Category Archives: Luxembourg

Luxembourg National Day

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The Luxembourg royal family celebrated their country’s national holiday yesterday with attendance at a civil ceremony, a military parade and an inter-religious Te Deum at the Luxembourg Cathedral. While hats did not appear at the first two events (except for uniform caps), a quintet of lovely pieces were donned for the Te Deum.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa used the occasion to début a new ‘slice’ brim picture hat with upfolded brim raised high over one side of the hat’s crown. The dramatically shaped hat was trimmed in bold, wide curling straw ribbons (the same ones we saw adorn numerous hats at Ascot last week) which adorned the underside of the raised brim. Maria Teresa has worn this style of hat in the past- while some argue it gives her some height, I think the shape overwhelms. It’s a beautiful hat and it pairs well with her tan and black embroidered suit but I think a different shape would have been better suited the Grand Duchess.

Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

The Hereditary Grand Duchess topped her beautiful yellow dress with a light picture hat. The hat, made of slim strips of crin sewn together to give a striped effect, featured a gently ruffled brim on one side into which a large yellow feather was tucked. I am firmly on the fence with this piece- the stripes give it a dime-store vibe that I just can not shake and the feather is simply awful. It does, however, have a lovely sense of light airiness that works well with Princess Stèphanie’s yellow dress and her beautiful hair and makeup provides the polish and elegance which the hat lacks. I adore that Princess Stèphanie is slowly starting to experiment with her hats and hope this trend continues.

Princess Stèphanie, June 23, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

Princess Claire wore a large white picture hat with rolling brim, trimmed simply with a black band around the base of the crown. The hat is a simple but very chic piece that worked very well with her dotted red dress and amazing earrings.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Princess Alexandra topped her pale green lace dress with a 1920s flapper-style headband. While I’m not sure the headband was a great match for her dress, there is something so lighthearted and unexpected about this piece that makes me smile.

Designer: Amelie D’Hooghvorst
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Princess Tessy fast-forwarded two decades from her sister-in-law, bringing a 1940s fashion vibe into her look today. Her headpiece, a high curling base of gossamer grey straw trimmed with feathers, worked beautifully with her navy dress and waved hairstyle and perfect red lip (has ever a red lip set off a hat so well?). The modern headpiece is an unexpected choice to round out a vintage look but Tessy looked stunning in it.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

It is always lovely to see the entire family together at this event- which one of these hats stood out most to you?

Photo from Getty as indicated and Jean-Claude Ernst via Tageblatt

Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo

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European royals gathered in Waterloo, Belgium yesterday to participate in a ceremony hosted by the Belgian government to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The 1815 battle, which saw the overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte and the restoration of Louis XVIII to the French throne, is being celebrated during three days of grand scale re-enactments which include more than 5000 historical re-enactors from around the world. The Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg monarchs were on hand yesterday for the first event.

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As hostess for this ceremony, Queen Mathilde stood out in a natural straw hat with large, flat crown and wide mushroom brim. The considerable scale of the piece was lovely on Mathilde and gave some neutral grounding to her vibrant goldenrod dress and jacket. We haven’t seen this piece worn since 2004 and it was lovely to see it again.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: June 26, 2004

Queen Máxima repeated her silver grey silk ringed headpiece with new grey and blue lace dress. In the past I have been rather critical of these open-topped headpieces and while I’m still not in love with this one (and retain quibbles about the puckered seams), I appreciate it much more. The open top gives this piece a lightness needed for a summer hat and places the focus on  Máxima’s face.  This is the third outfit we have seen Máxima pair with this headpiece (we’ll look at those in greater detail in a few weeks) and is, so far, my favourite.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: April 4, 2014; November 24, 2013; Oct. 20, 2007

The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg topped her oyster-grey suit with a domed pillbox hat made of the same fabric. We have seen Maria Teresa in numerous pillbox hats over the past year and the shape suits her well. The ensemble is a little bland for my taste, however, and I would have loved even a subtle bit of colour to liven it.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Marchioness of Douro (née Jemma Kidd), who is the Duke of Wellington’s daughter-in-law, wore a Philip Treacy percher hat in cream, trimmed with a signature Treacy twist.

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It always seems that the European royals are delighted to get together and this event was no different. What did you think of the royal hats seen yesterday in Belgium?

Embed from Getty Images

Photos from Getty as indicated

Battle of Waterloo Descendants Gather in Belgium

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Descendants of main leaders of the Waterloo Battle gathered at Laeken Castle in Brussels today for a reception hosted by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.

200th Anniversary of Battle of Waterloo, June 17, 2015

The Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess joined in this biennial celebration. Princess Stèphanie wore a new cocktail hat in lilac straw, trimmed with wide curls of straw ribbon. I have long hoped Stèphanie would experiment with this style of hat and while I would have preferred it worn further forward, on the side of her head as a percher, this is a good start. The shade of lilac is particularly lovely on her.

Princess Stèphanie, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats  Princess Stèphanie, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

Princess Stèphanie, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

The Marchioness of Douro (née Jemma Kidd), who is daughter-in-law of the current Duke of Wellington, wore a black saucer hat trimmed multiple loops of straw ribbon.

Marchioness of Douro, June 17, 2015 | Royal Hats

The 200th anniversary of this turning point in history continues tomorrow with a grandiose reconstruction of the battle over the next two days. The Queen of the Belgians, King and Queen of the Netherlands, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Duke of Kent, Prince Napoleon and other European heads of state are expected to attend. I will cover the ceremony here on Royal Hats on Friday.

