The Duchess of York repeated a bandeau covered in vibrant green, yellow and fuchsia feathers by Jess Collett to visit several charities last Wednesday
Tessy de Nassau, former wife of Prince Louis of Luxembourg, was married Friday in Switzerland to Frank Floessel. She topped her ivory and black Max Azria dress with jeweled floral clips in her hair
Lady Kitty Spencer was married to Michael Lewis Saturday in Rome. Dolce and Gabbana, who she models for, created five couture ensembles for her, several with stunning headpieces. Her lace gown was designed as a nod to the gown her mother wore when her parents married (see more photos in the comments)
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Charming beret percher covered in paper flowers by Australian milliner Wendy Scully
Silver woven straw beret with fantastic fuchsia pleated silk abaca ruffle by British brand Camilla Robertson
Black sinamay picture hat wrapped in a swath of feathers ’round the brim by British milliner Piers Atkinson
Angular cloche in wonderful textured turquoise straw by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Striking purple applique flowers on this cream parasisal boater by German milliner Anne Schneider
Pink silk floral bandeau studded with… 35mm film! By Hawaiian milliner Anna Pasquale
From British milliner Bundle MacLaren, this design of fantastical stars and spheres
Silver woven straw beret with fantastic fuchsia pleated silk abaca ruffle by British brand Camilla Robertson
Black sinamay picture hat wrapped in a swath of feathers ’round the brim by British milliner Piers Atkinson
Angular cloche in wonderful textured turquoise straw by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Striking purple applique flowers on this cream parasisal boater by German milliner Anne Schneider
Pink silk floral bandeau studded with… 35mm film! By Hawaiian milliner Anna Pasquale
From British milliner Bundle MacLaren, this design of fantastical stars and spheres
Darling navy and cream boucle covered boater with fringed edge and silk hatband by Australian milliner Belinda Osborne
Teal velvet bandeau studded with pearls and crystals by British brand Victoria Jane Millinery
Pink sinamay button with pleated butterfly fan by Irish milliner Stephanie Gallen
Colourful sinamay saucers with lovely trimmings by Nigerian brand Ovy Hats
Sky blue textured button percher with the loveliest silk avbaca fan and quill by London-based Merve Bayindir
Love the black and pink scheme on this dramatic percher with twists, veil and flower by Russian brand Anna Millinery
Incredible use of vintage silver zipper braid in this peach basket percher by Australian milliner Jill Humphries
Teal velvet bandeau studded with pearls and crystals by British brand Victoria Jane Millinery
Pink sinamay button with pleated butterfly fan by Irish milliner Stephanie Gallen
Colourful sinamay saucers with lovely trimmings by Nigerian brand Ovy Hats
Sky blue textured button percher with the loveliest silk avbaca fan and quill by London-based Merve Bayindir
Love the black and pink scheme on this dramatic percher with twists, veil and flower by Russian brand Anna Millinery
Incredible use of vintage silver zipper braid in this peach basket percher by Australian milliner Jill Humphries
This little nugget celebrated his eighth birthday last week
Wonderful new summer portrait from the Swedish royal family
And finally, a stunning scene captured by James Ogilvy to carry us into a new week.
Images from social media as indicated
Royal Hats 
Back on 14 July for Crown Princess Victoria’s birthday celebrations in Borgholm, Queen Silvia was seen carrying a packable sun visor (presumably made from paper straw) . . .
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. . . and Princess Madeleine was carrying a (presumably) panama straw fedora. Unfortunately no photos I saw of them wearing them ultimately, but it gives one a tiny bit of hope others may follow suit and carry hats in case they’re need for sun, etc. protection.
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The Queen spoke with Governor General Designate Mary Simon on July 23. Today, Ms Simon became Canada’s first Aboriginal Governor General.
I’m curious, does anyone recognize her dress as one that matches up with a hat and coat that we might have already seen?
Also, though not hat-related, I was surprised to learn that the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces is appointed by The Queen rather than by someone in the Canadian government such as the Prime Minister. (Though perhaps Commander-in-Chief has a different meaning in Canada than in the U.S.?)
The recommendation would come from the Canadian Government to QEII. QEII is Canadian Head of State.
