This Week’s Extras

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Cozy knit winter hats on Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, Marie Ducruet and Prince Achileas of Greece
Informal summer hats on Mike and Mia Tindall in Australia last week
Lovely to see Queen Elizabeth’s caramel felt hat with brightly coloured feathers step out for church yesterday.
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The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her birthday last week and among the wishes was this fun animation that gives us a moment to enjoy some of her hats.
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
For our dear gents, this classic black rabbit felt fur trilby by Danish brand Hornskov København
Love the draped front on this violet felt bumper hat with felt floral trim by Czech milliner Jolanta Kotabova
Black felt formed beret with iridescent bow by British milliner Julian Garner
Wide brimmed peach straw pyramid saucer with trailing bow by Australian milliner Marilyn Van den Berg
Deep plum felt trilby with dramatic veil by British milliner Rachel Trevor Morgan
Emerald green straw brimmed picture hat with black crown and flying bow by Australian brand Millinery By Mel

And the most beautiful bandeau headpiece in ombre sinamay and silk roses by British milliner Dillon Wallwork

Much has been written and said about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s surprise announcement last week that they are stepping down as senior members of the British royal family to carve out an independent path. I appreciated this article by mental health advocate (and, it seems, friend of the couple) Bryony Gordon, published in the Telegraph (not one of the newspapers involved in the Sussex’s lawsuit). What articles have you found insightful and useful?
Lovely new family portrait released by the Luxembourg royal family to celebrate the new year.

Photos from social media as indicated

Zara Tindall At Gold Coast Raceday

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Mike and Zara attended the Moet Marquee Magic Millions Raceday at the Gold Coast Turf Club today. Zara wowed in a pink silk dress paired with a percher hat covered in orange feathers. The hat is trimmed with a vertical wave that rolls around the back contour of the base and is covered with orange feathers on the front and bubblegum pink on the back.

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I love this look for multiple reasons. The hat is wonderful on its own, the vertical wave giving some architectural gravitas and elevating it way beyond a basic percher and the feathers giving wonderful texture. The colour scheme is so fun and pairs wonderfully with the dress. Bubblegum pink can tend toward the twee but the orange hat pulls the look away from saccharine to sophisticated. It’s a fantastic look for Zara. I’ve long admired Jill Humphries’ millinery work (many of us have!) and I’m thrilled to see one of her pieces atop a royal head.


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Designer: Millinery Jill (Jill Humphries) It is a version of Feathered Flame. Dress by Rebecca Vallance
Previously Worn: This hat is new

I adore this hat on Zara. What do you think of it?!

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Photos from Getty as indicated 

Favourite New Royal Hat: November & December 2019

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During November and December, we saw a number of wonderful new royal hats make their debut. Eleven felt and silk designs stood out, based on your comments, in percher, bandeau, fedora, pillbox, helmet, saucer and bumper styles with an array of lovely trims. We’re now taking a look back at these beauties and choosing a final design to move forward in upcoming contest for Favourite New Royal Hat of 2019.

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat. Here are the eleven hats you most admired in November and December, shown in the order they were worn:

1.    2.    3.
Duchess of Sussex’s midnight blue velvet teardrop percher with bow and veil by Philip Treacy worn Nov 7
Duchess of Cornwall’s black rounded brimless hat wrapped in feathers by Philip Treacy  worn Nov 10
Duchess of Cambridge’s black felt indented beret percher with lace trim and veil by Philip Treacy worn Nov 10
4.     5.
Duchess of Sussex’s black felt hat with cartwheel brim, slim hatband and bow by Stephen Jones worn Nov 10
Countess of Wessex in a black felt perching saucer hat with a large bow by Jane Taylor worn Nov 10
6.     7.    
Princess Charlene’s sleek white fedora hat by Akris/Galia e Peter worn November 19
Empress Masako’s blue silk jacquard bumper hat with fluted, sparkle-trimmed brim worn Nov 28th
8.      9.
Duchess of Cornwall’s navy felt sidesweep picture hat with ostrich feather by Philip Treacy worn Dec 11
Countess of Wessex in a classic black felt pillbox hat worn on December 13
10.   11.

Princess Beatrice’s forest green felt bandeau with pleated knots by Juliette Botterill worn Dec 25
Countess of Snowdon’s purple felt fedora with pheasant feathers by Jess Collett worn Dec 25

This poll will remain open until Wednesday, January 22  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: November & December 2019

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The final two months of last year brought us a number repeated royal hats met with admiration and praise. Twelve designs stood out, based on your comments, covering a myriad of colours and styles that included a sweeping brimmed picture hats, a jaunty saucer, a classic pillbox and a trio of chic fedoras. We’re going to look back at these beauties and choose a final design to move forward in upcoming contest for Favourite Repeated Royal Hat of 2019.

