Empress Michiko of Japan has a very distinctive personal millinery style, seen below in a parade of hats we saw her wear in 2014. Click on each hat to take you to the original post with larger views and detailed information:
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Do any of these hats make your list of Favourite Royal Hats of 2014?
Please click on each photo to link back to the original post with additional information and photo sources
Royal Hats 
#1 and 11 are just gorgeous to me.
The Empress wore a distinctive. elegant and very Japanese inspired wardrobe of hats this year. There are none that I hate, but I do find the tiny hats she wears so far forward on her forehead annoying, as I want to push them up, just as I have the opposite annoyance with CP Mette-Marit, where I have a burning desire to push up her hats worn too far back. I wish these 2 ladies would reach a millinery compromise.
I like her larger hats, and my favorite is the first one, which I see as a versatile hat and I would wear it myself. I also would have loved hat 24 if only it had been in the same caramel as her lapel. I also liked the final hat that she wore to Queen Fabiola’s funeral, and I thought her entire outfit was elegant, tasteful and dignified, and she looked in good spirits after traveling so far to attend.
I also like 6, 9 and 13, especially as these hats worked well with the outfits worn with them. Hat 26 was typical of her style, and I loved the black, white and red colors and the houndstooth pattern of the skirt reflected in the hat.
I love the Empress’s little hats – they’re as perfect as she is. They’re like origami, if you look at the detailing on them it references it closely, and suit her slight frame and modest demeanour so well. I love that she has a definitive style – the the best Queens (or Empresses do!) which is unmistakable at a glance. And like QEII it’s quite modern a lot of the time. Thank you for this run through – seeing them yogether has really made me appreciate them.
Each one is a unique work of art, Japanese style.
I love hat # 1. I would love this hat, I think it’s fresh, classy and chic not matter where what continent you’re on!
I agree Rose, this first hat is wearable anywhere!
I love larger hats on the Empress. She is always so elegant and graceful in her choice of clothing. My favorite hat would be # 1.
# 6 is lovely as well.
It is so interesting to see a collection of one person’s hats: one can concentrate on the many differentiations that otherwise one misses, the Empress’s style in particular being so restricted. Although there are no bright colors, the colors do vary, and it’s more than just one small size and one larger size of saucers. 9 and 13 are so similar, but one can find small differences. My favorites are 5 and 24.
When I think of the Empress’s hats, it’s of the very small ones (2, 3, etc) – and indeed there are 19 of them here (I’ve basically counted as tiny all the ones that aren’t big enough to cover the top of her head), so I guess one could call that her typical style. However, although I think she is the perfect exemplar of a royal hat-wearer adopting an instantly recognisable style which she has made her own, actually I think the slightly larger ones are my favourites; 1, 4, 20 and 24, for example, are all very attractive on her.
Bristol’s choices are also the ones I like best, the slightly larger ones 1, 4, 20 and 24,. Please everybody remember that final approval for the wardrobe of the Imperial family rests with the Imperial Household Agency, so this severely restricts their fashion options.
Truly? They require final approval of their clothing? Goodness, I cannot imagine such a thing. I do love the Empress’s hats though, I love the origami reference and they are so dainty. 25 and 26 are my favorites!
I love that she has such a concrete style of her own. I do like the bigger ones better and I think my favorite is 9/13. I saw some pictures of her as a young woman wearing kimono and I get the feeling that these types of hats would look pretty good with the traditional Japanese dress, too (though since she doesn’t wear tiaras anymore because of the weight, how fun would it be to see her break out some sparkly kanzashi for the next state dinner?)
Michiko always looks so lovely and ever the part of Empress. I really loved #26, with the play on fabrics and patterns; unfortunately I didn’t think it worked as well in pink in #5 (but that’s because I think there was too much houndstooth in her outfit). My favorite ensemble (hat and outfit) had to be what she wore to Fabiola’s funeral. Probably the best dressed of the day, and so elegant it hurts.
No 11
I agree with Kew Gardens. These hats really are quite perfect for the petite Empress, but wouldn’t work on anyone else. They really do look like tiny works of art.
I have decided that comparing the Empress’s millinery with Western millinery is a little like comparing sushi with steak and chips. Both are delicious but………
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I wish there were larger photos because I think some of these hats are little works of art. I prefer those with a wider brim and particularly like 1 with that delicate spray of flowers, 4 with the ombre effect ribbon, 10, and 20 again because of the charmingly rendered and delicately coloured flowers and 13 because of the coordination with the outfit. Really, I like many of these hats and the Empress is unfailingly elegant, appropriate and stylish and her hats are totally unique.
If you click on each photo, it will link with the original post (usually, with larger photos).
I love your analogy of comparing Japanese and European royal hats- it’s truly unfair to do so.
No insult ..I always get the feeling they will fall off.
I agree with Jane, they must be stapled on. Also, I’m bored by them nowadays. Not the worst of the year by a loooong shot, but I’ve taken to giving coverage of her a miss.