Tag Archives: Princess Marilène

Dutch Royal Wedding 20 Years On: Guests

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We finish our look back 20 years at the May 2001  wedding of Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien today with hats worn by royal guests and extended members of the Dutch royal family to the couple’s religious ceremony.

Princess Mathilde wore a white parasisal straw hat with slightly flared, flat-top crown and generous mushroom brim. The classic black and white scheme always works and I really like how the black stitching on her coat was reversed in white on the hat’s black hatband.

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Crown Princess Victoria took a more neutral path with a tan and cream subtle plaid coat and dress topped with a picture hat in beige straw. It was not a dynamic look (it’s all rather biscuit!!), not helped by the low curve of the hat’s gently sidesweeping brim that sat awkwardly low over Victoria’s face.

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Mette-Marit Tjenssem, who would become Crown Princess of Norway three months later, wore a blush coat with sequin detail repeated on the hatband of her cream picture hat. It was another quiet ensemble (despite the sequins) but nice, from today’s vantage point, to see Mette-Marit in a brimmed design.

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We can usually count on Princess Märtha Louise to bring some colour and she did not disappoint at this event, pairing her lilac shantung silk suit with a deep orange statement hat. Between the hat’s vibrant shade, extended brim with point ends, fuchsia brim binding and brim stitching and hatband of cut orange and fuchsia silk leaves, it was a memorable design.

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Princess Kiko was in head to hem pale butter yellow. Her hat was a most interesting shape with a bumper style overtop a downward facing visor- it really defies description. Can you remember seeing her in another design of this shape? It feels unique.

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Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg topped her red suit with a natural straw woven hat with rounded crown and fluted brim bound with chocolate binding and topped with a layer of silk petal studded crin… or a large patterned lace? The hat was finished with a large flower on the left side.

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The Countess of Wessex wore two toned hat with green fluted crown and palest seafoam parasisal straw with very interesting, inverted brim and trimmed with peacock feathers. We don’t see many two toned hats and while this one reflects millinery styles of the time, still was a well balanced and interesting (in a good way!) design.

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Princess Alexandra De Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berlebourg (Princess Benedikte’s eldest daughter) contrasted her pale blue ensemble with a copper straw picture hat. The unexpected scheme worked, as did the hat’s scale on Alexandra’s tall frame. I really like the proportion between the hat’s crown and wide brim and the textural contrast provided by the stitched silk bow.

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Princess Miriam of Bulgaria wore a folded black sinamay design with black and white feathers and a black veil.

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Princess Margriet wore a wide brimmed hat in red sinamay with long sinamay sash folded over the hat. That folded sash was unique, as hat trimmings go, but seemed at odds with the rest of the design.

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Princess Marilène (back row behind Prince Constantijn) wore a dark hued, wide brimmed hat. Princess Irene (front row on right, beside Maxima) wore a lime green straw boater with extended brim. Princess Christina (second row, in between Prince Constantijn and Queen Beatrix) looked to be in a hat with black brim and royal blue crown.

It’s always interesting, looking back at past events, which hats seem timeless and which ones reflect specific styles of the time. Looking back 20 years at this event, which hats stand out most to you?

You can see hats worn by immediate family (and the bride’s attire) at the religious ceremony here and hats at the civil ceremony here.

Images from Getty as indicated  

Bourbon Parma Wedding Ten Years On: Family & Guests

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Prince Carlos and Princess Annemarie of Bourbon-Parma celebrated their 10th anniversary last week. Yesterday we looked at the bride’s attire– today we look at hats worn by family and royal guests.

The groom’s mother, Princess Irene wore a statement pinwheel fascinator of purple feathers. Fascinators such as this one were still popular at the time (we’ll see several more at this wedding) and while this one was on-trend in terms of style and the colour was lovely, I think its scale overwhelmed Irene.

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Princess Margarita, who attended the bride and helped maneuver her 4 meter long train, topped and adorable red coat with a pleated bandeau headpiece trimmed with feathers on one side. The scale of the piece is lovely on her and just right for a head-to-toe ensemble in one colour- a bigger hat would have been too much. While bandeau headpieces are very popular today, this one was ahead of its time!

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Princess Carolina paired her stunning amethyst silk dress with a silvery grey straw fasciator studded with purple and grey feathers. As far as fascinators go, the crescent shape of this this one worked really well, not only to frame Carolina’s face but to give some presence to the piece. Both the shape and colour made the piece a great pairing for the dress, linking with the handpainted pattern on the skirt and complimenting, rather than competing with the cowl neckline. While fascinators such as these seem a bit dated now and the feather placement on this design isn’t perfect, ten years ago, I adored this look on Carolina.

