Chelsea Flower Show

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The Chelsea Flower show is one of many things relocated online this year, with a message of encouragement from its patron. Buckingham Palace also shared a gallery of Her Majesty attending in years past and some of the hats are wonderful:


Jump over to this post to see all the hats (and hairnets!) Queen Elizabeth has worn to the Chelsea Flower Show since first attending in 1952

To kick off this year’s virtual Flower Show, which coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, members of the Royal Family joined in the #MyChelseaGarden campaign, sharing their favourite plants and flowers. Since flowers are such a huge part of royal hats and we all need some encouragement, let’s take a peek, starting with the Queen’s favourites:

Princess Alexandra: 

Duke & Duchess of Gloucester

The Earl and Countess of Wessex

Princess Anne
Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

I thought this was charming and I hope it brightens your day.

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Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Favourite New Royal Hat: January & February 2020

Nine of the new royal hats that debuted in January and February stood out in particular- which one was your favourite?

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat, shown here in the order they were worn:

 

 

1.    2.
Zara Tindall’s woven black straw boater with relaxed brim by Sarah J Curtis worn Jan 5
Duchess of Cambridge’s blue felt Hicks and Brown fedora with pheasant feather hatband worn Jan 5
3.    4.
Zara Tindall in a wave trimmed teardrop percher covered in orange and pink feathers by Millinery Jill worn Jan 11
Queen Margrethe’s blue wool sidesweep hat with plaid hatband by Mathilde Thoe Førster worn Jan 14
5.     6.
Zara Tindall’s heathered grey felt fedora with darker grey hatband and side bow worn January 25
Queen Elizabeth’s ivory, pink and peach bouclé plaid hat with bow and peach feathers by Angela Kelly worn Feb 3
7.  8.  9.
Princess Sofia’s wide brimmed felt fedora hat worn February 4
Queen Mathilde’s grey bandeau by Amélie d’Hooghvorst worn February 17
Queen Máxima’s brimless beret-calot covered in pheasant feathers worn February 18 
This poll will remain open until Thursday, June 4 at midnight GMT.  As usual for these polls, each computer or mobile device can vote twice per day for as many hats as you wish. Happy voting!

Favourite Repeated Royal Hat: January & February 2020

What to say… while it’s been several months since public royal engagements ceased and with them, royal hats for us to admire, we have not chosen our favourite designs from the beginning of this year.

Ten repeated royal hats stood out in January and February- which one was your favourite?

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat, shown here in the order they were worn:

 

1.     2.
Queen Margrethe’s winter white rimmed saucer with fur trim worn January 12
Princess Nobuko’s dark aubergine silk bumper with vented, bead brim worn January 15
3.     4.
Princess Hisako’s apricot silk boater with beaded applique, silk calla lilies and pearls worn Jan 15
Princess Akiko’s pale blue Breton with ostrich feathers and veil worn January 15
5.     6.
Queen Elizabeth’s recycled grey felt hat with assymetrical crown, feathe flowers & sweeping quills worn Jan 19
Empress Masko’s burgundy felt hat with lattice embroidered silk hatband worn January 22
7.     8.
Queen Margrethe’s blue wool sidesweep hat with plaid hatband by Mathilde Thoe Førster worn on February 8
Queen Elizabeth’s mulbery felt Angela Kelly split crown hat with pompoms worn February 19
9.  10.
Queen Elizabeth’s oxblood wool silk crepe and straw hat with cherry blossoms by Angela Kelly worn Feb 25
Princess Anne’s turquoise felt fedora with double hatband and feathers by Amy Morris-Adams worn Feb 29
This poll will remain open until Thursday, June 4 at midnight GMT.  As usual for these polls, each computer or mobile device can vote twice per day for as many hats as you wish. Happy voting!
Photos from Ole Jensen via Getty; TV Tokyo; FNN; Karwai Tang via Getty; TV Tokyo; Ritzau Scanpix via the Danish Monarchy; Heathcliff O’Malley/WPA Pool, Victoria Jones/POOL/AFPvia Getty;  David Hartley/Shutterstock

