Monthly Archives: June 2015

Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot, Part One

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Royal HatsOne of the most anticipated days on the millinery calendar ear year is Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot. To help me review the royal hats we saw today at the Ascot Racecource are talented milliners (and enthusiastic hat wearers!) from American Jill Courtemanche, Ireland’s Fiona Mangan and Australian Christie Murray. 

Queen Elizabeth in a repeated hat designed by Angela Kelly, made by Stella McLaren

Queen Elizabeth, June 18, 2015 in Angela Kelly | Royal Hats

Jill: I love that the queen has chosen to go with a completely different hat silhouette today! The color combination is light as air and it is fun to see that the straw which was chosen for the crown has a texture, it makes the whole thing a bit more interesting. I am not a fan of the tight organza loops in the trim but I do like the feathers very much and overall I find this hat very pleasant and cheerful

Christie: I quite like Her Majesty in pastel mint. It’s quite a delicate colour, fitting for Ladies Day. The material on the crown could nearly pass as vintage American blocking material ~ It’s quite lovely. I don’t quite think this hat is balanced though.  The drape around the crown is lovely from the front, I’m not the biggest fan of the ostrich feather trim.

Fiona: I definitely prefer an upturned brim on the Queens hats, this is a little harsh for her with the flatter brim though the woven straw on the crown is quite interesting. Mint green overall is very fitting for her colouring and quite classic. Overall a nice ensemble save for the flat hat brim.

Royal Hats: Queen Elizabeth débuted this hat last year in Northern Ireland and I was wondering when it would resurface! It’s not my favourite shape for the queen and I find it over-trimmed. Jill and Christie both suggest removing different trims… if you gave me scissors, I’d snip off the feathers as they are lost against the textured straw crown.

Princess Anne in a repeated hat of unknown design

Royal Hats:  This feels like another version of the hats we have seen each of the past two days. Has Anne entered a brown phase? I really hope not.

Fiona: I have to say this is a nice outfit today and I much prefer this hat to the last two days. Similar in shape and size, it seems to be a better fit and the lighter colour is far more appropriate. I can’t seem to pinpoint why I like the coat with its fleur-de-lys type pattern – It does remind me somewhat of the embroidery on an Irish dancing costume, but I think it is quite subtle and overall a very elegant look. Well done Princess Anne.

Royal Hats:  I honestly did not notice the coat in my disappointment over another brown hat. It really is beautiful.

Jill: Well, this is a much better look than we have seen so far this week for Princess Anne. The open-weave straw is airy and light and the feathers are festive and perky, I still find the crown a bit heavy for her but this brim angle is very flattering. Overall it is very lovely with her embroidered coat and quite pleasing for the occasion.

Christie: It’s nice to see that she’s broken up the brown today with… nude.  Although the pattern on her jacket is really beautiful. It’s good to see that the crown is in nude, even though they’ve managed to work pleated brown dupion and sinamay in to the look.  I am just not a fan of brown and fluff, I’m sorry! The shape of the hat is beautiful, I love how the sweep in the brim is balanced with the angle of the crown but this is Day 3 of brown now. Will we see any other colour?

Princess Marie Chantal of Greece in Philip Treacy. Coat by Chanel

18 Jun 2015, Ascot, Berkshire, England, UK --- Ladies Day at Royal Ascot at the Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, Berkshire, UK on June 18, 2015. Pictured: Crown Princess Marie Chantal of Greece --- Image by © James Whatling/Splash News/Corbis    Ladies Day at Royal Ascot

Christie: What can you say about this. It looks so gorgeous – very signature Philip Treacy. I am just absolutely in love with this hat. What is there not to love? That colour.. the shape.. the swirls. Those silk flowers. Absolutely divine. Love it, by far my favourite hat of the day.

Jill: This hat is divine and even though it is large, Princess Marie carries it nicely. The trim is incredibly sculptural and full but still seems light and airy which is perfect. My issue is I don’t think it’s a great match for her Chanel suit which feels more edgy while her hat is decidedly more feminine.

