This Week’s Extras

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Empress Masako, Crown Princess Kiko, Princess Mako and Princess Kako wore pastel silk-covered small scale hats on December 23 for a visit to Imperial Palace for Emperor Emeritus Akihito’s 86th birthday.

On Christmas Day, Queen Sonja wore a chic brown fedora with striped hatband matching her scarf to Holmenkollen Chapel in Oslo.
French magazine Point de Vue featured an in-depth interview with Belgian milliner Fabienne Delvigne. It’s in French but with the help of an auto-translator, is still an interesting read.
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Adore the stitching detail on this grey trilby from Japanese millinery brand Maxim
Snazzy black knit ski hat with vibrant sequinned trim from New-York-based milliner Abigail Alridge
Textured ivory halo bandeau with flying baubles by Irish milliner Julie Kenny
Relaxed tan felt fedora with macrame side detail from American milliner Genevieve Rose
And the perfect headpiece for New Year’s Eve in cut charcoal grey feathers with a crystal studded veil from UK-based Italian milliner Guilia Mio

More lovely Christmas photo greetings from:  Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia;
And finally, the Swedish royal family’s annual documentary of their year can be watched here– turn on closed captioning in Swedish then enable your browser’s auto-translator to read the text in your preferred language.

Photos from social media as indicated

British Royals Celebrate Christmas- Part II

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After a brief Christmas Day break here at Royal Hats, we continue  with hats worn by remaining members of the British Royal Family to attend Christmas Morning Service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene near Sandringham. The Countess of Wessex topped her oatmeal coat with a burgundy velvet padded bandeau headpiece trimmed with a birdcage veil.

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It’s a quieter millinery look for Sophie than we usually see her wear, although still very much on trend. The burgundy headpiece and purse brighten her neutral ensemble, giving it a festive pop of colour. Beyond that, there’s really not much to say.

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Designer: Jane Taylor It is the Velvet Small Moon Headband With Veil from AW 2019. Coat by Suzannah. 
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new

Lady Louise also joined in the current craze for bandeau headpieces with a braided design in muted pink velvet. It wouldn’t be my first choice to pair with her checked coat (one some of you might recognize as one previously worn by her mum) but I see the appeal of this piece, particularly for a young person, and Louise wears it well.

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Designer: unknown. Coat by Stella McCartney
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new

Princess Anne repeated her deep purple felt fedora with deeply creased crown and extended brim, which raises around the back, trimmed with a twisted bow and curling feathers on the side. The scale and colour of the hat are great on her and pull her ensemble forward, counter balancing the oddly large 70s referencing lapels on her coat.

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Designer: Amy Morris-Adams
Previously Worn: Dec 30, 2018; Aug 26, 2018; March 16, 2018  

The Countess of Snowdon was also in purple, her heather-hued felt fedora trimmed with a pale Petersham ribbon hatband and a large spray of pheasant feathers on the side. Serena’s style is an effortlessly glamorous one and this hat falls in line with this aesthetic, wonderfully pairing her chic hat and pink tweed coat for an unexpected but stylish pairing.

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Designer: Jess Collett. It is The Cheltenham from AW 2019
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Lady Margarita-Armstrong Jones joined the bandeau trend in a deep teal silk velvet padded bandeau embroidered with sprays of red and gold beaded leaves in a criss-cross pattern and topped with a a birdcage veil. You can see more detailed views of the design from the milliner’s portfolio here and here.

 

Designer: Jess Collett. It is the Bardot Hairband from AW 2019
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new.

Lady Sarah Chatto, who is visible behind Prince George in the photos below, repeated a navy felt hat with squared crown and wide cartwheel brim. The hat is finished with a slim hatband and small ribbon bow at the front; it follows the elegantly streamlined millinery style Sarah favours and carries off so well.

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Designer: Stephen Jones custom version of ‘Facetime’ from Miss Jones AW 2019
Previously Worn: Dec 25, 2017

That wraps up this year’s British royal Christmas Day hats- which ones stood out most to you?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

British Royals Celebrate Christmas- Part I

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Members of the British Royal Family joined the Queen today, as they do each year, for Christmas Day Service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene near Sandringham.

