Tag Archives: Empress Michiko

Imperial Royals Visit Fukushima & Celebrate Milestone Anniversary

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Over the weekend, the Emperor and Empress visited the Fukushima region to attend the 69th National Tree-Planting Festival and review the area still greatly impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The visit was of particular note as it is the last one the Imperial couple will pay to this area before the Emperor’s abdication next year. On Saturday, for the couple’s arrival in Koriyama, Empress Michiko repeated a pale mushroom grey large saucer hat trimmed with a two-tone silk twist. While there’s never much to say about the Empress’ many grey hats, the neckline on her jacket plays beautifully against this one.


June 9, 2018 | Royal Hats  June 9, 2018 | Royal Hats

Designer: likely Akio Hiarata
Previously Worn: Feb 28, 2017
For Sunday’s National Tree-Planting Festival, the Empress repeated her lovely pale slate blue-grey rimmed petite saucer hat trimmed with overlapping silk bow loops around one side of the piece. I love the different shades and sheens on the bow trim and the shape of the raised rim around the back. It’s a delicate design that Michiko wears very well.

  June 10, 2018 | Royal Hats

June 10, 2018 | Royal Hats  June 10, 2018 | Royal Hats

June 10, 2018 | Royal Hats  June 10, 2018 | Royal Hats

Designer: likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: Mar 29, 2018; Mar 7, 2018; Oct 29, 2017

On Monday, the royal couple attended a number of events related to memorials for and rebuilding from the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The Empress repeated her recently deubted slate grey hat with silver lattice printed white crin underbrim, trimmed with a darker grey bow.

  

Designer: likely Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: Mar 28, 2018

On Tuesday, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako were spotted arriving at the Imperial Royal Palace for a celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary. Princess Masako repeated a pleated buttercup yellow silk covered bumper hat with pleated brim for the occasion.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: October 20, 2015

It’s amazing to think that in less than a year, Masako will step into the role of Empress. I know many of us have cheered her return to public life, and continue to wish her well moving forward. It will be interesting to see how her upcoming new role impacts her hats!

Last Week’s Extras

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A number of hats on non-royal heads at Epsom this weekend stood out:

Irish milliner Carol Kennelly in a fabulous cream feathered pillbox of her own design
ITV’s Charlotte Hawkinds in  fuschia and peach perchers from Layla Leigh Millinery
Georgia Toffolo in a classic pink straw Jane Taylor boater hat
Gina Harding in a black button percher with magenta and black feathers by Awon Golding
Laura Tobin in a wide brimmed, rosy-beige Nerida Fraiman saucer with feather flowers
Festival Style Award winner Amy Thomas in a self made purple upswept saucer with lace and silk roses

On May 26th, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako attended the 29th National Greenery Conservation ceremony in Nagahama. Princess Masako repeated a small white hat with navy hatband.

May 26, 2018 | Royal hats

Queen Silvia repeated her ecru straw cloche last Monday for the annual Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde “Friends of Artists” parade

Empress Michiko repeated a grey saucer hat to welcome Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and his wife Nguyen Thi Hien to Tokyo on Wednesday, May 30

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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended a service at Southwark Cathedral this morning to commemorate a year since the attack on London Bridge. For the event, the Duchess repeated her navy straw beret hat.

The following new millinery designs also caught my eye this week:

Mint straw percher saucer with flower from London hatters Lock & Co.
From Juan Li London, this black straw boater with vibrant hatband and brim binding
British milliner Laura Cathcart’s bright pink straw pillbox (modeled by the milliner herself)
Dramatic gold sequinned button percher with lace trim on looped, crystal studded quills by Vivien Sheriff
Prettiest white picture hat with pink mesh brim, hantband and bow from Australian brand Millinery by Mel
Stunning navy beret hat with sparkling night sky from UK brand Mind Your Bonce
Quirky black straw beret percher with bold floral trim from London-based Turkish milliner Merve Bayindir
Wide brimmed white straw saucer with explosion of black & white feathers from UK brand Gemma J Millinery

And from Munich-based milliner Nicki Marquardt,  a creative option for those of us who need our hats to be as functional as possible and fit multiple occasions. I think this is brilliant!

Princess Olympia of Greece made her tiara debut last weekend at Prince Frederik’s 50th birthday gala. The fringe tiara was a gift from her maternal grandmother when she was a baby- her mother has worn it numerous times over the years. What a beautiful gown and hairstyle combination to wear this piece for the first time.

And finally, a video clip that made me smile- the Dutch King zooming around on a quad. Even kings are boys at heart.

Imperial Royals Attend Red Cross Meeting

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The Japanese Red Cross Society’s annual convention took place yesterday in Tokyo, attended by Honorary President Empress Michiko who has been active in the society’s work for more than sixty years. For this event, she repeated a cream silk covered saucer hat with transparent lattice printed underbrim, trimmed with a flat grey and cream bow. She also tucked some greenery into the hat, a touch I’ve not seen her do before.

