It is impossible to talk about royal hats without including Irish milliner Philip Treacy in the conversation. His designs consistently appear in our year-end parade of favourites and he remains a go-to milliner for numerous royal clients- here is a peek at his spring collection.
Designer: Philip Treacy Spring Summer 2015
Synopsis: Treacy’s usual spread of wide picture hats, high slices, vertical plates and elaborately trimmed cocktail hats are joined by boaters, sweeping wave hats and a rainbow array of fedoras. The trims are larger than life blooms, curls and feathers that stand up to the strong shapes and are spread with Treacy’s characteristically lavish (yet balanced) touch. The collection is soaring, vibrant and resolute.
Royals likely to wear these designs: We have already seen the Duchess of Cornwall in a modified version of OC920 and in an all-cream version of OC941. Princess Haya and Zara Phillips both wowed at Ascot last year – Grand Duchess Marie Theresa, Queen Silvia and Princess Michael of Kent are also long time wearers of the brand. I would love to see Princess Haya in OC889 and OC888 and think Zara Phillips in the pink OC919 would be wonderfully unexpected. OC926 is a great match for the Duchess of Cornwall and OC928, the classic mint green boater pictured above, seems perfect for a queen. I would also love to see Crown Princess Victoria ditch her flimsy fascinators in favour of the richly hued OC869. For a bit of fashionable edge, OC886 can’t be beat.
Which hats in this collection would you like to see on a royal head?
Photos from Philip Treacy London
Every time the Duchess of Cornwall wears her black picture hat covered in ostrich feathers, it seems to elicit a polarized response. Interestingly, this love-it-or-hate-it hat has a twin:
Queen Juliana taking part in a domestic arts class at Pimlico School during a trip to London, April 13, 1972. From this photo, it seems that Princess Beatrix’s penchant for large, voluminous, brimless hats might have been an inherited one.
Royal Hats 
