Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all attended Sunday service yesterday morning at church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church close to the Sandringham estate. The Queen repeated her magenta and black felt split crown hat with black button trim and embroidered black dots.
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Designer: Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: Apr 25, 207; Jan 27, 2017; Jan 25, 2015; Oct 31, 2013; Apr 5, 2013; Dec 30, 2012; May 1, 2012; Mar 8, 2012; Mar 4, 2011
Previously Worn: Apr 25, 207; Jan 27, 2017; Jan 25, 2015; Oct 31, 2013; Apr 5, 2013; Dec 30, 2012; May 1, 2012; Mar 8, 2012; Mar 4, 2011
The Duchess of Cambridge used the occasion to debut a new hat in warm brown alpaca fur. The cuffed brim design is a triplet to black and grey designs already in Kate’s wardrobe– this brown version rounds out a trio of neutrals that should pair with any number of winter coats. I can only imagine the hat is warm and comfortable for Kate to be adding this third version.
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We’ve only had to wait seven days in this new year for our first new royal hat- what do you think of it?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
HM is obviously a fan of this hat and ensemble, but I’m ready to see it retired; something about the color scheme combined with all the dots reminds me of some horrible licorice-flavored candy, and that’s never a good vibe to have while viewing HM’s hats!
I’m not surprised Kate has this style in black, grey, and brown now; all colors that will go with so many outfits, and as HatQueen said, she does well to mix and match things. Not my favorite hat ever for her, but a good choice to have for practicality that is still more stylish than many other styles built mostly for warmth.
As a side note: if anyone has problems with wool/cashmere (allergies or just sensitivity in general), alpaca is a great alternative. My mom has a severe wool allergy, and she has had no issues with alpaca yet. It’s softer than wool, and just as warm, if not warmer. Alpaca can be a little pricier depending, but I think it’s worth it. Also, this is not a paid ad, I’m just a self-proclaimed alpaca evangelist haha.
It’s interesting to learn more about alpaca, Jake. From what I’ve read about the two brands that made Kate’s alpaca hats, the fur is also ethically and sustainably harvested (so animals are not slaughtered just for their fur).
Love, love, love Kate’s alpaca fuzzy hats! I even went out and bought one for myself in white and I can’t wait for it to arrive! It’s finally raining in SoCal but probably won’t last unlike the northeast part of the USA which is in the midst of a very cold freeze right now. A brand new hat from the Duchess is a terrific way to start 2018!
SoCal Gal, I’ve only ever been in SoCal for brief vacations so I’m no expert on the weather there, but does it actually ever get cold enough that a furry hat like that would be appropriate from a temperature standpoint?
I like the hat. It looks warm and comfortable and it looks elegant with the patterned coat. It also seems a good set of three basic colors to round out any good winter coat.
I like these fuzzy hats on Kate, and I’ve decided that part of the reason why I like them is that they’re paired with sleek tailored coats. I feel like furry hats paired with fur-trimmed or furry jackets is a bit old fashioned looking. I also like that they’re furry, but not slouchy. Several of the other RBF ladies (The D of Cornwall and Princess Alexandra at least) have a couple of hats that are fur-trimmed or sort of furry but also slouchy or ruched and I don’t care for that look as well.
Good point- the voluminous shape of the hat does contrast well with Kate’s sleek coats. It’s a good match of proportions.
I could not tell if the fur at Kate’s wrists was attached to her sleeve or her gloves, but either way, I thought it was a nice touch with the otherwise very tailored coat.
According to What Kate Wore, the fur cuff is on her glove
If my math is correct, HM has worn this split crown hat TEN times now! Clearly a favorite of hers. Can the two-tone blue split crown be far behind? The two sisters’ furry hats look the same to me. I’m sure it would feel great in our area — the mercury dropped to 5F yesterday. Our friends in Sydney, Australia reported a slightly higher temperature —close to 100F!
Penrith, a suburb of Sydney, reached 47 degrees Celsius which is 116.6 Fahrenheit!!!! >>>>H-O-T<<<<<<
I love fur hats–they give off a glamorous, Dr. Zhivago vibe to me. And, fur is so flattering near the face. This hat works beautifully on the Duchess.
I can’t bring myself to get excited about these furry hats of Kate’s; they feel like her version of Camilla’s Paddington hats – and they’re mostly nothing to jump up and down about. Nice and cosy I’m sure, but nothing special.
I agree that there is nothing wrong with them, but they do not excite me either. With all these colors at her disposal we may be seeing these hats at Christmastime for the rest of her life! Boo-hoo!
One thing Kate and her stylist Natasha do VERY well is mix and match pieces- we hardly ever see her repeat the same outfit head to toe. We probably will see these hats worn over and over in the future but my guess is that they will be paired with all sorts of different coats. New pairings are always interesting to watch and dissect.
Interesting………though one assumes the Duchess has a stylist, this is the first time I’ve seen that confirmed, and learned the person’s name. Many jokes have been made elsewhere that the Countess of Wessex has a chef that demonstrated some aptitude when it came to style, so she uses him as a dresser as well – and greatly improved her appearances as a result! These new roles are a bit confusing to me. There used to be lady’s maids, then they became “dressers.” Is a stylist the same thing? Do the men have valets any longer? Who takes care of all these clothes, hats, and uniforms?
I love the Duchess in these furry hats.
Some people can look rather nondescript when they dress for practicality – simple comfortable neutral gear can easily be bland; but Kate has the happy knack of looking expressive and arresting when she wears plain and simple functional items, such as this hat. That’s why I’m looking forward to see her in more fedoras in 2018. Hopefully Pippa’s Jess Collet fedora will inspire her!
While not royal, I know some of you will be interested to see that James and Pippa Matthews also attended the service. Pippa wore a navy blue fedora with signature star adornment from Jess Collett.
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I also just remembered seeing Pippa in a similar brown alpaca hat to the one Kate wore yesterday. She wore it to the Cheltenham races back in 2013- I can’t tell for certain if it is the same hat, shared between the sisters. Pippa’s hat seems to have a more rounded crown than Kate’s does but that could easily be a matter of camera angles.
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I don’t think it’s the same hat, though it’s very similar. This article from the Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2293289/Cheltenham-Festival-2013-Pippa-Middleton-hits-races-yellow-coat-fur-hat-shades.html
shows a view from the back, and the crown appears to me to be much larger than the one on Kate’s hat.
Thanks for the additional views. I agree Matthew- while similar, Kate’s hat is a slightly different crown shape. It’s a neutral winter piece, not surprising that both sisters would have a version.
Just wanted to add link to hat: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/553661347933706319/