas the one DoC wears is sort of pinched? I think I would like the swoopy (technical fashion term :op). version better. Not a huge fan of percher hats in general either, I want to push this one back on her forehead a bit. Ending on a positive note, I love the color and combo with the coat and poppy.
Looking further on the designer website. This looks more like the Minoo style.
I believe you’re right. It’s looks more like the Minoo style than the Boutton…
Interesting- Jonathan Howard tweeted it was the ‘Boutton’ style. I also see a lot of the ‘Minoo’ in this hat but I think we still have to go with what the designer says!
Minoo style link: http://hatmaker.com.au/products/minoo
This hat is horrible. She could have done something way better and maybe a little more classier, although I’m glad she is using an Australian designer the hat to me this seams more like something someone would wear to the races or a wedding, it seams to fun and creative for a solum memorial service for our ANZAC heroes!
Looks like she can fly away any moment, so no, not my fav’, beautiful colour though!
The hat is by Sydney based designer Jonathon Howard
The style is called the ‘Boutton’ in Duchess Navy
Thanks! I’m so happy Kate chose an Australian milliner during this tour.
It is a fantastic way to show off aussie fashion!
Love the hat, but she wore the pork pie hat differently and it ruined the dramatic effect of the design (See Jonathan Howard link) http://hatmaker.com.au/products/boutton.
The way the hat was worn makes it look like floppy bunny rabbit ears.
The hat and coat look great – elegantly understated for the occasion.
Here is the link for the designer – Australian Jonathan Howard.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/the-duchess-of-cambridge-wears-hat-by-australian-milliner-jonathan-howard-to-anzac-day-memorial-service/story-fniho6st-1226895940209
You are so disrespectful making a joke about a pork pie hat on a day of solemn Rememberance. Shame on you.
I think you’re being unfair. She made a gentle joke about a piece of clothing – it in no way detracts from the solemnity of the occasion nor does is it disrespectful to the soldiers being remembered. Lighten up.
No offence was meant. I re-read my post and respectfully, will not retract anything I wrote. If you disagree about Kate’s choice of this hat for this event, I am sincerely interested to hear why. Let’s keep the conversation on the hats, people!
um… can you explain what the heck a pork pie is?!
A pork pie is a certain style of hat (crazy name, I know). Stay tuned next week- I promise I will explain it further!
I like the hat. She looks very polished. Very good look!
She does look very polished and elegant. I agree that the hat looks good because it looks so good with that coat.