Monthly Archives: May 2024

Creative Industries Garden Party

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Members of the British Royal Family attended the Sovereign’s Creative Industries Garden Party at Buckingham Palace last Tuesday.

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King Charles repeated his black antique silk top hat. With his patterned tie and pocket square and pink waistcoast (you need one of these, too, ChicagoChuck!), it tops a very handsome ensemble. I’m loving the addition of coloured waistcoats to his formal looks!

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Queen Camilla topped her blush dress with a repeated pale ivory hat with asymmetrically peaked crown and a wide, sideswept brim trimmed in multiple layers of sand coloured jinsin ribbon wrapped around the base of the crown and looped into an open knot at the side.

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Milliner: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: Jun 16, 2021; July 10, 2018;  June 17, 2017; June 15, 2016; June 17, 2015; June 6, 2014

The Duke of Edinburgh repeated his gleaming black antique silk top hat.

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Some of you have been waiting for the Duchess of Gloucester to repeat her emerald braided straw boater… and she did! This vibrant, wide brimmed design is simply trimmed with a hatband and provided interesting contrast against her pale turquoise ensemble.

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Milliner: unknown
Previously Worn: June 21, 2018; June 19, 1991

Thoughts?

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Images from Getty as indicated 

Danish State Visit to Norway

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On May 14, the new Danish king and queen made their vist state visit to Norway.

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For their arrival, Queen Mary repeated a grey silk orchid flower headpiece with feathers and birdcage veil.

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The headpiece is impeccably styled with the ensemble (as usual!) and provides great balance between the patterned skirt and sleek jacket. It’s the first time we’ve seen this piece at close view and I’m a little disappointed at the flower’s construction- it lacks detail and finesse.

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Milliner: unknown
Previously Worn: Sep 15, 2023; April 1, 2017; June 5, 2015; June 25, 2013; April 30, 2013

Queen Sonja repeated an ecru straw brimmed hat, trimmed with a wide hatband that folds into a trio of bow tails at the back. The streamlined hat pairs well with the embellished coat.

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Milliner: unknown
Previously Worn: Princ; May 30, 2011; this unknown date

The millinery surprise of the day was Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who wore an ivory sinamay hat with wide cartwheel brim. The desgin features an oval brim extension in bias ivory windowpane sinamay, a swath of tulle and a large knotted flying sinamay bow.

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It’s a great design for Mette-Marit, the oval brim giving some quirky interest and the veil and bow provding great counterpoint to the more severe lines of her collared dress. It’s great to see her in a brimmed hat and in a design by a milliner she has not worn before.

Milliner: Gerd Holth. Fendi dress. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Astrid paired a beautiful blue and white printed Ralph Lauren dress with a jaunty navy and white straw boater hat.

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Milliner: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new

On May 15, Queen Mary, repeated a casual fedora in poly braid with extended brim, trimmed with a navy and ecru striped hatband. These type of casual, sun protection hats are so accessibly wearable, it’s nice to see one on a royal head!

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Milliner: “Malibu” hat by Canopy Bay
Previously Worn: Dec 21, 2023; Dec 20, 2023

Thoughts about these five hats?

Images from Getty as indicated 

This Week’s Extras

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Princess of Asturias and King Felipe in several military uniform hats for the 40th anniversary of the Flag Oath of the 44th promotion of the General Military Academy in Zaragoza on May 4th.
On Thursday, Princess Kako donned a black silk covered bowler to pay tribute at Musashi Imperial Graveyard

Prince Edward wore a light fedora on Friday for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award presentations in the garden of Buckingham Palace.
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Nicolae and Alina-Maria of Romania were named godparents at the baptism of Princess Marija, daughter of HRH Hereditary Prince Philip and HRH Princess Danica of Serbia. For the christening, Princess Danica wore a lilac embellished bandeau headpiece and Alina-Maria of Romania an emerald sinamay looped fascinator with feathers. There’s a great article about the christening on the Royal Family of Serbia website. 


