Tag Archives: Queen Paola

Belgian National Day 2023

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The Belgian royal family celebrated their nation’s holiday last Friday with a Te Deum mass at The Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral followed by a military parade.

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Queen Mathilde wore a tomato red sinamay hat with slightly arched brim, simply trimmed with a hatband and folded bow at the back.

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My issue with this hat is it’s wobbly brim, which would look so much more refined if it had been pressed smooth during blocking.

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Designer: “Vinity” design by Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Natan
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Queen Paola wore a black felt pillbox that flares out to a square shape around the top of the crown. It’s one of the most uniquely shaped pillboxes I’ve ever seen; I think it works best from front view, where it forms an angular, peaked halo shape around her face. I’m less keen from the side view. It’s innovative, certainly, but flattering? I’m not sure.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Crown Princess Elisabeth wore a natural-hued hat with wide brim in the loveliest woven Panama straw.

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Designer: “Desert Wind” by Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Natan. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

As in years past, Princess Astrid wore military uniform and cap with jaunty upturned brim

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Princess Claire wore a large design in salmon pink straw braid with cartwheel brim and unique, unblocked crown. The design is trimmed with a wide hatband in the same colour.

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The colour is lovely on Claire, as is the scale of the brim (she carries a wide statement brim so well!). The slouchy, unblocked top of the crown is another millinery innovation we don’t often see. While it’s an interesting counterpoint to the streamlined brim and wonderfully unexpected, I’m not sure it works from all angles. Maybe with a more streamlined ensemble it would work better?

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Designer: 
Previously Worn: 

Princess Delphine balanced her colourful dress (with floral print she designed) with a white sinamay hat. The design features an indented crown, downturned brim and is trimmed with a wide white hatband and one of the same turquoise sequin hearts as is on her dress.

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Designer: Josje Huisman (Cornelia brand). Dress by Atelier ExC by Ebru Sari.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

There are numerous standout hats here, some more for their creativity (which I LOVE to see!). Which designs inspired the greatest reaction for you?!

Images from Getty as indicated 

Belgian Royals Attend Memorial Mass

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Members of the Belgian royal family attended an annual mass in memory of deceased family members at the Notre-Dame de Laeken church.

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Queen Mathilde repeated a a black draped felt halo bandeau headpiece with dotted birdcage veil.

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Designer: Elisa headband by Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: Mar 29, 2022

Queen Paola repeated an unstructured chocolate velvet stitched beret.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: Nov 15, 2013; February 19, 2013

Princess Claire wore a tall, black velvet pillbox with pork pie-styled crown

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Designer: unknown. Coat was worn by Queen Paola to this event in 2019.
Previously Worn: I believe this is new

Princess Léa wore a burgundy bow hair clip.

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Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg wore a navy felt pillbox with bow at the back.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this is new

Princess Delphine was also in attendance but did not wear a hat. What do you think about these hats?

 

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Belgian Royal Wedding: Family Members

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Princess Maria Laura’s wedding to William Isvy on September 10 was attended by her Belgian, Austrian, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein relations, many of whom wore hats or headpieces.

Princess Astrid employed a “more is more” approach to her mother-of-the-bride ensemble, in a brimless hat covered in the same the green ostrich feathers as on the cuffs of her teal lace jacket… with a few more teal ones studded in. 

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Lace, feathers, ribbon embroidery, crystal collar, purple, teal, green… it’s a lot of elements that together, put this look well over the top for me. ‘Nuff said.

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Designer: The entire ensemble is Gucci
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The bride’s sisters Princess Luisa and Princess Laetitia and sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta wore vibrant yellow, emerald and ruby ​​bandeau headpieces.


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Queen Paola wore a headpiece in biscuit pleated abacca that encircled her head. It’s lovely from front view, the arc of the piece creating a halo framing Paola’s face with a ruffle on one side .

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Designer: “Chamira” design by Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: This design is new

The groom’s mother Lisa wore an ecru sinamay disc percher trimmed with ivory sinamay twists and ivory and ecru feather flowers.

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His sister wore a wide blush sinamay saucer trimmed with multiple twists, feathers and curled quills in a slightly darker shade of pink.

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Queen Mathilde surprised with the repeat of a hat not seen for nearly 20 years. In pink sinamay woven with metallic fibers, the wide-brimmed design follows a sweeping pyramid shape with sharp, dropped vertical edge.

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It’s a dramatic statement hat softened by its color and pairing with Mathilde’s lovely floral frock. When she first wore this hat for Prince Laurent and Princess Claire’s wedding in 2003 , I think it overwhelmed her a little but this time, thanks to a more jaunty angle, a patterned dress and the confidence that simply comes with maturity, she carried it off fantastically.

