Tag Archives: Princess Mette-Marit

Catching Up Five Scandinavian Royal Hatted Events

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The Scandinavian royals were busy this weekend, leaving us five hatted events to catch up!

On Saturday, Queen Margrethe opened a Niels Skovgaard exhibition at Skovgaard Museum. The queen, who has lent a painting from the royal collection for the exhibition (one that usually hangs in her office), repeated her bright pink straw hat with double navy floral hatband and organza mini blossoms on the side.

Designer: likely Peter Falk Hansen
Previously Worn: May 29, 2018; Aug 28, 2017;  June 16, 2017; September 12, 2016; June 27, 2016; June 3, 2016; August 31, 2015; June 26, 2015
On Saturday, Princess Benedikte was at Klampenborg Galopbane for her namesake “Princess Benedikt’s Honorary Prize Run” for female amateur riders. For this event, she wore a new cream straw hat with wide brim, upswept on one side. The hat looks to be simply trimmed with a wide hatband in the same cream straw. It’s a lovely, sleek piece that paired especially well with her bright dress and necklace.


Designer: Mathilde Førster 
Previously Worn: This hat is new 
Yesterday, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia attended an ordination service at Uppsala Cathedral. For this service, Queen Silvia topped her patterned royal blue dress with her repeated straw hat in the same hue. The hat features a rounded crown, gently upswept brim and is trimmed with a pleated blue silk hatband and a side spray of blue silk flowers at the side. We’ve discussed recently here about the success (or non success!) of one colour ensembles and I put this one firmly in the ‘success’ category, thanks to the mix of multiple textures on the dress and hat.


https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjm3f5Uh7K7/

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: June 6, 2016  
Also yesterday, Queen Margrethe was in Fredericia  to take part in the 350th anniversary celebration of Sct. Michaelis Church. She repeated her pale pink straw hat with tapered crown and slightly upswept brim on one side, trimmed with white silk flowers and pink silk ribbon hatband and brim binding piped with a slim stripe of white. She was joined for the service by her cousin, Count Ingolf of Rosenborg and his wife, Countess Sussie, who wore a smart raspberry straw bumper hat.

June 3, 2018 | Royal Hats

Designer of Queen Margrethe’s hat:  likely Per Falk Hansen. White silk flowers by Danish fleuriste Effi Pingel
Previously Worn: Nov 23, 2017; July 15, 2017
And finally, the Norwegian royal family welcomed Slovakia’s President Andrej Kiska today on a three day state visit. For the official welcome, Queen Silvia repeated a cream straw picture hat with trimmed with coral quills.
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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: May 19, 2014; May 31, 2012; June 2007 
Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore an embellished bandeau headpiece while Princess Astrid looks to be wearing a black  straw brimless hat with domed crown, trimmed with a black net tulle veil.
June 4, 2018 | Royal Hats June 4, 2018 | Royal Hats
Designer of both pieces: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe both are new
My apologies for the poor photos, dearest readers- the Scandinavian royals just get the level of media coverage that their British cousins do. Nevertheless, it’s been a busy weekend of interesting hats across Scandinavia! I think Princess Benedikte’s new design is a particular beauty. 
Photos from social media as indicated; Chresten Bergh and Scanpix Norway

This Week’s Extras

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Royal Hats

King Carl Gustaf in his trusty fedora last weekend for a visit to Vilhelmina

The Belgian King and Queen with their four children, all in cozy hats while on a skiing holiday

Crown Prince Haakon has been spotted at numerous Winter Olympics events in Pyeong Chang this week in a navy wool hat with Norgwegian flag. On Wednesday, Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited the site for the future Cathedral of Hope, to be built with recycled plastic gathered from the ocean, in a floppy navy wool hat. (Royal House of Norway)

Tatiana Santo Domingo Casiraghi shared this throwback photo to a past visit to Carnival in Rio in a floral crown

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

Oversize pale blue saucer with crin brim edge and pastel trim by UK milliner Merve Bayindir
Jewel toned trilbys with textural patterned hatbands by new UK brand Karasu London
Exquisite design in pleated pink crin from Munich based milliner Nicki Marquardt
Très chic rain hat in maroon water repellent cotton from Australian milliner Helen Kaminsky
Sculpted sky blue straw saucer percher with lace trim from UK brand Layla Leigh Millinery
Coral straw boater with bows and net overlay from Australian brand Jill and Jack Millinery
Striking tri-colour blocked oversize fedora with flying bow from UK milliner Lisa Tan
Teal leather pillbox base percher with giant spring bloom from Tasmanian Cessiah Alice Millinery
Lovely use of black net on this felt design with pork pie crown from Australian milliner Meg Rafter

I don’t imagine we’ll see these on royal heads but the saucer and percher designs trimmed with food by Israeli milliner Maor Zabar are most certainly memorable.

 Royal Hats

Princess Märtha Louise, who is an accomplished equestrian, showed that talent for this sport has passed to a new generation of Norwegian royal family members with this video of her daughter Leah’s first international competition.

