Category Archives: Announcements, Extras & Millinery News

Last Week’s Extras

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This post is later than usual thanks to a long weekend here in Canada. Stay tuned later today for a review of all the hats seen yesterday at Remembrance Day commemorations in London. 

Princess Hisako in a black hat with red puff feather trim the first weekend of November in Nagoya
Last Monday, members of the Imperial royal family attended a tea party for the recipients of the Order of Culture and the Persons of Cultural Merit at the Imperial Palace. While the Empress and Princess Kiko wore kimonos, Crown Princess Masako topped her pastel silk suit with a matching silk covered hat with high, kettle brim. It looks like the outside of the brim is covered in embroidery.

The Duke of Sussex attended the field of remembrance service at Westminster Abbey last Thursday in the black frockcoat uniform and cap of the Blues and Royals, his former regiment.

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Crown Princess Mary wore a black lace veil last Thursday for a visit to the Vatican
The following new millinery designs caught my eye last week:
Chic mustard felt stylised trilby with amazing crin hatbands from Czech milliner Jolana Kotabova
Such fun ostrich pompom trimmed berets from British milliner William Chambers
Stunning green houndstooth saucer with flying cream under-brim bow from Melbourne milliner Louise MacDonald
Simply beautiful blush straw sidesweep with silk orchids & curling quills from British milliner Vivien Sheriff
Love the lines on this seamed flat cap from London-based milliner Karen Henriksen
Prettiest pink chevron button percher with pearl centered straw bow by Irish milliner Alison Roe
Unique headpiece of interlocking circles (with amazing texture!) from Australian brand Peacock Millinery

And from Melbourne milliner Lauren Ritchie, this  magenta pillbox with brilliantly graphic 3-D trim.

The Imperial royals hosted the final garden party of the Heisei era (Emperor Akihito’s reign) last Friday and braved rain in beautiful kimonos (including Crown Princess Masako, who hasn’t been seen in one in a while).


Wrapping things up with this sweet photo of the Prince of Wales and his youngest grandson, shared in the recent BBC documentary on the prince’s 70th birthday

 

Photos from social media and Getty as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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On Tuesday, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko began a 3-day visit to Kochi. The first two days saw her in small saucer hats in shades of slate grey-blue and mushroom grey.
On Thursday, Empress Michiko repeated a black and white houndstooth saucer with black bow
Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako celebrated 150th anniversary of Japan’s first Lighthouse. For this event,  held at the Palace Hotel Tokyo in Chiyoda, Princess Masako repeated a white bowler hat with brilliant blue hatband.
Two interesting hats for Princess HIsako in Fukuoka- a pink brimmed design with ruffled hatband in the same patterned fabric as her skirt and a repeated olive green kettle brimmed bowler with raspberry and green stacked hatbands.
Little Princess Elisabeth of Hanover sported a sweet cream knit bonnet at her christening.
Amazing feather butterfly on this black percher by Scottish label Angels & Insects Edinburgh
Lovely lines on this pale blue straw cloche by New Zealand milliner Anél Heyman Millinery
Red felt button percher with maple leaves by London-based milliner Yuan Li
Stunning simplicity on this blue felt design with square crown & sideswept brim by Dutch milliner Myra van de Korput
Wonderful shape on this black headpiece with straw flower by Australian milliner Faye Thornley
Lovely, delicate beadwork on the top of this lilac felt pillbox by Latvian brand Rubina Millinery
Crisp navy boater with sharply executed ribbon trim and tulle puff flowers from Melbourne milliner Lauren Ritchie
Beautiful deep burgundy looped abaca bandeau with roses from British milliner Juliette Botterill
And from Melbourne milliner Louise MacDonald, a ruched white straw turban with pale aqua straw ruffle (which sounds simple enough but looks unlike any hat I’ve ever seen) and a stunning wide-brimmed saucer with feathers

A peek inside Kei and Ayako Moriya’s wedding banquet at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo on Tuesday reveals a surprise tiara on Ayako (seen previously as a necklace on her mother) topped her flower-trimmed pink gown (the pink silk was a gift from the Moriya family to Princess Hisako in 2014)


While on the topic of Imperial royal fashion-longtime Japanese designer Jun Ashida passed away last week. This New York Times article about his royal fashion connection is most interesting.
The Princess of Asturias made her first public speech and showed considerable poise and confidence amidst many flashbulbs.
We close this week with a very sweet snap shared by Princess Madeleine. Have a great end of weekend!

