Tag Archives: Countess of Ulster

Trooping the Colour: Gloucester & Kent Families

Posted on by

Trooping the Colour was attended today, as in years past, by the Queen’s cousins and their families. The Duchess of Gloucester, who rode in a carriage with her husband and the Duke of Kent, repeated her grey straw cuffed bumper hat with net veil trim. The men wore in morning dress with top hats.

Embed from Getty Images
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: June 1, 2017; July 1, 2016; June 12, 2016; June 10, 2016
The Countess of Ulster wore a natural straw percher hat with button base and large straw twist. Lady Rose Gilman wore a red percher with straw beret base trimmed with red feathers.

 Countess of Ulster, June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats  Lady Rose Gilman, , June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats

Designers: Claire’s hat is Gina Foster. Rose’s hat is unknown
Previously Worn: uncertain  

The Duchess of Kent made a rare public appearance today in a denim blue percher hat trimmed with what looks to be lace on the hat and a spray o feather at the back. Princess Alexandra stood nearby in her large cream hat with high, domed crown, wide moulded hatband, net tulle covered brim and front feather pouf. .

Princess Alexandra & Duchess of Kent, June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats    Duchess of Kent, June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats

Designer:both are unknown
Princess Alexandra’s hat was Previously Worn: May 15, 2015; July 16, 2012; here; here; here

The Countess of St. Andrews wore an interesting hat in what looks to be lattice printed straw (or hemp? or burlap?) with a cartwheel brim fanning out from a narrow, diagonal crown. There does not seem to be any further embellishment on the hat besides a slim navy ribbon hatband and fringed brim edge. Sylvanna’s daughter, Lady Amelia Windsor, repeated the distinctive navy ruched turban with lattice printed crin accent we saw Sylvanna wear last year to the Service of Thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday.

Countess of St. Andrews, June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats   Lady Amelia Windsor, June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats

Designer: both are unknown. I suspect the navy turban is Philip Treacy

Lady Helen Windsor wore a stylised white Homberg hat with indented crown, short brim raised around one side and a navy bow at the front. This piece is from Stephen Jones’ Miss Jones SS 2017 collection. Helen’s sister-in-law, Lady Nicholas Windsor (Paola, who is peeking out from behind the Duke of Glouster, below right) wore what looks to be some sort of large cream saucer percher.

Lady Helen Taylor, June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats   Lady Nicholas Taylor, June 17, 2017 | Royal Hats

Designer: Helen’s hat is Stephen Jones. Paola’s hat is unknown
Previously Worn: I think both may be new. 

Julia Ogilvy repeated her cream picture hat with square crown, cartwheel brim and flying bow on the side. In today’s sea of cream hats, I liked the styling of this one, with Julia’s sand and teal printed dress and her pearl necklace, best.

Julia Ogilvy, June 17, 2017 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats Julia Ogilvy, June 17, 2017 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats

Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: June 10, 2016; June 11, 2011; April 30, 2011

Flora Ogilvy repeated her large cream straw picture hat with multi-looped side bow. Her cousin, Zenouska Mowatt, topped her olive dress with a cream straw teardrop shaped sidesweep lavishly trimmed with feathers. The trim on Zenouska’s hat makes it come to life and I love how her blue shoes at a hit of contrast and make her ensemble look very polished from head to toe.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVczBc2hEk9/

Designer of Flora’s hat: unknown
Previously Worn: June 11, 2016
Designer of Zenouska’s hat: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: I believe this is new

Princess Michael of Kent repeated her white straw wide brimmed hat with ostrich feather boa wrap/overlay.

Embed from Getty Images
Designer: John Boyd
Previously Worn: June 10, 2016; June 17, 2015;  June 6, 2015; June 7, 2014

Lady Frederick Windsor (Sophie) wore what is described by the designer as a “window sinamay coolie with a dip dyed silk rose”.  There also appears to be light feathers trimming the underbrim of the raised side of this gently sloping pyramid shaped piece. It’s a pretty piece that I think might be showed to greater effect with a non-monochrome outfit.

Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Jane Taylor. It is the ‘Clusia Rosea‘ from SS 2017
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Lady Gabriella Windsor wore another cream hat, this one with an upswept brim and trimmed with a large multi-looped bow of lattice printed crin. This view shows the slightly oval shape of the brim- a view we don’t often get to see on hats with upswept brims.

