King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands continued the second day of the tour of Japan, meeeting with to the Dutch Ambassador and attending lunch at the Imperial Palace. Queen Máxima repeated her purple ‘slice’ picture hat. I still adore the shape of this hat and the colour blocking with her teal peplum dress works well. When it comes to bold colour, I’m not sure there is a royal out there today who does it better than Máxima. Next week, we’re take a peek at the other outfits Queen Máxima has paired with this hat and pick our favourite.
Designer: Fabienne Delvinge
Previously Worn: October 15, 2014; March 19, 2014; November 12, 2013
From saturated colour to near lack of it… Crown Princess Masako wore a creamy pink silk bumper hat that coordinated with her silk suit. While I wish the hat was more exciting and that there was a little more colour in Masako’s ensemble besides her dusty rose silk handbag (which is adorable), it is so good to see her looking so well that her clothing really doesn’t matter.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: July 14, 2014; November 6, 2013
What do you think of this pair of royal hats today in Tokyo?
Photos from Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis; Asahi Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun via Getty
Royal Hats 
Love!
Love both hats! Queen Maxima’s hat is fabulous.
Queen Maxima’s ensemble is breathtaking–wow! The hat is fabulous with this dress, and then the accessories to match take my breath away.
When I saw the first few photos taken from the knees up my first thought was that I found the teal/purple combo surprisingly a good one but pleeeeez Max, don’t be wearing purple shoes. I find that a bit much. The hat is fabulous and she wears it well and with great style. I don’t even mind the peplum.
I think you’re right, now that I’m looking at the photos again… nude shoes would look better than purple.
The Dutch Queen’s hat is dramatic, and the purple color flatters her. This is not a hat everyone can wear, but like former Queen Beatrix, she seems to be able to make these hats succeed. I do not mind the combination of purple and teal, it is colorful and adventurous. Teal flatters her too. I think she is too curvaceous to wear a tight dress with a peplum and the top of the dress is quite transparent.
It is so good to see Crown Princess Masako out in public again and looking so well, and I do think the pale pink silk suit and bumper hat looks good on her. Her dusty rose silk handbag is adorable, and I think this color would have made an even better outfit for the Princess.
I agree, I want Crown Princess Masako’s dusty rose silk handbag, and an outfit in this color would suit her very well with her glossy dark hair.
Another photo was released late today (by Philip van Katwijk via Corbis) that shows rather odd placement of hat pins on Queen Maxima’s hat today. I prefer hat pins with hidden points- what do you think?
I like how the hat looks from the back view but the giant hat pins with exposed spikes are definitely ugly and dangerous.
Absolutely! This should have been sorted. It looks bad. Very nice to see the beautiful colour and fabric of the hat up close though. The purple is divine!
i agree, Queen Elizabeth 2 always seems to use hatpins the same color as the hat, and the points are always hidden, so maybe Queen Maxima should follow suit.
I just noticed that the hat pins are in the two colours of the Japanese flag. Coincidence? Probably not.
I am not a fan of a bumper hat but am so pleased to see Crown Princess Masako that I wouldn’t care (much) if she had shown up in a baseball cap! 🙂
This purple slice hat…may I steal it for my closet, please? It is amazing!
I’m sure Fabienne Delvigne could make you one…!
I like Crown Princess Masako’s creamy pink silk suit and matching bumper hat, and I do think the bumper hat suits her, but it’s becoming a little boring as so many of the Japanese royals have worn this hat style very often. Queen Máxima’s purple ‘slice’ picture hat is a great shape and color for her, and I do like it combined with the teal colr of the dress. However, the peplum dress is not a flattering shape on her, and it’s way too tight!
I do love Queen Maxima’s hat. once again the problem is fit. Her clothes are always so tight, Peplum’s are good for stick figures like Queen Letizia. or to balance out a figure such as the Duchess of Cambridge. I don’t find it flattering on Maxima.
I very much like the purple hat, which does go beautifully with the purse. I’m not certain that the remainder of the outfit actually goes all that well together, although I have nothing against teal/jade and purple in general. I doubt this will be my favorite of Queen Máxima’s outfits with this hat, however.
While I too am glad that Crown Princess Masako is out in public again, her outfit today is not of great interest.
This dramatic hat is one I like very much on Maxima, and the slight kink in the brim gives it a little something special. (By the way, Hat Queen, please can you remind me why you call it a “slice”? I’ve been trying to recall as it isn’t obvious to me.)
It is very nice to see Masako out and about. However, I do wish this bumper style wasn’t so ubiquitous among Japanese princesses. It makes the Empress’s little hats look positively varied!
The ‘slice’ is a picture hat with one side of the brim sharply upturned and the other side of the brim angled downward. This effect makes the brim look like it is ‘slicing’ diagonally through the crown of the hat.
Ah, I see, thank you.
Teal and purple…at first I did not take to it but after a minute or two I realized it was nice. I like her dress. I gather HIH has not been well. I will look that up. She looked nice. Great colour contrasts in the colours the people wore.
Hats are both great — but gads, tell old Max peplum dresses should return to the 80s and not come back until I am gone from the earth! I didn’t like them in the 80s even and barely tolerated the ones I saw in the 40s.
It’s not Queen Maxima’s fault that peplums are stylish again. You can see them on all the runways this fall.
True Brit, but royal ladies should be fashion leaders, not slaves to fashion. Peplums look good on few people in my opinion, and sometimes stick out in front, which makes people look like they have a big belly, and I don’t like them on Queen Maxima.
HRH’s hat, gloves and shoes are just delicious! That smile is full of joy!
Great post!
Are you referring to Queen Máxima? She’s an “HM” (Her Majesty) while Crown Princess Masako is a “HIH” (Her Imperial Highness).
I love the color and shape of the hat, and it does go really well with the jade dress. Maxima and Willem always look so engaging and cheerful when they are out in public. They really do seem to enjoy themselves immensely. Like Charles and Camilla, they seem very loving and supportive of each other, which is lovely to see.
I agree jamiemid. it’s always good to see Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Duke of Edinburgh out and about together too, they make such a perfect couple.