Photos from social media as indicated

Queen Elizabeth’s Iconic Hats

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 Over the late summer and early fall, we undertook a quest to identify Queen Elizabeth’s most iconic hats. Through much searching and discussion, we narrowed down hats worn over eight decades to a few that are “widely known and acknowledged especially for distinctive excellence.” It’s interesting- some hats were nominated as iconic for the events they attended, while others for the merit (or memorability) of their design. Despite some difficulties with subjectivity and definition, there were 34 hats that received consensus as deserving of this ‘iconic’ label:

     

Red velvet bow trimmed bonnet with black veil at Prince Charles’ Christening Dec 15, 1948
Blue folded-brim calot with tulle ruffle for Princess Anne’s christening Oct 21, 1950

     

Feather trimmed brimmless black hat worn for her return to London from Kenya as Queen, Feb 7, 1952
Black-crinoline brimmed hat trimmed with red and green ostrich feathers worn Feb 1, 1954 in Sydney

     

Blue veiled headpiece with silk flowers designed by Norman Hartnell for Princess Margaret’s wedding, May 7, 1960
The memorable “yellow spaghetti” hat by Simone Mirman worn May 27, 1965 on a visit to Germany

      

The yellow silk Tudor snood with pearls by Simone Mirman worn for the July 1, 1969 investiture of the Prince of Wales
Blue silk and feather  hat by Simone Mirman on November 20, 1972 for her 25th wedding anniversary 

   

Royal blue silk turban with purple lace by Simone Mirman at Princess Anne’s wedding Nov 14, 1973
Pink Simone Mirman turban with swinging bell flowers  for the 1976 Olympics and June 7, 1977 Silver Jubilee 

     

Stitched green tam hat with feather trim worn to the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May 1980
Ian Thomas designed sky blue silk crepe turban with chiffon flowers worn July 29, 1981 for the Wales’ wedding

     

Ruched turban in dotted blue silk organdie by Frederick Fox worn for Prince William’s christening August 4, 1982
Blue silk crepe hat with chiffon flowers by Ian Thomas worn for the York’s wedding in July 1986

     

Double brimmed purple felt hat worn for a memorable visit to the Great Wall of China on October 14, 1986
Blue Philip Somerville hat (made by Dillon Wallwork) with chevron striped bows worn Oct 17, 1988 in Spain

     

The purple straw boater with white stripes worn on May 14, 1991 at the White House in Washington, DC
The dark teal velvet “Annus Horribilis” hat worn for a Nov 24, 1992 speech at Guildhall in London

     

Wide brimmed black Bretton hat worn to return to London from Scotland on Sep 5, 1997
Triangular shaped bumper hat with silk bow worn to the Princess of Wales’ funeral on Sep 6, 2018

     

The brimless, stacked accordion hat by Marie O’Reagan worn Dec 11, 1997 to decommission Britannia
Purple feather halo headpiece by Frederick Fox for the July 19, 1999 wedding of the Wessexes

     

Purple sideswept hat by Philip Somerville with green feathers worn to open Scottish Parliament, July 1, 1999
Black square crowned cloche with silk folded hatband and feathers worn to the funerals of her mother and sister in 2002

   

Blue basket-wwoven hat by Frederick Fox worn in in Botswana in 1998 and the Golden Jubilee, June 4, 2002
White ruched crown Philip Somerville hat with black bow and straw brim worn in Slovakia in 2008 and on April 25, 2015

     

Philip Somerville’s ‘pink swirl’ silk picture hat worn to Oman in 2010 and Ascot in June 2011
Blue straw ‘Union Jack hat’ with red piped bow by Rachel Trevor Morgan worn in 2011 and April 2015 

     

Yellow silk crepe boater with flowers and velvet leaves by Angela Kelly worn April 29, 2011 for the Cambridge’s wedding
White hat with upswept, ruched silk brim by Angela Kelly worn for the June 3, 2012 Diamond Jubilee Thames Flotilla

     

Seafoam textured silk hat by Angela Kelly worn June 5, 2012 Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving
Blue silk crepe covered ‘Wedgwood’ hat with lace trim by Angela Kelly first worn June 25, 2012 in Norther Ireland

     Jun 21, 2017 in AK | Royal Hats

Peach feathered ‘Bond Girl’ fascinator by Angela Kelly worn for the July 27, 2012 opening of the London Olympics
The ‘EU flag’ blue hat with yellow centered flowers first worn June 21, 2017 for the state opening of parliament 

It’s incredibly difficult to narrow down several hundreds (thousands?) of hats worn over eight decades but I think you have done and excellent job with this group. Numerous hats here are known by a nickname (surely a sight of distinctive excellence!) or by naming the event they were worn to. I’m curious, dearest readers- what do you think of your list? Are there hats here you don’t think should be included? Is there are particular hat you think has been unfairly omitted?

