Monthly Archives: May 2015

British Royal Wedding Four Years On: International Royal Guests

Posted on by

Royal Hats The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge four years ago was attended by representatives from several royal houses outside Europe. Several of these guests attended the wedding in national dress, giving us a glimpse of traditional royal headwear we do not often see here on the blog.

The Raja Isteri of Brunei (below, left with her husband, the Sultan) wore a headscarf in the same blue patterned silk as her baju kurung which was edged in ornate gold threaded lace. Queen Tuanku Nur Zahirah of Malaysia (below right) also wore a traditional baju kurung; her tunic and skirt was heavily appliquéd in pale blue lace. Her headscarf, in pale blue silk, was further edged in intricate silver embroidery.

The wife of King Mswati III of Swaziland (I think it is wife #10, Inkhosikati LaMahlangu) wore a tall vertical black hat. The straw brim was studded with polka dots and the hat was trimmed with large sprays of feathers on both sides of the brim. The hat suited her well and provided a little calm against her printed suit. My main qualm with her ensemble was the odd placement of her diamond brooch. King George Tupou V of Tonga (below left), on the other hand, looked so very handsome in his top hat. I adore a top hat with a morning suit and King George both very well.

Princess Mabereng of Lesotho wore a vibrant orange and tomato red Basotho blouse, skirt, sash and beautifully folded headscarf. She looked beautiful in this colour and I adore that her husband, Prince Seeiso (who co-founded the charity Sentibale with Prince Harry) matched his tie and pocket square to her ensemble.

 The Saudi Arabian royal family was represented by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and Princess Ameerah. Princess Ameerah was one of the break-out fashion stars at this wedding in a breathtaking lace coat and dress by Zuhair Murad. Built on a light mushroom brim of pale pink crin, the crown of her coordinating has was formed from a mass of multi-looped crin bows studded with slim pink feathers (see a close-up view here). The fussy hat was kept looking light and effortless thanks to the gossamer crin and the ensemble put Ameerah on the international fashion map.

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Of Thailand and Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco were also in attendance but as their national dress does not include headwear, they did not wear hats. Did any of the hats or headpieces in this group strike your fancy?

Stay tuned first thing tomorrow morning when we draw our look back at the hats at this wedding with those worn by guests from the non-reigning European royals.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

British Royal Wedding Four Years On: European Royal Guests

Posted on by

A wedding  Our look back at the marvellous royal hats worn at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge four years ago now moves from family members to royal guests. First up is hats worn by guests from the reigning royal houses of Europe.

The Norwegian Royals (who are cousins to the British Royal family) were represented by the King and Queen. Queen Sonja thoughtfully turned to British hat makers Lock and Co. for her hat. In white straw and trimmed with a simple curled white feather, the ceterpiece of this hat was its lattice brim which was folded up over the crown. The resulting shape was a modern departure for Sonja but it looked wonderful on her.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark topped her Twitter blue wool coat with a brimless calot hat covered in the same fabric. The calot was trimmed in a  band of the same patterned blue silk fabric as her dress over which several spiky, spiralled feathers were placed. The hat is a characteristically quirky piece for Margrethe and I thought she wore it well. The overall ensemble, however, was an overkill of the same blue fabric and needed breaks in both colour and texture.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa topped her slate blue dress and jacket with a large dove grey picture hat trimmed with a single, oversize blue ombre rose. The hat is a beautiful one and while I covet it for my own millinery closet, I don’t think it was the right choice for Maria Teresa. Both her suit and the hat seemed to dwarf the Grand Duchess, which was most unfortunate.

The Spanish Royals seldom wear hats and this wedding provided us an opportunity to see their millinery style. Queen Sofia chose a light fascinator to in the same shade as her Margarita Nuez lavender silk suit. Made of layered organza and net tulle, the headpiece was studded with the same periwinkle blossoms that formed the floral pompom buttons on her jacket. The Princess of Asturias (as was her title then) topped her Felipe Varela embroidered pink 1930s inspired dress with a coordinating cloche hat. Designed by Pablo Y Mayaya, the cloche hat was a great scale and colour for Letizia. I’m afraid, however, it suffered from over-trimming. With four kinds of feathers (including large pheasant ones). a wide ruched sash around the crowd, a net tulle veil, rosettes and even bits of appliqué lace, this small hat held everything but the kitchen sink and suffered for it.

Princess Máxima (who was not yet Queen) was the picture of refined elegance in a pale pink lace Valentino suit and a silk calot hat designed by Fabienne Delvigne. Head-to-toe ensembles in pale pink risk looking rather boring and flat but the different textures of lace and draped silk created a look that was as interesting as it was harmonious. The artfully ruched silk on the hat gave it a wonderful sense of movement despite its small footprint. The addition of diamond star brooches to the side of the calot gave it a touch of glamour and we now all associate with Máxima and I adore her for adding this bling.

Princess Mathilde (who also was not yet Queen) chose teal blue for her ensemble. Her Armani dress and jacket was crowned with a large picture hat by Philip Treacy. A similar shape to the navy hat worn by Lady Frederick Windsor, this piece featured a wide round brim, moulded crown and vertical looped Treacy signature bow. While I loved the colour on Mathilde, the impact of the wonderful hat was lost against her overly shiny suit.

Crown Princess Victoria followed the pattern of head-to-toe in a single colour, choosing cantaloupe orange for her ensemble. Her large straw picture hat, designed by Swedish milliner  Britta von Koenigsegg, was a welcome departure from the smaller fascinators Victoria usually favours and it looked great on her. This shade of orange is one of the more difficult colours to wear and while Victoria she managed it well, I think the overall ensemble is just too peachy for me.

Rounding out this group of European royals was Charlene Wittstock (just two months later, she would become Princess of Monaco). Her palest-of-pale bluey grey straw picture hat featured a low, rounded crown and gently waved wide brim. With her Akris coat and pearl earrings, the hat made for an extremely elegant and refined ensemble.  High collared coats and picture hats can be a tricky combination but the rounded, slightly open neck on this coat and the easy movement of the hat made for such a perfect compliment.

As we might have expected, the European royals wore wonderful hats to this wedding. Whose hat did you admire?
Photos from Getty as indicated