Tag Archives: Autumn Phillips

Ascot Hats: Autumn Phillips

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In recent years, Autumn Phillips’ hats have turned heads and news earlier this year of a divorce and departure from the royal family was met with disappointment on multiple levels, especially in terms of millinery! Here is a look at all the hats she wore to Royal Ascot:

2007:

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White straw percher top hat with veil and multi-looped bow

2009:  

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Fuchsia straw hat with large ruffled bow and feathers

2012 and 2013:  

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Navy straw saucer with pink and white silk flowers and arrow cut pheasant feathers by Lisa Burrows
Ivory straw slice disk with multi-looped silk abacca bows by Gina Foster

2015:

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Black straw Gina Foster disk with silk orchids and curled feathers June 16
Green button percher with bow, white veil and vertical feathers by Emily London June 17 

 
White button percher with silk flowers and curving feathers by Emily London
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Vibrant blue straw Philip Treacy saucer with cut white feathers June 20
Magenta straw Juliette Botterill teardrop percher with rose and curling quill June 23
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Cream satin and straw base with pink ombre bamboo silk ruffle by Bee Smith June 20
Blue windowpane straw saucer with silk flowers studded with feathers by Sally Ann Provan June 22
What pops out to me here is the diversity- what a colourful, eclectic mix of perchers, saucers and sweeping wider brims. If pressed to pick a favourite, I think it would be Bee Smith’s cream percher with beautiful pink ombre ruffle last year, although the 2012 Gina Foster ivory disc with bows is tops, too.
What do you notice about Autumn’s millinery style evolution based on what we see here?

For another retrospective of Royal Ascot hats, jump over to this previously published post featuring Princess Diana.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Favourite New Royal Hat of 2019

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2019 saw some truly wonderful hats introduced into royal fashion- hats that awed, inspired and took our breath away. Throughout the year, dearest readers, you have narrowed down your favourite new hats and to a finalist list of nine standout and very beautiful designs. Here are your Favourite New Royal Hats of 2019:

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Queen Máxima’s tawny pink straw saucer covered in pearl-centered feather flowers by Berry Rutjes worn for her Royal Ascot debut on June 18

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Autumn Phillips’ sage green felt beret percher with flying bow and cut feather leaves by Sally Ann Provan, styled by Annie Miall, worn on September 9 to the Braemar Games

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Autumn Phillips’ lattice straw saucer with large silk roses and feathers by Sally Ann Provan.styled by Annie Miall, worn to Ascot on June 22

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The Duchess of Cornwall’s black rounded brimless hat wrapped in feathers by Philip Treacy worn on November 10 for Remembrance Sunday

Zara Tindall’s plum felt teardrop percher with quill and mass of cut burgundy and violet feathers by Juliette Botterill worn to the Cheltenham Festival on March 13
Sincere congratulations to British milliner Juliette Botterill, who claims ‘top spot’ for the first time with this beautiful hat, and to stylist Annie Miall who put this (and Autumn Phillip’s two looks) together. It is the first percher design to be chosen as your favourite new hat of the year, which is fun to see. Congratulations also to Sally Ann Provan, Berry Rutjes and Philip Treacy- you all are bringing colour and beauty into our world through your designs. We need this and we sincerely thank you for it.  
Jump over to this post to see the results in greater detail. So, dearest readers- what do you think of this parade of top royal hats?!
Photos from Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images; and Getty as indicated

Cheltenham Festival 2020 Day 4

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The Cheltenham Festival wrapped on Friday with a day of racing that saw numerous members of the British royal family in attendance. Princess Anne led her family in her pale green brushed felt trilby.

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We see Anne in so many dark hued hats during the winter, this paler one stands out as a lovely change. The stacked crown shape is an interesting design detail and the colour, which is lovely on Anne, works so well with her green printed coat, lightening and brightening the overall ensemble.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: Dec 25, 2016; Nov 10, 2014;  March 16, 2012

Peter Phillips repeated a well worn chocolate felt fedora with slim ribbon hatband.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: Mar 15, 2019; Mar 16, 2018; Mar 17, 2016; Nov 13, 2015 

Autumn Phillips topped her dark green coat with a wide-brimmed fedora in pale pink felt. The hat is simply but effectively trimmed in a dark green hatband under a slim band of black braid.