Embed from Getty Images

Lady Gabriella Windsor, June 17, 2017 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats

Designer: Philip Treacy. It looks like a bespoke version of OC 264 from SS 2017
Previously Worn: this hat is new  
That covers all of the 21 royal hats that appeared today at Trooping the Colour. This group has less diversity than in previous years- without Lady Rose’s red hat, the Duchess of Kent’s blue hat and that mod navy turban on Lady Amelia, this branch of the family would be an entire sea of cream. Thankfully, this trio joined Autumn Philips and the Duchess of Cambridge in bringing some colour to liven up the balcony scene today. 
 What hats stood out to you today, most? Are there any pieces from this final group that you would like to add to your own millinery closet?
Embed from Getty Images
To see hats worn by other members of the British royal Family, jump over to these posts:
 
Photos from Getty and social media as indicated; Samir Hussein, DMC, James Devaney, James Devaney, James Devaney and James Devaney via Getty; Mark Stewart via Twitter

Trooping The Colour: Extended British Royal Family

Posted on by

Royal Hats

It has been a busy weekend of royal hats! Before peeking at the Queen’s pink choice for the Patron’s lunch today, I want to step back and finish our look at the designs worn for Trooping the Colour yesterday by the Gloucester and Kent families. The Duchess of Gloucester repeated a navy hat with squared crown and wide brim. This picture, taken during a previous outing, gives a much better look at the hat’s shape and interesting leaf trim. The Countess of Ulster topped her turquoise dress with a matching vertical saucer hat, trimmed with what looks to be coral feathers. I would really like a closer view of this piece because it looks like it could be a show stopper! Lady Rose Gilman borrowed a second hat from her mother’s closet in as many days, a grey straw beret that topped her pink floral dress.

Gloucester Family, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

Gloucester Family, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats Gloucester Family, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats Lady Rose Gilman, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

Gloucester Family, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

The Kent family was well represented for the second day in a row. The Duke of Kent was joined by his daughter, Lady Helen Taylor, in a folded white headpiece anchored with a navy ribbon. Lady Nicholas Windsor wore a cream disk saucer hat trimmed in feathers. Princess Alexandra of Kent repeated her grey hat with rounded crown, embellished with net tulle and floating feathers around the hat’s pleated hat band.

 Kent Family, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

Lady Helen Taylor, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats  Lady Helen Taylor, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

UPDATE- The Countess of St. Andrews and Lady Marina Windsor were in attendance as well. Sylvanna wore an white braided straw hat with turned down brim, trimmed with a tan jinsin fan around the top of the crown and knotted bow below the brim. The design, Tuxia, is from this year’s summer collection from French millinery brand Celine Robert.  Marina looked to be wearing a black or navy disc saucer hat.

Countess of St. Andrews and Lady Marina Windsor, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Alexandra’s daughter-in-law Julia Ogilvy (below, center) wore a tall crowned, cream picture hat with spiral quill trim while her daughter, Flora, wore a larger design in the same colour. Flora’s hat is lavishly trimmed with folded silk bows at the side. Her cousin, Zenouska Mowatt, topped her navy dress with the ‘Moselle’ headpiece from Jane Taylor, described by the designer as an “elegant transparent linear crin disc on straw base with angular feather detail.” It’s a lovely piece that Zenouska wears well.

View this post on Instagram

💙💙💙💙

A post shared by Z E N O U S K A M O W A T T (@zenouska1) on

Princess Michael of Kent to wore a new cocktail hat by John Boyd with white, bumper-style base trimmed with tall black feathers shaped as a gliding swan. The black swan feathers are anchored by a jewelled button and the hat is finished with swath of black net veil. Her daughter-in-law, Lady Frederick, wore a new pale blue percher beret trimmed with curled organdie ribbons and ecru feathers.

Embed from Getty Images

One of my favourite hats of the day draws our coverage of Trooping the Colour to a close and was worn Lady Gabriella Windsor. Her picture hat in oyster straw featured an angular crown and wide, gently upswept brim trimmed with wide curls of straw ribbon. On its own, the hat is outstanding but it is elevated to magnificence with Gabriella’s sleek Catherine Walker suit. We saw some fantastic royal fashion today and for me, this ensemble ranks near the very top.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Philip Treacy OC179 from SS 2016
Previously Worn: This hat is new

This completes our look at Trooping the Colour. Are there any hats here that stood out in particular to you?

