to this day in 1986 when the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in Japan for the start of a state visit. Diana’s dress and simple (but jauntily placed) hat led the news around the world that day- diplomatic dressing at its finest.
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Photos from Getty as indicated
Position 3: “Just Back” One of the two most common placements for pillboxes these days, this position leaves an inch or two of hair in front of the hat to frame the face. The centre of the hat generally sits over the crown of the head.
Position 4: “Off The Top” Perhaps the most common pillbox placement today, the front rim of the hat sits near the middle of the top of the head, leaving several inches of visible hair in front. The back rim of the hat roughly follows the occiptal bone around the back of the head – the center of the hat falls just below the crown of the wearer’s head.
Position 5: “Off The Back” The front hat rim is placed near the crown of the head leaving the hat to sit nearly (or completely!) vertical down the back of the head. Unless the hat is very large, the hair on the top of the wearer’s head will remain mostly uncovered.
This exercise left me with a few questions. Have royal pillbox hats always been worn primarily off the face? Has royal pillbox placement changed much since the 1980s? The 1960s? Stay tuned tomorrow when we break down pillbox placement during the last century (1950s through 1990s) and look for ways past fashion might influence how this classic hat shape is worn today.
For now, I’m curious about which one of these pillbox placements you think works best. What factors influence this? Does one position work better with shorter or longer hair? Does face shape matter? What about size of the pillbox?
to forty-two years ago yesterday when Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed by the late Emperor Hirihito and Empress Nagako to Japan. While Empress Nagako’s turban makes a significant millinery statement, it pales in comparison to the Queen’s flower covered cloche.
King Harald visited the Norwegian royal yacht on Wednesday in preparation for next week’s 80th birthday celebrations for he and Queen Sonja which will bring a number of royal guests. He always looks natty in his nautical hat.
Some fun snaps of King Carl Gustaf taken April 28 at the opening of the new Viking Museum in Stockholm
So lovely to see the Duchess of Kent at an event this week.
Esquire’s list of the 40 Best Dressed Men included one royal- Prince Michael of Kent. Does that surprise you as much as it surprised me?
Adorable family photo shared by the King of Bhutan
From Sweden, a sweet moment captured between Princess Estelle and the King last Sunday on his birthday
And finally, news of the Duke of Edinburgh’s retirement caught many by surprise this week. Fittingly, the last word on this subject goes to him:
twenty-two years ago today to a service held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. Princess Margaret wore a yellow hat with wide brim and tall crown, swathed in a frothy cloud of tulle.
Photo from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 