Author Archives: HatQueen

Hats From the Past

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Royal Hats this photo was shared last week and immediately caught my eye. On February 8, 1992, a quartet of Imperial princesses attended the Kanto Tokai Flower Exhibition.

From left to right we see: Princess Kiko in a black boater with floppy brim; Princess Hisako in a black velvet bumper with pheasant feather trim; Princess Nobuko in a white hat with rolled fur brim; and perhaps most notably, Princess Hanako in a design with black button crown and cream cartwheel brim, trimmed with white pompoms. Your eyes are not deceiving you- those are indeed pompoms!

Click on the photo below to jump to its source on Twitter, and click on it again there to see an enlarged version. There are some great details to check out.

 

Photo from social media as indicated

Monday Multiples: Queen Máxima

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In February, Queen Máxima repeated a tawny, muted burgundy Natan day dress with statement beret hat. This dress had previously been worn with a hat clearly made to pair with it, making me think that a second, closer look at these hats with this dress might be in order:

Look #1:  With a museline felt fedora by Fabienne Delvigne with relaxed brim and hatband in the same fabric as the dress worn with a statement necklace on January 31, 2019 to open a new exhibition at the Schunk Museum in Heerlen and on October 2, 2019 for the Sciencemakers Awards

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Look #2: With a pheasant feather covered beret with decidedly 1960s vibe (possibly a vintage hat from the royal archives?) of unknown design worn to a seminar on Indonesia and the Netherlands on February 18, 2020 in Amsterdam

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It’s interesting how Máxima has used texture in both ensembles- the necklace in the first, the hat in the second- to set them off. Lighting clearly also plays a part, the dress showing as more muted and brown-based in the second outing than the first (perhaps, also impacted by the hat with all the brown toned feathers). This leaves me curious, dearest readers, about which hat you prefer most with this frock

Photos from Getty as indicated 

This Week’s Extras

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Not surprisingly, we don’t have any royal hats to admire this week. Instead, check out a new page here on Royal Christenings and join with me for a long parade of new millinery designs to admire:
British milliner Victoria Charles’ white leather percher trimmed with interlocking metallic gears. So creative!
Pale aqua straw saucer with silver silk binding and pearl trimmed, folded starflower by Irish milliner Alison Roe
Adore the layered feather trim on this taupe straw picture hat with mushroom brim by British milliner Katie Vale
Charming natural straw boater with pink tulle brim trim by London-based Rafa Peinador
Wonderful headpiece of hand sculpted wire flowers by Australian milliner Moh Deest
Beautifully shaped and draped purple pyramid design by Dutch milliner Eugenie van Oirschot
Such interesting stitching detail on this cream straw design by Australian milliner Felicity Northeast
Mint straw cloche with unique double tiered crown by Canadian milliner Samantha-Tara Mainville
Such a lovely white and blue ombre straw painted pillbox by British milliner Sarah Cant with delicate wire trim
And from Dutch milliner Wies Mauduit, the sunniest, happiest straw fedora with bow-tied hatband and feather trim. This design had me grinning from ear to ear the moment I saw it! Notice the impeccable work on the brim binding.

While there won’t be a hat, I’m looking forward to hearing Queen Elizabeth’s address tomorrow.
I’ll continue to provide daily distractions here on Royal Hats- please join in the conversation! Stay healthy by staying home, everyone!

Photos from social media as indicated

Duchess of Cambridge’s Easter Hats

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I’m always intrigued by what hats a particular royal wears to the same event, year after year. Today, we’re going to look at the hats worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on Easter Sundays in the past:

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Grey felt teardrop percher with organdie looped bow by Jane Taylor April 20, 2014 in Australia
Ivory silk covered square pillbox with bow at Windsor on April 16, 2017

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A repeated chocolate felt Pork Pie crowned pillbox by Lock & Co. for April 1, 2018
Repeat of the Jane Taylor grey felt percher with organdie bow on April 22, 2019 

It’s a pretty sedate bunch (beautiful details aside) that doesn’t really say ‘spring’!. I understand why Kate leaves the bright colours on this day to the Queen but I’d love to see her in an Easter look that wasn’t so neutral. Maybe next year she’ll bring some colour into her Easter look?!

Photos from Getty as indicated

Craziest Trim?

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Our weekly discussion question falls on a date too fortuitous not to utilize. So, dear readers, let’s embrace the silly side of things – which royal hat has the craziest, most ridiculous decoration?  

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Photo from Getty as indicated

Hat From the Past

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Royal Hats to this day in 1970, 50 years ago today, and a young Princess Anne in a rounded crown with sharply upturned brim, worn to Sydney University while on a visit to Australia. The hat was repeated for Ascot that year and the bottom photo, in colour, shows it to be white with a grass green hatband that coordinates with Anne’s white, black and green vibrantly printed frock.

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Photos from Getty as indicated

Monday Multiples: Queen Elizabeth

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Thanks to Jimbo for providing the introduction and background research for this “Monday Multiples” series.

Jimbo’s Introduction: Queen Elizabeth has many green hats in her closet, and she looks sensational in all of them.  This heavy wool, emerald green coat featured today has been paired with two totally different hats.  A veiled pillbox has been worn at least three times, then it was replaced with a wonderful striped turban.  So far, records indicate that this turban has only been worn (or photographed) publicly once.

Look #1: With an emerald brushed felt pillbox trimmed with a black dotted net veil and black muti-looped bow on the top of the crown worn for Maundy Thursday  in Worcester on April 3, 1980, at the Church of England’s General Synod at Westminster Abbey on December 11, 1980 and on a visit to the Army Staff College in Surrey on March 19, 1982.

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Look #2: With a turban hat covered on the bias in green and white striped fabric, worn for a day out in Cambridge on May 16, 1984.

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Which pairing do you prefer most?

Photos from Getty as indicatedÂ