Embed from Getty Images

Royal Family, June 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

Photos from Luca Teuchmann and WireImage via Getty; AFP via Zimbio;  BBC TV1; Getty as indicated

90th Birthday Service of Thanksgiving: Gloucester Family

Posted on by

Royal Hats

The great thing about large events in the British royal family, such as today’s service of thanksgiving to celebrate the Queen’s 90th and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 95th birthdays, is that we see the more distant relatives we don’t often see. The Duchess of Gloucester, who attended with the Duke and their children, wore a new hat for the occasion. The design is a steel grey straw bumper hat with tulle net veil trim- a piece that fits with Brigitte’s sleek, elegant and practical millinery style. While I might have preferred some more colour in her ensemble, I do like the monochrome mix of textures between her coat, lace dress, and the veiled straw hat.

   Duchess of Gloucester, June 10, 2016 | Royal Hats  Duchess of Gloucester, June 10, 2016 | Royal Hats

Countess of Ulster topped her red dress with round white straw cocktail hat trimmed with long laquered red goose feathers and a black pinok pok straw bow designed by Awon Golding (see it here). It is such a smart hat that Clare wears very well.

Embed from Getty Images

Lady Davina Lewis repeated the navy and hot pink cocktail hat that we saw her wear back in April 2011 for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding. The design, built off a navy straw beret style base, is all about its embellishment- a large folded navy silk bow under which is tucked bright pink carnation type flowers. It’s a little hat that packs a lot of visual punch.

Embed from Getty Images

Lady Davina Lewis, June 10, 2016 | Royal Hats   Lady Davina Lewis, June 10, 2016 | Royal Hats

2016-06-10 90th birthday service of thanksgiving 16c

Lady Rose Gilman borrowed her mother’s slate blue beret with knotted bow trim (you can see a much better view of it during a previous outing here or behind the Tindalls below). It’s a simple hat but one that worked well with her printed dress.

Embed from Getty Images

Lady Rose Gilman, June 10, 2016 | Royal Hats Lady Rose Gilman, June 10, 2016 | Royal Hats

These four hats make seventeen in total that we’ve seen on the British royals so far- we’ve just got ten more to go! What do you think of these designs?

Photos from Press Association via The British Monarchy; The British Monarchy, BBC TV1; WPA Pool and WPA Pool via Getty; and Getty as indicated

British Royal Wedding Four Years On: Linleys, Chattos and Gloucesters

Posted on by

Royal Hats Some of my favourite royal hats worn at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge four years ago were worn by extended members of the British Royal family. Here is the first of two posts devoted to looking back at these hats.

Viscountess Linley kicks off our review in a straw based bandeau headpiece covered in small rectangles of silk. These rectangles were placed to form the petals for structured flowers, anchored with pearl button centres. These most unusual flowers were not only striking, but created the most wonderfully layered and textured effect on the design. With her streamlined cream Roland Mouret coat, the Stephen Jones designed bandeau made for a modern and very chic ensemble.

Lady Sarah Chatto also turned to Stephen Jones for her grey straw saucer hat. I adore the juxtaposition between the modern shape of the hat and Sarah’s 1950s inspired Jasper Conran dress. Lady Sarah has cream and black versions of this same hat that she wears frequently, sometimes with the addition of a brooch on the top of the hat. If you start the wedding video at 38:00, you’ll see the brooch sparkling on the hat during her arrival at the Abbey.

Viscountess Linley, Countess of Ulster and Lady Sarah Chatto, April 29, 2011 | Royal Hats

The Countess of Ulster (pictured above in front of Lady Sarah, wore a small black straw percher hat. Her mother-in-law, the Duchess of Gloucester (below), wore a dramatic navy and white hat. With a small white straw crown and large navy saddle brim, the hat was trimmed with curled ribbons around two sweeping navy feathers. This hat is much bolder than what we’re used to seeing on the Duchess and I thought it was smashing on her.

 The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester’s two daughters, Lady Davina Lewis and Lady Rose Gilman, also attended the wedding. Lady Rose’s headpiece consisted of a a large white headband topped with a large, muti-layered pinwheel flower. The pinwheel, in a slightly darker shade of grey than her coat dress, looked to be centered with faux pearls.

