After a lacklustre millinery start to this week’s visit to Australia, Queen Máxima was back to her blazingly glamorous self today for the Melbourne Cup at Ascot Raceourse in Perth. On paper, a brown straw hat with simple embellishment reads as rather boring- something this hat is certainly not! In coffee coloured straw, the hat’s upswept ‘slice’ brim is a Máxima signature that is beautifully balanced with a simple rounded crown and monochrome grosgrain ribbon hatband that folds into a flat bow at the side. The hat’s simplicity is a perfect counterpoint to Máxima’s more elaborate beaded aqua Natan dress and the resulting ensemble is a dazzling success.

King Willem Alexander and Queen Máxima kicked off their Australian visit (which will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog in Western Australia) today in sunny Perth. Queen Máxima repeated her sand and turquoise silk linen Matthijs van Bergen dress with matching folded calot hat. This is such a great dress, it’s a shame that this design resembles no more than… a dinner napkin? A head bandage? Whatever it is, I’m afraid, it is neither noteworthy nor attractive.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima paid a regional visit to Almelo and Northeast Twente yesterday during which the queen wore a familiar ruched turban in textured harvest gold velvet. The last time we saw this hat, I was less than complimentary… a stance I’m going to sheepishly contract now, based on this outing. Granted, the hat is still not among my favourites (and is still too reminiscent of a pincushion or brain to be considered truly attractive) but its styling yesterday with  Máxima’s teal dress, coat and statement earrings was simply brilliant. The bold ensemble makes the hat a complimentary touch (instead of a ‘sticks out like a sore thumb’ one) and the use of other caramel-gold accessories magically ties the outfit all together. If Queen Máxima is going to wear this hat, this is exactly how to wear it.

Yesterday, Queen Máxima was in Apeldoorn to open the exhibition, “Anna Paulowna, Colourful Queen” at Het Loo Palace Museum. For this engagement, she repeated a pale grey velvet headpiece with open crown trimmed with bows at the side. I am not usually a great fan of millinery with open crowns but the combination of shape (which looks like a calot from one side) and ruched fabric seems to make this one work fairly well.

Queen Máxima was in Rotterdam yesterday to attended the first day of the 5th European Nursing Congress themed around the topic of elder care. For this event, she repeated her large black velvet felt Garbo hat with curved brim. For a dramatic hat, the embellishment on this design is surprisingly subdued- just a curved quill and knotted grosgrain ribbon hat band. While the trim is low key, the scale and presence of this hat is most grand and on Máxima, it makes a dramatic and fantastic millinery statement.