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Queen Beatrix wore one of her signature oversize pillboxes, this one in the loveliest shade of slate blue. The hat paired beautifully with her both her blue jacquard silk dress and her fur-trimmed cape, the latter giving the most wonderful “ice queen” vibe, in the best possible way.

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Princess Máxima wore a simple black beret percher overlaid in pale grey and black net veil by Dutch milliner Irene Bussemaker. The veil is the star on this design, adding wonderful texture and softness to the otherwise stark piece. It’s not a showstopper hat for Máxima but, I suspect, that was the intent.

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Princess Laurentien topped another head-to-to red ensemble in a percher saucer hat trimmed in red guinea fowl feathers. While the numerous textures in this overall look might seem a bit much, they save it from being one note. I think the hat was a triumph, its scale so great on Laurentien (particularly with her characteristically sassy haircut) and the feathers a whimsical yet effective touch.

Nov 20, 2010 | Royal Hats

Princess Mabel leaned into the fasciator trend with a large headpiece of black feathers. A decade of time since first seeing this outfit has not warmed me any more to it- while the fascinator linked with the coat and the top linked with the skirt and shoes, these two halves seemed at odds and the overall look just didn’t mesh.

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While Princess Margriet, Princess Annette and Princess Anita  did not wear hats, Princess Marilene topped her Valentino coat with a lilac crin bow fascinator studded with goose and coque feathers, net veiling and tulle. While the design was fine, I’ve always felt her lovely coat deserved a much more refined hat. Something wide brimmed in felt the same shade as the coat’s velvet bow would have been so much better.

 Nov 20, 2010 | Royal Hats

Princess Aimee wore a white fascinator of ruffled straw. I prefer the look of this fascinator, which almost reads as a cocktail hat, to the feather explosions seen on other heads here, but always felt it was too summery for a November wedding. Perhaps she had planned to wear it for the originally scheduled date in August? Either way, cocktail hats were popular ten years ago and I think something in navy felt would have made a better pairing.

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The final Dutch royal hat at this wedding was worn by Princess Christina. Her tangerine straw callot was studded with black and orange feathers. The hat’s link to the black, yellow, caramel and coral floral print on Christina’s coat is obvious yet still incongruous…  and too Halloween-y. I think a solid colour hat would have been the way to go here.

The only hat on a royal guest was this wonderful purple felt cloche worn by Countess Diane of Nassau, wife of Prince Jean of Luxembourg. The design appears to be trimmed with a pair of slim, layered hatbands and a ruffled side bow at the side with feathers. It’s a classic piece that was elevated by its unexpected, yet very effective pairing with Diane’s fuchsia frock.

Nov 20, 2010 | Royal Hats

Looking back at past events is always an interesting glimpse at style trends at that time and this flashback is no exception. Which millinery looks have best stood the test of time? Which do you think are best left in the past?

Photos from Getty as indicated; PPE/Nieboer; PPE/Nieboer; PPE/Nieboer; Olivier Polet/Corbis, and Olivier Polet/Corbis, via Getty; Patrick van Katwijk/Monarchy Press; Patrick van Katwijk/Monarchy Press; PPE/Nieboer; Corbis; PPE/Nieboer; Corbis; PPE/Nieboer; Mark Renders/Getty Images; Jeroen Van Der Mejde/ANP Photo News

Dutch Royal Wedding 17 Years On: The Families

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The wedding of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima seventeen years ago was a grand, major state occasion for certain, but a personal, family one as well.  After looking at the attire and headwear of the couple and their attendants yesterday, we now turn our attention to the hats worn by members of their families.

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We start with a hat that is on my list of all-time favourites. Queen Beatrix wore a violet purple straw hat with domed crown and double sideswept brim, the top of which was in a darker eggplant purple that linked with her deeply hued coat. The hat, designed by Suzanne Moulijn, was completed with a violet straw hatband and dark purple silk rose on the side. The sweeping lines of the design and the glorious colour combination made it a fantastic mother-of-the-groom look for Beatrix.

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Princess Laurentien, who had been a member of the Dutch royal family less than a year at the time and was expecting her first child, wore a dramatic, wide brimmed hat. The design’s flared, angular crown was covered in the same golden ochre velvet as her dress and trimmed in a wide hatband in the same bubble printed jacquard as her coat. The brim was finished in a wide binding of ochre silk and while the use of straw might have seemed a little odd for a winter event, IT was a brilliant choice, allowing light to filter around Laurentien’s face and lending some much needed lift to the rather heavy (and, dare I say, clunky) design.

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Princess Margriet’s hat was made of the same red and white woven fabric as her cape with a tall, rounded, red faux fur bumper brim.
 