Thanks, Lesley!
You’re welcome 💐
I should also have said that the Governor-General is slightly more than the Queen’s Representative. You’ll see that when junior members of the BRF visit Canada, Australia etc that they’ll bow and curtsey to the Governor-General as if he/she were QEII.
Can you share an example or photo of this happening? I’ve never seen or heard of this before!
Now that is fascinating! Are there other examples of cases besides Governors General where a royal would bow/curtsey to someone who is not actually a royal but is just representing one?
I could not find any photos of junior royals bowing to a Governor-General, but this page:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Governor_General_of_Canada#/Symbols_and_protocol
under the heading “Symbols and Protocol”, states:
“As the personal representative of the monarch, the governor general follows only the sovereign in the Canadian order of precedence, preceding even other members of the Royal Family.”
Since royals except for the Queen do bow and curtsey to other royals as dictated by precedence, that seems to suggest that bowing and curtseying to a Governor-General might take place.
So interesting!
Off the top of my head the only other instance I can think of is Catholic monarchs etc curtsying and bowing to the Pope. QEII would not show obeisance as she and the Pope meet as equals as both are heads of their respective churches.
Sorry, should also have said that this would happen in any country where QEII is the Monarch such as Australia, New Zealand etc not just Canada.
The Royal Collection Trust shared this- while not a hat, it was too great not to share!
Not sure I see the nod to her mother’s wedding dress. If memory serves me right Victoria Lockwood’s dress was a dull gold silk that looked like a tapestry, with a fur trim that had a mediaeval feel. I seem to remember it poured with rain that day and everything looked very bedraggled. Maybe it was more a nod to her aunt Diana’s with the abundance of fabric and veil.
Dolce and Gabbana’s statement was specific- Kitty’s dress was inspired by Victoria’s dress. I think the links are very clear and don’t see any links to Diana’s dress at all. I also don’t see an abundance of fabric and veil- the silhouette is very streamlined!
Well, I’ll grant it has buttons down the front, a similar collar and her veil is attached at the back of her head. That must be the inspiration because otherwise I can see nothing else to link the two dresses in any way – so we’ll have to give D&G the benefit of the doubt/poetic license. When you look at the dress, the tulle petticoats and the long wide veil there is a definite abundance of fabric. Am wearing new glasses so don’t think I’m losing the plot.
Looking at the pictures of Victoria I’d forgotten just how dismal her dress looked.
I also see both dresses with: similarly shaped and tailored bodices, very similar sleeves (puffed at the shoulder but very fitted below the elbow with a long row of pearl buttons) and unembellished A-line skirts. While Victoria’s dress has the fur trim, both dresses are devoid of other trimming- it’s the lace on Kitty’s dress and brocade on Victoria’s dress (which looks similar to lace at closeup view), that are the stars.
It’s interesting- the photo of Kitty walking with her new husband shows the layers of petticoat under the skirt. I don’t see that as excessive fabric but instead, the necessary support beneath a ballgown’s skirt!
But we don’t need to see the same things! I admire Kitty’s dress for it’s impeccable construction – the bodice is masterful tailoring one expects in a couture gown – but the boned bust is not to my taste at all.
I think the boned bust is a complete miss. It looks as if it’s been placed far too low and her bust is heading to elbow level.
I’m a huge supporter of couture and all the aligned industries, but this seemed to be more the shooting of a lookbook for a fashion house than an actual wedding and this felt far too over the top. Mind you I felt that about the Beatrice Borromeo wedding.
lesleyc19, despite the fact that we don’t agree on which previous wedding gown Kitty’s more closely resembles, I do agree with you that this series of photos bears the look of a fashion shoot more closely than that of a personal wedding. Sort of a photo shoot of wedding attire for the bride. Bearing in mind that she is a model for that specific designer house and all of her fashions are theirs, how could it not? Most certainly their own expert photographers were used. But I think part of the reason for the lookbook feel is the multiplicity of “reception gowns” — how many reception gowns does a bride need? How many receptions did she have? Is it like the American presidential inaugural (pre-Covid) where there are different receptions put on by different entities and the bridal couple go from one to another?
Fashion shoot indeed- the latest clip released credits an Italian film maker. Although, he captured the dresses beautifully!
