Tag Archives: Princess Hanako

Imperial New Year’s Lectures 2017

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Members of the Imperial Family gathered yesterday at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to take part in the Kousho Hajime (Imperial New Year’s Lectures).

Imperial Royal Family, Jan 11, 2017 | Royal Hats

Held annually since 1869, the Court Dress code for this event sees all the ladies in gowns and hats except for Empress Michiko, who forgoes a hat as she is officially hosting the event in her home. Princess Kiko repeated the blue grey calot she wore to the lectures last year.

Princess Kiko, Jan 11, 2017 | Royal Hats

Princess Mako repeated a turquoise pillbox with bumper-style raised sides she first wore for her grandfather’s 80th birthday three years ago.

Princess Mako, Jan 11, 2017 | Royal Hats

Princess Hanako of Hitachi repeated the vibrant blue leopard printed silk gown and matching bumper hat with feather trim that she wore for the New Year’s Poetry reading last year.  While the detail on this hat is not visible on this photo, jump over to this post for a better view taken during its first outing.

Princess Hanako, Jan 11, 2017 | Royal Hats

Photos from The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun, and The Asahi Shimbun

Japanese Royals Celebrate Disabled Children & The UN

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Last Wednesday, Prince Masahito and Princess Hanako of Hitachi attended the Japanese Society for Disabled Children’s 35th annual Art Exhibition. Princess Hanako wore a smart ivory hat with Pork Pie crown and mushroom brim trimmed with a taupe bow wrapped around the back of the design.

Princess Hanako, Dec 14, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Hanako, Dec 14, 2016 | Royal Hats

On Monday, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako attend a symposium in Tokyo commemorating 60 years of Japan’s membership in the United Nations. Princess Masako topped her burgundy suit with a matching felt hat trimmed in a wide velvet hatband with bow at the back. The brim on this piece is slightly wider than we see on most of Masako’s other hats and both the elevated scale and saturated colour work beautifully on her.

Crown Princess Masako, Dec 19, 2016 | Royal Hats

Crown Princess Masako, Dec 19, 2016 | Royal Hats  Crown Princess Masako, Dec 19, 2016 | Royal Hats

Crown Princess Masako, Dec 19, 2016 | Royal Hats

While Imperial royal millinery style usually sticks to its own set of more conservative rules, these pieces both feel more modern and fashionable- what do you think of them?

Photos from Sankei and Kyodo News via Getty; and Sankei

Catching Up With The Imperial Royals

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Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Yamagata Prefecture over the weekend to take in the 36th National Meeting for the Healthy Ocean. For this event, Empress Michiko repeated her large white saucer hat with curling ribbon detail in the same blue silk as her suit. We don’t often see such a clear side view of Michiko’s hats and this one shows not only how the hat is secured to her head, but how flat (and light weight) the saucer shape is.

Empress Michiko, September 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

Empress Michiko, September 11, 2016 | Royal Hats   Empress Michiko, September 11, 2016 | Royal Hats

Designer: my guess is Akio Hirata
Previously Worn: August 7, 2015; July 26, 2015

Last week, Princess Hanako of Hitachi also made her first appearance following a hip replacement earlier this summer. The Princess was in Hokkaido Prefecture to attend the opening of the sixth annual Ikebana Art Exhibition. For this occasion, she wore a new hat. With a squared crown in the same pale peachy-pink silk as her suit, this hat’s focal point is an unusual but beautiful brim made of transparent straw covered in lace.

 Princess Hanako, September 8, 2016 | Royal Hats  Princess Hanako, September 8, 2016 | Royal Hats

We don’t often see such use of lace on royal hats and the use of lace here creates such a lovely contrast of texture on this piece, significantly lightening its overall feel. I appreciate the gentle curve of the brim and while the repeated use of the lace as applique on Hanako’s suit might be a step too far into matchy-matchy territory, the ensemble is wonderful on her.

Princess Hanako, September 8, 2016 | Royal Hats  Princess Hanako, September 8, 2016 | Royal Hats

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

While Empress Michiko’s hat is unchanged from her usual style, I’m curious about your responses to Princess Hanko’s more unusual design. What do you think of this lace brimmed hat?

