Category Archives: Belgium

Belgian Royals Attend Memorial Mass

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Members of the Belgian Royal family gathered at Notre Dame Church in Laeken yesterday to attended a mass held annually in memory of deceased family members. For this event, Queen Mathilde wore a new rounded headpiece covered in the same charcoal fabric as her high collared blouse. The textured fabric works surprisingly well on the design (and is well made- there’s not a pucker to be spotted here) but oh, how I wish it had a covered crown. I can’t get behind these doughnut designs.

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19th February 2019 Leurs Majestés le Roi et la Reine, Leurs Majestés le Roi Albert II et la Reine Paola et Son Altesse Royale le Prince Laurent assistent à la messe qui est célébrée comme chaque année à la mémoire des membres défunts de la Famille Royale. La cérémonie se déroule en l'église Notre-Dame de Laeken. Their Majesties the King and the Queen, Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola and His Royal Highness Prince Laurent attend the Mass which is celebrated as every year in memory of the deceased members of the Royal Family. The ceremony takes place in the church of Our Lady of Laeken. Hunne Majesteiten de Koning en de Koningin, Hunne Majesteiten Koning Albert II en Koningin Paola en Zijne Koninklijke Hoogheid Prins Laurent wonen de jaarlijkse eucharistieviering bij ter nagedachtenis van de overleden leden van de Koninklijke Familie. De mis vindt plaats in de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk te Laken. 📷: Didier Lebrun #ReineMathilde #QueenMathilde #KoninginMathilde #Mathilde #Queen #MathildedUdekemdAcoz #MathildevanBelgie #MathildedeBelgique #picoftheday #bestoftheday #BelgianRoyals #BelgianRoyalFamily #style #stylish #elegant #couture #royalty #MathildeofBelgium #Belgium #Belgie #Belgique

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19th February 2019 Leurs Majestés le Roi et la Reine, Leurs Majestés le Roi Albert II et la Reine Paola et Son Altesse Royale le Prince Laurent assistent à la messe qui est célébrée comme chaque année à la mémoire des membres défunts de la Famille Royale. La cérémonie se déroule en l'église Notre-Dame de Laeken. Their Majesties the King and the Queen, Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola and His Royal Highness Prince Laurent attend the Mass which is celebrated as every year in memory of the deceased members of the Royal Family. The ceremony takes place in the church of Our Lady of Laeken. Hunne Majesteiten de Koning en de Koningin, Hunne Majesteiten Koning Albert II en Koningin Paola en Zijne Koninklijke Hoogheid Prins Laurent wonen de jaarlijkse eucharistieviering bij ter nagedachtenis van de overleden leden van de Koninklijke Familie. De mis vindt plaats in de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk te Laken. 📷: Didier Lebrun #ReineMathilde #QueenMathilde #KoninginMathilde #Mathilde #Queen #MathildedUdekemdAcoz #MathildevanBelgie #MathildedeBelgique #picoftheday #bestoftheday #BelgianRoyals #BelgianRoyalFamily #style #stylish #elegant #couture #royalty #MathildeofBelgium #Belgium #Belgie #Belgique

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19th February 2019 Leurs Majestés le Roi et la Reine, Leurs Majestés le Roi Albert II et la Reine Paola et Son Altesse Royale le Prince Laurent assistent à la messe qui est célébrée comme chaque année à la mémoire des membres défunts de la Famille Royale. La cérémonie se déroule en l'église Notre-Dame de Laeken. Their Majesties the King and the Queen, Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola and His Royal Highness Prince Laurent attend the Mass which is celebrated as every year in memory of the deceased members of the Royal Family. The ceremony takes place in the church of Our Lady of Laeken. Hunne Majesteiten de Koning en de Koningin, Hunne Majesteiten Koning Albert II en Koningin Paola en Zijne Koninklijke Hoogheid Prins Laurent wonen de jaarlijkse eucharistieviering bij ter nagedachtenis van de overleden leden van de Koninklijke Familie. De mis vindt plaats in de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk te Laken. #KingPhilippe #RoiPhilippe #KoningFilip #PhilippedeBelgique #PhilippeofBelgium #Philippe #Filip #FilipvanBelgie #ReineMathilde #QueenMathilde #KoninginMathilde #Mathilde #Queen #MathildedUdekemdAcoz #MathildevanBelgie #MathildedeBelgique #picoftheday #bestoftheday #BelgianRoyals #BelgianRoyalFamily #style #stylish #elegant #couture #royalty #MathildeofBelgium #Belgium #Belgie #Belgique

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Princess Marie-Esméralda, (younger half-sister of King Albert) wore a navy straw based headpiece trimmed with navy and cream feathers, placed on the back of her head. Her sister-in-law, Princess Léa, wore a simple navy bow, also placed on the back of her head (see the video clip below).

Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein (King Philippe’s first cousin) wore a sequinned calot hat wrapped in a a swath of dotted tulle. She also placed the design WAAAY back on her head… perhaps to downplay its disco vibe? I thought it was a strange choice for a memorial event such as this.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new
Let’s face it- this isn’t the strongest group of hats we’ve reviewed. What elements here do you like?
Photos from Getty as indicated; Photonews, Photonews, Photonews and Photonews via Getty

Inventory: Princess Stéphanie’s Blue Hats

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Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, celebrates her 35th birthday today and in honor of this, we’re going to dive into our first inventory of her millinery closet. We don’t see Stéphanie wear many hats beyond Luxembourg’s National Day, Closing of the Octave after Easter and the occasional state visit but despite this, she’s stepped out in five blue designs so far during her royal life. Here they are in the order that they have been worn:

1.
Designer:  unknown
Introduced: May 5, 2013

2.  3.
Designer:  both are unknown
Introduced: June 23, 2013; Sep 21, 2013

4.  5.
Designer: unknown; Amelie D’Hooghvorst
Introduced: June 23, 2016; August 11, 2017

For someone who does not wear hats often, there are some brave designs here! I’ve always adored whimsical curling trim on #2 (SUCH a fun hat for a new princess!) and admired the bold shapes of flower #3 and ruched headpiece #4, both of which take some confidence to pull off. Stéphanie’s colouring matches well with lighter shades which suit her much better than the dark first hat. I’m impressed with this inventory, not because all the hats are flawless but because it shows the Hereditary Grand Duchess’ willingness to experiment with millinery shape and scale- something that makes me take more deliberate notice of her style. What do you think of  Princess Stéphanie’s blue hats?

Photos from Manuel Dias via Le Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg; Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis; Corbis;  The Catholic Church of Luxembourg; Max Mumby/Indigo via Getty

Dutch Royal Wedding 17 Years On: Royal Guests Part 2

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We continue our look back at King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima’s wedding 17 years ago this month with a look at the hats worn by royal families from Belgium and Luxembourg.

Queen Paola topped her lilac wool suit with a matching felt hat with upturned brim by Fabienne Delvigne. The brim features a waved, pleat on the upswept side with gentle point which gives lovely movement to the piece. The ensemble was a lot of lilac but Paola’s ruffled blouse broke up the look with some textural contrast.

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Crown Princess Mathilde wore a dark chocolate faux fur papakha style hat. It’s a very wintry look that contrasted well against her red suit and the matching cuffs on her jacket added a harmonious and wonderfully luxe touch.

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Princess Astrid wore one of the most bizarre royal hats I have ever seen. The natural straw hat with flat crown and short cartwheel brim was trimmed with vertically placed pheasant feathers around the back and…. another straw hat, in a slightly darker shade, placed on the side. This was a first- trimming a hat with another hat- that thankfully, has not been repeated. The milliner, Christophe Coppens, is now an avant garde artist/designer and while this hat gets marks for creativity, I can’t describe it as anything but utterly ridiculous.
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Prince Laurent, who was not yet married, attended in uniform complete with cap, and is photographed below with a very young looking Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg.
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Grand Duchess Josephine of Luxembourg (who passed away in 2005) wore wore a fur-brimmed bumper hat with domed crown covered in the same stylised silver animal print as her jacket. The brown fur and silver/slate blue combination always perplexed me a bit – don’t you think this design would have been improved with silvery grey sable brim instead?!
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Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa topped her gold brocade suit with a dramatic chocolate fur Cossack style hat and matching scarf. Yes, the hat is a bit too large for petite Maria Teresa but the look read very ‘Russian Imperial court’ (in a good way!) and I always loved how it coordinated so well with Grand Duke Henri’s uniform. Planning one’s look to match with one’s husband’s orange order- now that’s romantically dedicated dressing!

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Princess Sibilla also wore a gold suit and chocolate hat, although the effect was completely different! Sibilla’s hat follows a more demure shape with rounded crown, mushroom brim and chocolate velvet hatband, tied in a droopy side bow. It’s precisely what one might have expected from a royal hat two decades ago… but I’m afraid my current eyes are left wanting a bit more (and are drawn back to Maria Teresa’s more dramatic look).

