Monthly Archives: June 2015

Swedish Royal Wedding: Extended Swedish Royal Family

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Royal Hats  With many members of the extended Swedish Royal Family in tiaras for the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist today, a significant part of the Swedish collection of jewels was on display.  Princess Christina wore the Six Button Tiara. It’s a rather clunky piece but Christina’s hair colour and style provided soften the linear base of the tiara and make the buttons seem less disjointed as they usually do. This is one of the rare cases when I think this tiara works better than the rest of what she is wearing.

Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld topped her bright pink caftan gown with the Cut Steel Tiara. The gold frame of this tiara is a great match with Désirée’s warm-hued hair and while this pairing of gown and tiara would not have been my first choice, surprisingly, they worked well together.

Princess Margaretha topped a beautiful grey brocade tunic and jacket with the exquisite Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara. Pairing aquamarines can be tough as the pale stones are easily washed out with too much contrasting colour but this pairing was perfect. What was less than perfect, however, was Princess Brigitte’s ensemble. Her  tiara, the Baden Fringe Tiara, is certainly striking but her choice to wear it with a fur jacket and pink palazzo jumpsuit is absolutely bizarre.

Princess Brigitta’s daughter, Désirée von Bohlen und Halbach, wore the Pearl Circlet Tiara. We seldom see all pearl tiaras and Désirée showed this one off beautifully with the choice of her royal blue gown.

Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg wore a delicate diamond tiara. The tiara alone is beautiful but I’m afraid that the rest of the ensemble- lace dress, bow cuffs, pearl choker, fur trimmed stole, embroidered purse- was a case of too many beautiful statement pieces at the same time.

Finally, Countess Bettina Bernadotte of Wisborg topped her blue gown and jacket with a small diamond tiara. The tiara, made of of triangular peaks, is a rather spiky one that might have benefited from a softer hairstyle. It is not a piece I have seen before and suspect it does not get out much.

That concludes our look at all the Swedish royal tiaras! Next, we will start looking at the tiaras worn by royal guests.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Swedish Royal Wedding: Swedish Royals

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Royal Hats Leading a parade of royal guests today at the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist were members of the Prince’s immediate family.

As she already wore the Nine Prong Tiara to Princess Madeleine’s wedding and the Braganza Tiara to Princess Victoria’s wedding, Queen Silvia predictably chose the last of her three large tiaras, the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara. The blue sapphires were a sentimental choice for her only son’s wedding; the pairing of this tiara with Silvia’s lilac silk satin dress embroidered with lace, sequins and stones made for a very sparkly ensemble. King Carl Gustaf looked most handsome in the the mess dress uniform and cap of the Admiral of the Fleet circa 1878.

Queen Silvia, June 13, 2015 | Royal Hatshttp://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/swedens-king-carl-xvi-gustaf-and-swedens-queen-silvia-news-photo/476973898
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Crown Princess Victoria wore the Connaught Tiara for the first time. I thought the choice of this high, intricate tiara was a fantastic counterpoint to Victoria’s gown, an unexpectedly modern but ethereally beautiful choice from the H&M Concious Collection.  Princess Madeleine wore this tiara for the first time at Princess Victoria’s wedding and there is a lovely, sentimental note about Princess Victoria choosing to do the same for her brother’s wedding today.

Princess Estelle, along with the other bridesmaids, wore a white silk and Italian silk organza dress designed by Ida Sjöstedt. Her hair, cut in an adorable bob, was held off her face by a white Livly bow.

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Princess Madeleine, who is due to deliver her second child any day, looked radiant in a pale pink silk dress with beaded bodice. She topped the gown with the Modern Fringe Tiara that she wore for her own nuptials just two years ago. The delicate fringe motif on the tiara is much softer than most royal fringe tiaras and as Madeleinie wears it often, it is a piece we have come to associate with her. In a fascinating historical touch, Princess Leonore wore a lace dress once worn by her great, great grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf around 1884. She also sported a small white hair bow from Livly.

Swedish Royal Wedding: The Couple

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Royal Hats  Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist were married today in a ceremony held Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace in Stockholm. It was a day filled with personal touches and a couple that radiated happiness.

Prince Carl Philip, who holds rank of major the  Swedish Navy, wore the mess dress model uniform and cap circa 1878. His pale blue sash held the the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order; the Order of the Polar Star cross on a black band around his neck.

Princess Sofia, as she is now known, wore a dress  by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt. Made of multiple shades of white silk crepe, the strapless dress was overlaid with a long sleeve, v-necked overlay of Italian silk organza appliquéd with couture lace. The lace, made by José María Ruiz, was was hand-stitched to the dress. If you look closely at the princess cut gown, you will see lace trailing down the full length of the skirt, artfully concealing the seams on the silk crepe base layer. The dress did not provide the same ‘wow factor’ that other royal wedding dresses have created but I thought it was an elegant and very beautiful choice for Sofia’s entry into royal life.

Sofia’s full length veil of silk tulle organza was edged in a wide border of hand-embroidered cotton lace. She wore it off her face, anchored into her low chignon.

Sofia’s tiara choice today was a surprise, as it is new. Announced as a gift from the King and Queen for their new daughter-in-law, the tiara features emeralds atop a base row of palmettes.  Coloured tiaras are not a usual choice for royal brides and I loved the unexpected pop of colour which blended beautifully with the traditional sprig of myrtle Sofia tucked into the back of her hair. I don’t believe the Swedish royal jewel collection has an emerald piece and this one, which is a perfect size for a petite princess, will be a great addition.