Princess Marilene, wore an streamlined almond felt hat with asymmetrical angular crown, simply trimmed with a slim hatband. Try as I might, I’ve not been able to find any photos of Princess Annette (Princess Margriet’s other daughter-in-law at the time, wife of Prince Bernhard).
Princess Irene wore a vibrant blue felt design with sloped crown, lavishly trimmed with a hatband of black ostrich feathers that spilled over the brim. Princess Christina’s magenta felt hat was trimmed in brim binding and a hatband in the same crushed eggplant purple velvet as her coat and featured a saucy upturn on one side of the brim. Unfortunately, I can’t locate photographs of Princess Irene’s daughter Princess Maria Carolina (Princess Margarita did not attend) but we saw Princess Christina’s daughter, Juliana Guillermo, who was one of the adult attendants, in yesterday’s post.
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The bride’s maternal aunt and godmother, Marcela Cerruti Carricart, who acted as one of the witnesses, wore a dove grey velvet felt hat with cloche-shaped crown and upfolded Kettle brim, trimmed with silk ribbon. 

Máxima’s half sister Delores wore a chocolate pillbox; her half sister María wore a gray-green brimmed hat with silk hatband; and her half sister Ángeles wore a chocolate brimless hat trimmed with a burgundy silk bow.

  
Sister-in-law, Mariana Zorreguieta, wife of Máxima’s brother Martin, wore a grey felt hat with rolled brim, trimmed with a silk ribbon bow.

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I always feel empathy toward the non-royal family at these sorts of events, and the challenges they must face when making decisions about attire. Hats in shades of brown and grey are certainly safe bets, and I wish they had felt comfortable to make some bolder choices. Aside from this, and the the bittersweet notes added by the absence of Máxima’s parents, it’s a good lineup of hats, some of which could be fashionably worn today. Which designs here stand out to you most?
Photos from Getty as indicated; Sihon Touhig via Getty; Scanpix; NOS

Orange-Nassau Wedding, Ten Years On: The Guests

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Royal Hats After looking at the marvellous hats worn at Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita’s civil wedding ten years ago, it is now time to look at the hats worn by guests at their religious ceremony.

The groom’s mother, Princess Margriet, topped her two toned pink suit with a magenta straw hat with a wide, upfolded brim. The hat appeared to have a double crown, thanks to a tall wrap of straw around the rounded crown, and the piece was trimmed with pink and red feathers on the side.

Anita’s mother, J.C.M. van Eijk-Steens, topped her ice blue suit with a straw hat in the same hue. This piece had a double brim made of translucent straw and was trimmed with straw rosettes, training bow tails, and pale blue feathers. While there is much going on with the hat, it was well balanced with her more streamlined suit.

Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau and Anita Van Eijk, August 27, 2005 | Royal Hats

Princess Marilène topped her gunmetal grey and aubergine ensemble with a navy straw hat. Trimmed with a large purple flower on the side (see it here), the simple straw piece swept off her face in a gently upfolded brim. It’s a fairly nondescript hat that seemed slightly at odds with the rest of her more fashion-forward outfit.

Princess Marilène, August 27, 2005 | Royal Hats

Princess Annette repeated the same cream straw hat she wore two days earlier to the civil wedding, replacing the black ribbon around the crown with a slim one in palest blue. I suppose it’s hardly a surprising move for a princess who has very few public engagements (and ever fewer which require a hat) to recycle a neutral piece in this kind of way.

Aimée Söhngen, who would marry the Princess Margriet’s youngest son two months later, wore a bright pink short Fez style hat wrapped in a large veil of dotted pink net. Clearly designed to coordinate with her pink dotted jacket and shoes, the hat seemed off balance and oddly squashed around the middle. Unfortunately, the piece was left looking like a 1960s lampshade.

Aimée Söhngen, August 27, 2005 | Royal Hats

Queen Beatrix (as she was then) topped her grey dress with a coordinating straw hat. The flat brimmed piece featured a wide straw wrap around the flat crown; from the front, the hat was streamlined and restrained. In contrast, the back of the brim raised slightly to reveal a mass of pink and silver blooms that nestled into the Queen’s hair. I adore this surprise around the back of the hat; the hidden blooms are reminiscent of the hat Beatrix wore to Princess Amalia’s christening which makes me guess that this piece is another design by Emmy Hill.

