The Prince of Wales was in Longueval, France, late last week to take part in a New Zealand National Commemorative service marking the 100th Anniversary of the WWI Battle of the Somme at Caterpillar Valley Cemetery. For this occasion, Prince Charles wore the uniform of his role as Field Marshal of the New Zealand Army complete with distinctive quadri-corner deeply pinched hat. Amidst the Prince’s many uniforms, the hat of this one certainly stands out.
A preview of the final section of this year’s amazing exhibition on Queen Elizabeth’s fashion due to open at Windsor Castle today. It looks like the exhibit focuses on ensembles Her Majesty has worn at Windsor and the hat display are designs all worn to Ascot (including the orange one dubuted just this year)
Queen's Girl Guides kit, Order of Garter robe, outfits 4 weddings of Edward & Sophie, Charles & Camilla @ Windsor pic.twitter.com/rxo1i57RxP
Somehow, I missed the the release of this stunning image of Prince Daniel and Prince Oscar, taken at Crown Princess Victoria’s July 15th birthday celebration. See two others taken the same day here and here.
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko’s visit to Yamagata Prefecture over the weekend saw the Empress wore two hats in addition to the one we looked at in this previous post. For their arrival on September 10, Empress Michiko repeated a white mini-pillbox hat trimmed with a white and slate blue folded fabric bow which coordinated with the lapel on her jacket.
Designer: Akio Hirata Previously Worn:July 22, 2014; July 14, 2009
The Imperial couple spent Monday, September 12 visiting the Nezugaseki Port of Tsuruoka and Tsuruoka Matsugaoka reclamation field. The Empress debut a new white saucer hat for these events. While this piece follows the predictable shape and scale of Michiko’s other hats, it dramatically departs in terms of trimming with a blue and orange plaid multi looped bow in the same fabric as the peplum and pocket square on her suit. We rarely see such unexpected hits of colour on Empress Michiko’s ensembles and while I’m not sure this one is entirely successful, I’m going to embrace it because it’s such a welcome change from her usual head-to-hem greys.
Designer: unknown. Likely Akio Hirata Previously Worn: this hat is new
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this new hat’s slight design twist!
Queen Máxima attended the tenth “Postcode Lottery Green Challenge” international competition for sustainable entrepreneurship in Amsterdam yesterday. For this occasion, she repeated one of her go-to hats with upswept ‘slice’ brim.
In coffee coloured straw, this hat will be familiar to most of you- it features a rounded crown and is simply trimmed with a matching grosgrain ribbon hatband and abstract folded ribbon bow at the side. While the design is not one of Máxima’s standouts in terms of colour or shape, it is a great piece that paired exceptionally with her white Gucci dress, warm brown accessories and citrine earrings.The resulting ensemble is one of my favourite for her so far this year.
Members of the Swedish Royal Family gathered in Stockholm yesterday for the opening of parliament dressed in the traditional black and white dress code associated with this event. Queen Silvia led her family in a repeated white ruched straw headpiece with wide bow at the back. The lovely movement of this piece, which swirls around Silvia’s head, almost makes up for it’s open crown. I have long disliked such open crowned hats but paired with an impeccably cut black suit and pearls, this one almost works.
The three Princesses sported chignon hairstyles, each topped with a fascinator style headpiece. There has been growing controversy here at Royal Hats over the merits of this style of millinery and, like them or love them, I think each worked particularly well with this hairstyle.
This is the third outing for Crown Princess Victoria’s layered headpiece of black and white butterflies and while still not my favourite for her, I think it worked better with her Paule Ka dress than it has with any previous ensemble.
Princess Madeleine’s black free form shaped headpiece was worn as a calot the last time we saw it. I think the scale of this piece suits the placement we saw here and the combination of hard edged headpiece with the very delicate lace collar of her blouse made for an interesting contrast.
For my favourite ensemble of the day, Princess Sofia topped a streamlined Max Mara black dress with an over-size white camellia bloom headpiece. Black and white ensembles can be tough to balance but the scale of this headpiece works so beautifully with the dress, understated jewellery and a large chignon. The resulting combination is timeless, classic and so very chic.
Designer: unknown Previously Worn: this headpiece is new
Any thoughts to share on the quartet of Swedish royal headpieces for this year’s opening of parliament?
Photos from Getty as indicated; Anna Karin Nilsson and Olle Sporrong via Stella Pictures; and Dana Press
Royal Hats 