Category Archives: All About Design

Monday Multiples: Countess of Wessex

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Royal HatsOne of the most often worn hats in the Countess of Wessex’s millinery closet is a navy moulded straw percher with swirling cream and gold feather trim designed by Jane Taylor. For this hat’s seven outings, Sophie has paired it with four different ensembles:

Look 1: with a navy silk guipure lace-trimmed sheath dress and jacket by Bruce Oldfield worn June 5, 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee, September 15, 2012 during a visit to Canada, and for the Duke of Edinburgh awards on November 24, 2016

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Look 2: with a cream and navy pinstripe Emilia Wickstead silk coat dress for the 70th anniversary of VJ Day on August 16, 2015

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Look 3: with a navy wool Stella McCartney double breasted coat worn for a military homecoming November 24, 2016 and the Commonwealth Day service on March 12, 2018

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Look 4: with another navy double breasted wool coat (this one with pewter buttons) worn for a spot of carriage driving at the Royal Windsor Horse show on May 12, 2019

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Which look do you think compliments this hat best?

Photo from Getty as indicated

Note About Royal Ascot 2020

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As you all know, Royal Ascot is going to look a lot different this year than in years past. Don’t worry- despite no spectators at the races this year, we are still going to have much hat-related fun! Each day, Royal Hats will feature a retrospective of past Ascot hats worn by a royal woman whose millinery style has enthralled us at this event.

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The Ascot Racecourse also invites all of us to join in the races in a unique way:

Each day of the races, a midday post will go up here on the blog to share any of the ‘home’ Ascot hats that caught your eye. Share your at home Ascot look or follow others at #royalascot or #styledwiththanks on Instagram and please, tune in here each day to discuss your favourite hats.

Royal Ascot and the British Hat Guild, led by legendary milliner Stephen Jonees have collaborated on a campaign to celebrate milliner and raise funds for four British  frontline charities: The National Emergencies Trust Relief Fund, NHS Charities Together, The Care Workers Charity and the Berkshire Community Foundation. British milliners were invited to create based on a rainbow, which will be auctioned throughout Royal Ascot week. Make sure to check out all of these brilliantly beautiful hats here– my favourites by Jess Collett, Lisa Tan, Juliette Botterill and Ian Bennett are below.

To kick off next week’s Ascot retrospectives, on Friday and and next Monday we’ll dive into the closets of two more royal women for a look at the hats they have worn to Trooping the Colour and The Order of The Garter. Stay tuned!

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Photos from Getty and social media as indicated 

Monday Multiples: Queen Elizabeth

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Thanks to Jimbo for providing background research for Queen Elizabeth’s hats featured in this “Monday Multiples” series.

During the early 1980s, Queen Elizabeth paired a blue and green printed dress with three unique hats. Interestingly, each pairing appeared on a tropical foreign tour:

Look #1: Deep green silk tam with large blue flower worn October 30, 1982 in Fiji

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Look #2: Emerald and white straw cuffed turban with draped navy silk hatband scarf October 10, 1985 in Belize

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Look #3: Dark green straw hat with white upturned halo brim and large silk flower on the back worn October 11, 1985 arriving in The Bahamas. This hat was previously worn with a green printed dress on two more tropical visits-  February 17, 1977 in Fiji and October 28, 1977 in Antigua!

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Which of these tropical pairings do you prefer most?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Monday Multiples: Queen Mathilde

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It was wonderful to see Queen Mathilde step out in a hat for the 75th anniversary commemoration of VE Day back on May 8. The beige velvet felt fedora she wore is one we’ve seen her pair with three very different ensembles:

Look #1: With a beige and yellow colour blocked dress and fuzzy yellow coat worn for an October 11, 2013 visit to Liege.

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Look #2: With a vibrant orange belted dress with pleated skirt worn during an October 2016 visit to Japan

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Look #3: With a navy and ecru Battenberg lace patterned shirtwaist dress by Natan worn May 8, 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe. 

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Which ensemble do you prefer most with this hat?

Photos from Getty as indicated; Photonews, Kyodo News and Kyodo News via Getty

Monday Multiples: Queen Elizabeth

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Thanks to longtime reader Jimbo for providing the introduction and background research for Queen Elizabeth’s hats featured in this “Monday Multiples” series.

Jimbo’s Introduction: Queen Elizabeth visited Canada in 1983 and again in 1984.  For both trips she wore a very nice pale yellow dress with matching coat featuring a faint yellow and white plaid pattern. For her 1983 trip to Vancouver, Her Majesty selected a unique, coarsely woven tan straw hat which reminds me of a picnic basket.  Current records do not indicate a second outing of this unusual hat.  Perhaps it was either uncomfortable to wear, or it was met with comments other than highly flattering, or both!

For her 1984 trip to Winnipeg, she wore what was possibly this hat’s debut – much lighter in weight and design.  Apparently, the Queen liked this hat so much that she kept it in her closet until at least 1990, when she paired it with another ensemble.

Look #1:  The textured woven straw boater hat with black velvet hatband tied in a front bow worn March 9,1983

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Look #2: The white stitched satin voluminous tam ‘o shanter with bow worn October 6, 1984

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Thanks, Jimbo! Now dear readers- which hat do you prefer with this pale yellow plaid coat?

Photos from Getty as indicated