The Queen wore a new ensemble today in brilliant red, topped with a felt hat . The teardrop shape of this hat’s crown is one we’ve seen on previous hats; the design is completed with a side spray of black feathers and hatband of the same fine braid as is trimming her coat. .

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Several readers guessed the queen would be in red this year and you were spot on! The look is festive and the coat’s open collar, edged with that lovely braid, frames the hat and Her Majesty’s face really well. What’s less successful for me is the crown shape- its height and flared silhouette creates an awkward proportion that feels a bit clunky. While the colour is great, I’m not sure the shape flatters.

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Designer: Angela Kelly made by Stella McLaren
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Duchess of Cornwall repeated her royal purple felt brimless hat in a gently rounded helmet shape, trimmed with a large spray of  purple goose biot feathers. It’s a bold shape that she carries off well despite it’s clunky (again!) mushroom shape – the colour is divine, the spiky feathers play down the helmet vibe well and Camilla’s soft hairstyle lightens the look. The modern hat pairs really well with Camilla’s traditionally cut velvet coat, the two pieces combining to create a rather regal statement.

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Designer: Philip Treacy Bruce Oldfield dress and coat.
Previously Worn: March 11, 2019

The Duchess of Cambridge repeated her dark green percher saucer hat trimmed with large, pleated flower on the back raised side of the design.

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Today is the first time we’ve seen this hat not worn with a green coat and despite its small scale, holds its own. The styling here, coordinated with a purse and shoes in the same colour against the neutral coat, allows the hat to stand out more than we’ve seen it before. Coordinating Charlotte’s green coat makes a particularly sweet connection.

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Designer: Silvia Fletcher for Lock and Co. Coat by Catherine Walker. 
Previously Worn: Mar 17, 2017; Dec 25, 2015

Princess Beatrice, who was joined for the first time by her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, wore a bandeau in forest green peachbloom felt accented with a beautiful pleated swirl motif. The design is a beautiful colour on her and the pleated detail gives such interest to the piece, making it much more special than a simple bandeau.

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Designer: Juliette Botterill. It is the Knotted Felt Band from AW 2019. Coat by The Fold London
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

Princess Eugenie wore a navy blue headpiece described by the designer as a “silk covered headband, adorned with cut feathers and a silk bow.” The colour is lovely on her and the layered cut feathers give some beautiful dimension, height and movement to the design.

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Designer: Juliette Botterill. It is the Silk Feather Bow Band from AW 2019
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

It’s a lovely parade of jewel-toned designs so far (we’ll look at remaining hats worn by the Wessex ladies, Princess Anne, the Countess of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto tomorrow). For now, what are your thoughts on these first five designs? Enjoy the Queen’s Christmas message below.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Merry Christmas!

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Today, on Christmas Eve, we look back at two sweet photos of Queen Elizabeth, boarding the train in London to travel to Sandringham for Christmas. The first photo might be one of her first hats, in 1929, while the second is a memorable flared crown shape worn in 1965. May all our travelling bonnets make such statements!

Wherever your travels take you this holiday season, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and New Year filled with joy, love, hope and peace.

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Photos from Getty as indicated

Queen Elizabeth And Wessex Family Attend Church

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Queen Elizabeth was joined for Sunday service yesterday morning St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk by the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children. For this outing, the Queen repeated her modified dark green felt cloche with high, stacked asymmetrical crown and short brim. The hat is trimmed with a wide dark green felt hatband punctuated with an under-hatband in lime green, a knot in these two green shades and a pair of curved dark green quills. The limited photos don’t do the hat justice and it remains a lovely design on Her Majesty.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: Apr 13, 2019;  Jan 21, 2018

The Countess of Wessex repeated repeated a more casual camel felt fedora with overlapping pheasant feather hatband. The shape and scale of this hat are ones that Sophie wears well and the feather hatband elevates the design. I’m just not sure about its pairing with her wide-legged pink jumpsuit.

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Designer: Suffolk Fedora in Camel from Hicks & Brown
Previously Worn: Aug 25, 2019; Dec 23, 2018; May 14, 2018

What do you think of these two familiar hats out for church yesterday?

Photos from Getty as indicatedÂ