Royal Hats: The hat is an amazing statement piece that Marie-Chantal wears incredibly well. I suspect this hat could easily overwhelm many wearers but she has it in firm control!  With this coat, it’s a very editorial fashion / haute couture look. I couldn’t pull it off in a million years but since Marie-Chantal is all about high fashion, it works.

Fiona: Beautiful from head to toe. The hat obviously is a faultless Philip Treacy and I love the offset domed crown. The coat with crackled graphite colour detailing on the edges is exquisite. I would love to see the dress underneath, the collar looks very interesting. Really beautiful outfit on her today.

This is certainly a trio of most diverse royal hats, isn’t it? We’ll look at the remaining three royal hats from Ladies’ Day in the next post. For now, what did you think of these three hats?

Photos from James Whattling/Splash News, James Whatling/Splash News and James Whatling/Splash News via Corbis; and Getty as indicated

Second Day of Royal Ascot, Part 2

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Royal Hats Along with a talented trio of guest milliners Christie Murray, Fiona Mangan and Jill Courtemanche, let’s wrap Day Two of Royal Ascot 2015 with a peek at the remaining hats we saw today.

Princess Anne in a new hat by Snoxell Gwyther

Jill:  This is a dramatically better look than yesterday but it still misses the mark for me. Although the feathers are festive and I like the textural combination of the parisisal and sinimay straws, I find the hat a little heavy and the look a bit fallish. I am a fan of the clean lines of Princess Anne’s dress and the draped scarf (a nice alternative to the jacket) but I would have preferred to see fresh, brighter colors.

Christie: Oh Princess Anne.  For such an elegant lady, I really can’t say that I’m a fan of this hat.  The colour is horrible, and those feathers!  It’s, quite literally, a bunch of Coque tail feathers sew in, as is, with no trimming, positioning, or feather work.  And the draping of the sinamay around the crown, just too heavy. I really hope she pulls out some beautiful millinery for the rest of the carnival.

Royal Hats: The hat alone, I don’t like. But with Anne’s cream sheath and patterned wrap, it makes for a one of the most modern and fashionable ensembles we’ve seen her wear recently. That’s saying something.

Fiona: She likes her browns doesn’t she? I like her dress and the scarf is really quite nice and she wears it well. This is quite a good hat shape on her but I can’t help thinking the crown is slightly too big on her against her delicate features. It just looks a little heavy but perhaps that is down to the dark colour too. But overall she looks a little more ‘suas chun dáta’ (up to date in Irish!) today, even though I am not a huge fan of her hat.

Autumn Phillips in a new hat by Emily London

Fiona: Love her outfit and the proportions and size of Autumns hat with the little bow at the back. The pistachio green hat matches her outfit perfectly and the placement is very nice. The wispy feathers which are a cute detail, are a little too vertical for my liking but where else could they have gone? They do add an airiness to the hat. However I do have a problem with the veiling behind the bow. There is too much of it and the edging is not finished properly, it should have been cut a little neater, not in a straight line, but following the zig-zag of the veiling line.

Jill: So perky and fun, Autumn hit the mark today! There is a lot going on here but it’s appropriate for the occasion and a perfect match for her ensemble. I really like the green on her and the touch of sparkle on the veiling, a bit unexpected here but it works.

Royal Hats: I also adore the green on Autumn. The whole ensemble is balanced, young and fresh.

Christie: How much fun! I love the playfulness of this headpiece, the cheeky bow underneath the veiling.  It’s quite cute and works well with her jacket. I understand what the Milliner was going for with the feather trim, It does balance the skirt detailing.  However,  I don’t particularly think it’s balanced coming out of the centre, it looks more like an after-thought vs something that was part of the initial design.