May 16, 2018 | Royal Hats

For this, Empress Michiko’s last year as Honorary President, she was accompanied by Crown Princess Masako, Princess Kiko, Princess Nobuko and Princess Hisako. Crown Princess Masako wore a navy silk covered square crowned hat with upturned bumper brim. Princess Kiko topped her grey suit with a matching square crowned bowler with upturned kettle brim and wide silk monochrome hatband. Princess Nobuko paired her black and navy silk jacquard print dress with a repeated cream hat with short, upswept brim and navy silk hatband and side bow. Princess Hisako topped her grey silk jacquard suit in a grey cloche/bucket hat wrapped in a wide wrap of dotted grey tulle. The resulting effect of the tulle wrap is unexpected and rather lovely!

May 16, 2018 | Royal Hats

I wonder what inspired the Empress to add that sprig of greenery to her hat?
Photos from The Asahi Shimbun and The Asahi Shimbun via Getty 

Imperial Royals Attend Spring Garden Party

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On Wednesday, members of the Imperial royal family joined the emperor and empress at the the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo for the spring garden party, an annual event that brings us a parade of Imperial royal hats.

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Empress Michiko topped her ice blue silk suit with a small saucer hat in the same hue, trimmed with blue camellia flowers and a flat bow around the front.

Embed from Getty Images

Crown Princess Masako wore a pale pink straw hat with domed crown and short kettle brim, trimmed with a wide ruched straw hatband that finished in a large bow at the side. The bow makes the hat, I think, softening the angular lines of the crown and giving the piece some much needed energy.

Apr 25, 2018 | Royal Hats

Princess Kiko and Princess Mako wore hats in the same domed crown and kettle upturned brim shape. Princess Kiko’s hat, in pale blue, is delicately trimmed with a wide silk ruched hatband and silk blossoms on the side. Princess Mako’s white design, which has a wider brim than her mother’s design, is trimmed with a wide turquoise hatband and origami flowers that circle the hat. The combination of wider brim and higher contrast trim (with interesting origami) makes this a winner for me.

Apr 25, 2018 | Royal Hats

Princess Nobuko stood out in a light purpley-grey hat with gentle side upsweep on the brim. The hat is exuberantly trimmed in a side spray of feathers and a wide swath of lavender and dark purple net tulle wrapped around the base of the crown that gives great movement to the design and links so well with the sheen of purple shades visible across the weave of her silk suit. Prinkess Akiko topped her pink suit with a matching hat with button crown, short cartwheel brim and bow on the side. Princess Yoko matched her pale yellow suit in a coordinating silk wrapped pillbox hat.

Princess Hisako wore a peach hat with square crown and widely rolled brim (the brim looks to be in the same silk jacquard print as her jacket while the crown looks to be a solid colour). Princess Tsuguko paired her burgundy silk dress in a matching bumper hat wonderfully trimmed with a wide silk bow and flowers on the side. Princess Ayako topped her yellow dress with a white button percher hat embellished with yellow and white flowers around the top half of the hat’s circumference. The floral trim on the hat references the ruffle on the hem of her dress, making a wonderfully coordinated and balanced head-to-hem look.

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How great it is to see a variety of colour, trimmings and shapes on the Imperial Royals?! These nine hats, each of which I believe is a new piece, certainly made for a colourful millinery parade. Which designs stand out most to you?

This Week’s Extras

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Royal Hats

Empress Michiko in an icy blue saucer hat with folded silk bow on Thursday in Okinawa (Asahi Shimbun)

March 29, 2018 | Royal Hats

The Swedish King and Queen accompanied Easter greetings with a casual photo of themselves enjoying the outdoors in cosy winter hats 

Zara Tindall in a grey ‘Jasmine Beanie’ from Barts last weekend at the Gatcombe Horse Trials held on her mum’s estate

Rachel Trevor Morgan Millinery staff supported brain tumour research’s “Wear A Hat To Work” campaign on Thursday with a quintet of stunning designs

Legendary milliner Marie O’Regan at the London Hat Week showing of a film about her work, ‘The Millinery Lesson’

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

Restrained but very chic grey straw cap with folded bow from French milliner Veronica Marucci
Purple leather percher with vibrant feathers made by UK milliner Bundle McLaren for her mum
The prettiest oversize pale blue saucer with twist of tiny blossoms from UK brand Merve Bayindir
Creative touch on this grey felt fedora’s hatband by UK based Camilla Rose Millinery
These lovely flower trimmed hats from Fabienne Delvigne’s new spring couture collection. I have a hunch we’ll see several of these pieces (or variations on these pieces) on several royal heads this season.

And the most stunning blue leather pillbox percher with hand beaded leaf trim by Dutch milliner Wies Mauduit (a familiar commenter here on Royal Hats!). The leaves are beautifully constructed and their placement is absolutely perfect on this hat (check out her  (also check out her exquisite picture hats). Wies- your stunning designs deserve to be worn on royal heads!

 

 Royal Hats

Queen Margrethe opened the Aarhus exhibition on her wardrobe

Lovely portrait shared by Prince Hussein with his father and younger brother, Prince Hashem

And we kick off Easter weekend festivities with these snaps of the Monaco royals watching a Good Friday procession from the royal palace balcony

Photo from The Asahi Shimbun