Category Archives: Announcements, Extras & Millinery News

Autumn Phillips’ Christmas Hats

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A royal hat wearer who as emerged as one to watch over recent years is Autumn Phillips. Today, we’re taking a look back at the hats she has worn on Christmas Day:

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Fuzzy white beret in 2008; Black trilby with bow tied hatband in 2009

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Grey wool crowned hat with high, faux fur cuffed brim in 2011;
Burgundy button percher with feather flowers by Nerida Fraiman in 2012

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Tall navy brimless hat with pork pie crown in 2013

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Chocolate Juliette Botterill beret percher with bow in 2014; Navy felt saucer with looped bow by Rachel Black in 2016

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Red pleated velvet button percher by Emily London in 2017;
Emerald green felt curved beret percher with bow by Sally Ann Provan in 2018

It’s a millinery look that has become more polished over time I suspect, thanks to a stylist’s guiding hand. Autumn suits smaller scale percher pieces so well, the dark hues here contrasting beautifully against her fair complexion and blonde hair. What do you think of this millinery retrospective?

Photos from Getty as indicated; Chris Jackson via Getty; Ward/WENN.com

This Week’s Extras

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Great grey veiled hat on Princess Hisako last Sunday for a visit to Omiwa Shrine
The Japanese emperor and empress visited Nara and Kyoto this week. For their arrival on Tuesday, Empress Masko repeated a white silk bowler hat with  beaded hatband. For mausoleum visits on Wednesday, she wore a smart (new, I think) pale grey hat with short, upturned brim and horizontally pleated crown.


On Thursday, Princess Nobuko wore a fun dark blue crowned hat with black fur (maybe faux fur?) brim studded with tiny grey cut feathers to attend the 130th anniversary ceremony of the Japanese Red Cross Society in Yamanashi.
Also on Thursday, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted a tea party for 600 people at Kyoto Imperial Palace. Empress Masako’s pale blue hat has a lovely wave sculpted into the upturned brim. Later that day, she wore a cream hat with short, kettle brim with wide, double layered peach silk hatband for her and the emperor’s return to Tokyo.


The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Gently waved shape on this burgundy felt formed cap by Italian brand Galia et Peter
Wonderful white saucer of free-hand wired roses by Australian milliner Lisa Hughes
Absolutely exquisite feather work on this deep inky blue percher by UK-based milliner Guilia Mio
Such a lovely shape on this camel felt upturned brim design by British milliner Jane Taylor
Love the sparkling beaded veil on this black felt boater by Irish milliner Aiofe Harrison
Sunrise on a hat! Orange and red straw, crin and floral percher by Australian brand Locopa Designs
Fantastic movement on this charcoal felt percher with flying tails by British milliner Dillon Wallwork

And from Australian milliner Georgia Skelton, this lilac straw pyramid shaped hat with jaw-droppinghandmade open lattice brim.



Princess Aiko turns 18 tomorrow and to celebrate, the Imperial court released this video.
And because a giggle is always welcome, we end this week with a delightful anecdote told by Lady Pamela Hicks about her aging former Nanny and the Queen.

Photos from social media as indicated

Countess of Wessex’s Christmas Hats

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This Christmas is the Countess of Wessex’s 20th Christmas as a member of the British Royal Family. Over the past two  decades, she has worn a fascinatingly diverse array of hats to church on Christmas Day at Sandringham:

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Green felt top hat with raised pleated brim in 1999; Ecru folded brimless hat with black curled quills in 2000

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Camel split crown felt cloche with bow in 2001; Prim navy domed pillbox with burgundy feathers in 2002

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Chocolate felt wide-brimmed Philip Treacy sidesweep with leaf trim in 2003; Repeat of the camel felt cloche in 2004

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Black felt sidesweep with feather flower in 2005; Burgundy humped crown cloche in 2006. Both by Philip Treacy.

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Textured straw beret in 2008; Red felt beaded flower headpiece in 2009. Both by Rachel Trevor Morgan

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Purple button percher with jewel trimmed ruffle in 2010; Navy beaded felt pillbox in 2011. Both by Jane Taylor

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Chocolate felt cut leaf headpiece in 2012; Beaded black button percher with flying bow in 2013;
Leopard print felt pillbox with flat black bow in 2014. All by Jane Taylor

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Grey felt percher with jinsin twistl in 2015. Black laser-cut percher with raw-edge crin in 2016. Both by Jane Taylor

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 Navy felt leaf headpiece in 2017; Black crushed velvet percher with birdcage veil in 2018. Both by Jane Taylor

UPDATE- Since this post was published, the Countess has worn the following hats on Christmas Day:

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Maroon velvet veiled bandeau by Jane Taylor in 2019

This mix includes extremes from classic to unconventional, restrained to exaggerated, familiar to experimental. I can’t say I’d choose many of these hats for myself but I find myself drawn in to many of them for a closer look- they are fascinating!  It’s this bravery, versatility and unpredictability that makes Sophie’s millinery so much fun to follow. What hats here stand out most to you?

