Category Archives: All About Design

Multiples: Queen Elizabeth

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It’s my pleasure to welcome longtime reader and contributor Jimbo to Royal Hats today for a look at an ensemble Queen Elizabeth paired with four different hats!

Look #1: Queen Elizabeth toured Jordan in March 1984 and premiered a bright pink Hardy Amies coat with a pink and white patterned dress.  Unfortunately, the dress was not easily seen. Accompanying it was a charming white hat with a large pink flower trim.

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Look #2: Several months later on June 19, 1984, Her Majesty wore the same dress (very visible this time) to Royal Ascot with a large brimmed white hat with flowers and trailing feathers down the back – perfect for a sunny day at the races!

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Look #3: For a trip to Canada in September of that same year, the Queen wore a third hat, again a white hat with pink trim.  The pink coat reappeared for the brisk autumn season. A year later  on October 24, 1985 while on a tour of Antigua and Barbuda, this third hat was repeated coat. She also wore the full ensemble in New Zealand in 1986, as well as for an August 1988 trip while in Paisley, Scotland.

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Look #4: The pink Hardy Amies coat was also worn with a royal blue patterned ensemble for a visit to Knightsbridge, London in 1985. The vibrant ensemble was repeated, without the coat, in Australia on March 4, 1986

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Thank you, Jimbo! This is a great example of how the Queen has mixed her ensembles and hats. As usual, I offer a question to you, dearest readers- which look do you prefer here most?

Images from Getty as indicated 

Statement Quills?

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As we transition to winter hats in the Northern Hemisphere and those of you in the Southern Hemisphere get out your summer designs, it struck me this week that quills are one millinery trim that transcend season. So, for a discussion topic to end this week, I’m curious-  which royal hats have the most statement-making quills?

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For clarifying definition, I turn to millinery feather expert Ian Bennett- a quill is the spine of a feather where all fronds have been removed (if there are fronds still on the feather, the spine is… the spine!).

I can’t wait to see what you all share!

Image from Getty as indicated

Queen Máxima On The Move With Sideswept Hats

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the municipalities of Deventer, Raalte and Olst-Wijhe yesterday for a day of events themed around collaboration.

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For these visits, Queen Máxima wore a new hat in burgundy sinamay with a sidesweeping brim and double layered hatband tied in a side bow..

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The colour is lovely and pairs well with her printed green dress (who knew leaf green and burgundy could work so well together!). However, there are visible construction issues with the brim’s finished edge, which is horribly wobbly. That’s not an issue of material but, unfortunately, one of very poor technique and completely ruins what could have been beautifully sweeping lines on the hat.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Natan.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Today, Queen Máxima opened the House of Culture and Administration of the municipality of Midden-Groningen in Hoogezand.

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For this event, she repeated a warm brown straw picture hat with high upswept slice brim. The hat is simply trimmed with a Petersham ribbon hatband tied in a loose bow at the side.

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The brim edge here is not perfect but looks much better than the first hat. That’s because of the bias brim- if you look closely at the brims of the two hats, the weave of the straw on the brown hat is in an x shape around the face, as opposed to a + shape on the burgundy hat. The brown hat is likely blocked from a parasisal capeline (see one here) which is woven in concentric circles and as such, places all points around the brim on the bias. Because woven materials stretch on the bias, it’s then possible to block the brim into a super smooth surface.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Zeus + Dione
Previously Worn: Jul 7, 2021;  Jul 2, 2019;  May 25, 2018;  Feb 18, 2017; Nov 28, 2016; Nov 1, 2016; Sep 14, 2016; Jun 2, 2016; Apr 21, 2016; Mar 10, 2016
Comparison pairings with other outfits: see here

Thoughts about these two hats?

Images from Getty as indicated  

Balenciaga Hat Exhibit: Hat Security

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Barcelona’s Museu sel Disseny (Design Museum) features a wonderful millinery exhibition open from June 17 to October 3 entitled, “Balenciaga. The Elegance of the Hat.” Spanish milliner Cristina De Prada takes us on a tour of the exhibit, showing how these incredible hats were made, their history and notable elements of their design. 

Cristina also demonstrates the couture technique used to make a hatpin similar to the one on the green hat featured in the video (a style of which we’ve seen on many past royal hats):

We’ll follow more of Cristina’s tour of this amazing exhibition in coming days.

Images from social media as indicated  

Multiples: Queen Elizabeth

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Thanks to reader Jimbo for providing the introduction and background research for “Multiples” posts on Queen Elizabeth.

Jimbo’s Introduction: Queen Elizabeth toured Kenya in November of 1983, and while in Nairobi, wore a wonderful deep coral bowler hat, which went beautifully with her coral patterned suit. Two years later, in October of 1985, while in the Bahamas, the hat was repeated with a pale yellow patterned dress – lightweight and long sleeved, perfect for the warm tropical climate.

Look #1: With a patterned coral shirtwaist dress worn  in Brisbane on October 7, 1982, in Kenya on November 10, 1983, in Mexico on February 17, 1983 and at the Royal Welsh Show on July 21, 1983

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Look #2: With a pale yellow floral patterned silk dress worn in the Bahamas on October 14, 1985

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Which ensemble do you prefer most with this hat?!

Images from Getty as indicated