Category Archives: France

Belgian Royal Wedding

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On September 10, Princess Maria Laura of Belgium was married to William Isvy.

For the civil ceremony at Brussels town hall, the bride wore a 1960s-inspired ecru mini dress with pleated empire waist by Gucci.

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Princess Maria Laura paired the dress with modern diamond and pearl drop earrings (the same ones worn by her sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta at her wedding in 2014) and ecru chunky heeled Gucci pumps.

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That afternoon, the couple’s marriage was celebrated at a religious ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula before 500 guests.

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The bride turned to British designer Vivienne Westwood for her custom silk gown.  Westwood utilized both her corset mastery and inspiration from 18th century women’s fashion for the gown’s beautifully draped bodice. The open neckline is anchored with cap sleeves and the gown “falls from the hip is reminiscent of ancient Greek statues.”

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It’s a gown that relies entirely on construction and drape for its statement. Couture royal gowns are not a new thing – we’ve seen many! – but sometimes they overwhelm the wearer. This one does not.

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Less successful, I think, is the 4 meter (13 foot) long train which attaches by a belt at the waist, “especially created for Maria Laura, to create the drama and presence needed for the cathedral.” Maybe it was the wind on this very blustery, rainy day, but something about the belt attachment doesn’t quite work from all angles.

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The unembellished dress creates a stunning background for the lace veil. Made of exquisite Brussels lace, the floral patterned veil with scalloped edge is a family heirloom originally worn by Queen Paola’s Belgian grandmother, Laura Mosselman du Chenoy, in 1877.  After Queen Paola wore it for her 1959 wedding, it has became a tradition for Belgian royal brides- we’ve seen worn previously by Princess Astrid, Queen Mathilde and Princess Claire.

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Princess Maria Laura anchored the veil with the Savoy-Aosta Diamond Tiara, an heirloom piece from her father’s Austrian royal family. It makes for an overall bridal look that’s a lovely mix of modernity and tradition, the dress, veil and tiara pairing so beautifully together while incorporating pieces from both sides of her family. The ensemble was completed with diamond drop earrings.

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Young pages and bridesmaids, including Princess Maria Laura’s niece Anna and nephew Maximillian, were in mustard yellow silk ensembles, the bridesmaids with wreaths of fresh flowers in their hair. Princess Laeticia corralled the group in an ivory blouse and yellow floral skirt topped with an emerald silk ruched bandeau headpiece.

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Princess Maria Laura was further attended by her other sister Princess Luisa, sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta and cousins Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein and Princess Olympia Napoleon. Luisa, Elisabetta and Marie-Astrid wore bandeau headpieces in yellow, red and pink while Olympia wore a bandeau of gold flowers.

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Wind and rain did not keep radiant smiles off the bride and groom’s faces!

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See hats worn by family members from the Belgian, Austrian, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein royal families 

Images from Getty as indicated  

Imperial Royal Wedding: Guests

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Guests at today’s wedding of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Rebecca Bettarini included several from royal houses, beginning with the groom’s immediate family.

George’s mother, Grand Duchess Mariya Vladimirovna Romanova, wore a pleated blue silk Kokoshnik headpiece with brown sable trim. The headpiece has layered blue silk bows around the back.

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The Grand Duchess’ sister, Helene Kirby, Countess Dvinskaya, wore a hat in the same orange boucle as her suit with a wide brown fur bumper brim.

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The bride’s mother, Carla Virginia Cacciatore, topped her blue and green ruffle collared suit with in a brown hat. The hat features freeform sinamay ruffles atop a shallow pillbox base.

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Crown Princess Elia of Albania wore the loveliest pale gray-green beret percher trimmed with green silk flowers, leaves and a net veil.

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Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein wore a black velvet pyramid hat with wide faux fur cuffed brim.

Princess Lea of Belgium wore a brown fur Cossack style hat.
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The Duchess of Braganza wore a deep eggplant veiled pillbox placed on the back of her head.

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Princess Marie-Marguerite, Duchess of Anjou, wore a statement oversize saucer in peachy-tan sinamay with steep sidesweep. The hat is trimmed with feathers studded in raw-edge crin and sinamay ruffles en masse beneath the brim on its raised side.

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What do you think of the hats that stepped out today in St. Petersburg for this event?

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Images from Getty and social media as indicated  

Monaco Royal Wedding: Guests from Non-Reigning Royal Houses

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We wrap up our week-long look at the hats worn to Prince Albert and Princess Charlene’s religious wedding on July 2, 2011 with those worn by guests from non-reigning royal houses.