Princess Alexandra of Kent in a new hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan

Fiona: There’s a real sense of fun about this whole ensemble, I am liking it a lot. Her psychedelic coat is beautiful and particularly vibrant. The hat, whilst has all the bright colours incorporated, is cleverly trimmed by mixing the neutral colour through the bright colours. Very clever indeed. It is a good shape on her and my only criticism would be that I feel the straw material in the hat is a little heavy looking, I would have preferred to see parasissal or sinamay.

Royal Hats: Finally, some vibrant colour! This jacket could easily become clownish if matched with the wrong accessories and the natural straw grounds it in such a lovely way. The little bit of colour in the trim ties in with just the right touch.

Christie: Wow, this isn’t something I’d was expecting, when thinking of RTM headwear, which makes me think that Princess Alexandra had quite a bit of input in to the design of the hat.  Being one of Rachel’s hats, the finishing is impeccable, of course. I’m just not sure that it’s age-appropriate, or that the design works with the paisley detailing in her jacket? I do like the natural straw on her colouring, it suits her, without washing her out. I think, perhaps, it’s the trim that is throwing me off? Something’s just not quite working for me with this look.

Jill: I am going back and forth on this hat but it’s such a happy hat and the shape is very flattering on her so I am going to ignore the part of me that feels this straw choice is a bit too casual for the event. Alexandra’s suit has a lot going on and the colors are very rich so it is not an easy suit to match and I can see how they chose to go with the Milan straw which picks up on the gold. Incorporating all the colors into the trim is not easy either and Rachel Trevor Morgan did a lovely job getting it all in there without letting it get too busy. All that said, this straw does come in a finer variety (less rough) and I think that would have been a better choice for the base of the hat, but like I said it’s a very happy hat, it’s age appropriate and she looks great in it.

Princess Michael of Kent in repeated hat by John Boyd

Christie: That’s so cute that the Princess has colour matched her eye patch! The finishing on that straw hat is just – wow. Beautiful, clean lines, gorgeous shape. I just love it. But that trim. Oh my.  It screams ‘Swan’ to me in all the wrong ways. I just can’t say that I’m a fan of the fluff!

Royal Hats: Swan! Princess Michael has worn this numerous times and I think it is (to quote a one of Jill’s phrases from yesterday) “just on the right side of overdone”! On anyone else, it would be way over the top but on Princess Michael, it works!

Fiona: The hat is quite a nice shape and suits her face, but what is it with the dangling feather boa? I really don’t think that was necessary. It would be far neater if it was left atop the hat. The outfit colour suits her and occasssion appropriate, but I feel its ill-fitting. It is a little too loose in the jacket and the box pleating on the skirt doesn’t do much for her figure.

Jill: It’s a little hard for me to tell all that is going on here because of the feather but it looks like it might just be the feather. I love the white with the mint suit and the wide edge on the brim is very nice but the feather is just too much, too costumey feeling for me. I also want to tailor her jacket a bit to give her more of an hourglass silhouette. I actually think that would make me like the hat better, the volume of the feather would be proportioned to the shape of the suit.

We also saw The Duchess of Gloucester in her previously worn textured pink straw hat. Duchess of Gloucester, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

And finally- my favourite non-royal Ascot hats of the day were the Vivien Sheriff design worn by Lady Oxmantown and the claret velvet helmet on jockey Frankie Dettori, who enjoyed his 50th Ascot win today.

My sincere gratitude to Christie Murray, Fiona Mangan and Jill Courtemanche for sharing their milinery expertise with us again today. We will all be back tomorrow to chat about the hats from our favourite day of Ascot, Ladies’ Day!Photos from  James Whatling/Splash News via Corbis; and Getty as indicated

Second Day of Royal Ascot, Part 1

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Royal Hats Day two of Royal Ascot 2015 saw another parade of lovely (and mostly new!) royal hats. It is my pleasure to again welcome royal milliners Fiona Mangan, Christie Murray,  and Jill Courtemanche here to chat about the royal hats we saw today. Let’s kick things off with three new pieces we have not seen before:

Queen Elizabeth in a new hat by designed by Angela Kelly, made by Stella McLaren. Coat and dress by Karl Ludwig.