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The scale is lovely on Autumn and the shape, while a classic, feels as far away from stuffy or mumsy as one can get. The colour here is what stands out for me- not only is a great hue on Autumn, it’s not a shade we often see on a fedora which, soft and lovely as it is, makes it feel so modern and fresh. The darker hatbands are a wonderful contrast that link beautifully with Autumn’s outfit, the hat standing out amidst the dark green. And who doesn’t love a royal hat that becomes the shining focus of an ensemble?!

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Designer: Camilla Rose Dawn Fedora in pink and green. Coat and blouse by Really Wild. Styled by Annie Miall. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new.

Zara Tindall topped her plum coat with a matching felt percher hat trimmed with a large gold metallic textured flower.

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Again, there’s much to love here. The colour is lovely on Zara and the shape of the beret base, with a slightly elevated back to support that amazing gold flower, works so well against the funnel neck of the coat, drawing the eye upward and giving subtle lift to the look. Zara has not put a foot wrong in the style stakes this week and both she and her stylist get some applause from me.

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Designer: Sarah Cant. It is a bespoke version of from . Claire Mischevani coat. Styled by Annie Miall. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new.

What do you think of these final four hats at this year’s Cheltenham Festival?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Cheltenham Festival 2020 Day 1

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This year’s Cheltenham Festival kicked off yesterday with “Champions Day” attended by three royal guests. Princess Anne led her family in a cozy orange wool coat topped with a chocolate fur hat in a rounded, calot shape.

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I appreciate how Anne’s scarves tie the orange coat and chocolate hat together. The shape of this hat is interesting- all of Anne’s other fur and faux fur hats follow square pillbox or cloche shape while this one follows a close-fitting, almost calot silhouette. It’s fine, but not very exciting.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: January 28, 2018

Autumn Phillips  wore a black felt teardrop based cocktail hat trimmed with a trio of olive silk camellia blooms, and a mix of open wire and darker olive textured silk leaves.

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It’s a great hat for Autumn, who wears percher pieces so well. The hat’s olive trim pairs well with her jacket, the different materials giving textural dimension to the overall look and the colour linking solidly together against the other black pieces. The hat’s trim makes it sing, and the combination of dark hat, green trim and Autumn’s colouring is a winning one. After the recent announcement about the Phillips’ divorce, I didn’t expect to see Autumn at this event but it’s great to see her- she has played an increasingly strong millinery game over the past few years and I’ll miss watching for her hat at British royal family attended events such as these.

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Designer: Sally Ann Provan. It is a custom version of the Yoru Felt Pillbox. Coat by Really Wild, blouse by Temperley London, trousers by Jaeger. Styled by Annie Miall. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Zara Tindall wore a dark blue headpiece described by the designer as a “silk covered headband, adorned with cut feathers and a silk bow.”

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Zara’s colouring makes blue a great colour on her and this deep shade contrasts beautifully with her light hair. This bandeau shape is successfully augmented with the spray of cut feathers which gives wonderful dimension, height and movement to the design. The ensemble is also so well styled, the dotted print on the dress giving some pattern and interest a small but high impact way.

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Designer: Juliette Botterill. It is the “Silk Feather Bow Band” from AW 2019. Coat by Guinea London, dress by Rebecca Taylor. Styled by Annie Miall.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

That wraps up day one- what do you think of this trio of hats?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Autumn Phillips’ Christmas Hats

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A royal hat wearer who as emerged as one to watch over recent years is Autumn Phillips. Today, we’re taking a look back at the hats she has worn on Christmas Day:

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Fuzzy white beret in 2008; Black trilby with bow tied hatband in 2009

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Grey wool crowned hat with high, faux fur cuffed brim in 2011;
Burgundy button percher with feather flowers by Nerida Fraiman in 2012

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Tall navy brimless hat with pork pie crown in 2013

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Chocolate Juliette Botterill beret percher with bow in 2014; Navy felt saucer with looped bow by Rachel Black in 2016

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Red pleated velvet button percher by Emily London in 2017;
Emerald green felt curved beret percher with bow by Sally Ann Provan in 2018

It’s a millinery look that has become more polished over time I suspect, thanks to a stylist’s guiding hand. Autumn suits smaller scale percher pieces so well, the dark hues here contrasting beautifully against her fair complexion and blonde hair. What do you think of this millinery retrospective?

Photos from Getty as indicated; Chris Jackson via Getty; Ward/WENN.com