Photos from Chris Jackson, Chris Jackson via Getty; Splash News/Corbis; Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock; Pool/Samir Hussein/Wirestock via Getty; Getty as indicated 

This Week’s Extras

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Last Sunday, Beatrice Borromeo Casiraghi wore a burgundy velvet bandeau to Giorgio Armani’s Pre-Fall 2020-2021 Collection show.
The same day, Princess Tsuguko wore a hat in pleated pink printed silk with a mini rolled brim to take in the final match of the Japanese Squash Championship in Yokohama.

Also last Sunday, Queen Elizabeth repeated a turquoise straw Rachel Trevor Morgan designed hat to attend church.

On Monday, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako hosted the second Daikyo-no-Gi grand banquet. The Imperial Princesses were in attendance in a colourful array of hats.

On Wednesday, Princess Akiko attended the Japanese Chrysanthemum Flower Festival in Niigata in what looked like a burgundy fedora.
Lady Amelia Windsor shared photos of herself this week sporting casual winter hats- see here and here.
On Thursday, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived in Mie Prefecture for a 3-day visit. For their arrival, Empress Masako wore a white hat with wide, beaded headband and kicky trilby-style brim. Yesterday, the couple visited Ise Grand Shrine to report recent enthronement and Daijosai ceremonies and worship. Arriving there, the empress repeated a cream jacquard silk bumper hat shown below. She and the emperor wore traditional dress for the ceremony (see photos here and here)

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Spectacular navy & silver pearl covered button percher with sleek feather trim by Irish milliner Teresa Nugent
Scarlet felt hat with pork pie crown, trilby brim and silk hatband from British milliner Rose Collins
Pale lilac straw saucer with deep purple silk bias binding and bow explosion by British milliner Dillon Wallwork
Interesting cutwork (with peek-a-boo sequins) on this grey felt cloche by German milliner Stefani Garbrecht
Great colour and shape on this deep raspberry felt fedora by British milliner Tracey Miller
Stunning “Climbing Rose” headpiece in pale, tawny pink from Australian milliner Jill Humphries
Russian milliner Denis Gulyaev’s chic take on a trilby in mustard yellow with twisting charcoal floral & net trim
Grey felt unstructured beret with wonderful cut scroll trim by British milliner William Chambers
The most wonderful textured fuchsia and purple buclé fabric covered pillbox by Australian milliner Chris Mullane
Lovely tones in this rust felt fedora with copper hatband & golden feathers by Dutch milliner Amélie D’Hooghvorst
Fantastic denim blue straw bandeau with swirling feather trim by British milliner Isabella Josie
Pair of elegantly trimmed red felt beret perchers from Zambian-Dutch milliner Alice Ng’andwe Vermeulen
Such a darling tan and black houndstooth check cloche by Scottish milliner Maggie Mowbray

And from Surrey-based Karen Geraghty who works under the ‘Mind Your Bonce’ label, this midnight blue beauty with Dior brim and angular crown trimmed with sparkling winter night sky and shooting star.

Lovely group photo captured of the Grimaldi royal family members present at Monaco’s Fête Nationale celebration on Tuesday.

Royal photographer Chris Jackson took the most beautiful portrait of the Duchess of Cornwall this week during her and the Prince of Wales’ visit to New Zealand
We end this week with this gem from Queen Elizabeth.

Photos from social media as indicated

Duchess of Sussex’s Christmas Hats

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While we’re not going to see the Duchess of Sussex on Christmas Day this year (she, the Duke and young Archie are reportedly spending the holidays with her mother in California), Meghan has made two Christmas Day appearances with the royal family so far:

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Copper brown felt brimless design with side twist by Philip Treacy in 2017;
Black felt beret percher with crin bow and navy feathers by Awon Golding in 2018

I’ve always admired Meghan’s first Christmas Day hat- it’s such a bold shape for her first public hatted event and the colour was wonderful against her complexion. I’m not brave enough to carry off a hat such as this and I so admire that she did.

Photos from Getty as indicated