Lady Davina Lewis and Lady Rose Gilman, April 29, 2011 | Royal Hats

While difficult to see here, Lady Davina’s hat was made of the same navy satin as her dress. Built on top of the cocktail hat’s round base was a tall slope of folded silk in high waves. The bottom of this trim was made in magenta silk, revealing a shock of pink contrast at the back of the hat. It is a rather avant garde piece that you might need to see on video for a better look (you can see the Gloucester family’s arrival at Westminster Abbey here at 37:00).

Lady Davina Lewis and Lady Rose Gilman, April 29, 2011 | Royal Hats Lady Davina Lewis and Lady Rose Gilman, April 29, 2011 | Royal Hats

This group of hats shows great creativity and style, don’t you think? Stay tuned later tomorrow morning for some beautiful hats worn by the Kent cousins.
Photos from Getty as indicated and BBC TV via The British Monarchy

British Royal Extended Family at Trooping the Colour

Posted on by

After looking at hats worn by the Queen’s children and grandchildren for Trooping the Colour, let’s close out coverage of this colourful event with a look at the hats worn by the extended British Royal Family.

Princess Alexandra wore a dove grey hat with high, moulded crown and wide brim. The crown was wrapped in a three braided cords which opened to tie into a multi-corded bow at the front. It’s an interesting that that falls a little flat for me, especially after seeing Alexandra in that beautiful sky blue picture hat last week. I think this Kent princess looks prettiest in millinery with a bit more colour.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: I suspect Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: June 4, 2009; June 19, 2006; this unknown event

The Countess of St. Andrews (below, far right) repeated her navy straw beret topped with a large pouf of tulle and feathers.

Countess of St. Andrews, June 14, 2014 | Royal Hats

The Duchess of Gloucester repeated her navy straw beret (below, right) while the Countess of Ulster topped her navy dress with a magenta brimless cocktail hat. Zenouska Mowatt looked wonderful in Jane Taylor’s ‘Eliza’ hat, described by the designer as an “elegant straw upturn disc with angular lace printed feathers and delicate rolled organdy bow”.  Lady Marina Windsor wore a large pale pink saucer hat with rolled top rim and a spray of flowers under the top brim.

Duchess of Gloucester, Countess of Ulster, Zenouska Mowatt and Amelia Windsor, June 14, 2014 | Royal Hats

There was no vibrancy missing in Lady Helen Taylor’s ensemble. She topped her modern magenta and raspberry suit with a matching stacked brimless hat trimmed in tulle net tails. While my description does this hat great injustice, I thought it was unusual, creative and exceptionally striking on fashion-forward Helen. This is not a hat I would pick to top most royal heads but I loved it all the same.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Stephen Jones
Previously Worn: I believe this is a new hat

Princess Michael of Kent combined two of her favourite millinery looks in this ice blue giant pillbox trimmed with what appears to be a giant ostrich feather at the back. I thought the feather added some softness to the hat and made its scale work to greater success. With her caped coat, the whole look was very glamorous, dramatic and oh-so Marie Christine.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: unknown. John Boyd
Previously Worn: I think this is a new hat

Princess Michael’s daughter and daughter-in-law wore a pair of beautiful picture hats. Lady Gabriella Windsor wore a pale picture hat with wide brim trimmed with spiky pale grey bow tails. It is a dramatic hat that worked well with Gabriella’s modern ensemble. Lady Frederick Windsor wore a white lampshade style hat trimmed with an oversize white bow. This hat has potential to look overly sweet but when paired with tSophie’s tailored pale blue coat dress, it provided a feminine contrast.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Designer of Lady Gabriella’s hat: Philip Treacy. I believe this is a new hat
Designer of Lady Frederick’s hat: unknown. I think this is also a new hat

Lady Sarah Chatto also joined the Royal Family for their appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Saturday. She repeated a cream saucer hat that looks simultaneously modern and classic on her. I particularly liked its pairing with her sunny patterned yellow skirt.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer of Lady Sarah’s hat: Stephen Jones
Previously Worn: April 20, 2013; June 5, 2012; June 10, 2011

All in all, a fantastic day of British royal hats, don’t you think?

Photos Getty as indicated