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat. Here are the twelve hats you most admired in November and December, shown in the order they were worn:

1.     2.
Queen Elizabeth’s black straw and silk crepe covered crown with button trim by Angela Kelly worn Nov 10
Duchess of Cornwall in a textured natural straw hat with sidesweep upturned brim by Philip Treacy worn Nov 18 

3.     4.

Queen Máxima’s midnight blue felt fedora with ribbon hatband and side bow by Fabienne Delvigne worn Nov 21
Queen Elizabeth’ turquoise felt hat with teal velvet stitched leaves by Angela Kelly/Stella McLaren worn Nov 28
5.     6.
Queen Máxima’s pink bandeau headpiece studded with tiny sequins worn on Nov 29
Countess of Wessex’s blue crepe covered bumper-edged pillbox with veil by Jane Taylor worn Dec 11
7.     8.
Queen Elizabeth’s pale jade straw domed hat with twists and silk flowers by Rachel Trevor Morgan worn Dec 18
Queen Elizabeth’s dark green felt cloche with knot and quills by Rachel Trevor Morgan worn Dec 22
9.   10.
Countess of Wessex’s caramel felt fedora with feather hatband from Hicks & Brown Dec 22 and worn Dec 29
Duchess of Cambridge’s Lock and Co. forest green saucer with leaf trim around the back worn Dec 25
11.   12.
Princess Anne’s purple felt fedora with a twisted bow and curling feathers on the side worn Dec 25
Queen Elizabeth’s yellow and grey hat with feather pouf by Angela Kelly/Stella McLaren worn Dec 29
This poll will remain open until Wednesday, January 22  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!

Passing of Infanta Pilar

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Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz, Dowager Viscountess of la Torre, passed away in Madrid at the age of 83 today. The elder sister of King Juan Carlos of Spain, she was popularly known as ‘Doña Pi’ after renouncing her rights of succession to marry Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, Viscount de la Torre, Grandee of Spain in May 1967; together, they raised four sons and a daughter. President of the International Equestrian Federation from 1994 to 2006 and member of the International Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2006, Infanta Pilar was closely involved with a number of charitable causes and organizations.

She wore two particularly memorable hats to the weddings of her nephew, King Felipe in 2004 and Infanta Cristina in 1997 that I share in tribute to her now.

Our thoughts are with the extended Spanish royal family as they grieve her loss.

Photos from Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images and Gianni Ferrari/Cover/Getty Images

Top Royal Hats: September and October 2019

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Results for favourite new design and favourite repeated hat worn in September and October are in with two clear winners:


Princess Hisako’s cream straw hat with black brim stripe and monochrome flowers worn Sep 24



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Autumn Phillips’ green felt beret percher with flying bow and leaves by Sally Ann Provan worn Sep 9

Jump over to the poll for favourite new hat here and favourite repeated hat here to see the results in greater detail. Stay tuned later this week for a final set of polls before we face off 2019 poll winners to crown your favourite new and repeated hats of last year!
Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Hat Types: The Garbo

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One of my goals for 2020 is to complete our glossary of hat shapes. Today we’re looking at the Garbo hat.

History:  After a decade of immense popularity during the 1920s, the cloche hat naturally took on other variations, many which included a longer brim. These longer brims were sometimes swept up in front (see Greta Garbo here in a 1931 poster) but more commonly, were left to gently fall around the face. Swedish actress Greta Garbo, who built a film career during the 1920s playing exotic, sophisticated, women of the world, had become an international sensation during the 1930s (moving from silent to speaking films in 1930) and her reputation and immense popularity paired well with this hat style’s mysterious glamour, the two becoming forever linked. Replaced by smaller scale hats in the 1940s and 50s, Garbo hats surged back into the forefront of fashion in the 1970s. Today, they are seen as a chic, less formal take on a wide brimmed picture hat.

Characteristics: A Garbo hat has a rounded, closely fitted crown similar to a cloche, with a low set brim of medium-wide brim. Typically made of felt, the brim falls gently around the wearer’s face, giving it a relaxed, slightly floppy appearance. The waved shape of the brim is intensified when the crown is fitted more tightly on the head.

Royals Associated with this Hat Style:  none in particular. The phrase “effortlessly chic” comes to mind describing Garbo hats and their royal wearers.

 

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What do you think of the Garbo hat?

Photos from Mark Renders and Michel Porro via Getty; Didier Lebrun/Photo News S.A./Corbis; Gisela Schober, and Michel Porro, Alain Benainous, and  AFP, via Getty; Stella Pictures; Pascal Le Segretain via Getty; Stella Pictures