Spanish Royal Wedding Ten Years On: Two Queens and the Grand Duchess

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Royal Hats

The May 22, 2004 wedding of the Prince of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was also attended by the Queen of Denmark, Queens of Jordan and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Queen Margrethe was her characteristically vibrant self in a red and watermelon pink straw picture hat. Coordinated perfectly to her dress, this hat featured a red straw crown and brim topped with a second brim in light pink dotted with the same red polka dots as were on the Queen Margrethe’s dress. The hat was finished with a pink sash around the crown and large bow on the side. I love the colour (pulling off a pink and red hat is no easy feat), the pretty effect of the double brim and the creative use of those cheeky polka dots on the hat. The whole ensemble was light and lovely for a spring wedding.

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Queen Noor of Jordan topped her pale pink and dove grey coat with a simple white headscarf. Queen Rania and Princess Muna, who also attended this wedding, did not wear hats or headpieces.

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Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore a large turquoise straw ‘slice’ hat with high, upturned brim on one side. On its own, this is a lovely hat but it seemed completely unconnected to her teal dress and embroidered jacket. The two shades of blue read so differently that I’m left wondering how this hat could have possibly been created to go with this particular ensemble.

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My favourite hat in this lot was clearly the one worn by Queen Margrethe (a hat I wish she would wear again!). What are your thoughts on these hats?

This afternoon, we’ll look at the hats worn by representatives from the remaining reigning royal families in attendance at this wedding.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Guests at The Christening of Princess Amalia

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Royal Hats

Royal Hats As we have already looked at the hats worn by her mother and grandmothers, let’s now turn our view to the hats worn by guests at Princess Amalia’s baptism ten years ago.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who was named one of Princess Amalia’s godmothers, wore a hat I absolutely adore on her. This chocolate brown straw picture hat designed by Irish milliner Philip Treacey featured Treacy’s signature figure-8 looped bow as a minimalist trim. The bow, in pink, coordinated beautifully with Victoria’s tailored pink suit, and created such a chic ensemble.

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Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg wore a juicy lime green.straw hat with oval, upturned brim edged in bubblegum pink. The high contrast colour combination was echoed in her suit to create a fantastic overall ensemble. My only quibble was the brim of her hat, which seemed a too large for Maria Teresa.

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Princess Mathilde of Belgium (as she was known then) wore a pale gold mushroom-shaped straw hat designed by Fabienne Delvigne. This hat shows Mathilde’s streamlined millinery style a decade ago and makes such an interesting comparison with the bright and more daring hats she wears today.

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Princess Laurentien wore one of the most interesting hats at this event. Made of three layers of red straw, this hat flowed over Laurentien’s head like a wave (notice there is no specifically formed crown) and raised vertically on one side. Trimmed with a large bow and feathers on the raised side, the hat made quite a statement. I think I would have liked it much better had it not been paired with Laurentien’s busy, patterned jacket and necklace.

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Princess Mabel, in comparison, looked serene and very streamlined in a white picture hat with a square crown. The unusual proportion of the large brim and short crown on this hat creates much visual interest on this hat (something that is created on most other hats by embellishment). At the time, Mabel was a newcomer to the Dutch Royal Family and had worn many outfits with bows (something I was never a fan of) and I thought this clean-lined and bow-free coat and hat were such an elegant look for her.

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Other members of the Dutch royal family were also in attendance for Princess Amalia’s christening. Princess Margriet wore a white picture hat with floppy brim and red flower on the side. Princess Irene wore a beautiful black hat with flat crown and brim, trimmed with a Chanel-esque pink rose on the side. And Princess Christina wore a sunny yellow pillbox trimmed with a flower and trailing looped ribbon. This pillbox remains one of my favourite ever hats on Princess Christina.

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Princess Marilène wore a royal blue ensemble topped with an elegant straw hat. The brim of the hat gently rolled up around her face and created the most flattering and beautiful hat shapes on her. When the proportions of a hat are just right for the wearer, the hat ‘sings’ and I think such was the case with this hat on Marilène.

