to this day in 1960 and the christening of King Philippe. Princess Paola (as she was at the time) wore an oddly proportioned hat with tall, pleated crown and wide brim.
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Photos from Getty as indicated
Norwegian Royals Celebrate National Day
Members of the Norwegian royal family celebrated Constitution Day today with an annual appearance on the palace balcony for the Oslo children’s parade.
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Queen Sonja wore a striking hat in cream straw with a square crown and and wide brim raised on one side. The hat is trimmed with a navy hatband and brim piping, a classic combination that gives high contrast punch to the design. I think it’s a fantastic piece for Sonja. As in years past, King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon both wore morning suits with black silk top hats. I’ll wait for our top hat experts to weigh in but it seems to me that King Harald could do with a slightly larger size.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit stuck to national colours, topping her navy coat with a red beret hat worn on the back of her head. While not my favourite piece, it’s a great colour choice for today’s national holiday.
Designer: unknown. Possibly Mona Strand.
Previously Worn: this hat is new
Previously Worn: this hat is new
Princess Märtha Louise dressed in traditional folk costume for her own, private celebrations and shared this snap.
It looks like a great day was enjoyed by all. What do you think of this quartet of hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated and Vegard Wivestad Grøtt / NTB scanpix via the Royal House of Norway
Princess Margriet Visits Canada
Princess Margriet and Peter von Vollenhoven are on a visit to Canada this week. Yesterday, for the couple’s meeting with veterans at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Princess Margriet repeated a white feather pouf fascinator.
While the choice of a white headpiece for her red suit is a lovely tribute to her Canadian hosts, It feels to me that Margriet’s head and body are going to two separate events.
I can’t think of an example when a royal hat truly looked great with a pair of trousers (top hats and morning suits excepted, of course!)- can you?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Hat From the Past
to this day in 1963 when King Baudoin and Queen Fabiola departed London following a state visit. You’d not think that a floppy bow on top of a floppy brim would work but this hat proves otherwise.
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Photo from Getty as indicated
Buckingham Palace Garden Party
Members of the British Royal Family joined Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh today for the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the season. For this event, the Queen repeated her pale pink boater hat with wide hat band. In a sea of feathered and flowered millinery, the clean lines of this piece stand out and its simplicity is something I have come to adore. Since this ensemble’s last outing, more buttons have been added to the coat, a change I’m less pleased about. The previous single button closure on the coat allowed much of the dress to show through, providing much needed contrast in pattern and texture against the sleek coat and hat.
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The Duchess of Cambridge repeated her pale blue straw saucer hat with raised back and calla lily trim. The scale of this piece, which is a little larger than most of Kate’s other percher hats, is great on her and while the colour is a little bland, the textured straw is a great counterpoint to her satin coat.
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Designer: “Sweet Delight” design from Lock & Co. Coat by Christopher Kane.
Previously Worn: June 16, 2014
Previously Worn: June 16, 2014
Princess Beatrice also wore a boater hat, in navy and white straw. I love the classic feel of this hat but wish she had paired it with a dress that read less “bellhop” than this one does.
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Designer: Laura Apsit Livens. Dress is “Winston” by Tory Birch.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Anne repeated her cream straw teardrop shaped percher hat with looped straw bows, silk flowers and white net. It’s a decidedly modern piece for our champion royal hat recycler and while not a perfect match for her beautifully embroidered ivory suit, the ensemble works.
Princess Michael of Kent repeated a straw picture hat with cream brim and long, arrowhead feather contrasting against a tall, domed and straight-sided black crown. The brim on this design is oval (the left extends much further than the right), a feature better visible during its last outing. The classic colour scheme works well for this most modern shape although her myriad of other accessories makes this a look with a LOT going on.
I think this is a strong quintet of hats from the British Royal Family. Which pieces stand out to you most here?
Photos from Getty as indicated and Press Association via the British Monarchy
Royal Hats 