Empress Farah wore a pleated turban in the same lime green silk as her jacket and dress that tied at the back in a bow. It was a very coordinated look with subtle contrast provided by the use of both matte and shiny sides of the fabric twisted together and narrow fringe on the bottom of the back bow’s tie.

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Princess Marina of Savoy wore a picture hat in layered navy and black straw, sharply raised on one side and simply trimmed with a slim black straw hatband. The layered straw gives an interesting effect, merging the two colours surprisingly well, especially with the top layer of the straw brim cut shorter than the bottom navy layer to give some lightness to the design around the outer brim’s edge. On its own the hat was great. It’s the pairing with this feather-hemmed, bedazzled, cocktail-all-the-way dress that gives me issue. It’s a dress that simply doesn’t suit a hat.

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Marina’s daughter-in-law, Princess Clotilde, paired her ruffle trimmed scarlet dress with an oversize flower headpiece in black silk. While the black accessories work with the dress, I’d have preferred a sleeker percher hat to provide a more streamlined counterpoint for the statement dress.

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Princess Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is well known for her dramatic sartorial choices and attended this event in the ultimate (most literal? cheesiest?) symbol of love. Her large heart-shaped hat was covered in the same pink silk as her outfit, emphasized with the same magenta handpainted ombre effect as on the collar of her jacket. Well known to be one of Prince Albert’s closest friends, I always wondered if Camilla’s pink statement of love was directed at the unfortunate rumours that plagued the run up to this event… or if this was always her plan. My guess is the latter. Either way, it was quite a hat.

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Maria Margarita de Bourbon, Duchess of Anjou, paired her beautifully embellished grey dress with a statement hat in slightly lighter grey straw. The design was lavishly trimmed with grey silk oversize roses and crystal studded cut feathers placed below the brim of the saucer’s raised side.

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Princess Micaëla of Orleans wore a warm tan-hued raffia sun hat with wide, pleated brim from the Madagascar Hat Company. A twisted sash hatband in the same magenta silk as her skirt was added to the hat, presumably to link the ensemble together.

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The Duchess of Bragança paired her pale blue silk suit with a simple ecru straw hat with flat crown and upturned kettle brim.

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Crown Princess Margarita of Romania was a sunny vision in yellow with wide brimmed hat. The design, by Romanian milliner Kristina Dragomir, featured a shallow, flat crown and gently downcurved brim and was trimmed with a yellow silk hatband and swath of dotted veil wrapped around the crown and tied in a bow across the back. I’m not always a fan of one-colour looks but this shade of yellow is so happy and well suited to Margarita (and successfully grounded by the cream accessories and pearl jewellery) that I can’t help but like it.

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Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia paired her ice blue silk beaded dress and jacket with a feminine headpiece of large white and blue ombre flower petal ruffles trimmed with loops of blue tube crin. I can see how the headpiece linked with her ensemble and I love the unconventional design but I think a less fussy piece (anything that didn’t look like layered cabbage leaves) would have been a better option.

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Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia wore a tall, peaked Kokoshnik-style headpiece in the same floral silk as her dress. Maria’s committment to this traditional Russian millinery shape is admirable (she has worn the shape many times over the years) but this particularly combination of headpiece and dress (with those drapery-esque sleeves) was a LOT of look.

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Princess Sophie of Isenburg, who would marry Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia a month later, paired her colorful couture dress and jacket with an equally vibrant headpiece. Built on a pale beigey-pink silk abaca bandeau with swishy curving edge, the headpiece was trimmed with a birdcage veil, an over-arc of black burnt feathers and a trio of blue, caramel and pink flower feathers on the side. There are countless reasons not to like the headpiece with the ensemble that I continue to ignore, simply because it was of the few ensembles at this event that felt free and fun.

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Stephanie, Hereditary Princess of Baden, wore a giant ivory silk chiffon rose headpiece with petal edges tinged in pink. I love a millinery statement but this this one was dulled by her ‘whole lot of biscuit’ ensemble. Princess Ursula of Bavaria, on the other hand, played up her black straw bow headpiece with feathers, pairing it with a black and white suit. The feather work on this headpiece is worth a second look- a fantastic dahlia flower of black and white striped goose biot feathers with a red center was surrounded by dotted pheasant feathers with a firework display of black coque feathers shooting around the top and side.  Yes, it’s dated now but I still love its bold design and scale.

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Princess Virginia von Fürstenberg, who had been a longtime friend and companion to the widowed Prince Rainier, topped her navy silk dress and scarf and lace jacket with a shiny straw cloche hat in the same colour. The design was simply trimmed with a navy hatband and wide binding around the extended brim.