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Princess Annette wore a white hat in an oversize cloche shape with a tall, rounded crown and low brim. While these photos do not share the detail of this hat (I believe there was a white ribbon around the crown and the edge of the brim), it still seemed a little too big for petite Annette.

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Princess Anita wore a sea foam green straw picture hat draped in a vine of straw leaves. I love this hat much more now than I did at the time, and appreciate such interesting trim that does not involve flowers or feathers! The trailing vine framed Anita’s face so beautifully and the large scale of the hat was wonderful on her. Princess Aimée wore a small bucket hat in pale pink with a soft, ruched scarf around the crown. I particularly like how the soft pink of her hat coordinated with the darker pink of her suit.

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All in all, Princess Amalia’s christening was a colourful day of royal hats, wasn’t it? I am curious- do you find that time has been kind to these hats or do they seem dated and best left as a memory?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Luxembourg National Day

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Royal Hats

On Monday, the Luxembourg Royal Family celebrated their country’s national holiday. As in years past, the celebration included a military parade and an inter-religious Te Deum mass at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg. The Grand Duke and Duchess were joined by the Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess for the military parade. Predictably, the men wore military uniform with related caps.

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Grand Duchess Maria Teresa topped her streamlined navy dress and coat with a statement hat. In beige gossamer straw, this hat formed a sculptural, fluted base which nestled several huge silk flower blooms in the same colour. While the hat is nearly the same size as Maria Teresa’s head, it provided some wonderful lift and made her look much taller than she really is. I liked how the ornate hat contrasted with the streamlined coat and dress and I thought the neutral colour kept it from looking overly fussy. I think it looks marvelous on Maria Teresa.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

The Hereditary Grand Duchess chose an ensemble in vivid pink. Her hat, in fuschia straw, was a slightly different shade than her coat; while these shade contrasts often work well, I thought Princess Stéphanie’s hat and coat pairing was a mis-match. The shape of the hat, which fell in folded straw waves across the top of her head, was awkward, and the white flowers plonked on the hat did not help its appearance. Needless to say, I was not a fan.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

For the Te Deum Mass, there was a quick change (and exchange of all-pink outfits, unfortunately). The Grand Duchess repeated her bright pink lace coat with matching cocktail hat. Time has not altered my opinion of this ensemble (we first saw it last year for Prince Felix’s wedding)– it’s simply too much bright pink. If Maria Theresa paired this hat with a suit or coat in charcoal grey, taupe or even black, I might like it. As it is here, I feel compelled to look away.

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Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: September 21, 2013

Princess Stéphanie followed her mother-in-law’s fashion lead from earlier in the day, pairing a streamlined coat with a very fancy beige straw hat. This hat featured an asymmetrical brim that folded up on one side to host a spray of monochrome feathers. I liked the shape on her and adored the subtle metalic sheen in the woven straw. I think the hat might have been better balanced with a slightly larger crown but I quite liked it on the Hereditary Grand Duchess.

Embed from Getty Images Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, June 23, 2014 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

It seems the uniform for Luxembourg royal ladies on Monday was either a streamlined coat topped with a neutral statement hat, or head to toe bright pink. Between these options, I think the first is always a better choice. What did you think of this parade of Luxembourgish royal hats?

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Photos from Anouk Antony and Getty as indicated

European Monarchs Commemorate D-Day Landings at Normandy

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Royal Hats

On June 6, 1944, 156,000 British, Canadian and American allied troops joined forces and landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast in France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and the Battle of Normandy, which lasted through August that year, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe. Today marks the 70th day of this momentous event. To commemorate today’s anniversary of the D-Day landings, many heads of state gathered at the famous beaches to pay their respects to those who lost their lives.

