Royal Hats this Year: Great Britain Part 1

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Royal Hats

Royal Hats Year In Review 2014 The most prolific hat-wearing royal house (by far!) are the British Royals. As such, we need to break our review of their hats into three posts. First up are members of the extended British royal family. As with other 2014 Review posts, please click on each photo to link to the original post on each hat, complete with additional views, larger photos and detailed information. Here are all the hats worn by members of the extended British royal family in 2014:

The Duchess of Gloucester

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Lady Gabriella Windsor and Lady Frederick Windsor

7. 8. 9-10.

Princess Michael of Kent

11. 12. 13. 14.

15. 16. 17.

Lady Helen Taylor

18. 19.

Countess of St. Andrews (20-21), Lady Marina Windsor (22) and Zenouska Mowatt (23)

20. 21. 22. 23.

Princess Alexandra of Kent

24. 25. 26.

27. 28. 29.

30. 31. 32.

Do any of these hats make the cut for your nomination as favourite royal hat of 2014? Are any among your least favourite?

Please click on each photo to link back to the original post with additional information and photo sources

Chatto Wedding: Royal Guest Hats

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Royal Hats

Yesterday marked 20 years since the wedding of Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones and Daniel Chatto. After looking at the gowns and headpieces worn by the bride and her bridesmaids, we now turn our attention to the hats worn by Lady Sarah’s royal relatives. Lady Sarah’s mother, the late Princess Margaret, wore a pale blue hat with large, flat crown, short brim and side spray of silk roses. The hat is very much in tune with early 1990s style and scale which I think was too large for petite Princess Margaret. The hat seemed to dwarf her although the colour was very pretty.

Princess Margaret, July 14, 1994 | Royal Hats

Lady Sarah’s sister-in-law, Viscountess Linley, wore a large black straw hat with front raised brim designed by Philip Treacy. The transparent straw hat brim was edged in a wide black band of fabric and the crown of the hat looks like it was an oversize bubble of cream straw. It is a fascinating hat but again, the oversize 1990s scale seems a little too big for Serena.

Princess Margaret and Viscountess Linley, July 14, 1994 | Royal Hats

Queen Elizabeth wore a coral and white straw hat with a simple white band and bow around the crown. If you look closely, you will see that the front of the brim has a diagonal seam- the brim is coral on one side and white on the other (and vice versa on the underside of the brim). This two toned feature is a unique one for Her Majesty and was the design of Ian Thomas (who was once assistant to Norman Hartnell). The brim size is also unique- we seldom see the Queen in hats with such a large brim anymore and I think she wore brims very well. The scale and coral colour of this chapeau was lovely on her.

Queen Elizabeth, July 14, 1994 | Royal Hats

Lady Sarah’s grandmother, the late Queen Mother, wore a cream hat with wide brim trimmed with a wrap of ostrich feathers around the crown (see bottom photo in this post for a better sense of the scale of this hat). The large brim of this hat now seems like it was quite a departure for the Queen Mum, who usually wore calot style hats with upturned front brims that did not obscure her face. This hat was a very stately departure in her millinery style and I think she looked marvelous.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, July 14, 1994 | Royal Hats

Princess Anne wore a smart cream hat with raised slit brim in the back. It is another hat that now looks rather dated but twenty years ago, I think it was a fairly stylish piece. Lady Helen Taylor wore an embroidered white skull cap. While her ensemble might look a little odd, I have a feeling the Punjabi kurta-style outfit might have been a gentle nod to the country where Sarah and Daniel met (and returned for their honeymoon). That being said, the form fitting hat was an interesting choice for Lady Helen, who was eight months pregnant with her first child at the time.

Princess Diana wore a somber navy dress and picture hat with a large sash that wrapped around the crown and knotted on the side of the hat. The brim was gently raised in front and turned sharply downwards in the back. It is certainly not my favourite of Diana’s hats as it seemed a little severe on her.

Princess of Wales, July 14, 1994 | Royal Hats

One of the surprise guests at this wedding was Sophie Rhys-Jones who accompanied Prince Edward. Sophie’s cream top hat with tulle around the brim and large trailing bow at the back seems to capture the essence of early 1990s millinery fashion. Thankfully, styles changed by the time she joined the British royal family in 1999.

Sophie Rhys-Jones, July 14, 1994 | Royal Hats

While Lady Sarah’s bridal ensemble seems timelessly elegant, the hats at this wedding seem to reflect the fashion of the day. I am curious, dear readers, which royal hats at this wedding do you remember liking at the time? Which ones did not strike your fancy?

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Photos from Tim Graham via Getty; Matthew Polak via Corbis; Chip Hires, Chip Hires, Stringer and Tim Graham via Getty; and APL and Topfoto via The Royal Forums

Ascot Day 4

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Royal Hats

Yesterday turned out to be a vibrant day of royal hats for Day 4 of Ascot. I am so pleased to welcome American milliner Jill Courtemanche and British Milliner Katie Vale back to share their insights and opinions of the hats we saw.

Queen Elizabeth in Angela Kelly

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KV: By far my favourite hat that we’ve seen the Queen in so far this Ascot. The colour is glorious. And the flower decoration is pretty. I like this so much on the Queen because the crown is actually smaller than she usually wears and that’s a good thing in my book.

