Continuing our preliminary look at yesterday’s parade of British royal hats for Christmas Day, we come to the York Princesses. Princess Beatrice wore a cocktail hat with oval button base covered in electric blue velvet, trimmed with a silk rose and pleated silk abaca bow twist. On Christmas Eve, Beatrice wore another percher from this same brand- both hats have beautiful detail and trimming and are a scale that Beatrice wears very well. I’m less enamoured with the styling of this ensemble- perhaps with a black coat, the blue velvet would have been a lovely pop of colour. With this combination of black base, grey coat, awkwardly open neckline and blue hat, everything just looks haphazardly thrown together. It’s a shame because this is such a beautiful hat and this ensemble does nothing to show it off.
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Designer: Juliette Botterill. It is the “Velvet Rose Oval Mini” design
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Eugenie wore a black felt rounded hat with wide, cuff bumper brim, trimmed with a large bow on one side. The simple hat balanced her graphically colour blocked coat, making an interesting and eye catching ensemble. I’m not sure I actually like the coat… but it’s absolutely the right hat to pair with it.
Designer: Whiteley
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new
The Countess of Wessex topped her Erdem floral coat with a bespoke calot style headpiece circle of leaves in navy and pink felt. It’s great to see Sophie experimenting with new hat shapes and on its own, this one is a unique and pretty design (the midnight blue velvet is a beautiful contrast with her hair) but it is completely overshadowed by the floral coat. I think this coat needed a larger brimmed hat with strong lines and presence to balance the ensemble. I also think some patterns are best left to the drapery…
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Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Lady Louise Windsor topped her burgundy collarless coat with a small black and burgundy cocktail hat. The visible, flat base on this piece officially disqualifies it from consideration as a fascinator even though it is anchored to Louise’s head on a headband. Embellished with burgundy and black (or navy?) crin twists, the piece remains light and airy despite its dark hues; it is a great compliment to Louise’s coat and looks very smart on her.
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Designer: my guess is custom Jane Taylor but this remains unconfirmed
Previously Worn: This piece is new
Previously Worn: This piece is new
Princess Anne wore what I think is a new hat… but with Anne, our favourite royal hat recycler, one can never be entirely certain. A square crowned cloche in grey felt, the hat is trimmed with a triple pleated black hatband, sidespray of feathers and cascade of overlapping feathers over the downward facing brim. Anne has introduced several feather-covered hats into her wardrobe over the past few years and the colour scheme, scale and feather placement on this one makes it more successful than some others. The hat showed especially well on this outing against Anne’s streamlined navy coat and black boots.
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Embed from Getty Images
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdIqp3QjZh0/
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Autumn Phillips topped her red-piped navy military styled coat with a red velvet cocktail hat featuring a large, round button base, multi looped bow and jewelled picks. The starburst pleating on the velvet which covers the base adds a beautiful background pattern to the piece and the colour, which looks great on Autumn, paired perfectly with her coat. We don’t see many red hats at extended British royal family events (presumably, not to take focus away from the Queen) which is a shame because this one is fantastic.
Designer: Emily London
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Previously Worn: This hat is new
The Countess of Snowdon wore a black (or navy?) hat with flat, linear crown and brim encircled in overlapping feathers. Lady Sarah Chatto ventured away from her go-to saucer shape to a new hat in midnight blue felt with wide, downward facing brim trimmed with a slim navy hatband and flat center bow. Both are statement pieces I wish we could see from multiple angles for a better view. I fear Lady Sarah’s hat is slightly too large a scale on her but will wait for its next outing to make a final assessment. I like the unique brim shape, which is visibly wider in front than in back.
Designer of Serena’s hat: unknown
Designer of Sarah’s hat: Stephen Jones custom version of ‘Facetime’ from Miss Jones AW 2019
Previously Worn: I believe both hats are new
Designer of Sarah’s hat: Stephen Jones custom version of ‘Facetime’ from Miss Jones AW 2019
Previously Worn: I believe both hats are new
Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones rounded out the royal delegation in a classic Italian made fedora in slate blue felt. The hat is trimmed with a classic navy ribbon hatband and side bow. I wish Margarita’s coat better matched the hat but custom hats for minor royals (who we see wear hats once or twice a year) isn’t a realistic proposition and the different blues do coordinate fairly well. The scale of this piece is great on Margarita, who suddenly looks so grown up in it.
Designer: Borsalino
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Previously Worn: This hat is new
There are not many royal events which see nine new hats (not including the additional four new pieces we already reviewed in this post!). I’m curious dear readers- which hats here have caught your eye? Which hats do you think work particularly well for their royal wearer?
Photos from Geoff Robinson Photography/REX/Shutterstock; Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock; Chris Jackson via Getty; Ward/WENN.com ORG XMIT: wenn33520360; Ward/WENN.com ORG XMIT: wenn33520361; and Getty as indicated
forty years ago to this day in 1977 and the christening of Peter Philips at Buckingham Palace. Turbans seem to be the style of the day and the Queen, her mother, her sister and daughter all wore versions in blue. The colour coordination is amusing, as is the slight air of ‘swimming costume’ eminating from the Queen Mum’s blue feathered design and the ‘fallen chef’s hat’ look of Princess Anne’s striped design. Thankfully, this is not a millinery era that looks likely to come back en vogue.
Royal Hats 