Last Friday, Princess Marie of Denmark took part in a memorial service for fallen fire and rescue workers. For this event, she repeated her navy calot hat with side bow trim.
On 7 October, Princess Marie participated on the service for the fallen firefighters and rescue services. pic.twitter.com/lYISkEBPKt
Since this hat’s introduction a year and a half ago, Princess Marie has worn it to both celebratory and sombre occasions, pairing it with numerous ensembles. Such versatility is undoubtedly, a great characteristic for a royal hat and this one is proving to be so.
After taking a few days off here to enjoy the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend, it’s back to business as usual today here at Royal Hats. Hold on- we have lots to cover today. First up are some Imperial royal hats that may surprise you.
Back on October 1st, Princess Hisako of Takamado opened the 28th “Starry Sky Town, Blue Sky Town” National Conference on environmental awareness in Kochi. For this honour, she wore a white hat with straight sided crown and slightly raised brim on one side. While the hat is fairly simple in design, its embellishment, a hat band made of layered ruffles in the same pink print of her suit, is a major departure for an Imperial hat. I’m not sure the ruffled hat band works but I love the use of such a vivid pattern on a Japanese royal ensemble.
On October 2, Princess Hisako wrapped up her visit to Kochi with a stop at the Center for Advanced Marine Core Research at Kochi University. For this event, she topped a printed beige jacket with a coordinating fedora hat. This hat looks to be trimmed with a beige bow at the back and a hat band made of black net tulle that ties in with the print on her jacket. The colour is rather bland and I’m not sure about back bows on fedoras but the tulle hat band has me intrigued as it adds some interesting texture to the piece.
Back on September 28, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako attended a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Theatre. For this event, Princess Masako repeated a white hat with trilby style brim, straight-sided square crown and wide monochrome hat band.
From September 28 to October 2, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Iwate Prefecture to take in the 71th Japanese National Sports Festival. For their arrival on September 28, Empress Michiko repeated a denim blue suit and matching saucer hat trimmed with knotted bows backed in gold. The vivid contrast on this hat makes it one of my favourites for Michiko and it was lovely to see her in it again.
For a visit to Kamaishi on September 30, the Empress repeated a dark slate blue-grey saucer hat trimmed with a white silk origami-style bow with slim blue and black stripes that look to be hand painted.
On October 1st, the royal couple officially opened the National Sports Festival held at Kitakami. For this honour, Empress Michiko wore a pale grey hat with domed center and flat double brim trimmed with a large monochrome silk bow on the front brim. If you look closely in the second photo, you’ll notice that the lower brim appears to be made of fine straw in a lattice pattern which lends some subtle textural contrast to the piece. It’s a larger size hat than the Empress wears and the scale is most attractive on her.
Designer: unknown Previously Worn: I can’t find a previously worn hat with the same lattice underbrim- perhaps this is new?
On the final day of their visit, the Emperor and Empress took in in the gymnastics competition of the National Sports Festival in Morioka City. Empress Michiko repeated a suit and hat in the most wonderful shade of cereulean blue that we have not seen in several years. In the style we have come to associate with the Empress, the saucer hat features a raised rim around the back and a flat bow that wraps around the front. While not an exciting shape, what makes this hat stand out is its bright colour- such a wonderful departure for Michiko and and one she wears so beautifully.
Designer: unknown. Likley Akio Hirata Previously Worn: November 1, 2013
Do any of these seven Imperial royal hats stand out to you in particular?
to 50 years ago yesterday and a young Queen Sirikit of Thailand in a lovely pillbox hat. Half a century later, it’s amazing that she and King Bhumibol are still reigning monarchs.
Yesterday, Queen Máxima was in Apeldoorn to open the exhibition, “Anna Paulowna, Colourful Queen” at Het Loo Palace Museum. For this engagement, she repeated a pale grey velvet headpiece with open crown trimmed with bows at the side. I am not usually a great fan of millinery with open crowns but the combination of shape (which looks like a calot from one side) and ruched fabric seems to make this one work fairly well.
This ensemble is in a much more subdued colour palate than we usually see on Queen Máxima and I can’t help wonder if this was chosen to let the exhibition about a past colourful queen take centre stage (a lovely touch if indeed it was). What do you think about Máxima’s velvet headpiece yesterday?
Queen Mathilde was in Paris yesterday to take in an exhibition at the Centre Pompidou dedicated to late Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte. For this visit, she repeated a charcoal grey silk headpiece that, while from the front appears to be a stacked calot, is actually a pair of open rings that encircle her head. The first time we saw this design, I was not a fan but the styling here with Mathilde’s fantastic blue frock and grey accessories has made me warm to it. These open crowned headpieces have such a light and airy aesthetic that works well for less formal engagements such as this.
I know many of you are gravely averse to these open crowned designs- did the wonderful styling on Queen Mathilde’s ensemble yesterday change your thoughts about this particular headpiece?
Photos from Getty as indicated and Belgian Monarchy
to 50 years ago yesterday and a young Queen Sirikit of Thailand in a lovely pillbox hat. Half a century later, it’s amazing that she and King Bhumibol are still reigning monarchs.
Royal Hats 