Jill: The Queen looks lovely and classic. The short, up-turned brim is a great shape on her and the and the crown has a nice height to balance the look. Angela Kelly is a master of the fabric covered crown and the finish quality is seamless. If I had to find an issue it would be the trim, it’s a little too sweet and compact, she definitely could have gone larger but she makes up for it with that divine sapphire broach!

Royal Hats: The colour is lovely and the trim is restrained- I was all set to like this hat until I saw it from the back. I don’t like the oddly shaped crown (with one flattened side) and the seam at the top of the crown is not straight.

Jill: This does not bother me, the center back seam is finished nicely and I think what you are seeing to the left is one of the angles of the block. It looks like a six sided crown and that angle line is unavoidable and I would guess there is probably another once centered on the right that we are unable to see in the picture. I have to say that Angela Kelley has the fabric covered crown technique down flawlessly.

Christie: I love Queen Elizabeth in royal blue.  Understandably she knows what she likes in the shape of her hat and her outfit is beautifully colour balanced. Although there is lovely detailing in the flower trim, I’m not sure that I like it’s placement or it’s juxtaposition with those trimmed feathers. It’s as if the feathers are more of a tropical theme and the flowers are more summer, they both seem to be fighting each other. Regarding the back shot, I’m more of a fan of doing a rouleau with a tip and sideband, it tends to give it a better finish. I would also think, with a felt covered hat, that you could sew the sinamay on to the inside of the crown instead of through it, which would avoid the puckering stitch marks that are visible at the back.

Fiona: The Royal in royal blue – quite pleasant. The hat crown is very understated and quite plain but I do like the white inner sinamay brim which just lifts what could be a very heavy colour against the Queen’s hair and complexion. The rear of the hat has a vertical seam on the crown, this doesn’t sit too well with me. It should have had a bias seam with a diagonal line which would have been more subtle. Or indeed the seam could have been hidden under the floral trim. Again she has her classic collarless coat on with a little hint of a delicately patterned dress visible underneath, matching the delicate trim on the hat. Overall this is a nice outfit, but pales in comparison to the fuchsia outfit and hat yesterday.

Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein wore a new hat (a bespoke version of OC 873) by Philip Treacy. Suit by Chanel.

Fiona: What can I say here, Philip Treacy really does no wrong, the hat is perfect in its simplicity and sculptural lines. Her outfit is quite appealing, though the bouclé is a little heavy looking for the occasion and I think a smaller neater collar would have worked better to offset the rather large hat.

Jill: This out fit is simple and the hat with it’s soft dramatic curve is very feminine and lovely. I think the hat would have been better matched with a more open neckline and a fuller skirt, but in reality I believe I am just disappointed that I am not seeing more here. Princess Haya is one of may favorites and this look falls short of what I know she can bring to an event. I will say, I really like this soft yellow trend we are seeing this year, it’s not an easy color to wear and everyone has really pulled it off nicely.

Royal Hats: The hat is so creative- it’s truly a wearable sculpture. The yellow suit is divine on its own but I’m not sure about the two together. All I see is bumble bee.

Christie: I struggle to fault anything that this Millinery Master does. I just love it! I love his sense of line and flow in block development. This really is quite an exquisite, sculptural shape. It’s also lovely to see her in colour today!  I can’t say that the boxy shape of the skirt is the most flattering, and I’m not 100% on that yellow, but a big improvement on yesterday’s look.

The Countess of Wessex in a new hat by Jane Taylor. Dress by Emilia Wickstead

Christie: Firstly, I’m a big fan of Jane’s work.  I’m assuming that this is a layered crinoline brim/swirl on a sisal base? I like the sweeping crinoline brim and the feathers, I’m just not 100% on the swirling trim around the feathers. I think it dates it somehow, and that it would have been more of an elegant look for the Countess with the feathers as a stand-alone trim on the hat.  I this it’s a beautiful piece otherwise.

