this photo was shared last week and immediately caught my eye. On February 8, 1992, a quartet of Imperial princesses attended the Kanto Tokai Flower Exhibition.
From left to right we see: Princess Kiko in a black boater with floppy brim; Princess Hisako in a black velvet bumper with pheasant feather trim; Princess Nobuko in a white hat with rolled fur brim; and perhaps most notably, Princess Hanako in a design with black button crown and cream cartwheel brim, trimmed with white pompoms. Your eyes are not deceiving you- those are indeed pompoms!
Click on the photo below to jump to its source on Twitter, and click on it again there to see an enlarged version. There are some great details to check out.
Princess Kiko, Princess Hisako, Princess Nobuko, Princess Hanako and Prince Akishino attend 41st Kanto Tokai Flower Exhibition on February 8, 1992. 📸 https://t.co/EvUfGqSPaopic.twitter.com/cbUBaAArBg
In 2019, many lovely hats stepped out on royal heads for the second, third, (or ninth!) times. Throughout the year, you picked favouritea from these repeatedly worn designs and assembled a list of nine stunning semi-finalists for the year. It is now finally time to share your top four choices for Favourite Repeated Royal Hat of 2019:
This hat was also your pick for top repeated royal hat in 2018 (and made the top three in 2017!), making it the first design ever on Royal Hats to win two years running! Congratulations to British milliner Jane Taylor and the Countess of Wessex, whose millinery partnership is clearly a winning one, and to the other three milliners who designed these beautiful runners up. It’s a wonderful (and well deserved) surprise to see an Imperial royal hat in this year’s winner’s circle.
King Harald and Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit shared greetings and words of encouragement along with photos of how they are keeping occupied in isolation
I have no idea when this photo was taken but it shows one of the wives of Swazi King Mswati III in a fun, deep red headpiece that I don’t remember seeing before.
And from British milliner Anne Tomlin, this amazing percher made from straw braid sewn with wire and formed into a caged button percher, trimmed with exquisite handmade lily-of-the-valley and silk abaca leaves.
On January 31st, Princess Nobuko and Princess Hisako visited the 69th Kanto Tokai Flower Exhibition at Sunshine City Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo. Princess Nobuko wore a black brimmed hat while Princess Hisako donned a gey felt Pork pie-crowned design with rolled brim and burgundy hatband
On January 31st, Princess Nobuko and Princess Hisako visited the 69th Kanto Tokai Flower Exhibition at Sunshine City Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo. The exhibit features some 1650 flowers from 11 prefectures. 📹 ANN https://t.co/vmNJL6KHH7pic.twitter.com/6ZvgJtyO5c
Chic grey felt boater hat on Princess Hisako today to open the 2020 Tokyo Tableware Festival
On February 2nd, Princess Hisako attended the opening ceremony of Tableware Festival 2020 at Tokyo Dome. The 28th edition features about 130,000 items and special displays on Seto ceramics, Italian design, and Japan-inspired Western tableware. 📸 https://t.co/MoYzTBUkjnpic.twitter.com/qtvOrYAhfu
Queen Elizabeth in a familiar blue felt hat with feather flowers by Angela Kelly, made by Stella McLaren, to attend St. Peter and St. Paul church this morning in West Newton near Sandringham
And this wonderfully elegant grey straw design with rolling wave cuffed brim, veil, feather quill twist and diamante bumble bees from British milliner Rachel Henry
Members of the Imperial Royal Family attended the annual New Years poetry reading yesterday at the Royal Palace in some colourful and interesting hats.
Crown Princess Kiko repeated a mint green silk covered bumper hat, trimmed with a diamond of the same woven lattice silk as the bodice of her gown. Princess Mako repeated a pale, ice blue silk floral jacquard covered calot hat with narrow, upturned, cuffed brim. Princess Kako repeated a royal blue silk bumper hat with beaded edge on the top of the upturned brim.
