Category Archives: Announcements, Extras & Millinery News

This Week’s Extras

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While we’ll take a detailed look tomorrow at hats from Luxembourg’s National Day Celebrations and The Guards Polo Club at Windsor, here are some of this week’s hats and royal happenings we missed during our focus on Ascot.

Queen Sonja in her bunade Tuesday to open an exhibition on these folk costumes (Royal House of Norway)

On Friday, Queen Maxima openned a new building in Enschede that will act as a meeting place for sports, catering, art, culture, craft and entrepreneurship initiatives. For the opening, she repeated her large upswept hat in natural straw.

Yesterday, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene attended a “Grimaldi Historic Sites of Monaco” meeting and brought their young twins, in folk costume. Notice the very sweet straw bonnet on Princess Gabriella

The following non-Ascot designs caught my eye this week:

Pink hat with leather crown and brim of 400 hand-cut feathers by Australian brand Millinery By Mel
Black open weave bergere hat with cream silk roses and quills from John Boyd Millinery in London
Teal and taupe striped bandeau from Australian milliner Felicity Northeast with amazing sinamay loop trim
Pink ombre dyed straw hat from Melbourne milliner Stephanie Spencer
Lily Collins in an open weave natural straw beret percher with exquisite floral trim from Stephen Jones
Classic white straw boater with wide black hatband and Chanel-esque rose from Maggie Mowbray Millinery
Lovely lime mushroom brimmed design with silk bow from Dutch milliner (and friend here!) Wies Mauduit

And after so many elaborate hats this week, I’m drawn to this simple, classic and very wearable design from Czech milliner Jolana Kotabova

 Royal Hats

Poignant and heartfelt message from Queen Maxima, returning to work following the very sad loss of her younger sister.

We don’t often see political messages from royal women- interesting and admirable to this one formally released from Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Sweet snaps of Princess Charlene and Prince Jacques last weekend after the Riviera Water Bike Challenge 2018 which will help fund one of Princess Charlene’s foundation’s projects in Burkina Faso. Prince Albert and Andrea Casiraghi also took part and Princess Gabriella was also spotted cheering on the sidelines.

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Prince Jaime of Bourbon Parma is wrapping up his time as Dutch Ambassador to the Vatican and shared these lovely photos of his family’s farewell with the pope.

And finally… while we’ve all come to appreciate all the work British royal photographer Chris Jackson does to bring us fantastic shots of hats in motion, this tweet from Lesotho, where he accompanied Prince Harry to document a short trip, shows he he is about far more than just getting the right shot.

Ascot Prediction: Queen Elizabeth’s Hat On Day 1

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What colour hat do you think Queen Elizabeth will wear for the first day of Ascot on Tuesday? To inform your guess, here is a look at the last ten hats she has worn for public engagements along with her five Ascot hats (shown from Tuesday to Saturday) in each of the past three years. Reader Chicago Chuck, who will attend the first three days of racing this year, will place a £20 bet on the colour of your choices, with all winnings going to your choice of charity as well. 

Last Ten Hats Worn For Public Engagements: 

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Ascot Hats in 2017: 

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Ascot Hats in 2016: 

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Ascot Hats in 2015:

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It’s now time to vote! I’ll pass your choice on to Chicago Chuck first thing Tuesday morning. Because of the short time frame of this poll, each computer or mobile device can vote up to five times per day.
Photos from Getty as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Last Saturday’s Trooping the Colour ceremony in London included two more royal hats! Prince Sebastian of Luxembourg, in the blue plumed hat of the Irish Guards and Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, in the red plumed hat of the Coldstream Guards, both participated in the parade.

On June 8, Princess Yoriko of Mikasa and her granddaughters, Princess Akiko and Yoko, donned black veiled bumper hats for a memorial service for the late Prince Yoshihito of Katsura who passed away in 2014 (Imperial Family of Japan)
Autumn Philips in a casual straw trilby last Sunday, June 10, watching polo at the Beaufort Polo Club
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King Harald and Queen Sonja visited the county of Nordland on Tuesday. The queen donned a weather-proof red fedora hat for the visit.

Crown Princess Victoria arrived for the annual Polar Music Prize Wednesday night in a stunning red Stylein gown beautifully accessorized with an edgy Maria Nesdotter gold plated silver headpiece and floral earrings.

Yesterday, Princess Anne, in her role as Commandant-in-Chief of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps), unveiled a sculpture as part of the UK’s WWI centenary commemorations. She dressed in period uniform for the event- a uniform that suits her handsomely!

 

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

Cream straw halo brimmed design with beautiful pearl centered bows from London-based Merve Bayindir
Black straw button percher with veil and statement floral trim from UK milliner Bundle McLaren
Silver straw bergere with lace trim and silk ribbons from Irish milliner Teresa Nugent
Graphic royal blue and white perspex, vinyl & straw saucer from British brand Martha Lynn Millinery
Fuchsia straw button percher with explosion of pink, orange and white feathers from German milliner Nicki Marquardt
Sleek, sculptural vertical twist percher in rosy taupe shantung silk and white crin from UK milliner Dillon Wallwork
Prettiest ombre blue beret percher with delicate floral trim from British milliner Sarah Cant
Raspberry straw mushroom brim picture hat with bows and painterly roses from UK brand Fi Graham Millinery
Handsome blue and white straw fedora with striped hatband from Ghanan milliner Velma Owusu Bempah

 

 Royal Hats

Princess Alexandra’s daughter-in-law, Julia Ogilvy, recently graduated from the Harvard Divinity School. She gave an address in chapel back in March about an event that ignited her passion for social justice and started her on a path back to study. (Harvard University).

