Category Archives: All About Design

Animal Print?

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On Monday, I received some insightful feedback from reader Judith, who wrote,

“While I really like Wies Mauduit’s fur felt fedora featured on 31 December, I would have to say that it is really more cheetah than leopard.  I have been fortunate to live in Botswana, and to get to know two cheetahs at a local reserve.  Leopard spots are much more rosettes than spots.  The cheetah has true round spots, as you can see on the right”.  

Judith- you are absolutely correct. Thanks so much for helping me better learn my animal prints! This exchange inspired my discussion question this week, one that may be one of our toughest yet. Dearest readers- which royal hats can you recall in animal prints?

Photos from Lars Krogsgaard via the Danish Monarchy

Monday Multiples: Crown Princess Mary

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One of the winter hats in Crown Princess Mary’s wardrobe we’ve admired in recent years is her deep purple felt pillbox with feather side trim by British milliner Jane Taylor. Princess Mary (and her stylist Anja Camilla Alajdi) have paired this hat with four ensembles so far:

Look #1: With a streamlined ecru Cholé coat for the October 7, 2014 opening of Danish Parliament

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Look #2: With a latte belted wool Oscar de le Renta coat and cream high-neck silk Prada dress worn for the March 17, 2015 Dutch state visit and April 30, 2016 celebration of King Carl Gustaf’s 70th birthday.

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Look #3: With a black and white textured Prada suit worn February 7, 2017 to open a jewelry exhibition in Aarhus

Look #4: With a textured pale blue Claes Iversen coat worn for the October 3, 2017 opening of Parliament

Which outfit do you prefer most with this hat?

Thanks to the Style Of Mary blog for ID on this clothing.

Photos from Getty and social media as indicated; Keld Navntoft/Scanpix; Søren Bidstrup/Scanpix;

Pick A New Hat

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Last week we entertained ourselves by choosing hats for British royal family members to wear on Christmas Day. This week, we’re opening up our royal hat dreams with new designs we’d like to add to a royal’s closet. Share a link to the hat (Twitter or Instagram hats will show up as photos here), name its milliner AND the royal you’re choosing it for and, most importantly, share your reasons for that choice. You can stick with established royal-milliner collaborations or suggest entirely new ones- anything goes!

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This is my only post scheduled for this week- so let’s settle in and have some fun with it!

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Photos from Getty as indicated 

Fantasy British Royal Family Christmas Hat Parade

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With no hats to cover this week, we’re going to create our own excitement here by creating Fantasy British Royal Family Christmas Hat Parades. It’s simple- you act as stylist for the British royals, digging into their royal hat closets and choosing a hat you’d pick for them to wear for Christmas Day. You can take an individual approach or style the group as a whole (hats that compliment, blend or deliciously clash!).  There are two stipulations- first, new hats are off limits (you have to pick from what is/has been in each royal’s closet) and second, no trading hats between the ladies.

This is the final post I’ve planned for this week so take your time, explain why you’ve chosen each hat and revel in the choices others share. The whole point of this is a little lighthearted fun.

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I can’t wait to see your styling choices!

Photo from Getty as indicated 

Monday Multiples: Princess Benedikte

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One of the hats that fared well in our recent repeated hats poll was Princess Benedikte’s purple felt trilby. She has added two different hatbands to this hat and paired it with four ensembles:

Look #1: With a graphic grey and camel coat worn March 8, 2013 to a manufacturing facility

Look #2: With a magenta suit worn for a December 3, 2013 visit to an elder care facility

Look #3: With a grey textured suit with fur stole and a grey leopard print hatband added to the hat worn March 3, 2017

   

Look #4: With a multicoloured woven textured coat and heather purple dress, along with a purple silk hatband added to the hat, worn October 3, 2020 for the opening of Parliament

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Which hatband, and which ensemble do you prefer most with this hat?

Photos from from Niels Henrik Dam;  Allan Nørre Overgaard; Lars Krogsgaard; Ole Jensen and Ole Jensen via Getty; Getty as indicated