Tag Archives: Queen Máxima

Dutch Monarchs Celebrate Voting Centennary

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The Dutch king and queen were in The Hague today to commemorate 100 years of general election law and voting rights. For this event, Queen Máxima repeated her natural straw hat with oversize brim. The flexible brim was placed, on this outing, in a tall, dramatic sidesweep on one side.

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We’ve seen this hat numerous times- the only new view today is from behind, which shows the caramel Petersham ribbon hatband. It’s a versatile design that Queen Máxima wears well, although I wasn’t keen on the pairing of warm, toasty brown hat with cooler, pinky brown dress. The pieces are good on their own but together? Not so much.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: June 21, 2017; May 28, 2015; January 2, 2013; November 4, 2011; March 31, 2006

What do you think of today’s ensemble?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Dutch Queen Opens Shipyard

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Queen Máxima opened the new Feadship shipyard in the port of Amsterdam this morning, an event that is part of the 170th anniversary celebration of the Royal Van Lent Shipyard. She repeated her straw picture hat with upswept ‘slice’ brim in muted leaf green.

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On this hat’s first outing, we discussed, at length and excellent detail, this hat’s construction faults- issues, unfortunately, that are unchanged here. It’s a shame- the brim of this hat could be so fantastic had it been cut and finished differently.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Natan. 
Previously Worn: June 5, 2018 

Jump over to this post to see all of Queen Máxima’s hats in this signature shape– this green one is her 14th in straw!!

Photos from Getty as indicated 

This Week’s Extras

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Have a lovely Sunday- I’ll be back first thing tomorrow for focused coverage and discussion on hats worn for the Romanian national holiday and look at two (one new!) designs worn by Queen Elizabeth over the weekend at the Windsor Horse Show.

On Tuesday, Empress Masako was spotted arriving at the Imperial Palace with the emperor to rehearse their first court ritual which took place on Wednesday. She repeated her unembellished almond bumper hat.
Also on Tuesday, the Duke of York was spotted in uniform as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards (with cap) for the morning’s Changing of the Queen’s Life Guard at Horse Guards riding new Cavalry Black horse ‘Darby’, apparently practicing for the upcoming Trooping the Colour.
On Wednesday, King Carl Gustaf donned his trusty brown fedora for the World Wildlife Fund’s annual meeting, held this year at Huvudskär and Utö in the Stockholm archipelago. The same day, King Harald commemorated Norwegian Armed Forces Day and Liberation Day at Akurshus Fortress, predictably in military uniform with cap.
Infanta Elena donned a neutral straw fedora to watch her daughter, Victoria de Marichalar, open the Seville Fair in a traditional Spanish mantilla with tall peineta comb (see more photos and video here). And 20 years after meeting at this event, the Dutch King and Queen returned this week along with their three daughters… and a quartet of wonderfully vibrant floral headpieces.


On Wednesday, Princess Alexandra visited a life boat station in Shoreham. She repeated her ice blue straw hat with tall crown wrapped in coordinating net tulle, designed by Rachel Trevor Morgan.
Queen Margrethe unveiled a new statue of Denmark’s longest reigning monarch King Christian IV (1577 – 1648) in Copenhagen yesterday. She repeated a hat with ecru straw crown and grey straw double brim for the event.


The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Emerald straw button percher with vibrant ribbon trim and soaring quills by NY milliner Jennifer Hoertz
Pink felt wide brimmed hat with rose gold diamanté hatband from LA based milliner Gladys Tamez
VA VA VOOM red straw percher with the most fantastic curving trim by Australian brand Jill and Jack Millinery
Exquisite curving cream disc with pink handmade blooms and curving quills by Rachel Trevor Morgan
Navy beret percher with hand-beaded bow by Irish milliner Michelle Gleeson
Classic ivory straw picture hat with monochrome leaf printed brim by British milliner Bee Smith
Colourful red and green embroidered lace headpiece from German milliner Nicki Marquardt
Black and white patterned straw pyramid with crin and tassel trim by Italian brand Giulia Mio Millinery

Another interesting article on the Empress of Japan, written by someone with personal connection (The Asahi Shimbun)
King Hamad Of Bahrain and sons Sheikh Nasser and Sheikh Khaled were spotted out for a ride at Windsor Castle in between days spent enjoying the Royal Windsor Horse Show this week
Did you see this delightfully sweet exchange between Queen Elizabeth and former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Tuesday?

Princess Margriet presented the Duke of Sussex with an adorable gift during his quick visit to The Hague this week to official launch this year’s Invictus Games, to be held in The Netherlands.

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And finally- the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared this sweet photo of ten wee toes today, in honor of Mother’s Day (notice the background forget-me-not flowers, a favourite of the Duke’s late mother)

Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Dutch Royals Commemorate Remembrance Day

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima took part in the Dutch annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Amsterdam on Saturday. For this event, which saw the couple place a wreath at the Dam Memorial, Queen Máxima repeated her ruched black silk calot hat. The pleated design of this piece gives it lovely, textural sense of movement and while its small scale somewhat limits its overall statement, the hat fits well for an event of this nature.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: Sep 28, 2017;  November 4, 2016; July 23, 2014; March 22, 2014

It’s been a while since we’ve seen this piece on Queen Máxima- did Saturday’s outing alter your thoughts on it?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Koningsdag 2019

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The extended Dutch royal family celebrated Koningsdag today in Amersfoort where, it appeared, a great time was enjoyed by all:

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For today’s outdoor celebrations, Queen Máxima topped oatmeal linen culottes and tunic with orange applique detail with a new hat. A slanted saucer shape, it is described by the milliner as “made of banana fibers and silk in the same colour as Her Majesty’s outfit”.

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Let’s start with the positive- the shape and scale are good and the use of an anchor piece under the brim allows the hat to be worn at a lovely angle, slightly tipped back off the face. The hat is well connected to Máxima’s outfit and pairs well with the relative informality of the culottes. I appreciate how the swath of silk abacca gives some textural dimension and smooth shine that contrasts with the other natural fibres in the ensemble and while the colour palate is rather quiet, it allows the touches of orange to shine through brilliantly.

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But…. I have questions about the level of finishing on the hat. The brim edging is noticeably uneven and unless there’s something uniquely difficult about this material (I’ll trust our experienced milliners to advise on this), this simply doesn’t appear to be the standard one would expect of a piece of couture millinery. I have great respect for the fine work that couture milliners do but I find the finish on this hat unacceptably disappointing.
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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. It is the “Mystery” design from the Couture Collection 2019
Previously Worn: This hat is new

What do you think of Queen Máxima’s new hat?

Photos from Getty as indicated