 

Fascinating and insightful interview with fashion historian Kate Strasdin on the “Dressed” podcast on the fashion of Queen Alexandra. Strasdin’s book, Queen Alexandra: Inside the Royal Wardrobe was published last year following a decade of reseatch. The interview is certainly worth a listen!

And finally, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were in Ireland and Northern Ireland this week. I love that for their walk on Derrynane beach in County Kerry yesterday, the Duchess kicked off her shoes to enjoy the feel of sand beneath her toes.

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Photos from social media and Getty as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Empress Michicko repeated her white saucer hat with lattice underbrim and silk leaf trim on Monday to celebrate the Japanese Coast Guard’s 70th anniversary (Imperial Family of Japan)

Princess Kiko in a navy straw hat with rounded kettle brim trimmed with a white pinstriped edged hatband and double side bow on Monday in Hawaii.

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Queen Silvia in a black headband on Tuesday at an anniversary memorial for victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Queen Margrethe wore her bright pink straw hat for the third time in as many weeks on Wednesday for her visit to the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. Here’s a great article explaining the connection between the Danish Queen and a British regiment.

Swedish royal women in traditional white starched folk hats Wednesday for National Day celebrations.

A new, cream straw brimmed hat for Princess Marie on Thursday at a Danish Emergency Management Agency memorial.

Small, new, brimless red hat today for Princess Claire of Luxembourg at a German society wedding (Luxarazzi)

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

From British milliner Tracy Miller, a beautiful draped abacca straw seafoam headpiece and slate blue trimmed hat
Natural straw wide brimmed upsweep with pink silk layered hatband & bow from British milliner Dillon Wallwork
Black straw button percher with exquisite sunset hued feathers from British milliner Justine Bradley Hill
Love the pearls and pleated ribbon trim on this cream straw rounded pillbox from UK brand Butterfly Hats
Dramatic red cartwheel brimmed hat with black quills from Australian milliner Marily Van den Berg
Creative (and cheeky!) blue straw shell cocktail hat with pearls from Yuan Li London
Bright pink silk covered percher with bow and lovely crin ruffle from British label John Boyd Millinery

And from Tasmanian-based brand Cessiah Alice Millinery, this vibrant percher with retro cotton printed hugger base and pink feather peony trim. I love its exuberance!

 Royal Hats

Prince Nikolaos’ photography exhibition “PHOS: A Journey of Light” opened last weekend at the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne. The work looks beautiful- those in the area may want to catch the exhibition before it closes on July 29.

Sweet portrait of Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar released Wednesday for Swedish National Day

Wonderful snap released by Princess Madeleine of Princess Leonore after her little sister’s christening yesterday, captioned “in her true element”.

Last Week’s Extras

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A number of hats on non-royal heads at Epsom this weekend stood out:

Irish milliner Carol Kennelly in a fabulous cream feathered pillbox of her own design
ITV’s Charlotte Hawkinds in  fuschia and peach perchers from Layla Leigh Millinery
Georgia Toffolo in a classic pink straw Jane Taylor boater hat
Gina Harding in a black button percher with magenta and black feathers by Awon Golding
Laura Tobin in a wide brimmed, rosy-beige Nerida Fraiman saucer with feather flowers
Festival Style Award winner Amy Thomas in a self made purple upswept saucer with lace and silk roses

On May 26th, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako attended the 29th National Greenery Conservation ceremony in Nagahama. Princess Masako repeated a small white hat with navy hatband.

May 26, 2018 | Royal hats

Queen Silvia repeated her ecru straw cloche last Monday for the annual Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde “Friends of Artists” parade

Empress Michiko repeated a grey saucer hat to welcome Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and his wife Nguyen Thi Hien to Tokyo on Wednesday, May 30

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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended a service at Southwark Cathedral this morning to commemorate a year since the attack on London Bridge. For the event, the Duchess repeated her navy straw beret hat.

The following new millinery designs also caught my eye this week:

Mint straw percher saucer with flower from London hatters Lock & Co.
From Juan Li London, this black straw boater with vibrant hatband and brim binding
British milliner Laura Cathcart’s bright pink straw pillbox (modeled by the milliner herself)
Dramatic gold sequinned button percher with lace trim on looped, crystal studded quills by Vivien Sheriff
Prettiest white picture hat with pink mesh brim, hantband and bow from Australian brand Millinery by Mel
Stunning navy beret hat with sparkling night sky from UK brand Mind Your Bonce
Quirky black straw beret percher with bold floral trim from London-based Turkish milliner Merve Bayindir
Wide brimmed white straw saucer with explosion of black & white feathers from UK brand Gemma J Millinery

And from Munich-based milliner Nicki Marquardt,  a creative option for those of us who need our hats to be as functional as possible and fit multiple occasions. I think this is brilliant!

Princess Olympia of Greece made her tiara debut last weekend at Prince Frederik’s 50th birthday gala. The fringe tiara was a gift from her maternal grandmother when she was a baby- her mother has worn it numerous times over the years. What a beautiful gown and hairstyle combination to wear this piece for the first time.

And finally, a video clip that made me smile- the Dutch King zooming around on a quad. Even kings are boys at heart.