Photos from Mainichi; Asahi and FNN News

Hitachi Couple Attend Memorial

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Masihito, Prince Hitachi and Princess Hanako attend a WW II memorial ceremony at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery yesterday (the cemetery holds the ashes of 2,337 Japanese soldiers recovered from Russia and South Pacific Islands). For this event, Princess Hanako wore a smart black hat with square crown and a downward facing lampshade brim. This style of brim can often overwhelm the wearer but the reduced scale of this design works well for Hanako.

Princess Hanako, May 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Hanako, May 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

What do you think of this 1950’s inspired design on Princess Hanako?

Photos from The Asahi Shimbun and The Asahi Shimbun via Getty

Imperial Royals At Spring Garden Party

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Members of the Imperial Royal Family attended an annual spring garden party hosted by the Emperor and Empress yesterday at the Akasaka Imperial Garden.

Imperial Royal Family, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats

Empress Michiko led her family in an elegant white wool suit topped with her large white saucer hat with pink petal trim. Within the realm of the empress’ style, it was a lovely hat for this event.

 Empress Michiko, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: April 24, 2014; December 2, 2013

Crown Princess Masako was also in white, pairing her suit with a squared bowler hat with short, upturned brim. If you look closely, you will see that the band around the crown of this piece is anchored by very slim braided trim which brings some much needed texture to it.

Crown Princess Masako, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: November 5, 2014

From a distance, Princess Kiko’s pale green hat looked to be a silk covered pillbox but closeup, it revealed itself to be a bumper hat with flat, upfolded cuff brim. Her daughter, Princess Mako, wore a square-crowned pink hat with short rolled brim.The shape of this piece looks like a cross between a bowler hat and a top hat… a hybrid that I’m not keen on.

Princess Mako, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats   Princess Mako and Princess Kiko, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Mako, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats

Designers: unknown
Previously Worn: Princess Mako’s hat is new. Princess Kiko’s hat was worn April 26, 2007
Princess Hanako of Hitachi, seen below on the left repeated her smart ecru hat with square crown and linear, upturned brim.
Imperial Royal Family, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats
Princess Nobuko of Mikasa topped her pale aqua suit with a whimsical hat wrapped in a swath of coordinating tulle that leaves one thinking of cotton candy. Princess Princess Akiko’s rounded crown white hat featured what looks like a moulded sash and brim combination in the same pale celery as her suit. Princess Yoko wore a pink hat in the same square crowned shape as the one worn by Princess Mako. A wide ruched silk sash wrapped around the crown, ending in a flat bow on the side.
Princess Akiko and Princess Nobuko, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats       MIkasa Princesses, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats
Princess Hisako of Takamado wore an suit and matching hat, both from the same ecru patterned silk. The hat featured a low, flat crown and short, U-shaped curled brim- a shape which, unfortunately, looks like a squashed top hat.
Princess Hisako, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats
The most dramatic millinery shapes of the day were worn by the younger Takamado Princesses. Princess Tsuguko topped her navy and black printed dress and jacket with a wide brimmed black picture hat trimmed in what looks to be a wide bleu sash (or long navy feathers?) wrapped around the flat sided crown. Princess Ayako topped her pale lilac ensemble with a matching saucer hat, placed at the most rakish angle we’ve seen among the Imperial royals in a long time. Both ensembles showed more personality than we’ve seen in a long time on Imperial Royals, something that fills me with glee!
 Princess Tsuguko and Princess Ayako, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats  Princess Tsuguko and Princess Ayako, April 27, 2016 | Royal Hats
It is always fun to see such large scale royal hatted events such as this one, even if the hats are not exciting. The last two certainly piqued my curiosity (oh how I wish we could see them better) which is not something I often can say about Imperial millinery. What do you think of this parade of Japanese royal hats? Are any of them worthy for your nomination of favourite hat worn this month?
Photos from Getty as indicated; The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun via Getty; and Sankei