Queen Beatrix, August 27, 2005 | Royal Hats

Princess Máxima (as was her title in 2005) wore one of her most memorable hats to this event. Made of stripes of transparent magenta and red straw, the wide brim of the picture hat was formed into large fluted ruffles that gave the Fabienne Delvigne design an incredible sense of movement and presence. On it’s own, the hat was a creative masterpiece but its pairing with Máxima’s shiny red coat and huge costume earrings took the ensemble way over the top. Máxima has not repeated this hat to date and I would love to see it make another outing with a more simple, neutral dress. As far as millinery goes, it is spectacular.

While I would love to see Máxima’s hat repeated, I’m pleased that Princess Laurentien’s hat has been left in the past. The Marianne Jongkind design, made of gold straw, featured a soaring, pointy crown and brim, each edged in brown straw. While the shape was unique, it overwhelmed the princess and looked like it was headed to a costume party instead of a royal wedding. Its pairing with her fussy brown dress and cartoonish belt seems like an experiment in avant garde fashion that went very wrong.

The daughters of Princess Irene (who was lecturing in South Africa and did not attend), Princess Carolina and Princess Margarita, wore much more demure pieces. Carolina topped her lilac printed jacket with a chic lavender hat with asymetrically raised brim; Margarita matched her dark raspberry straw hat to her skirt. While she did not wear a hat, Princess Mabel’s fashion choice had a very sentimental note- she  wore the same dress Princess Beatrix wore for her engagement announcement in 1965.

Princess Carolina, August 27, 2005 | Royal Hats

Princess Christina wore an orange and coral feathered fascinator and her daughter, Juliana Guillermo, wore a headpiece of trailing copper feathers. While neither piece are particularly memorable, I adore that two family members chose hues of orange for this Orange-Nassau wedding.

The only guest from a foreign royal family was Princess Astrid of Belgium, who wore a sleek silver picture hat with cartwheel brim trimmed with a silk ribbon around the base of the crown. The austere hat combined beautifully with her textured Chanel suit, leaving no question that the ensemble was haute couture from head to toe.

The hats at this wedding covered the full spectrum from elegant to eccentric, exquisite to egregious. Keeping their age in mind, dear readers, I’m curious to hear which hats made the strongest style statement for you?

Photos from ANP; Michel Porro via Getty; and Getty as indicated

Dutch Royals Celebrate Tenth Anniversary

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Royal Hats Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita of Orange-Nassau are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary this week. In honour of this milestone, we’re going to take a look back this week at the many hats worn at their civil and religious weddings.

Prince Pieter-Christiaan, third son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and her husband, Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven, met Anita van Eijk when they were both working in London, sometime between 2000 and 2003. Their civil wedding, on August 25, 2005, took place at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn (the Prince was raised on a nearby estate) attended by family and friends. Following the trend set by other von Vollenhoven daughter-in-laws, Anita wore a brightly coloured Andrew Gn suit for the civil ceremony.

Printed with coral and trimmed with chunky beads at the collar and cuffs, the green and yellow  ensemble was topped with a large headpiece in the same shades. Made up of splayed straw leaves around a central mass of yellow ranunculus blooms, I remain perplexed about how Anita’s garden headpiece related to the deep-sea theme of her suit.

Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Anita van Eijk, August 25, 2005 | Royal Hats

The groom’s mother, Princess Margriet, topped her black and white suit with a coordinating pompom fascinator. Princess Marilène, wife of Prince Maurits, wore an avant garde hat with a stacked gold straw crown and transparent cream brim, attached most unusually at the top of the crown. With her gold bubble skirt, the ensemble had a decidedly futuristic, outer space vibe about it.

Princess Annette and Aimée Söhngen (Prince Floris’ fiancée who would join the Dutch royal family just two months later) both wore black and white ensembles topped with coordinating cartwheel brimmed hats. Aimée’s hat, with its black straw crown and white lattice brim, added a particularly lovely top note to her elegant ensemble.

At the time of this wedding, I wondered if the black/white/gold ensembles worn by Princess Margriet and her daughters-in-law were deliberately chosen to let the bride stand out. If this was indeed the case, it did not apply to Queen Beatrix (as was her title then), who topped her cornflower blue dress with a tall crowned hat in silver straw.

The loudest style statement at these civil nuptials was made by Princess Laurentien, who wore a vibrant turquoise and lime trouser suit. The oufit’s pairing with a coordinating turquoise gigantic, flat crowned picture hat by Fabienne Delvigne simply defies description.

While some of these Dutch royal hats make rather bold statements, I think overall, they have aged surprisingly well in ten years of changing fashion (much better than the outfits they were paired with!) and with some new frocks, could be successfully repeated today. I’m curious which pieces stand out to you most, dear readers, and for what reasons.

On Thursday, we’ll look at the hats worn at Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita’s religious wedding which took place on August 27, 2005. You’re in for some real corkers.

Photos from ANP and Getty as indicated