Queen Elizabeth, the only current monarch who served in World War II, wore a bright, citrusy green straw hat with a sharply upturned brim on one side balanced by a large fabric flower on the other. It’s a lot of bright green but she wore it very well. As expected, the Duke of Edinburgh was in military dress.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Queen Margrethe of Denmark repeated her electric blue hat with pork pie crown, downward curved brim and striped band around the crown. While I love this hat on her, I was secretly hoping she would unveil a new chapeau today.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: May 5, 2013; April 27, 2014; October 6, 2013; September 3, 2013; July 4, 2013; June 2, 2013; May 6, 2013; June 14, 2012; September 2, 2012; September 20, 2011; September 6, 2011; and May 23, 2011

King Herald of Norway wore military uniform (I believe this is the uniform of Admiral of the Royal Norwegian Navy).

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While Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg opted for a suit instead of military dress (as did King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince Albert of Monaco and King Philippe of Belgium), Grand Duchess Maria Teresa unveiled a sleek new pillbox trimmed with what looked to be a flat white bow at the back. I loved the lack of frou frou on this hat and thought Maria Teresa looked great in this classic black and white scheme.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this is a new hat

It was also wonderful to see Grand Duke Jean at this commemoration (seated to the left of Queen Elizabeth below). The Grand Duke landed at Normandy in the days after D-Day as a member of a reinforcement until. Luxarazzi has an excellent detail of his role in World War II in this article that I encourage you to read.

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As previously mentioned, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands did not wear military uniform and therefore, was without a hat. Queen Máxima made up for this with a super bright yellow ruched fabric toque hat that coordinated with her jacket.

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My general dislike of bright yellow aside, this ensemble just didn’t work for me (I think it was the boxy, ill fitting Big Bird-esque jacket). The whole look seemed imbalanced and odd… and that was before I realized the toque was not a toque, but another one of Máxima’s millinery doughnuts.

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Designer: I suspect Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Queen Mathilde of Belgium wore a pale blue calot hat with wide cuff (you can see the cuff here). I thought she looked exceedingly refined and elegant, especially when seated next to certain other yellow hat disasters.

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Designer: Christian Dior. Suit by Dior as well
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Seldom do we see such a gathering of heads of state at one event- today’s attendance by so many royal families shows how significant D-Day was in the history of each of their nations. It’s one of those occasions where the importance of history eclipses even the marvelous hats.

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Historical significance aside, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the hats worn by European monarchs today. Which one was your favourite?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Luxembourg Royals at Religious Celebration

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Royal Hats

The Luxembourg royal family took part in the closing procession of the Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg yesterday, a religious celebration that occurs on the fifth Sunday after Easter. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa led her family in a vibrant pink hat with squared crown and diagonal upturned brim with a flat monochrome multi looped ribbon bow on the side. I particularly liked the shape of this hat’s brim on the Grand Duchess.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, May 25, 2014 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown. My guess is Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

The Hereditary Grand Duchess wore an ecru looped bow fascinator wrapped in a swath of coordinating net veil. It is the first time we have seen Princess Stéphanie in a fascinator and I thought this delicate headpiece suited both her fine features and her bouclé coat quite nicely.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie , May 25, 2014 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown.
Previously Worn: I believe this headpiece is new

Princess Claire wore a large black straw hat with a gently upturned brim flowing in gentle waves. This hat is looks a little too floppy for my taste, although it works very well with Claire’s cascading ponytail and bright smile.

Princess Claire , May 25, 2014 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Princess Alexandra repeated her blush pink giant rosette fascinator. While I like the placement of this headpiece much better than the last time we saw her wear it, it still falls flat for me.

Princess Alexandra, May 25, 2014 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: September 8, 2012

My favourite hat yesterday was worn by Princess Tessy who sported a large dove grey saucer hat trimmed in navy piping and a large grey and navy looped bow. It was the perfect compliment to her lovely navy dress and, worn at this jaunty angle, set her off so beautifully. It also looks like she has taken some hairstyling pointers from the Duchess of Cambridge that worked wonderfully with this hat. So chic!

Princess Tessy, May 25, 2014 | Royal Hats