Photos from Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis

Luxembourg Royals Join Octave Procession

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Members of the Luxembourg Royal family took part yesterday in the closing procession of the Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg, a national religious celebration that occurs every year several weeks after Easter. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa used the occasion to début a new pillbox hat in dove grey felt. Maria Teresa wears pillboxes well (her hairstyle is particularly well suited to them) and while she often favours ensembles in brighter colours, I liked this more streamlined combination of hat and silver brocade coat on her.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Princess Claire topped her raspberry red dress and jacket with a black percher cocktail hat trimmed with several feather pompoms. The black hat tied well with Claire’s other black accessories and added a touch of whimsy to her ensemble but its placement was off- instead of perching over an eyebrow on the side of the head as a percher should, Claire wore this hat just off the center of her forehead. Move it down a bit and I think we’d have a winner.

Princess Claire, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats

Prince Felix and Princess Claire brought their daughter, Princess Amalia, out for the royal family’s balcony appearance. The wee princess sported a tiny pink hair bow along with her quizzical expression. Adorable.

Princess Claire, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Princess Tessy repeated the lovely grey and navy saucer hat she wore for this event last year. The grey hat, trimmed with navy piping and large looped straw bows, is a great shape and scale on Tessy and she wears it well. I’m just not sure its pairing with her blousy grey jacket was a good idea. Her sleek navy lace dress last year showed this hat so beautifully and the proportion of this ensemble seems painfully off in comparison.

Princess Tessy, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats Princess Tessy, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: I suspect it is House of Fraser
Previously Worn: May 26, 2014

While several members of the family were not in attendance for the Octave procession (the Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess were away attending WWII commemoration events across Europe), it looks like an enjoyable time was had by those who took part. What did you think of this trio of royal hats in Luxembourg?

Luxembourg Royal Family, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats

Luxembourg Royal Family, May 10, 2015 | Royal Hats

Photos from Chris Karaba, Lucien Koneczny, Lucien Koneczny, René Scho, René Scho, René Scho, Chris Karaba and Chris Karaba via RTL and Wort

 

British Royal Wedding Four Years On: European Royal Guests

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A wedding  Our look back at the marvellous royal hats worn at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge four years ago now moves from family members to royal guests. First up is hats worn by guests from the reigning royal houses of Europe.

The Norwegian Royals (who are cousins to the British Royal family) were represented by the King and Queen. Queen Sonja thoughtfully turned to British hat makers Lock and Co. for her hat. In white straw and trimmed with a simple curled white feather, the ceterpiece of this hat was its lattice brim which was folded up over the crown. The resulting shape was a modern departure for Sonja but it looked wonderful on her.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark topped her Twitter blue wool coat with a brimless calot hat covered in the same fabric. The calot was trimmed in a  band of the same patterned blue silk fabric as her dress over which several spiky, spiralled feathers were placed. The hat is a characteristically quirky piece for Margrethe and I thought she wore it well. The overall ensemble, however, was an overkill of the same blue fabric and needed breaks in both colour and texture.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa topped her slate blue dress and jacket with a large dove grey picture hat trimmed with a single, oversize blue ombre rose. The hat is a beautiful one and while I covet it for my own millinery closet, I don’t think it was the right choice for Maria Teresa. Both her suit and the hat seemed to dwarf the Grand Duchess, which was most unfortunate.

The Spanish Royals seldom wear hats and this wedding provided us an opportunity to see their millinery style. Queen Sofia chose a light fascinator to in the same shade as her Margarita Nuez lavender silk suit. Made of layered organza and net tulle, the headpiece was studded with the same periwinkle blossoms that formed the floral pompom buttons on her jacket. The Princess of Asturias (as was her title then) topped her Felipe Varela embroidered pink 1930s inspired dress with a coordinating cloche hat. Designed by Pablo Y Mayaya, the cloche hat was a great scale and colour for Letizia. I’m afraid, however, it suffered from over-trimming. With four kinds of feathers (including large pheasant ones). a wide ruched sash around the crowd, a net tulle veil, rosettes and even bits of appliqué lace, this small hat held everything but the kitchen sink and suffered for it.

Princess Máxima (who was not yet Queen) was the picture of refined elegance in a pale pink lace Valentino suit and a silk calot hat designed by Fabienne Delvigne. Head-to-toe ensembles in pale pink risk looking rather boring and flat but the different textures of lace and draped silk created a look that was as interesting as it was harmonious. The artfully ruched silk on the hat gave it a wonderful sense of movement despite its small footprint. The addition of diamond star brooches to the side of the calot gave it a touch of glamour and we now all associate with Máxima and I adore her for adding this bling.

Princess Mathilde (who also was not yet Queen) chose teal blue for her ensemble. Her Armani dress and jacket was crowned with a large picture hat by Philip Treacy. A similar shape to the navy hat worn by Lady Frederick Windsor, this piece featured a wide round brim, moulded crown and vertical looped Treacy signature bow. While I loved the colour on Mathilde, the impact of the wonderful hat was lost against her overly shiny suit.

Crown Princess Victoria followed the pattern of head-to-toe in a single colour, choosing cantaloupe orange for her ensemble. Her large straw picture hat, designed by Swedish milliner  Britta von Koenigsegg, was a welcome departure from the smaller fascinators Victoria usually favours and it looked great on her. This shade of orange is one of the more difficult colours to wear and while Victoria she managed it well, I think the overall ensemble is just too peachy for me.

Rounding out this group of European royals was Charlene Wittstock (just two months later, she would become Princess of Monaco). Her palest-of-pale bluey grey straw picture hat featured a low, rounded crown and gently waved wide brim. With her Akris coat and pearl earrings, the hat made for an extremely elegant and refined ensemble.  High collared coats and picture hats can be a tricky combination but the rounded, slightly open neck on this coat and the easy movement of the hat made for such a perfect compliment.

As we might have expected, the European royals wore wonderful hats to this wedding. Whose hat did you admire?
Photos from Getty as indicated