King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended Dutch National Remembrance Day ceremony yesterday as they do every year on May 4. As in Denmark, the event took on particular poignancy with this also being the 75th anniversary of liberation and the visually arresting view of an empty Dam Square.

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For this event, Queen Máxima wore a simple black felt fedora hat with relaxed brim. The design is trimmed only with a ribbon hatband, and was anchored with a large pair of pearl hatpins.

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It’s a streamlined look for Queen Máxima that carries a sense of gravitas fitting to this event. Máxima always wears black for Remembrance Day and while I was initially surprised with the choice of a fedora, it provides a strong, streamlined millinery look for a somber event (perhaps more somber this year than others) where fashion simply needs not to be a primary focus. Jump over to the Dutch Monarchy page here to read King Willem-Alexander’s thoughtful speech. 

Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new. 

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima concluded their state visit to Indonesia in Sumatra on Thursday with several more informal engagements that saw the Dutch queen in a pair of neutral headpieces. The first paired with a coral floral dress, was a repeated open circle headpiece in ruched caramel brown straw.

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We’ve talked about these open-crowned designs here many times before and while they are still not my favourite, I can see how it was a logical choice for a less formal event held on tour in a tropical climate. This particular design pairs well with the dress, adding a neutral grounding that slightly softens the impact of the coral print.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Zimmerman. 
Previously Worn: July 7, 2015; April 26, 2014

Queen Máxima’s final piece of millinery for this tour was a new halo bandeau headpiece covered in the same tan linen as her outfit (one some of you will recognize from Konigsdag last year).

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Hats and pants always seem an odd combination to me but this bandeau works well, I think, thanks to its interesting raised shape (which gives it more presence and style than a simple headband) and it’s quiet colour. The design frames Máxima’s face in a very attractive way, adding that extra bit of interest to her overall ensemble without overwhelming.

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Designer: unknown. Outfit by Natan.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

The second day of the Dutch state visit to Indonesia continued yesterday with Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Her Highness Radu Hemas welcoming King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima to Kraton Palace in Yogyakarta. For this visit, and a stop at a community development project, Queen Máxima repeated her picture hat with upswept ‘slice’ brim in muted leaf green straw.

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Previously Worn: May 16, 2019; June 5, 2018 

Later in the day, the royal couple visited the Prambanan Temple. For this, Queen Máxima changed into her textured, natural straw hat with wide cartwheel pleated brim trimmed witha flat, multi-looped bow in caramel satin.

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The pleats on either side of the brim significantly alter its shape and, together with the roughly woven straw, make the look of the hat decidedly less formal. It gives this design interest, and while it’s not my favourite millinery shape in Máxima’s hat closet, it’s nice to see something out of the ordinary.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Zimmerman
Previously Worn: June 23, 2017

King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday for a four-day state visit.

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The visit officially kicked off today with a welcome at the Bogor Presidential Palace in West Java by President Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana and visits to a Dutch cemetery and Pipiltin chocolate factory. For this program of events, Queen Máxima wore a new calot hat formed from overlapping crescent shapes made of textured golden brown straw.

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The Dutch queen wears warm neutral shades so well and this hat’s hue pairs well with her printed silk georgette dress. It’s the shape that I’m not sure works- from some angles, it close-fitting scale and shape take on a helmet vibe and I wonder if the flowing lines of the dress might work better with a brimmed hat.

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Designer: unconfirmed. Fabienne Delvigne has made several similar shaped designs. Dress by Natan
Previously Worn: This hat is new

This morning, Queen Máxima attended CNV Vakmensen’s (a very large Dutch union) anniversary conference, repeating her textured pink bandeau headpiece. The embroidered fabric used on the headpiece and coat are studded with small sequins.

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There are numerous things to like here- the scale is great, large enough to give the headpiece some presence but not overwhelm, the fabric texture gives great dimension and the sequins add subtle sparkle when in motion. These things all balance the pale shade, making a very polished yet interesting ensemble for the Dutch Queen, who wears it very well.

Queen Máxima opened an exhibition on humanity at the Nemo Science Museum in Amsterdam this morning. For this event, she repeated her deep, midnight navy felt fedora with relaxed brim and tall pinched crown, trimmed with a wide navy hatband with flat, folded bow at the side.

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On paper, a relaxed fedora, chiffon dress and ruffle necked coat don’t seem like a good combination but the intensity of colour, and the pattern of the dress drawing everything together, makes it work. I’m surprised how much I like the pairing of chic, less formal hat with the floaty dress (again, I think the pattern makes it work) and find the balance of the overall ensemble, from dark hat to scarlet shoe, to be surprisingly good. Styling sometimes elevates a hat and I think this was the case today.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: Oct 5, 2017; Oct 3, 2016