Yearly Archives: 2018

Imperial Princess Visits Turkey

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Princess Akiko is visiting Turkey this week, primarily to attend an event organized by her late father’s foundation at Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul. On Monday, she began her trip in the capital, Ankara, where she visited Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as well as the Turkish-Japanese Foundation. She topped her navy and white suit with a prim white silk hat with short, kettle brim and straight-sided, domed crown, trimmed with a wide navy hatband

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: October 4, 2015 

On Tuesday, the young princess visited at the Naval Museum in Istanbul where she oversaw the the receipt of replicate of the Japanese Seiki warship that first visited the Ottoman Empire in 1878. For this event, she repeated a white (or palest grey?) cloche variation with wider, upturned kettle brim. The hat is trimmed in a wide dove grey hatband (the top of which shows a navy stripe close to the top of the crown) and a small bow in the same blue tweed as Akiko’s jacket.
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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: April 20, 2017
Perhaps not the most exciting of hats but it’s wonderful to see one of the young Imperial princesses out on a higher profile diplomatic tour. 
Photos from Getty as indicated

Queen Elizabeth’s Iconic Hats: Early Hats & Extras

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 Our search for Queen Elizabeth’s most iconic hats brings us to this last exploratory post.  As we think about which of the Queen’s hats are “widely known and acknowledged especially for distinctive excellence” are there any designs from the 1930s and 1940s that come to mind? Are there hats from any part of the Queen’s life or reign that we have not discussed yet that deserve the label of iconic? As always, feel welcome to link to articles, youtube videos or photo galleries featuring a particular hat but please avoid pinterest links and any hotlinked photos.

We have covered a LOT of hats in each of our discussions on this topic- are there any we have forgotten that you believe should be included in a gallery of Queen Elizabeth’s most iconic hats?

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Photos from Getty as indicated

Dutch Queen Opens Theater

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Queen Máxima was in Veghel today to officially open the theater de Blauwe Kei. Built in an industrial heritage complex on the canal, the theater completes a revitalization of the area into an arts and culture hub.  For today’s opening, the Dutch queen repeated her oyster straw hat with straight sided crown, wide cartwheel brim and slim silk hatband tied at the front in a bow.

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The hat’s classic shape and neutral colour is a great compliment to Queen Máxima’s delicate blue silk dress. While the ensemble isn’t one of the punchy ones we’ve come to associate with Máxima, it’s pretty and polished, which perfectly fits the bill for a royal day away. We’ve not seen this hat worn in five years and its great to see it paired with what I think is its best ensemble to date.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: Jul 8, 2013; Nov 3, 2011; Mar 11, 2011 
Thoughts about Queen Máxima’s hat today in Veghel?
Photos from Getty as indicated

New Hat Streak Continues in Scotland

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Queen Elizabeth continued her streak of new blue hats in Scotland yesterday, debuting yet another design for church. In a dark cornflower shade, the design follows a familiar slightly fluted crown shape, which is covered in what looks like the same fabric as the matching coat, and a short, straw brim. High contrast black accents on the top of the crown, binding round the brim and on the stem and leaves of the spiky dahlia bloom embellishment link with stripes on the coat and make for an ensemble with strong impact. While details are difficult to ascertain from these photos, it’s a hat with promise I can’t wait to see from all angles, soon.

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Designer: unconfirmed
Previously Worn: this hat is new

The Queen was joined for church by her eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, and his wife, Autumn, who topped her raspberry coat with what looks like the same dark navy felt beret percher she wore two weeks ago. With looped bows and quills it’s a smart hat that Autumn carries well and that pairs beautifully with her bright coat.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: possibly August 26, 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay (as the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are known in Scotland) also were in attendance, with Camilla in a taupe felt hat barely visible in the photo below. I think it is the same rounded crown, brimless design with pheasant feathers she wore last month, also in Scotland. The hat follows a calot shape but like others in Philip Treacy’s recent collections, is designed to perch on the side of the head- a rather natty look for Camilla that I suspect works well with her hairstyle.

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Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: August 19, 2018

Back in 2015, we waited more than six months for Queen Elizabeth to debut her first new hat of the year; if I’m counting correctly, yesterday’s hat is her sixteenth new design so far in 2018, the fifth of which is blue! Not that I’m complaining, particularly when the design looks as promising as this one does. What do you think of Her Majesty’s new chapeau?
Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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King Carl Gustaf, who usually presents awards, found himself on the receiving end yesterday when he caught the largest cod in an Øresund strait fishing derby. He picked up his medal in a casual baseball hat.

Young Prince Hisahito celebrated his 12th birthday on Thursday. He was photographed arriving at the Imperial Royal Palace to visit his grandparents with his mum, Princess Kiko, who wore a streamlined, oyster, brimless hat.

Crown Prince Naruhito departed Japan yesterday for France. He was seen off at the airport by members of the Imperial family including Princess Kiko, Princess Mako, Princess Yoko and Princess Hisako in a coordinated group of cream and blue hats (Crown Princess Masako was also in attendance but did not wear a hat).

Princess Eugenie shared this throw-back snap featuring a pair of back-to-school hats from the mid 1990s

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

Beautiful colour and lines on this orchid purple hat with ruffled brim from Brisbane milliner Brenda Lui
British milliner Laura Cathcart in a loden green felt percher pillbox with marvelous pompom trim of her own design
Amazing movement on this cream and pink flying straw turban from Sarah Cant’s SS 2019 collection
Cornflower blue leather floral headpiece from New Zealand milliner Claire Hahn
Stunning copper straw saucer from Irish milliner Aoife Harrison with surprise royal blue trim
Teal silk saucer with black sinamay brim trimmed with crin & roses from British milliner Dillon Wallwork
Statement amethyst straw percher with face-framing knotted bow from Aussie brand Jill and Jack Millinery
The prettiest pink button percher with flowers and curled quills from British milliner Bundle MacLaren

And thanks to Melbourne hat shop The Essential Hat for introducing me to the incredible sculptural headpieces from New York paper artist ChuChu NY. Yes- you read it correctly- it’s paper. Amazing!

 

 

 Royal Hats

Princess Charlene shared this fun snap of Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques meeting a penguin.

We end the week with my favourite royal photo of the week, taken yesterday in Scotland when the Duchess of Rothsay (as is her Scottish title) visited the cancer support charity Maggie’s Centers. So sweet.

Photos from social media as indicated and The Asahi Shimbun via Getty