It is no surprise that the families of Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill were both in attendance for Princess Leonore’s christening yesterday. What was surprising, however, was that they nearly all shopped at the same hat designer! Let’s start with Queen Silvia, who wore a large fascinator of twisted ribbon tails in blue straw, trimmed with a large blue net veil. It was clearly custom made to compliment her blue lace Valentino dress and like Princess Madeleine, the overall effect was very light, airy and delicate. The last time we saw Queen Silvia, I wished a more modern millinery style for her; today, this wish was granted.
Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This is a new headpiece
Crown Princess Victoria also eschewed a hat in favour of a dramatic headpiece. This one, in the same muted pink as her dress, wrapped around her head in a loose trio of bands and anchored a huge silk bloom at the side.
I will admit that I was on the fence about this headpiece (you all know how I feel about open-topped hats) until I realized it was a reinvention of the one Queen Silvia wore on August 31, 1979 for the christening of Prince Carl Philip. After making that connection and seeing this modern reworking of the original, I decided that it was wonderful on Victoria. The Swedes certainly do create sweet and emotional touches at big events, don’t they?
Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This is a new headpiece
Christopher O’Neill’s mother, Eva O’Neill, also wore a Philip Treacy designed headpiece that wrapped around her head. While I loved the shimmery gold of the headpiece paired with Ms. O’Neill’s pale yellow coat, the wide layers made it look too much like a wrapped bandage.
Chris O’Neill’s sisters, Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun and Tatjana D’Abo, also wore designs by Philip Treacy. Natascha’s black cocktail hat featured a bejeweled base topped with a net ring and a curling feather spine while Tajana’s jaunty vertical hat in cream straw was trimmed in large signature Treacy silk flowers.
Chris’ remaining two stepsisters, Anna Lisa O’Neill and Karen O’Neill, were the only immediate family members not in Philip Treacy designs. Anna Lisa wore a very pretty transparent black straw hat with a multi-looped bow and Karen wore a pleated cocktail hat trimmed with a net rosette and feathers.
The hats today were not what I was expecting- they were edgier and more haute couture than we usually see for a major royal event. Since I love royal millinery surprises, I’m going to consider this day a royal hat success. I can’t wait to hear you all weigh in!
Photos from Torsten Laursen via Getty; Splash News via Corbis; Stella Pictures. All Over Press and TT via Svenskdam; Splash News via Corbis; Anna Lu Lundholm via Getty; Anna-Lena Ahlström via Kungahuset; Keystone / Stringer and Luca Treuchmann via Getty; and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis
Have you noticed that the dress that Victoria is wearing is also the same one the Crown Princess Marie Chantal is wearing to the races a few posts down.
I like Victoria’s even tho I normally really dislike open top hats. Now Queen S – nope – it’s almost there but since I lived through the 60s an everyone was wearing those ‘something’ on top light and airy with net veils’ I cannot look at anything like this and not think of all the bridal parties I was in and wore those darn things – didn’t like them then and still don’t like them!
I am absolutely in love with Victorias headpiece! Its such a unique and unexpected design for her, its great to see!
Not quite feeling Silvias piece though. The color is too light, I got a toothache from all of the light pinks and blues at the christening!
I hated Eva’s headpiece. I completely agree about it looking like a bandage and it was not at all flattering.
My favorite is the “jaunty vertical hat”. I love the hats with netting over the eyes–so feminine.
Oh, Victoria for the win by a mile! Karen’s pleated cocktail next, and the rest don’t enthuse me. There is nothing wrong with them, just ho hum, seen them before, except for Eva’s. Now there’s a mistake if ever there was one! It had potential, but too low, too wide and her hair looks awful .. I do like that colour complements her outfit, which I do like.
I’m afraid that when I see netting on a hat, I immediately think of the Queen Mother and few wear netting as well as she did. I can’t see that it’s a fashion whose time has come again. I felt Madeleine’s net would have looked better if it were finer, and therefore more subtle. It just seemed too coarse. Victoria’s headpiece is tres chic, perhaps Silvia’s hat would have been better without the netting … and Granmama O’Neill was unfortunate in her headwear choice – as others have noted the folds are too wide and she has it in not the best place on her head.
Why doesn’t the proud papa smile more? Perhaps there are lots of smiley photos of him and I just haven’t seen them.
I see in the next post down there is a gorgeous one of him smiling at his daughter!
I have a question about Victoria’s hat. Does it go all around and the hair has been fixed over the back part or is like an elongated hairband open in the back?
If you look closely at this photo and this photo, it looks to me that Victoria’s headpiece is a complete ring and her hair was styled in beautiful chignon around it.
Thank you! I think her headpiece is the best of all the headgear thanks to this perfect styling
I think Countess Natascha AuT’s hat is a more fluffied up version of the hat that Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece wore to Margaret Thatcher’s funeral back in April 2013. It’s certainly an edgy look like you say Hat Queen, but I think the flowery bits add some appropriate softness. I’d have to agree too that Chris’s mother’s “hat” is pretty bad, worn way too low on the face. Not a good look at all.
Well at least Mrs O’Neill’s hat was better than the one she wore to the wedding! I liked most of the hats especially “Tajana’s jaunty vertical hat…”
correction – I am thinking of the one before the wedding where she wore a pudding bowl….
I must say I loved loved loved Victoria’s headpiece! The colour is great with her hair and the design is very beautiful.
I liked Madeleine’s net but Silvia’s is maybe a bit boring. It lacks something and is too much at the same time. Madeleine and Victoria looked stylish, Silvia maybe pretty, there’s the difference.
O’Neill women didn’t deliver this time (do they ever?). Eva’s bandage is awfull and the sisters are either boring or over the top.