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That wraps up our look at the Monaco royal wedding nine years ago, and the 44 royal hats and headpieces that attended its multi-day celebration. Which hats in this last group stand out to you most? Which overall royal hat at this event was your favourite?

Jump to this post for an index of other royal hats that appeared at this wedding. 

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Austro-French Royal Wedding Part 2

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The wedding of Prince Jean Christophe Napoléon and Countess Olympia von Arco-Zinneberg on Saturday saw many royal faces with numerous extended family members and guests in Paris to celebrate with the couple.

The bride’s mother, Maria Beatrice of Arco-Zinneberg, was born an Archduchess of Austria-Este, the elder sister of Prince Lorenz of Belgium (Archduke of Austria-Este before gaining the title of prince when he married Princess Astrid). As uncle and aunt of the bride, they were in attendance, Princess Astrid in a brimless hat of spiky dark green feathers. Their daughter, Princess Maria Laura, who acted as a witness for her cousin, wore a sparkling bandeau headpiece. Princesses Luisa Maria, Laetitia Maria and Elisabetta (Amadeo’s wife) were also on the guest list but so far, elude photos.

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Archdukes Rudolph, Carl Christian and Simeon of Austria are also Habsburg relatives of the bride through her mother. Archduke Rudoplph’s wife, Archduchess Marie-Helene wore a white saucer trimmed with veil and a figure-8 bow in the same raspberry pink stripe as her silk coat. Archduchess Marie-Astrid topped her royal blue and gold dress with a navy straw saucer based cocktail hat trimmed with a multi-looped silk abaca bow and a swath of dotted navy tulle.

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Archduke Simeon’s wife, Archduchess Maria (née Princess Maria of Bourbon-Two Sicilies) wore a navy straw brimmed hat with voluminous straw overlay on the brim that wrapped around the design as a draped scarf of sorts. They are pictured here with Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein;  Margaretha topped her orange suit in a repeated russet brown straw hat with mushroom brim, trimmed on the side with a straw bow and pouf of dotted tulle.

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Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus’ elder daughter, Princess Maria Anunciata, wore a high halo bandeau headpiece in brilliant emerald green, lavishly trimmed with silk roses and a ruffle of rough-edged straw studded with tiny beads. Her younger sister wore a deep burgundy velvet bandeau (photo below). Their aunt, Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein, wore a picture hat in champagne straw with wide mushroom brim. The hat’s sheen is spectacular and the repeated use of the wide brim binding also on the hatband gives great balance to the design.

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Much of Luxembourg’s Nassau royal family members were also in attendance. Princess Stephanié, Hereditary Grand Duchess, repeated a circular wrapped headpiece made from overlapping layers of red banana fibre, trimmed with a multi-looped side bow. Princess Claire wore a classic black bandeau trimmed with faux pearls.

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Countess Diane (wife of Prince Jean), wore a tall slice hat of black crin with crown covered in curling pink and black feathers. Jean’s daughter, Princess Marie-Gabrielle, wore a bandeau headpiece covered in varied shades of dusky pink feathers topped with a pink birdcage veil sprinkled with copper sequins.

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Princess Sibilla repeated a wonderful red hat made by Dillon Wallwork. The design features a squared crown covered in the silk crepe, a sidesweeping windowpane straw brim with wide brim edge also in silk crepe, and a wide grey silk hatband with side bow. Also in a British made hat was Princess Beatrice of York in a Julian Garner design described by the milliner as a boater “made out of a fine parasisel straw and is trimmed with hand cut dyed feathers embellished with Preciosa crystals”

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The Greek royal family was represented by Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Olympia, Prince Michael and Princess Marina. Princess Olympia wore an angular grey-olive bandeau headpiece while Princess Marina donned a black felt fedora with ribbon hatband and kicky upturned brim on one side.

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The Royal House of Hanover was represented by Prince Christian and Princess Alessandra who wore a dark purple bandeau veiled headpiece. The Olympe design from Spanish brand Mimoki features an overlapping double bandeau wrapped in cotton raffia. The Duchess of Bragança topped her blue silk dress and coat with a navy straw arc headpiece trimmed with feathers.

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Princess Tatiana Radziwill wore a red circle headpiece of silk abaca studded with read beads with flying bow tails at the back. Duchess Sophie of Wurtenberg wore a fascinator of bright pink feathers.

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Princess Maria Pia of Savoy wore a pink and grey floral headpiece set on a circle of gathered net tulle veil.  Princess Edouard De Lobkowicz (née Princess Marie Francoise of Bourbon-Parma) wore wonderful throw-back voluminous pillbox covered in curving mint, grey and peach straw leaves.