The entire Danish royal family joined Queen Margrethe to watch soldiers from the Royal Guard bring Prince Henrik’s remains to Parliament’s church in Copenhagen last night, where it will remain for members of the public to visit until Monday.

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Inventory: Princess Mette-Marit’s Red Hats

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Another millinery closet we have yet to peek into during our inventory series is the one belonging to Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. While we seldom see her wear hats these days, during the earlier years of her royal life she donned millinery of all shapes and sizes, including a few in red. Here are all of the red designs she has worn, in the order they were introduced:

1.    2.   3.

Designer: all are unknown
First Worn: May 17, 2002; April 30, 2006; May 17, 2017

 

For Queen Margrethe’s 75th birthday celebrations in April 2015, Mette-Marit repeated a gold Prada headband but changed the champagne and navy ribbons previously woven through it at earlier outings with a red one. It’s certainly not a red hat but seemed worthwhile (albeit reluctantly) to include in this inventory. I suspect the red ribbon, combined with her white coat, is to reference the Danish flag.

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As the Norwegian royals do not wear hats to most regular engagements, we can’t expect them to have as many designs in their inventories as British or Dutch counterparts (and health issues in recent years have made Princess Mette-Marit wear even fewer hats). The group here is a mixed one in terms of success- #1 completely dwarfs the princess and while the smaller scale designs suit her better, I’m not sure about that mustard feather on the #2 beret and I can’t decide if the #3 calot is classically elegant or a bit too boring. My vote here might go to #2, even though the trim seems a bit dated today.

What do you think of these red designs?

Photos from Getty as indicated; Mark Cuthbert,and Chris Jackson via Getty; Vegard Wivestad Grøtt / NTB scanpix via the Royal House of Norway;  

This Week’s Extras

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Royal Hats

Queen Elizabeth in a very familiar (and much worn) blue hat for church last weekend at Sandringham. Princess Anne repeated a brown fur brimless hat.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrapped up their visit to Norway yesterday with some more winter recreation with Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. William sported the Navy Snow Star Bobble Hat from Gandys London while Kate wore the cream chunky knit Jasmine Beanie from Barts.  Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore the black Caid deluxe cashmere knit hat from Zadig & Voltaire.

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Lady Amelia Windsor styled for editorial shots in a bead trimmed beret

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

 Unexpected addition of brim studs on trilby hats from UK milliner Jess Collett
Simply elegant winter white saucer with crystal detail from Scottish milliner Maggie Mowbray
Royal blue oversize fedora with emerald hatband from Oxfordshire based Nicola de Selincourt
Fascinating 3D printed red halo hat (finished with real ribbon ties) from Australian brand Jill and Jack Millinery
Interesting shape on this blue straw hat with peaked crown and oval brim from German milliner Nicki Marquardt
Wonderfully luxe updated take on a newsboy cap in green felt by UK based Mind Your Bonce
Orange straw show stopping sculptural cocktail hat from British milliner Tracy Chaplin
Stunning denim blue saucer with dark feather trim from London based Bundle McLaren

And the loveliest red straw picture hat with dancing bow from Australian milliner Louise MacDonald

 Royal Hats

Lovely new portraits released for Princess Beatrix’s 80th birthday, including a spectacular set with her grandchildren. Click on the photo sets below to enlarge.


King Felipe of Spain celebrated his 50th birthday by awarding the Princess of Asturias with the Order of the Golden Fleece in a ceremony at the Royal Palace

The Prince of Wales showed his excellent timing (and impressive ribbon cutting skills) opening the restored Cotswold Canals in Stroud

Princess Charlene shared this sweet first moment of Princess Gabriella learning to ski.

Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony 2017

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Members of the Norwegian royal family attended the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony yesterday in Oslo.

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Queen Sonja wore a black cuffed bumper hat on the back of her head in the style of a calot. The back of the design appears to feature a ruffled bow.  The smaller scale of this design is a common choice for Sonja- it works well with her hair and the Norwegian queen’s petite stature. A better peek at the back detail might endear me more to this design- as it sits now, it’s a bit bland.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new
This event was Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s first appearance requiring millinery following her treatment earlier this fall for Benign Positional Vertigo. As such, it was no surprise that her headwear was extremely minimal- a simple black Prada headband. Here’s hoping she is able to recover enough that larger scale headpieces and hats become possible for her to wear again.

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There’s no two ways about it- this hat and headband aren’t terribly exciting. Surprisingly… I’m not sure they needed to be. As much as most of us love to see a hat as the focus of an ensemble, sometimes it needs to be a more simple accessory, tying an ensemble together instead of stepping out as the star.
Designer: Prada. Coat by TSH, dress by Prada
Previously Worn: I believe this piece is new 
Both the queen and crown princess wore beautiful statement coats yesterday, coats that would have been thrown off balance by statement hats. And at this particular event –  one of considerable global significance – I wonder if millinery not seeking its own star power might be a good thing.
Photos from Getty as indicated