Inventory: Queen Máxima’s Yellow Hats

Queen Máxima celebrated her 49th birthday over the weekend, sharing a family recipe for an Argentine cookie. To accompany our best wishes for her, I thought it would be fun to take another dive into her closet. Yellow is not a colour the Dutch queen wears often but seemed a happy one for her birthday; here is a look at all of her yellow hats, in the order they have been introduced:

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne; Fabienne Delvigne; unknown
Introduced: December 7, 2012; June 6, 2014; December 6, 2018

I’m not sure we’ve ever reached into a royal hat closet and pulled out three such similarly shaped hats that covered such different looks! While all brimless, these three could not be more different. My favourite is the third, that beautiful silk ikat print of the draped toque hat pairing so well with the structured funnel neck of the coordinating dress neckline.

What do you think of Queen Máxima’s yellow hats? Do you think she’ll follow this inventory with the acquisition of several new styles, as she did following our look at her green hats?!

Photos from Getty as indicated; Robin Utrecht/REX Features

This Week’s Extras

Disappointing news that after 28 years, Danish milliner Susanne Juul closed up shop at the end of March. She is responsible for many of Crown Princess Mary’s beautiful hats and I’m so disappointed we won’t see more of her work
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Striking, sleek and beautifully executed white pinok pok straw saucer hat by Scottish milliner Maggie Mowbray
Sunny yellow straw bandeau trimmed with fantastically realistic silk dandelions by British milliner Angharad Rose
Charming summer hat of ecru and grey vintage woven straw with grey hatband by Australian brand Belle Folie
Ink blue silk dyed Ikat button hat with white crin brim by German brand MATAdesign.
Vibrant green felt top hat with cut feather leaves studded in a black veil by Australian milliner Jill Humphries

From British milliner Sarah Cant, this white wide-straw bandeau with exquisite flying bow in colours fading from apricot to watermelon pink to deep merlot. So pretty.
Unconventional flower headpiece in purple and lime cross hatch crin petals by Australian milliner Sandy Aslett
Classic straw fedora in the loveliest blue with turquoise wrapped hatband by Norwegian milliner Gerd Holth
Black straw percher covered in wonderful leather flowers with beaded centers by Australian milliner Kylie Heagney
Classic shaped hat made spectacular with ombre dyed straw by Australian milliner Lisa Hughes
White straw boater with darling blue pearl centered flowers and hatband by Australian brand Hats by Helen

Charming blue straw design by Czech milliner Jolana Kotabova with crin extended brim, ruched hatband and lovely brim scallop around the back
Cheeky watermelon pink handpainted parasisal straw bandeau with crystal seeds by British milliner Julian Ganer
Orchid purple felt pillbox with sculptural black trim by Australian milliner Bec Bayss
Quirky pink disk with dotted binding, crin loop and floral trim by French milliner Sylvia Martinez
Black lace boater with transparent brim and rounded crown by Australian brand Sonlia Fashion
Ecru felt pillbox with very royal white scalloped trim by Russian milliner Natalia Edis

Such a delicate hand by Turkish-born London based milliner Merve Bayindir on this feather covered saucer. Love the pale ombre rainbow!
Red textured straw cloche with divided crown by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Purple, fuchsia and turquoise folded straw bow headpiece by American milliner Laura Hubka-Timmel
Navy berger with straw brim, silk bias stripe crown and purple flowers by Australian milliner Wendy White
Black straw percher with tall monochrome spray of leaves, silk blooms and veil by UK-based milliner Giulia Mio
Showstopper large ecru straw disc with silk flowers and circling vine by British milliner Edwina Ibbotson

From Australian brand Peacock Millinery, this multicoloured saucer with black feather trim makes me smile

The Dutch royal family sending out love during the Eurovision song contest and Crown Princess Mette-Marit using one of her hobbies to share a message of hope

Photos from social media as indicated