to this day, twenty five years ago, and a royal visit to Reading. Queen Elizabeth’s brimless red felt hat features a Pork Pie, indented crown and diagonal stripes of the same fabric as her coat (stripes that look like strips of carpet, I’m afraid). Several of you have commented recently how this era of fashion was not Her Majesty’s best… a statement that seems affirmed by this hat.
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Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Another pic at Reading https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/online_exhibitions/history/images/queen_visit.jpg and in Norfolk the previous year
http://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2015090827113/queen-record-reign-iconic-fashion-moments/0-135-643/1991-rayna-a.jpg. Oddly enough, I don’t mind this hat when seen without the coat. The “carpet” detail lifts the otherwise plain red dress and adds interest; but in my view that big boofy dressing-gown style coat weighs down the look and makes HM look vastly heavier than she actually is – seen here at the races in 1993 http://elizabethii.tumblr.com/post/38005352740/her-majesty-with-her-racing-manager-lord-caernavan
I like the fabric in the coat but it’s a little too heavy for the stripe effect in the hat. I don’t mind the size, colour or design of the hat – it’s those heavy stripes that are throwing it off. The hat reminds me of something you might see in India, Pakistan or Afghanistan (on a man) and that ‘tribal’ look makes me like it too. It’s quite a different design for the Queen and sits nicely on her hair.
It’s quite a pretty shade if you can mentally erase the carpet. That coat too! If any of the readers are familiar with the Carol Burnett Show, this outfit reminds me forceably of Starlet’s dress in their satire of Gone With the Wind (“I saw it in the window and I had to have it”).
I love this hat! It’s fresh, different and interesting to look at. The minute I brought up this post and saw the photos, I thought, “What fun!” Such a rich color and I like the angle of the strips of fabric.
I think it’s flattering for The Queen. It would be nice to see more varied hat styles on her nowadays.
A little over done…..a rim about the bottom would have been enough. I think that they were not taking into consideration that she coloring was changing.
It’s…interesting. I, too, would have liked it better plain!
Regardless of the craftsmanship (which I’d imagine is considerable), I just don’t find it at all flattering on HM. You’re right in that this is her at the peak of her less becoming wardrobe; the hinterland of middle age before she got back into a style groove as an older person.
Let’s not forget 1992 was her ‘annus horibilis…’
I actually don’t mind the carpet strips – it’s different. The last photo looks like a professionally posed shot, with planned lighting, unlike the first, long outdoor shot. HM is still very photogenic, with a million dollar smile!
This hat always has stood out in my mind after my having seen pictures of it. Although I agree that it’s not particularly attractive in close-ups, from a distance and from straight on it reminds me of a tiara, a familiar shape atop the Queen’s head.
I like the hat without the carpet strips. Then the whole outfit would have looked good.
Oh, my! The shape and color are nice enough, but someone was trying too hard to tie it in to the coat.
The shape of the hat is fine but the coat fabric segments look terrible. The fabric should have been left without any adornment. This is where a few hat pins would have sufficed.
Exactly! I like the shape and color but those stripes are a no!
I agree HatQueen, they do look like strips of carpet on the hat! The coat is pretty with Her Majesty’s hair, though.
I’m probably om my own but I like the fuzzy coat and hat. Looks good on her Maj.
Well, it’s better than some from that period of time, however, the strips do look as if the milliner thought,’ hmm, looks a little bland, let’s stick some of the left over coat fabric on to jazz it up a bit’.