Monthly Archives: April 2019

This Week’s Extras

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Last Friday, April 5, Princess Beatrice visited the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre in a black leather bandeau headpiece. While it looks eerily similar to one recently worn by her sister, the two pieces are different (the central knot on this bandeau is visibly bigger).

On Wednesday, members of the Imperial Royal Family visited the Emperor and Empress to offer congratulations on their 60th wedding anniversary. All the princesses were in hats- Crown Princess Masako in a repeated cream pleated bumper; Princesses Kiko, Mako and Kako in cuffed calot hats; Princess Hanako in a pink brimmed hat with ruffled feather trim; and Princess Yuriko in a green silk covered bumper hat with side flower.
 
Princess Nobuko repeated a green silk bumper hat with lace covered crown and Princess Akiko wore a yellow silk bumper hat previously worn by Princess Hanako. Princess Yoko repeated her peach textured pillbox, Princess Tsuguko repeated her peach silk bumper with pleated leaf motif around the outside brim and Princess Hisako repeated a royal blue silk ensemble with bumper hat.

King Carl Gustaf in his trusty fedora on Thursday for a visit to a solar farm
Crown Princess Mette-Marit shared these snaps of her family enjoying a day out skiing
The Cambridges were spotted at Burnham Market international horse trials in Norfolk where they joined Mike and Mia Tindall to watch Zara compete. Prince William sported a natty flat cap.
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Princess Charlene was at the Turffontein Racecourse in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday to attend her namesake race day annual event. She topped her royal blue dress and bolero jacket by Terrence Bray with a black floral and crin fascinator
Rachel Trevor Morgan, Noel Stewart and Edwina Ibbotson have curated a hat exhibition ‘Unveiled- The Craft of Millinery’ that will be open May 8-12 in London (May 8-10 at the Artworkers Guild and May 11-12 at Fenwick of Bond Street). Featuring the work of 14 milliners, the exhibition will also include workshops and a curators talk you can register to attend here. Also launched this week was this year’s Royal Ascot Millinery Collective. So lovely to see an Australian milliner (Jill Humphries of Jill and Jack Millinery in Melbourne) included in this year’s lineup!
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The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Autumnal orange felt sidesweep with fantastic feathers by Australian milliner Neil Grigg
Luxuriously smooth lines on this pale pink leather percher with bow by British milliner Fi Graham
Whimsical wired floral black headpiece of dotted net by Australian milliner Lisa Hughes
Eye catching oversize purple straw saucer with orange straw twists by UK brand Rebecca Couture Millinery
Love the classic 50s vibe on Jane Taylor’s white straw and black patent braided pyramid hat
Adore the movement on this royal blue feather headpiece from Melbourne-based Jill and Jack Millinery
Punchy black and citrus yellow scheme on this floral trimmed black straw percher by British milliner Jess Collett
Beautiful cream straw sidesweep with golden peach flying bow by British milliner Vivien Sheriff
Orange straw fez with orange & fuchsia sleek square flowers by Irish brand Martha Lynn Millinery
Bold navy felt halo headband with pinwheel bloom and curling quills by UK brand Hatonista Millinery

And from British milliner Natasha Mobey, this wonderfully creative handwoven basket of straw folded cranes, created for London Hat Week.

This summer’s special exhibit at Buckingham Palace focuses on Queen Victoria’s reign with a wonderful look at pieces from the 1851 Stuart Ball.
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Lovely portrait of Princess Ariane released Wednesday for her 12th birthday

Photos from FNN; The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun

Queen Enjoys Spring Newbury Races

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Queen Elizabeth took in one of her favourite past times today, attending the second day of the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend at Newbury Racecourse.  For this day at the races, the Queen repeated her modified dark green felt cloche with high, stacked asymmetrical crown and short brim. The hat is trimmed with a wide dark green felt hatband punctuated with an under-hatband in lime green, a knot in these two green shades and a pair of curved dark green quills.