Princess Nobuko wore a new apricot silk covered bumper hat studded with tiny sparkle beads. The silk on the bumper brim is covered in bias stripes, giving a subtle diagonal movement to the design. Princess Akiko topped her cornflower blue gown with a matching hat. The hat’s button crown is covered in what looks like appliqued silk in the same hue, and a slim bumper brim circles the design.
Princess Nobuko and Princess Akiko of Mikasa attend New Year's Poetry Reading "Utakai Hajime" on January 16.
Princess Hisako repeated hat with saddle shaped brim covered in cream silk and an avocado green narrow crown embellished with the same applique cutouts as on her coordinating gown. Green silk flowers and leaves cascade from below the brim’s raised back – a design feature I don’t recall seeing before on a royal hat. Princess Tsuguko also had a new headpiece in teal, gold and taupe with peach silk roses.
Princess Takamado (Hisako) and Princess Tsuguko attend New Year's Poetry Reading "Utakai Hajime" on January 16.
This event usually shows us some of the most colourful and memorable Imperial royal hats of the year and yesterday did not disappoint! Which ensembles stand out to you most here?
Mikasa and Takamado Princesses at New Year's Poetry Reading "Utakai Hajime" on January 16.
Princess Tomohito (Nobuko) and Princess Akiko of Mikasa Princess Takamado (Hisako) and Princess Tsuguko
The Akishino princesses all repeated silk covered hats, Princess Kiko in an ivory bumper hat with gold threaded brocade fabric covering the crown; Princess Mako in her peacock blue wide bandeau with large diamond pattern and multi side bow; and Princess Kaiko in a buttercup yellow bandeau with silk blossoms on the side.
Princess Nobuko repeated an aubergine silk bumper hat with beaded split brim. The colour is divine and I adore the subtle bit of sparkle dressing up the split brim. Princess Akiko repeated a pale blue Breton wrapped in an ostrich feather hatband and frothy veil. Princess Yoko wore an ice blue silk covered bumper hat studded with pears that I don’t think we’ve seen before.
Princess Nobuko, Princess Akiko, and Princess Yoko of Mikasa attend New Year's Lectures on January 14th.
Princess Hisako repeated the peach hat that wowed us at the Imperial inauguration. This improved view of the piece shows it to be a boater base covered in apricot silk. The beaded applique around the neckline of Hisako’s gown is repeated on the top of the crown and the brim is overlaid in ombre dyed layers of silk (maybe layered with crin?). Silk calla lilies in the same ombre shades adorn the side of the hat, studded with pearls. Princess Tsuguko repeated a headpiece of overlapping silk leaves in various shades of purple, trimmed in gold, anchored around the back of her head.
Princess Takamado (Hisako) and Princess Tsuguko attend New Year's Lectures on January 14th.
We see few royal events attended in traditional court dress which is a shame, because the combination of gown and hat can be spectacular. Which ensembles stand out to you most here?
Mikasa and Takamado princesses at New Year's Lectures on January 14, 2020
Princess Tomohito (Nobuko), Princess Akiko, and Princess Yoko Princess Takamado (Hisako) and Princess Tsuguko
Also last Sunday, Princess Hisako attended the national Women’s Football Championship final in a chocolate bowler variation with interesting black knotted felt hatband. On January 1st, she attended the Emperor’s Cup football match in an ecru bumper hat with fur brim and side bow.
On December 29th, Princess Hisako attended the Empress's Cup JFA 41st Japan Women's Football Championship Final between Nippon TV Beleza and Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies at the Nack5 Stadium Omiya in Saitama.https://t.co/HeM16c1JF4
Princess Hisako is so energetic. After the many New Year's Receptions, she attended the Emperor's Cup JFA 99th Japan Championship Final between Vissel Kobe and Kashima Antlers at the New National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo on January 1st. https://t.co/34jvjZhxSN
this photo was shared last week and immediately caught my eye. On February 8, 1992, a quartet of Imperial princesses attended the Kanto Tokai Flower Exhibition.
