King Philippe and Queen Mathilde welcomed Alexander Van der Bellen, President of the Federal Republic of Austria and his wife Doris Schmidauer to Belgium today for a three-day state visit.
Queen Mathilde wore a new fedora hat for this welcome in muted burgundy melusine felt simply trimmed with a felt hatband. The hat pairs well with the lighter hue wool coat and even lighter pink dress but…. I find my reaction to this hat one of ambivalence. It’s fine. But not great. Something about the awkward shaping/ placement of the hatband and unfinished edge of the relaxed brim doesn’t quite measure up for me- it lacks the crisp panache that usually makes a fedora so chic. And for those of you with a sense of déjà vu about it, you’re not wrong. I’m all for royals buying whatever designs they like but wish couture milliners would steer them away from bespoke pieces that are exact duplicates.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Fabienne Delvigne “Malia” design. Coat by Natan.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
What do you think of this new hat today in Brussels?
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I think a more “off the face” style would have worked better here. I notice that in many of these photos, especially the ones where Mathilde is looking down, the brim is hiding or shadowing the upper part of her face, which generally is a no-no for hatted royal appearances.
not a fan, it makes the overall look unbalanced. besides the color clashes with the red carpet and the Australian flag
No, not for me. I don’t think this is a particularly good fedora, and anyway, I just can’t see fedoras as a suitable style for this sort of formal situation, they have an inherently “leisure time” message for me (I know I make this comment whenever the circumstances arise, so sorry for being repetitive!)
I like the hat with the coat and the coral & dusky rose color scheme is a nice one. On the other hand, I don’t think this hat vibes very well with the dress alone, nor do I think it feels quite formal enough for the welcome of a state visit, at least not with its more relaxed details.
And as has been pointed out, the hat déjà vu with Máxima once again feels bizarre and honestly disappointing.
Mathilde wears fedoras well, so it’s easy to see why she returns to this style. The best thing about the ensemble is the nicely coordinated shades of the same color. Overall, though, it’s as HatQueen says: it’s rather uninspired.
By the photo in the second gallery, it almost looks as if Ms. Schmidauer is sharing your point of view, HatQueen.
I quite like the outfit, and the blend of tones works, just… to be coordinated without being overly matchy…
But you highlight the big issue. For instance I really don’t like these oversized belts that Natan is churning out right now, and they’re turning up a lot on both Queens. And the hat shape too. They’ve got access to so much, that it’s a shame they often end up looking like they borrow each other’s clothes.