Yearly Archives: 2015

Swedish Royals Celebrate National Day

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On Saturday, members of the Swedish Royal Family gathered to celebrate their national holiday. The King and Queen kicked off celebrations with a morning visit to Örebro’s County Museum where they viewed an exhibition of the city’s 750 year history. For this visit, Queen Silvia wore a new white calot hat what looks like a teardrop shape. The hat is simply trimmed with a flat white rosette and brown leaves.

Queen Silvia, June 6, 2015 | Royal Hats

Prince Carl Philip attended högvaktsavlösningen (changing of the royal guard) in the Outer Courtyard at the Royal Palace. I believe his uniform and cap are related to his ranking as Captain in the Swedish Royal Navy.

Prince Carl Philip, June 6, 2015 | Royal Hats

In the evening, the entire royal family processed by carriage from from the Royal Palace to Skansen for an outdoor concert. Princess Estelle joined the procession in folk costume topped with a blue and yellow braided headband.

Princess Estelle, June 6, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Estelle, June 6, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Estelle, June 6, 2015 | Royal Hats

As they do each year for national day celebrations, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine all wore Swedish national dress complete with distinct folded white caps.

It looks like a wonderful day was hat by the Swedish Royals and it was lovely to see them together before this Saturday’s big wedding.

Photos from Kiki Nilsson / TT  and Sören Andersson / TT via The Swedish Royal Court; Svensk Damtidning and Stella Pictures; and Getty as indicated

Hat From The Past: Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee

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Royal Hats The vintage hat I have had most requests to cover is the iconic pink piece worn by Queen Elizabeth for the Service of Thanksgiving during her Silver Jubilee, thirty eight years ago today.

Embed from Getty Images

Designed by the Queen’s long time milliner Simone Mirman, the rounded hat, a stylized take on a tam cap, was covered in the same pink silk crepe as her dress and coat. The fabric was stitched in closely repeated contoured lines that followed the shape of the hat and gave it considerable texture.

While the helmet-like shape was unusual, what stood out most on this hat were the 25 bell-shaped flowers attached to it.

Exact replica of Queen Elizabeth’s June 7, 1977 hat without stitching detail

Embed from Getty Images

These flowers were anchored to the top of the hat, leaving them to freely swing back and forth as the Queen moved.  This excerpt from her speech that day gives an example of this movement.

A  whimsical touch, the handmade ‘pink-bells’ were beautifully detailed with yellow stamens and green silk cord stems.

In 1977, this hat caused a sensation and the response was not entirely positive. The hat’s helmet shape, bright shade of pink (seen in greatest accuracy above) and almost cartoonish swinging flowers were seen by many as too fanciful for such an important day. Looking back nearly 40 years later, the hat is certainly playful but it is also surrounded by a demure simplicity that makes it very grand.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

While worn during a significant moment of her monarchy, this hat will be remembered equally for the occasion it attended and for the great occasion it created. Few royal hats can claim such legacy.

Exact replica of Queen Elizabeth’s  Silver Jubilee hat worn on June 7, 1977 hat without stitching detail.
Fabric and flower trim are leftovers from the original hat and the hat block was used to form both pieces. 

UPDATE: While this hat has been widely attributed to Frederick Fox (and at the time of his death in 2013, reported as the most famous of the 400+ hats he made for Queen Elizabeth during the almost 40 years they worked together and, according to a former apprentice, verbally confirmed by Mr. Fox himself as one of his designs) it was confirmed by the Royal Collection Trust in August 2016 to be the work of Simone Mirman. Jump over to this post for further explanation.

Photos from Getty as indicated; Douglas Kirkland via Corbis; Powerhouse Museum, BBC  and and Cristina Polizzi

British Royals Enjoy Epsom Races

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Members of the British Royal Family were spotted enjoying  Derby Day during the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse today. Queen Elizabeth led the entourage in a hat which has not seen the light of day for nearly four years. With a sage green straw cloche base (the same base shape as other Kelly designs), this piece is distinctively enveloped in a wide band of yellow folded straw that extends down over the brim. Trimmed with green and bright pink feathers and a small yellow straw knot, the piece coordinates with the Queen’s printed dress. Coordination, however, is not always enough to make a succhessful ensemble and I am afraid that given the choice, I would put this bulbous hat and dowdy collarless coat into permanent retirement.

Designer: Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: July 12, 2011; May 18, 2011

Princess Alexandra cast an elegant figure in a turquoise tailored jacket and matching new hat. The straw hat featured a rounded crown (lower than the high crowns the Princess usually favours) and a gently upturned brim on one side. Trimmed with swirled feathers and a swath of net tulle, the hat is a beautiful proportion and colour on Alexandra. While this piece might look familiar, I believe it is new (although very similar to this hat in paler blue).

Designer: I believe it is Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Work: This hat is new

Princess Michael of Kent repeated her white picture hat trimmed with an oversize plume of frothy white ostrich feathers encircling the crown. I adore this hat- it makes such a luxurious and grand statement while remaining delicate, light and perfectly balanced. I suspect that only a master can make a hat look like it is floating on air.

Designer: John Boyd
Previously Worn: June 7, 2014
The British royals always look like they are having an immensely fun time at Epsom. What did you think of their hats today?
Photos from Getty as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Royal Hats

Princess Akiko wore a very pretty cream picture hat this week on a visit to Wakayama Prefecture. Happy claps for a larger scale hat on an Imperial princess! (Imperial Family of Japan)

Lovely casual portrait of Queen Jetsun of Bhutan released for her 25th birthday this week  (Place Royale)

Princess Anne named a new Sea Cadets training vessel 40 years after naming its predecessor (The Wharf)

Crown Princess Victoria participated in the Volvo Ocean Race in Portugal (Getty)

The Prince of Wales, dressed in the full uniform and bearskin of a Welsh Guard, took part in a dress rehearsal this morning for next Saturday’s Trooping the Colour (Getty)

Royal Hats

So wonderful to see Crown Princess Masako attend the state banquet during the Philippine state visit (Getty)

Princess Isabella of Denmark carried out her fist official royal engagement today, accompanied by her mum (TV2)

Crown Princess Victoria, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit looked to be having a great time together at the EAT Stockholm Food Forum (Svenskdam).

Beautiful new photos of Prince Felix, Princess Claire and Princess Amalia were released this week for the Prince’s birthday (Luxarazzi)

The picture we have all been waiting for- Prince George with his little sister, Princess Charlotte (Kensington Palace)