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I really appreciate the textural contrast between the felt hat and nubbly wool coat and admire how those small lime green accents lighten and brighten the dark hued hat. While I love the knotted trim (something we just don’t see often), it’s the quills that make this hat for me, giving the design such a lovely sense of movement. Overall, it’s a restrained piece but I’m OK with that, particularly when we think about some of the other hats in Her Majesty’s millinery wardrobe that are more exuberantly trimmed. What is fascinating, however, about today’s ensemble is <gasp>… the complete absence of a brooch. We certainly don’t see that very often.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: Jan 21, 2018

What do you think of this hat today on its second public outing?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Inventory: Crown Princess Mary’s Green Hats

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Hello everyone! After a lovely break, it’s great to be back… even if the royal hats are scarce these days! Thank you so much for keeping the conversation going while I was away. On this quiet Friday, we’re going to look at another inventory of hats- this time, all of the green hats in Crown Princess Mary’s closet. There are just two so far:

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Designer: unknown; Neil Grigg
Introduced: May 12, 2004; March 10, 2005

While the first hat gets points for boldness, the more flattering and wearable design here is the second hat, which you can see from different angles here and here and here. Mary tends to stick to neutrals for her hats (the easier to mix them with different outfits, I suppose) so it’s not entirely surprising to see the green shelf in her millinery closet rather empty…. but we can still hope for some new additions here, right?!

Photos from Getty as indicated; Ryan Pierse via Getty

Favourite New Royal Hat: March 2019

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March was a colourful month of royal hats with numerous striking new designs making debut appearances for Commonwealth Day, the Cheltenham Festival, St. Patrick’s Day among others. Twelve lovely new designs in calot, saucer, beret, percher, fedora and bandeau shapes received particular admiration- twelve designs we’ll revisit now to choose a semifinalist for Favourite New Royal Hat of 2019.

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat. Here are the twelve new hats you most admired in March, shown in the order they were worn:

1.   2.

Queen Silvia’s ruched purple straw calot worn March 3
Duchess of Cambridge’s red felt saucer with bow worn March 11

3.    4.
Duchess of Cornwall’s purple felt brimless hat with feathers by Philip Treacy worn March 11
Zara Tindall’s teal Juliette Botterill felt percher with bow and arrow feathers worn March 12
5.  6.
Zara Tindall’s plum felt teardrop percher with feather trim by Juliette Botteril worn Mar 13
Zara Tindall’s navy felt beret percher with soaring grey feathers by Bundle MacLaren worn Mar 14
7.    8.
Autumn Phillips’ burgundy felt fedora with double braided hatband by Camilla Rose Millinery worn Mar 15
Zara Tindall’s Sally Ann Provan black felt percher saucer with red leather bow and quill worn Mar 15
9.   10.
Duchess of Cambridge’s green felt triangular beret with bow flowers from Lock & Co. worn Mar 17
Zara Tindall’s magenta felt percher with oversize flower by The Cotswold Milliner worn Mar 17
11.   12.
Empress Michiko’s lilac grey rimmed saucer with silk bow and crin underbrim worn March 26
Queen Mathilde’s ruched silk headpiece by Fabienne Delvigne worn March 26 
This poll will remain open until next Friday, April 19 at midnight GMT.  As usual for these polls, each computer or mobile device can vote twice per day for as many hats as you wish. Good luck!

Favourite Repeated Royal Hat: March 2019

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After a quiet start to the year, March saw a vast increase of royal hat outings thanks to a handful of foreign visits, the Cheltenham Festival and several other royal engagements. In fabric, felt and straw covering a rainbow of different colours, there were ten repeated designs worn in March that received loudest praise; it’s these ten hats we bring back today for a second look to choose a favourite to be put forward in our countdown for your Favourite New Royal Hat of 2019.

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat. Here are the ten repeated royal hats you most admired in March, shown in the order they were worn:

1.    2.
Queen Elizabeth’s orange hat with magnolia blooms and brown straw leaves by Angela Kelly worn Mar 7
Queen Elizabeth’s purple felt Angela Kelly design with kettle brim, velvet leaves and flowers worn Mar 11
3.    4.
Princess Anne’s turquoise felt fedora with layered hatband and feathers worn March 15
Queen Margrethe’s blue straw hat with open weave ‘slice’ brim and floral trim worn March 18
5.    6.
Queen Elizabeth’s dusty pink hat with silk flowers by Rachel Trevor Morgan worn March 19
Duchess of Cambridge’s black felt Lock & Co. beret with floral and feather trim worn March 19
7.   8.
Queen Mathilde’s Fabienne Delvigne pleated red button percher with looped bows & quills worn March 27
Queen Mathilde’s chocolate felt calot with felt leaf trim worn March 28
9.   10.
Queen Máxima’s dusky pink straw picture hat with ‘slice’ upswept brim by Fabienne Delvigne worn March 29
Queen Margrethe’s houndstooth check hat with layered chocolate, blush & burgundy hatband worn Mar 31 
This poll will remain open until next Friday, April 19 at midnight GMT.  As always, each computer or mobile device can vote twice per day for as many hats as you wish. Good luck!