Queen Máxima was in Arnhem to officially open the newly renovated Musis ’huis voor muziek’ 19th century concert hall and music facility. For this event, the Dutch queen repeated her cranberry felt Garbo hat with hatband and side bow.
Paired with her checked suit, the hat tops a strong look. What do you think of it’s outing yesterday?
Royal Hats 
Overall I must say I am not a fan. It is just too much print in my opinion.
I adore this hat and suit. Fabulous.
What I dislike most here is the fact she wore a pantsuit with this hat; the combo doesn’t work, and a skirt would’ve been much better (or this pantsuit with a different/no hat). My other complaint is the brim does seem to obscure her view.
But overall I love this look, and the hat fits perfectly with Máxima’s personality! The color is excellent, and I love the photo Patrick van Katwijk took. Looks like I’m in a very small minority when I saw I like this more than I dislike it!
This ensemble, including the hat, is a failure as far as I’m concerned.
This is terrible. She has to tilt her head back the whole time to see something! I do like the color but that’s about it. I don’t like the rest of the outfit either.
This hat is a gorgeous colour, and on a private individual would look dashing. However, it fails as a royal hat as it doesn’t match the occasion – ie a public engagement where the public deserve to see a face!
You can tell the brim is too large for her because she is keeping her head slightly raised to be able to see. Plus I think the had is a little too casual for the occasion.
It looks as as if crown and brim of this hat are all in one piece. In fact, the hat looks like a double sided velours felt capeline that has not been shaped at all, but just been adorned with a hat band. This used to be the fashion in the 70’s, and was all right when you were seventeen or so.
The colour and the material are terrific, but double sided velours felt is difficult to work with without crushing it. Hence the simple option of not blocking it at all ! Unfortunately this makes the brim go totally flappy and induces it to lead a life of it’s own, as is clearly shown in the video footing of Queen Máxima’s arrival in Arnhem.
When looking at the pictures of the hats first outing, you can see that the brim still has some sort of shape, although it is already out of control at the back.
When I was learning millinery in Paris in the eighties, we had to cover the hat block with a piece of velvet before blocking velours felt. The fabric (preferably in the same colour as the felt) was glued upon the wooden block. The felt could then be blocked and pressed with steam without crushing it. Afterwards the velvet (and the glue !) had to be removed again from the block, and the block cleaned.
It was a time consuming process, but then, double sided velours felt is an expensive material and this was “haute mode” : couture millinery.
One of the queen’s rare misses: The hat is too big, too floppy, the suit does not flatter, and the proportions of this ensemble are very awkward.
The hat’s color is fabulous but that’s all I can like about it: The scale is way too large and you can’t see her face properly and sh can’t see unless she tilts her head way back! I’m sure that her milliner can do this over in a smaller brim size and then I’ll love it!
I agree that the hat is far too large. Am I correct in remembering that The Queen (Elizabeth II) always wears a hat that doesn’t obscure her face from those who wish to see her? Perhaps that is a good rule of thumb? The cranberry colour is lovely on Maxima.
The way she has to tilt her head back to see will give her a stiff neck.
The color is beautiful but the hat is too big and too floppy.
When I look at this set of photos, I see a dip in the brim right over her right eye, which I did not see in the previous wearing on Oct 4 of last year. The hat obscures her face except when her head is tilted slightly back, which is bad for both seeing and being seen. Is it possible that either the brim has somehow gotten bent, or possibly the hat has been put on with a different (lower) part toward the front? In either case, I liked the hat quite a bit back in October, but don’t like it at all today. Does anyone else notice the difference in the brim that I’m describing, or is it my imagination?
The look over all is dated. I think if she had worn a wool dress in the same checked fabric with this hat, it would have worked well for the event. I don’t like Max in nipped in waisted, peplem jackets at all.
The hat is terrific, but does the brim fall a little too far on her forehead? Also — a pant suit????