In a vast majority of the photos released, the newlyweds look to be bursting at the seams with happiness.  If you have not already seen their exuberant recessional up the aisle after the wedding service, I strongly encourage you to watch it, beginning at 44:30 in the video below. It was not a traditional choice of royal wedding recessional music but it was obviously a choice special to this couple and I adored them for it.

Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, June 13, 2015 | Royal Hats  Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, June 13, 2015 | Royal Hats

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Trooping the Colour: Extended British Royal Family

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Trooping the Colour is wonderful not only because it is Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday celebration but because it is attended by the many members of the extended British Royal Family who we seldom see throughout the year. While the Linley family did not attend this year (along with Princess Anne’s children and grandchildren), the Kent family was well represented. Princess Alexandra of Kent repeated a dove grey hat wrapped in wide ruched sash around the based of the crown and dotted net veil. With her tailored grey jacket, she looked most elegant.Lady Nicholas Windsor, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Lady Helen Taylor and the Countess of St. Andrews, June 13, 2015 | Royal Hats

The Duke and Duchess of Kent’s daughter-in-law, Lady Nicholas Windsor, wore the most avant garde hat of the day, a brimless moulded piece in ecru straw trimmed with a large u-shaped embellishment. While some might think her hat sprouted horns, I liked the unusual trim and Paola wore the piece very well. The Countess of St. Andrews wore a large navy picture hat with square crown and cartwheel brim edged in a wide white stripe; her hat was trimmed with a large white.

Lady Helen Taylor wore a black beret-based percher hat lavishly trimmed with opalescent paillettes and widely woven black net veil.  You can see a detailed photo is creative hat here.

Designer: Stephen Jones. It is the “Nerve” design from SS 2015
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Michael of Kent repeated her angular, pale grey pillbox with dramatic ostrich plume trim. This hat is an excellent pairing with her austere dress and coat and Marie-Christine looked fabulous.

Designer: John Boyd
Previously Worn: October 18, 2015; June 18, 2014; June 16, 2014

Zenouska Mowatt, Lady Gabriella Windsor and Julia Ogilvy, June 13, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Michael’s daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor, wore a large picture hat in pale pink straw trimmed with three large curling sashes. If this hat is, as I suspect, the OC-875 design from Philip Treacy’s summer collection this year, it features a flat crown and large, cartwheel brim. Princess Alexandra’s daughter-in-law, Julia Ogilvy wore a pink beret trimmed with large flowers while Zenouska Mowatt (Princess Alexandra’s granddaughter) wore a dusty pink curved hat which appeared to be trimmed with silk flowers and a crin overlay on the brim.

The Duchess of Gloucester repeated her raspberry pink straw hat. It’s a fine hat that unfortunately, is not helped by the tulled scarf wrapped around it.

While not visible in photos from today, the Duchess of Gloucester’s daughter-in-law, the Countess of Ulster,  wore a navy percher hat. Lady Sarah Chatto repeated her black straw saucer hat. This draws today’s coverage of Trooping the Colour to a close. Which hat was your favourite on the Buckingham Palace balcony today?

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

Trooping the Colour: British Royal Family

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Much of the Queen’s immediate family joined Her Majesty for her official birthday celebration this morning. For this event, the Duchess of Cornwall repeated her cream straw picture hat with up-swept brim. The smoothly curving lines of this hat and the gossamer straw it is constructed from combine to give it a dramatic shape that feels very airy and light. Not everyone can pull off such a large hat but I think Camilla wears it well.

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Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn:  June 19, 2013; June 14, 2011; April 29, 2011; June 16, 2009

In her first official engagement since Princess Charlotte’s birth, the Duchess of Cambridge attended today’s festivities in a new hat. A structured piece made of white sinamay trimmed with curled feathers, this saucer hat is a substantially larger piece than the hats Kate has worn in the past year. While I’m not sure about the shape (the high rim of the saucer makes it more of a basin than a saucer), the hat made a great pairing with Kate’s beautiful blue and white coat.

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Designer: Silvia Fletcher for Lock and Co. It is a bespoke version of the Marisabel design. Coat from Catherine Walker.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Beatrice topped her grey silk coat dress with a black headpiece lavishly embellished on one side with sparkling beads. The headpiece has a beautiful sense of movement and texture and I loved the way it tied in with her belt. The piece also brought a welcome edgy contrast to the Peter Pan collar on Beatrice’s coat and made for an ensemble that is the best of retro chic.

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Designer: Juliette Botterill
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Eugenie topped her tan and black dress with a beautiful new saucer hat. Made of cream pinopok straw, the percher hat is trimmed with a silk rose and curling, bleached pheasant feathers and a slim straw bow. The proportion of this hat is just right for Eugenie and the colour is a lovely contrast against her dark hair. This piece was by far, my favourite saucer hat of the day.

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Designer: Juliette Botterill. It is the Rose and Feather Trim Percher
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Prince Andrew repeated his black silk top hat while Prince Harry wore the uniform and cap of his ranking of Captain of The Blues and Royals.

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While he did not wear a hat, all eyes were on Prince George who made his royal balcony début. Dressed in the same pale blue outfit his father wore for his first Trooping the Colour in 1984, George was absolutely adorable.

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I felt the absence of the Countess of Wessex at this event (she and the Earl were in Stockholm for the Swedish Royal wedding) but there were still a number of show stopping hats worn in this group. Did any stand out especially for you?

Photos from Getty as indicated