Photos from Getty as indicated Photo: AP; Camera Press; V&A Images; Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Alamy; DPA: Reginal Davis/Rex Features; Fox Photos, and Hulton Archive via Getty; Douglas Kirkland/Corbis; Serge Lemoine, Princess Diana Archive, Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Anwar Hussein, Joel Robine, Julian Parker, John Shelley Collection/Avalon, Hulton Royals Collection, Tim Graham, Ian Waldie, PA Images, Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Max Mumby/Indigo, Samir Hussein, Max Mumby/Indigo, Chris Jackson, Bethany Clark/Stringer, Max Mumby/Indigo, John Stillwell, Carl Court

This Week’s Extras

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On Monday, Princess Nobuko wore a white hat to attend the 130th anniversary of the Japanese Red Cross Society’s  Branch in Gunma.
Princess Hisako started out this week in Aichi attending an annual conference on nutrition and dietary improvement. For this event, she wore a cream hat with square crown and curved brim, trimmed with lichen green hatbands and side embellishment.
On Tuesday, Princess Hanako wore a yellow pillbox with embellished sides for the 30th anniversary of the Praemium Imperiale Arts Prize.
On Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex was in military uniform and cap again to lay a wreath at the National War Memorial in Fiji.
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Also on Wednesday, Princess Mako celebrated her 27th birthday and was spotted arriving at the Imperial Royal Palace in Tokyo to visit her grandparents in a bumper hat covered in beige-pink patterned silk
Yesterday, Princess Ayako worshipped at the Three Palace Sanctuaries in advance of her wedding next week. While She was in traditional dress (and hairstyle), her mother, Princess Hisako, sisters Noriko Senge and Princess Tsuguko and cousin Sayako Kurada all wore white hats.


Today, members of the Takamado and Mikasa families donned brimless black hats to commemorate the second anniversary since Prince Mikasa’s death (Sankei)
Princess Margriet in a red pouf fascinator today to christen a reconstructed expedition ship
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Amazing gravity-defying ombre turban from London-based Awon Golding
Winter white felt angular cloche with exuberant pheasant feathers from British milliner Annabel Allen
Turquoise and tan feather headpiece with net veil from Australian milliner Neil Grigg
Red silk ruched bandeau with pearl trim from British milliner Laura Cathcart
Pale percher with statement sunburst spiky trim from Irish milliner Laura Hanlon
Navy wide brimmed design with red jin sin twists from Australian brand Millinery Jill
Two designs from British milliner Bundle McLaren- a wonderfully modern take on a pillbox in oxblood
with a flying bow and a chic black beret percher with silver dipped curling quills
Pale grey sculpted French lace bandeau tiara with dotted net veil from British label Catherine Walker & Co.
Navy straw percher with copper-tipped navy goose feathers from Irish milliner Theresa Nugent
Dramatic, 1950s-inspired blocked straw saucer covered in velvet on top and silk and graphic,
Art-Deco patterned lace on the bottom from from Texan milliner Milli Starr
And from Melbourne-based milliner Louise MacDonald, these wonderfully vibrant and textural bandeau headpieces of woven ribbon.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit shared this week that she has been diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis. While she is optimistic about treatment and the future, the illness will undoubtedly continue to impact her and her royal role. Living with chronic disease is not easy and as such, I request that all future comments about the Crown Princess’ millinery choices be framed with compassion.
This week had an abundance of state banquets (in Portugal, Fiji and the UK) with some stunning royal looks – including Queen Mathilde here and here, the Norwegian royals, the Danish Royals and Princess Ayako at the formal Choken-no-Gi ceremony- likely the last time we’ll see her in a tiara.
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This Week’s Extras

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Lady Kitty Spencer attended the Berlin premiere of VIVID Grand Show in a black Philip Treacy hat with wide, swirling crin brim last weekend. The theatrical/circus spectacular (see a trailer here) features astounding headpieces, all made by Philip Treacy.

Crown Princess Victoria looking chic in a straw Panama hat on Tuesday during the second day of her and Prince Daniel’s visit to Jordan

Very fun announcement from Kensington Palace, introducing the second day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Australian tour with a nod to the hats they were gifted with during their official welcome.

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

How happy is this bandeau of multi-coloured pompoms from British brand Emily London
Lovely, classic shape & scheme on this navy straw saucer with cream crin from Brisbane milliner Meg Rafter
Unusual black pillbox with fuchsia ring trim by Dutch milliner Marianne Jongkind (on exhibition in Switzerland)
Love the felt flowers on this grey felt brimless design by Japanese milliner Kaori Kaido
Beautiful feather work on these bland and blue percher hats by British milliner Vivien Sheriff
Textured black straw calot with straw leaf overlay by French milliner Anthony Peto
More leaves in this bandeau in red leather and suede by Brisbane milliner Marla Carmeta
Chic navy square-crowned fedora variation with slim orange leather hatband from Czech milliner Jolana Kotabova
Exquisite blue jin sin ringed headpiece with hand cut feathers from Australian brand Millinery Jill
And when you think you’ve seen everything possible in millinery design… a creative millinery mind such as British milliner Harvy Santos comes up with something like this.

 

 Royal Hats

Interesting interview with British royal photographer extraordinaire, Chris Jackson (Tatler)

Lovely photo of the Iranian royal family taken on the occasion of Empress Farah’s 80th birthday

Lovely new portrait of Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel and their sweet children

The Duke of York shared these snaps of the STUNNING floral arrangements in Windsor Castle for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding reception last weekend

Many of you have likely already seen this candid shot, shared by Princess Eugenie, but it’s too sweet not to share. Have a great weekend, everyone!