The Winners: Best Overall Royal Hat Style in 2014

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Royal Hats

After looking at all the royal hats we saw in 2014, you, dearest readers, narrowed down your choice for the royal with best overall millinery style to just five candidates. While the race for second, third and fourth place was very tight, our winner ran away with the category (and with our hat loving hearts, I expect!), I’m pleased to share the results as follows:

The Duchess of Cambridge

Countess of Wessex

The Duchess of Cornwall

Queen Elizabeth (see all of Her Majesty’s hats of 2014 at this post)

And your choice for best overall royal hat style last year was…

Queen Máxima! While some of Queen Máxima’s hats topped your list of least favourites last year, the overall contents of her millinery closet remain so popular with royal hat watchers that she easily won this category. Several of you commented about her fearless, risk-taking approach to millinery (which accounts for her hats topping our favourite and least favourite lists) and noted how exciting it is for us spectators to see what she will wear next. I’m sure that you all join me in eagerly looking forward to what hat surprises Máxima has in store for us this year!

One of these lovely royal ladies celebrated a milestone birthday today- check back tomorrow afternoon for a look back at some of her many fantastic hats.

All hats above worn by Queen Máxima were designed by Fabienne Delvigne. Please click on each photo to link back to the original post with additional information on each piece.

Photos of Queen Máxima from Semana; Hollandse Hoogte via Corbis; Andreas Rentz via Getty: Patrick van Katwijk and Patrick van Katwijk via Monarchy Press Europe; Koen van Weel via ANP; Alexander Koerner and Mark Cuthbert via Getty; Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis; Franco Origlia/Stringer and Michele Porro/Stringer via Getty

Monaco Royals Attend International Circus Festival

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Royal Hats

The 39th International Monte-Carlo Circus Festival is began late last week in Monaco. On Sunday, Princess Stephanie attended the festival with her two daughters, Pauline and Camille. Camille wore a black faux fur papakha style hat. With her black and white outfit and large black rectangular earrings, the effect was… well, let’s just say she fit in well with the event.

While I’m not sure I can count this hat a success, it is always exciting to welcome another royal hat wearer to the blog! It’s wonderful to see that Camille has not followed her mother’s approach to hat wearing (remember this?) and I hope this is the first of many more hats we will see from her.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Imperial Couple Remember Hanshin Tragedy

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Royal Hats

Last Friday and Saturday, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko traveled to the Hyōgo Prefecture to take part in commemoration events for the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin earthquake (in 1995, Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake which destroyed major parts of the cities of Kobe, Awaji, Takarazuka and Osaka and claimed the lives of 6,500 people). On Friday, the Imperial couple visited Hyōgo Emergency Medical Center in Kobe City. Empress Michiko’s petite saucer hat was made of the same finely patterned black and white check as her suit. This hat was trimmed with a half-black-half-checked bow and small white blossoms- trims I thought fell rather flat

Empress Michiko, January 16, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

On Saturday, the Imperial couple attended a formal remembrance service. Empress Michiko repeated her dove grey rimmed saucer hat with dark grey puffed bow for this event. I really like the dimension and contrast this bow lends to this hat.

Empress Michiko, January 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: April 11, 2014; December 6, 2013; December 2, 2013

Photos from Sankei, Sankei and Asahi

This Week’s Extras

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Royal Hats

Royal Hats

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa took part in an anti-terrorist march in Luxembourg (Luxarazzi)

Queen Elizabeth in her vibrant royal blue and turquoise fringed hat for church at Sandringham last weekend (Rex Features)

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway enjoyed a fishing excursion (Royal House of Norway) and, joined by Crown Princess Mette-Marit, opened the “Year for Outdoor Life” campaign in Oslo (Getty)

Charlotte Casiraghi sporting a lovely plum fedora on a trip to Rome (Plejada)

It was a first year of numerous hats for little Mia Tindall. Wishing her a Happy Birthday! (The Daily Mail)

John Boyd Hats has launched a ready-to-wear line (John Boyd)

Royal Hats

Continuing Prince Michael of Kent’s birthday celebration with a look at her jewels Part 1 & Part 2 (The Court Jeweller)

Series of Queen Fabiola memorial stamps released in Belgium (Noblesse et Royautes)

Interesting account of a job interview at Buckingham Palace (Royal Central)

Overview of the Battle of Waterloo in preparation to celebrate its 200th anniversary (Royal Central)

The Winners: Favourite Royal Hats of 2014

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Royal Hats

While the vote for least favourite royal hat of 2014 was incredibly close (and yielded two ties!), the race to choose your favourite piece of royal millinery worn last year was a breakaway sprint for five unquestionably beautiful hats. These five clear winners are:

The Countess of Wessex in a black wave hat worn June 19, designed by Jane Taylor

Crown Princess Mary in a purple felt pillbox hat by Jane Taylor worn on October 7

Queen Máxima’s black and white picture hat by Fabienne Delvigne worn on May 26

Princess Haya in a fantastic black and white Philip Treacy design worn to Ascot on June 19

And your royal hat of 2014 was…

Queen Máxima’s boysenberry wool picture hat with upturned brim worn October 15, designed by Fabienne Delvigne

It appears, dear readers, that Philip Treacy’s 2013 predicted death of the fascinator was indeed, correct. These five winning hats create an elegant lineup of classic shapes with a little fantasy thrown in for good measure. I think that makes a foolproof formula for marvelous royal millinery. To see the runners up in this category, click over to this post.

Congratulations to Belgian milliner Fabienne Delvigne who, for the second consecutive year, designed your favourite royal hat of the year. To all the top royal milliners who created these beautiful hats- Fabienne Delvigne, Philip Treacy and Jane Taylor – we salute you!

Photos from Max Mumby/Indigo, Max Mumby/Indigo, Julian Parker, Alexander Koerner, Alexander Koerner and Mark Cuthbert via Getty; and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis

Royal Hats

The Bold, Beautiful and Bizarre World of Royal Millinery

Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Winners: Best Overall Royal Hat Style in 2014

Monaco Royals Attend International Circus Festival

Imperial Couple Remember Hanshin Tragedy

This Week’s Extras

The Winners: Favourite Royal Hats of 2014