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Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein is also included on this event’s guest list but I have been unable to find photos of her. This omission aside, there are some great looks here, aren’t there?! I’m also looking forward to your thoughts about Princess Astrid’s hat- do you find it as silly, 17 years on, as I still do?! 
Stay tuned tomorrow for the final look at royal guests from Spain, Greece, Great Britain and Monaco .
Photos from Getty as indicated

Day 2: French State Visit To Belgium

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The Belgian king and queen hosted a busy day of engagements for French President and Mrs. Macron yesterday that included stops at an care center for adults with developmental disabilities and a cultural center in  Molenbeek. Queen Mathilde used the occasion to debut a new hat, described by the designer as, “the Marlon headdress which features a set of curves and counter-curves made of violine velvet felt”.

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The design looks to be a velvet felt covered bandeau with leaf-like curved shapes that run from side to side, across the back of the head. While this shade of magenta is beautiful on Queen Mathilde and pairs well with her grey ensemble, I’m afraid the design of the hat is a bit clunky- something we’ll have to wait for a better view to assess.

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Visite à « La Maisonnée » à Ittre, un service résidentiel pour handicapés mentaux adultes. Indépendamment du handicap, « La Maisonnée » met l’accent sur les compétences et les aptitudes de chacun des résidents. Ces qualités individuelles sont développées et renforcées lors des nombreux ateliers.⁣ —————⁣ Bezoek aan La Maisonnée in Itter, een residentieel centrum voor volwassenen met een mentale beperking. Ongeacht hun beperking duidt La Maisonnée op het feit dat hun residenten, net als eenieder, beschikken over hun eigen bijzondere vaardigheden. Ondermeer aan de hand van workshops worden deze vaardigheden verder ontwikkeld en versterkt.⁣ —————⁣ Visit to “La Maisonnée” in Ittre, a residential center for adults with a mental disability. Regardless of the disability, “La Maisonnée” expresses the fact that their residents, like everyone else, have their own skills. Through workshops skills are further being developed to examine and improve these.⁣ ⁣ #LaMaisonnée #autism #VisitedÉtat #Staatsbezoek #StateVisit #Belgium #Belgique #België #France #Frankrijk #BELFR2018 #BelgianRoyalPalace #MonarchieBe

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. It is the Marlon design.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Final
Photos from Getty as indicated

Belgium Royals Welcome French State Visit

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King Philippe and Queen Mathilde welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at the Royal Palace in Brussels this morning.

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For the start of this French-Belgian state visit, Queen Mathilde wore a new, domed calot hat in the colour common between the two nation’s flags (coincidence? I think not!).

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The small, streamlined hat is a go-to look for the Belgian queen and in this instance, balances well against her sheer collared dress and pleated coat, both finely tailored and detailed pieces that could be easily overwhelmed by a large brim. Yes, the colour is one-note and on it’s own, the hat isn’t very exciting but the overall look here is streamlined and very elegant.

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Designer: I believe it’s Dior. Dress and coat by Dior. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Thoughts about this new addition to Queen Mathilde’s collection of red hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Day 3: Belgian State Visit To Portugal

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King Philippe and Queen Mathilde spent the third day of their state visit to Portugal yesterday in Porto where they took in the Serralves Museum and Park as well as sights along the Douro River. For these events, Queen Mathilde repeated her black calot hat wrapped in overlaid wide stripes of textured black woven fabric and trimmed with a large looped rosette on the side.

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The hat pairs well with Mathilde’s black and white dress with the textural elements on both pieces relating well. With pearl drops and an elegant up-do, the hat completes a great working royal look. Is it a major statement? No… but it’s lovely and on many days, that’s what a royal ensemble needs to be.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: July 14, 2018; February 20, 2018
The Belgian state visit to Portugal has been slightly overshadowed this week by the Dutch state visit to the UK but I think Queen Mathilde’s hats this week have been great. What do you think of this black calot?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Day 2: Belgian State Visit To Portugal

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Yesterday, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde continued their state visit to Portugal with visits to Lisbon’s Oceanarium, a hospital and a youth cultural center, as well as participation in an economic development seminar and meeting with social entrepreneurs. For this programme, Queen Mathilde repeated a hat described by the designer as “a small bell hat made of red Panama and trimmed with ribbon and a matching bow.”

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It remains a good hat for Mathilde- the scale suits her well and the colour is great on her. The combination of red hat with patterned lace dress is an interesting and well-balanced one that doesn’t overwhelm. Striking the balance with such strong colour and pattern combinations isn’t easy but this one works.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. It is the ‘Audrey’ design.
Previously Worn: April 25, 2018
What do you think about Queen Mathilde’s red hat yesterday in Lisbon?
Photos from Getty as indicated