This year, we’re going to take a different approach to choosing our favourite hats of the year. Instead of cramming December with multiple retrospectives and polls, we’re going to choose our favourite new and repeated hats at the end of each month. Next January, we’ll face off the favourites from each month to name top hats of 2016 (and add a third category for royal men’s hats). As there are usually too many hats every month to feature in a single poll, I will draw finalists from the hats that receive a particularly warm response in your comments.
Looking back over the new hats worn over the past month, eight stand out from your comments as the most memorable and successful new pieces. Click on any of the photos below to jump back to original posts with additional photos and information:
1. 
2.
3.
Zara Philips in a blue feathered cocktail hat by Suzy O’Rourke Millinery on January 8
Zara Philips a woven headpiece in navy straw by Danica Erard on January 9
Queen Elizabeth in a split crown winter white felt hat by Angela Kelly on January 10
4.
5.
Queen Sonja in a hat with wide fur collar brim for the Norwegian Silver Jubilee celebrations on January 17
Princess Beatrix in a mushroom grey felt brimmed hat with metallic straw sash trim on January 23
6.
7.
8.
Princess Tsuguko in a winter white felt fedora with flower embellishment at the back on January 26
Crown Princess Masako in a blue velvet Bretton hat with black ribbon trim on January 26
Empress Michiko in a white saucer hat trimmed in pale teal silk roses and leaves while in the Philippines on January 27
Voting will remain open until February 14 at midnight GMT and each computer or mobile device can vote once per day for multiple hats (this is to accommodate those readers who have multiple household members who wish to take part). To keep things mysterious, results will not be visible until the poll closes.
This is an experiment so please, let me know what you think. Stay tuned tomorrow for a similar poll relating to repeated hats we saw worn in January.
Photos from Media-Mode; Bradley Kanaris via Getty; Stella Pictures; Ragnar Singsaas via Getty; Rpe/Albert Nieboer/dpa/Corbis; Motoo Naka/AFLO/Nippon News/Corbis; Motoo Naka/AFLO/Nippon News/Corbis; and AFP/Jay Directo via Getty
Royal Hats 
These new monthly roundups are a colossal idea.
1st-hat 6
2nd-hat 7
3rd-hat 8
4th-hat 2
Princess Tsuguko in a winter white felt fedora is one of the best fedoras in history and it’s my top choice today. They are a really good hats here.
Zara’s navy straw looks fab and a shame we can’t see it from more angles. It is a complex hat and a real game changer. I know you are only showing one view per contestant.
As instructed in the post, click on each photo to link back to the original feature post. There are additional views there!
HatQueen, you are all that and a bag of chips. Zara’s hat at 2 is one of the best hats ever!
I’m glad everyone is enjoying these new monthly roundups. And yes- for January being a fairly quiet month of royal hats, there were some great new ones!
Enjoying the monthly poll! January was a month of quality over quantity for new royal hats. I voted for Zara’s inventive navy straw, but I like all of the others, too, especially those of the Japanese imperials.
I voted for 2, 6 and 7. These monthly polls are a great idea HatQueen!
Wonderful idea! You add fun and it’s great. Thank you very much!
Just a little question: do we have to vote just for the hat or for the hat and how it fits on the wearer?
Fedora reappears and it is both modern and chic.
It is my first comment at your so interesting blog. It is a real pleasure to read your articles. Thank you!
Good question- while we’re choosing a favourite hat, how it fits the wearer (and the outfit it’s paired with) inevitably impact the overall impression of the hat. How much you consider these factors is up to you!
Great idea, HQ. Makes life easier for us all, I suspect.
Great idea! I love your blog and check in several times a day. Now I will have to comment more on my favorites.
To clarify- I don’t benefit in any way from more comments (although I always enjoy hearing your opinions!). I just thought that choosing favourites throughout the year would make things less frantic next December!
I think so too.
HMQ’s winter white hat might be new, since the split crown is new. The hat she wore 11/20/14 had a round crown. Could this one be a remodel?
While it is possible that the brim on this hat is the same as the brim on the hat previously worn with this ensemble, the crown is clearly a new design. I think that qualifies the hat as a new piece. After thinking about these hats more, I suspect a new brim was blocked so that the crown and brim of the hat you see here are a perfect colour match.
Great choices, Hat Queen! So hard to pick just one!
Any chance you missed the brown feathery pillbox on Q Maxima on January 30, participating in a meeting on developing decentral sustainable energy in the Art Center in Delft?(Please see modekoninginmaxima.nl if you like.) I haven’t found much more about it but since you are an absolute hat expert, you might?
I have yet to find photos of this hat that I can legally share. It’s HIGHLY unusual that not one photo agency has picked up photos of this event. I’ll do my best to keep looking but this hat might have to be included in February’s poll. Don’t worry- I won’t forget about it!
Awesome hats for Zara Tindall xxx