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The groom’s maternal aunt, Princess Anne Marie of Bourbon Two Sicilies, wore a braided black picture hat with upswept brim on one side, trimmed with a black organdie multi-looped bow and net veil. Her daughter, Dorothée de Bourbon-Siciles, wore a fascinator of neon pink crin, dotted crin and feathers while her daughter-in-law wore a chic black veiled pillbox with bow on the side. 

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Finally, the groom’s maternal uncle, Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, attended with his glamorous wife and daughters. Princess Camilla’s navy blue straw vertical disc hat is lavishly trimmed with different varieties of feathers in navy and black, large loops of navy crin and crystal-studded windowpane crin on the exposed underside of the raised brim.  Princess Maria Carolina, who served as a witness, topped her orchid purple suit with a magenta straw hat. With a sharply curved ‘slice’ shape, the design is trimmed with pink and black feathers on the lower side of the brim. Princess Maria Chiara wore a tan silk abaca draped hat with pleated crescent, net tulle veil and dark blue organza leaves and lighter blue flowers.

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Numerous more royal guests attended the wedding who, I’m afraid, were not caught by photographer’s lenses. Even so, we do have record of 33 hats and headpieces from this event which we are able to admire. This leads me to ask, dearest readers- which ones stand out to you, most?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Austro-French Royal Wedding

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It’s extremely rare for us to see the kinds of dynastic marriages that were more common a century ago so when one happens, as it did at Les Invalides in Paris on Saturday between a couple with combined roots in the houses of Habsburg, Napoléon, Savoy, Aosta, Bourbon Two-Scillies, Arco-Zinneberg, and Orleans, it garners much attention.

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The groom, Prince Jean Christophe Napoléon, is great-great-great nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte and current head of the Imperial House of Napoléon. The bride, Countess Olympia von Arco-Zinneberg is the great-great-great niece of the French Emperor’s second wife, Marie Louise of Austria and, through her mother, a great-granddaughter of Charles I and Zita, the last Emperor and Empress of Austria-Hungary. Thus, these nuptials echoed the 1810 wedding of Napoleon Bonaparte I and the Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, bringing the Imperial House of France and the Austrian House of Habsburg together again, albeit in a love match without the strategic political motivations! (Through her father, Olympia is great-great-granddaughter of the last King and Queen of Bavaria and through her mother, the 3x great-granddaughter of  King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. Through Prince Jean’s great-great-grandfather, King Leopold II of Belgium, he is related to the Belgium, Luxembourg, and the British royal familes).

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Countess Olympia chose a graphic gown from Oscar de la Renta’s Fall 2019 bridal collection. Made of a large scale leaf motif silk applique lace, the sleeveless gown follows a simple A-line silhouette with v-neck bodice held by spaghetti straps. The skirt’s full circle shape is raised in front and extends to what looks to be a cathedral-length train at the back, the lace providing a scallop around the edge.

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The gown was topped with a matching capelet, which Countess Olympia removed for the evening reception held at the historic Palace of Fontainebleau. A long silk tulle veil edged in the same leaf pattern lace topped the look, anchored with a diamond bandeau tiara that once belonged to the bride’s maternal grandmother Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta.

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Attendants wore ivory silk frocks with Peter Pan collars, puffed sleeves and full skirts accented with mint green ruched sashes tied in bows at the back. Their sweet look was topped with head wreaths of ivory roses and fresh green hydrangeas.

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The bride’s mother, Maria Beatrice of Arco-Zinneberg (née Archduchess Maria Beatrice of Austria-Este), wore a in a deep navy straw vertical Philip Treacy saucer rimmed with a narrow cuff of midnight blue velvet. The hat is beautifully trimmed with purple butterflies and handmade silk orchids that link with its velvet brim edge. Countess Olympia’s sister, Countess Maximiliana, helped the bride manage her dress in a black veiled beret percher with pleated silk abaca forward leaning ruffle. If any readers have come across photos of Olympia’s other four sisters, Countess Anna Theresa, Countess Margherita, Countess  Giorgiana, and Countess Marie Gabrielle, please share links in the comments.

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The groom’s mother, Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies , topped her graphic cape with a cream felt fedora trimmed with a russet brown ribbon hatband. I’ve not located a photo of his sister Caroline but Jean’s paternal grandmother, the Dowager Princess Napoléon,  who has considerable French and Italian aristocratic heritage of her own, wore a black veiled pillbox hat. The sheen on the hat’s straw pairs so well with her printed suit.

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See the hats worn worn by extended family and royal guests here.

Photos from Getty as indicated