Fiona: Again she is wearing a fresh neutral colour today. Love the Jane Taylor hat, beautiful shape on Sophie. The crin brim is really delicate with the little fold at the back. I also think that less would have been more here and would have omitted the narrow swirls around the feathers. The feathers alone would have been sufficient. Her coat with the fine horizontal lines is ever so elegant especially with the perfectly-fitted neckline. Overall very elegant, as always.

Royal Hats: This is a smaller version of a similarly shaped hat Sophie wore to Ascot in 2013. It is a lot of white again but there’s something very sophisticated about it.

Jill: Very nice, again I think Sophie (and thus jane Taylor) is my pick of the day! My favorite thing about this hat is the added loops at the back so there is a softness going on from all angles. The curved lines and loops are very feminine and the angular feathers to keep it modern. Overall I think the outfit could have used a pop of color but she looks beautiful and her brooch (clearly another trend this year) is fabulous!

The Duke of Edinburgh looked most handsome in his black antique silk top hat- a piece that is over 50 years old.Queen Elizabeth, June 17, 2015 in Angela Kelly and Karl Ludwig | Royal Hats

We will be back in a few hours with the second group of hats from Ascot today!

Photos from MK/Splash News via Corbis; and Getty as indicated

Battle of Waterloo Descendants Gather in Belgium

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Descendants of main leaders of the Waterloo Battle gathered at Laeken Castle in Brussels today for a reception hosted by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.

200th Anniversary of Battle of Waterloo, June 17, 2015

The Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess joined in this biennial celebration. Princess Stèphanie wore a new cocktail hat in lilac straw, trimmed with wide curls of straw ribbon. I have long hoped Stèphanie would experiment with this style of hat and while I would have preferred it worn further forward, on the side of her head as a percher, this is a good start. The shade of lilac is particularly lovely on her.

Princess Stèphanie, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats  Princess Stèphanie, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Stèphanie, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

The Marchioness of Douro (née Jemma Kidd), who is daughter-in-law of the current Duke of Wellington, wore a black saucer hat trimmed multiple loops of straw ribbon.

Marchioness of Douro, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

The 200th anniversary of this turning point in history continues tomorrow with a grandiose reconstruction of the battle over the next two days. The Queen of the Belgians, King and Queen of the Netherlands, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Duke of Kent, Prince Napoleon and other European heads of state are expected to attend. I will cover the ceremony here on Royal Hats on Friday.

Photos from Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis

Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in Belgium

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The Prince Of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were in Waterloo, Belgium, this morning, to attend the opening of a restored Hougoumont Farm and unveil a statue to honor the British and allied forces successfully held off Napoleon’s army at this site during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. For this event, the Duchess of Cornwall repeated her an ivory straw picture hat with an off-centre peak atop the crown, balanced by a wide, asymmetrical brim. This hat is trimmed in lengths of sand coloured straw ribbon wrapped in multiple layers around the crown and looped into a side stylized bow.

Designer: Philip Treacy. It appears to be a bespoke version of OC 920
Previously Worn: June 6, 2014 

We recently saw Crown Princess Victoria wear a hat with the same, off-centre peak atop the crown. This new shape stood out much more on her hat than on Camilla’s today, where the distinct shape seems a little lost. At Camilla’s appearance at Ascot yesterday, several guest milliners commented on her penchant for pastels. While this is a lovely enough hat, I think it would be so much more alive and dynamic if it was in a vibrant hue (perhaps the violet shade, olive green or blue hue of these Treacy designs).

Princess Astrid of Belgium was also present, in a chic cream fedora hat with pleated blue band around the base of the crown.

Princess Astrid, June 17, 2015 Royal Hats Princess Astrid, June 17, 2015 Royal Hats

This ceremony was also attended by the Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg and kicks off three days of events (including a huge re-enactment) to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

What do you think of the Duchess of Cornwall’s hat?

Photos from Pool / Frédéric Sierakovski/Photo News S.A. and Pool / Frédéric Sierakovski/Photo News S.A. via Corbis; and Getty as indicated