JC: This is not my favorite, I think it all looks a little heavy. The brim with the sheer straw and fabric bumper is very flattering on the queen but I find the crown a touch too tall and the trim too much in the center of the hat. The trim itself looks like a bit of a jumble of whatever was in the drawer, I think it weighs the hat down instead of adding a hint of whimsy.

RH: I like the mix of textures and the straw brim on this fabric hat does lighten it a little. I also love the fabric ‘bumper’ edging the brim. The colour is glorious and the shape is wonderful but there is something about the mix of sweet pink flowers and racy animal print feathers that has the trim on this hat headed off madly in different directions.

Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan, Sheikha of Dubai in Philip Treacy

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RH: Now THIS is a cocktail hat! I adore the movement, the lightness of the crin and straw ribbon tails (similar to the ones that adorned Camilla’s hat back on Day 1) and the scale of the decoration. This hat has drama and much personality but is not entirely over the top. I love it!

KV: This is quite different from what we’ve seen from her this week. It’s a lot smaller and more subtle. But I’m a big fan. The delicate material and flowing decoration echo her top well. Being in cream it’s difficult to see the full detail, but overall I like it. She looks elegant and classy in this.

JC: Glorious! This is truly a stunning hat and it completely makes the outfit. All of her hats this week have been very feminine and this one is no exception. I love how it appears so effortless like it just landed softly on her head. This is definitely one of my favorites of the week so far.

Lady Sarah Chatto in Stephen Jones

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JC: Very simple, clean and modern but really a bit boring for the Ascot. I would like to have seen a bit more trim going on especially since she wore this same silhouette last week. This could have easily had some gorgeous flowers or a feather trim added on to give it some flare for the event. That said it is a lovely shape on her and she has it tilted perfectly to create a nice line

KV: As you can see, the asymmetrical discs are at the height of fashion this year. They give a large hat feel, but only a small part is actually touching the head, therefore they aren’t too hot to wear and allow various different hair styles. Unfortunately Sarah looks very drained in this cream hat. It’s quite a basic design and is in just a bland cream colour. I think the size and shape is lovely but it needs some decoration on it. It also needs to be a different colour!

RH: To be fair, the photos released today don’t show this hat to greatest effect. Lady Sarah wore this hat also for Trooping the Colour this year- a better view can be seen here. Her aesthetic is usually clean and modern, and I love the shape on her. It looks like she embellished this hat with a pair of diamond brooches- a hat with diamonds seems like a wonderful idea!

Lady Helen Taylor in Stephen Jones

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JC: I am not sure what this is but it reminds me of a crumpled hanky on a headband. I think if maybe it was tilted a bit more forwards towards the right eye it would help but as it is now I am not a fan. The scattered rhinestone trim doesn’t add much interest either.

KV: I like that she is wearing something unique, however I feel that the placement is wrong. It needs to be further to the side, at present it looks more like a squashed mortar board. I can see what she’s trying to achieve here, but I don’t think it has worked if I’m honest.

RH: I just don’t understand this hat, nor why it was paired with this particular dress. Scratching my head with this one. And I take back my previous comment- hats with diamonds aren’t always a good idea (!).

The Countess of St. Andrews in Yvette Jelfs

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JC:I think this is a great color tone for her, the mocha color really flatters her skin tone. I am not sure I would paired with a black suit but the hat itself is lively on her and I really love the flower next to her face. We have seen a lot of that this week and really adds a nice softness to these more modern saucer shapes.

KV: Oh this is amazing! It’s dramatic yet isn’t too fussy! The nude colour is very elegant and not over powering at all. The shape is beautiful with the large lip, and I like that the flower is hidden.

RH: Sylvana’s daughter Lady Marina wore this hat to Trooping the Colour last week. Like Katie and Jill, I love the subtle colour, the flower spray under the brim and the overall shape of the hat. It is dramatic indeed, but with a gentleness to it that is oh-so pretty.

The hats yesterday were completely different from the hats we saw on days one, two and three. I’m curious, dear readers- what did you think of yesterday’s Ascot hats?

Photos from Getty as indicated and Getty for Ascot Racecourse via The Daily Mail

British Royal Extended Family at Trooping the Colour

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Royal Hats

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Designer Update

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Royal Hats

Royal Hats Blog One of the finalists in our least favourite hats of 2013 was a hat endearingly nicknamed “the Reindeer” worn by lady Helen Taylor at Trooping the Colour last June. It is actually entitled “The Nimbus” and was designed by Stephen Jones. Here, finally, is a photo where we can actually see it. The detail is quite exquisite although I would have probably done without the second cascade.

Nimbus Stephen Jones Lady Helen Taylor, June 15, 2013 | The Royal Hats Blog

Photo from Stephen Jones and Chris Jackson/Getty via Zimbio

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Tag Archives: Lady Helen Taylor

Royal Hats this Year: Great Britain Part 1

Chatto Wedding: Royal Guest Hats

Ascot Day 4

British Royal Extended Family at Trooping the Colour

Designer Update