The Duke of Edinburgh donned a black bowler for the Combined Cavalry Old Comrades parade in Hyde Park today.

 

 

Images from Getty and social media as indicated 

British Royals Host First Palace Garden Party This Season

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Members of the British royal family attended the first Buckingham Palace Garden Party of the season on Wednesday

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The king repeated his black silk top hat while Queen Camilla repeated a cream sinamay hat with sidesweeping brim trimmed with a black hatband, a black silk side knot and curving silk wired bow tails in black and white.

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The dramatic, high-contrast swirling bow trim sets this hat apart from all of Camilla’s other cream hats (and designs in the same shape!).

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Milliner: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: Jul 4, 2023; Jun 23, 2023

The Duke of Edinburgh affirmed his black silk top hat as the most highly polished one in the family. The Duchess repeated the pink sinamay saucer hat with overlay of pleated Italian organza she wore to Royal Ascot last year. The pleating on this piece is magnificent.

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Milliner: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: Jun 23, 2023

Princess Anne topped a new floral dress and royal blue jacket with a matching sinamay saucer hat trimmed with large crin bow and feathers. It looks like a ready-to-wear piece. While she wears this saturated blue well, I wish some of the colours in her lovely dress would have been incorporated into the trim on the hat.

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Milliner: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

The Duchess of Gloucester repeated her sky blue sinamay hat with wide pleated brim while the Duke wore his black top hat.

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Milliner: unknown
Previously Worn: Jun 21, 2023; May 3, 2023; June 13, 2022;  Jun 3, 2022;  March 29, 2022

Thoughts?

Images from Getty and social media as indicated  

Danish State Visit To Sweden

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King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark arrived in Stockholm on Monday for a state visit. For the official welcome, both kings predictably wore ceremonial military uniform with caps.

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Queen Mary wore a new calot hat in navy sinamay with large bow at the back.

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The styling of the ensemble is a classic success with navy accessories beautifully setting off the textured white dress. As for the hat shape… one comment online described the hat’s bow as eating her head, especially from head-on veiw from a distance. The bow certainly gives the calot presence.

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Milliner: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Queen Silvia repeated a cerise silk covered pillbox trimmed with a flat bow around the back and a slim yellow silk piping around the base of the front that ties to the hounds tooth patterned dress of this ensemble.

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On its own, the hat is fine- it’s a classic pillbox and Silvia wears the shape well. It’s the overall look that feels off, maybe because it feels less chic and more costume to me in this colour scheme in high-sheen fabrics.

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Milliner: unknown. Silk dress and coat by Maknam.
Previously Worn: Nov 15, 2022

Crown Princess Victoria wore a floral headpiece with large petals made of the same pink fabric as her dress and coat with a black center.

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Milliner Tim Maartenson made mini versions of the headpiece for buttons on Victoria’s dress and a small hairclip for Princess Estelle. It’s fair to point out that Maartenson’s work is bringing to life a design by Christer Lindarw, whose vision was clearly an overall pink look with black accessories. I find the headpiece’s design both a bit cutesy and a little flat although make no mistake, it’s impeccably made; Maartenson has created some lovely headpieces for the crown princess and I suspect he would have come up with something more sophisticated had he been given the freedom to create his own design to coordinate with this ensemble. That all being said, it’s great to see such collaborations between designers, milliners and makers happening and being acknowledged. 

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Milliner: Tim Maartenson for Christer Lindarw. Dress and coat by Birgitta Jonsson for Christer Lindarw.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

Princess Sofia repeated a white bandeau headpiece.

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Milliner: unknown. Dress by Veronica Virta
Previously Worn: May 17, 2022

During the programme of events the first day, the two queens removed their hats. Queen Mary wore a sparkling hair comb; between the comb and the calot, I’ve have gone with the calot. Let’s hope this practice of removing hats after a state visit’s welcome doesn’t become tradition.

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Milliner: Ellen Hunter NY “Nell” comb  
Previously Worn: Jan 3, 2024

Thoughts?

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Images from Getty as indicated