Having seen Diana’s wedding dress in person at an exhibition a number of years ago, I agree that Kitty’s dress more closely resembles Victoria’s. The only nod to Diana’s is the puffed sleeves, and that may be just a coincidence. My further question is why she did not wear a tiara. (Not specifically the Spencer tiara, as is being widely asked online, but in fact any tiara.) Is it because tiaras are only worn by brides marrying into royal or aristocratic families and Kitty’s new husband is a commoner, or is it just a fashion statement? (Being American, I am not up to speed on that sort of question.)
P.S. The Jill Humphries hat you pictured is absolutely amazing!
Congratulations to Tessy and Lady Kitty on their weddings. Lady Kitty’s dresses are all lovely, particularly her wedding gown. What a stunning bride. Matthew, I think she didn’t wear a tiara because it didn’t go with the aesthetic (at least that’s what I surmise). Lady Sarah McCorquodale’s daughters Emily and Celia have worn tiaras at their weddings, with Celia wearing the same Spencer tiara Princess Diana wore on her wedding day. I really would have loved to see Lady Kitty wear the Spencer Tiara, but her sister Lady Amelia is getting married soon, so maybe she’ll wear it.
Happy Birthday to Prince George! What a wonderful photo taken by his mum.
Wow, the Swedish Royal Family is stunning! What a gorgeous family photo.
– I love the paper flowers on Wendy Scully’s beret percher. This would be lovely on Lady Louise.
– What a perfect summer hat Lia Gureeva created! That color on the cloche style is so flattering. This would be so pretty on Queen Mathilde or Queen Sonja.
– Jill Humphries’ vintage zipper braid percher is extraordinary. What a talent she is!
Agreeing with many of you that the whole event had the look of a photo shoot rather than a wedding. While I can appreciate the construction of the ceremony gown, I don’t really like dresses with such an abundance of lace. Throw in the high collar and puffed sleeves, and you lose me. But it’s the sheer corset detail that’s the worst — so jarring. The blue dress is stunning, but once again let down by the sheer corset look.
Worst of all, no royals cousins in hats in attendance!
Lady Kitty’s lace wedding dress
View of Lady Kitty’s reception gowns
I read that Kitty had a total of 6 gowns. The photo shoot, lookbook idea totally fits into this picture. She must have changed every hour. I also wondered why she didn’t wear the Spencer Tiara and why did her brothers walk her down the aisle instead of her father? Also, why is she marrying a man 32 years her senior? Maybe, that isn’t a PC question, but the reason seems so obvious.
I think the bride had six gowns because Signori Dolce & Gabbana had too many ideas to put in just one. There are so many references here to different people and periods (different decades of the 19th century, Gone with the wind, Empress Sissi, Grace Kelly’s and Victoria Lockwood’s wedding dresses and so on), thanks Heaven they didn’t try to combine them all in just one gown!
The blue ball gown is a dream, but the whole event looks rather staged indeed, at least from a fashion/ costume point of view. I always admire designers who have the restraint to keep their ideas under check and make the personality of the bride the central focus point and not the wedding dress. That clearly wasn’t the intention here.
Regarding the see-through corset boning, I think you need to choose which role you want to play: either you are a demure, lace clad, buttoned-up virgin, or you are a wicked woman of the world who “montre ses appâts” as the French say, in other words “who shows ‘em what she’s got”, but you can’t be both. Not on your wedding day.
As to the groom, I notice he was combining his white suit with black loafers and no socks (as far as I can see), a look seen recently on catwalks and on football players, but as he is reported to be a Fashion Tycoon, I suppose he knew what he was doing.
Nevertheless I wish them both much happiness.
It is a pity the brides royal cousins and their spouses didn’t attend; it would have been nice to see some hats!
I wish more designers would make the bride’s personality the focus of the design. I agree the unlined bodice doesn’t stay in line with the buttoned up dress with a high collar. Choose one or the other. Preferrably (for my taste) not the other!
I saw a report somewhere that Earl Spencer was recovering from some sort of injury and therefore was unable to walk down the aisle. In his absence, having both of her brothers was a good choice — no hard feelings if she chose only one!