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Designer: Maison van den Borne. Dress by Nathan.
Previously Worn: Apr 12, 2003

Princess Elisabeth was head to toe in red, topping a fringed dress with a brimmed straw hat. The design, with a gently waved brim, is simply trimmed with a slim hatband.

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Designer: “Laurany” design by Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Caroline Herrera. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Claire paired her leaf printed dress with a loden green straw picture hat with extended brim In this era where smaller bandeaux and perchers have reigned in popularity, it’s fun to see a design of such scale!

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Louise wore a vibrant headpiece headpiece of silk flowers. It’s such a youthful design that paired beautifully with her fuchsia dress.

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Designer: “Eden” design by Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Rotate.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

Princess Delphine wore a fedora hat covered in “The Bubble” silk print from her newly released wearable art collection. It’s a bold design that was well balanced against her solid red dress. 

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Designer: unknown. Dress by Cilem Tunc Van Trier. 
Previously Worn: at this photoshoot

Princess Marie-Esméralda wore a dark blue straw cloche with extended brim. The hat is trimmed with a wide royal blue Petersham hatband and white silk rose on the side. Princess Léa wore a blue silk bow headpiece with veil. 

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Princess Margaretha of Liechenstein wore a tall blush pillbox wrapped in a wide band of caramel abaca with a knotted bow at the back. Princess Maria Anunciata, shown beside her mother below, wore a bandeau headpiece of pink silk petals. Princess Margaretha’s other daughter, Princess Marie-Astrid, attended the bride and was shown in the prior post in a plaited pink bandeau headpiece. 

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Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg wore a fuchsia straw saucer percher trimmed with orange silk abaca twists.

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Princess Dianne of Nassau wore a pink silk abaca draped calot with large bows. Prince Jean’s daughter, Princess Marie Gabrielle of Nassau, wore a pale green silk halo headband headpiece . 

Archduke Lorenz’s sister Countess Beatrice of Arco-Zinneberg attended along with all of six of her daughters Countess Anna Teresa, Countess Margherita, Countess Olympia, Countess Maximiliana, Countess Marie Gabrielle and Countess Giorgiana. Countess Margherita is pictured below in a black straw pyramid shaped hat with bow (see the back here). Countess Marie Gabrielle repeated the wore a in a deep navy straw vertical Philip Treacy saucer rimmed in midnight blue velvet trimmed with purple butterflies and silk orchids that her mother wore to her sister Olympia’s wedding in 2019.

ss Dianne of Nassau wore a pink silk abaca draped calot with large bows. 

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Also spotted in hats were Archduchess Anna-Gabriele of Austria with her daughter Catherina, Princess Therese of Liechtenstein, Princess Xenia of Croÿ and Princess Eleonora de Ligne.

That wraps up Princess Maria Laura’s wedding! What hats or headpieces stood out most to you?

Images from Getty as indicated  

Hat From the Past

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Royal Hats Marking Queen Paola’s birthday over the weekend with this throwback photo to the most retro chic acid green bow-trimmed pillbox and matching coat.

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Norwegian Royal Wedding 20 Years On: European Royals

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We conclude our look back at Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s wedding today with the remaining royal guests and what a glittering group it was!

Queen Paola wore the elegant Queen Elisabeth’s Art Deco Bandeau. She and King Albert attended with Prince Phillippe, the men both in uniform with caps (Princess Mathilde was in the last trimester of her pregnancy with Princess Elisabeth and remained at home).

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Princess Kristine Bernadotte (3rd wife of Prince Carl Bernadotte who was born a Swedish prince/Duke of Östergötland but ended up a Belgian prince thanks to his mother’s lineage after relinquishing Swedish succession) wore a tiara of unknown origin which, following her death in 2014, remains a mystery.

Grand Duchess Josephine wore the Belgian Scroll Tiara.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the Luxembourg Chaumet Choker Tiara with diamond lattice base and pearls

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Princess Sibylla of Luxembourg wore her diamond Art Deco Tiara.

Queen Sofia wore the exquisite Spanish Floral Tiara.

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The Countess of Wessex wore her wedding tiara, a piece rumored to be made from four alternative sections from Queen Victoria’s Regal Circlet.

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Princess Laurentien wore the Dutch Ears Of Wheat Tiara.

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Prince Willem-Alexander attended with fiancé Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti (they married a few months later on February 2, 2002) who wore the base of the Dutch royal collection’s Antique Pearl Tiara. While we’re used to seeing this tiara with the pearls, this was Máxima’s first tiara outing and the smaller scaled version made a great inaugural piece for her.

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And finally- a pair of bachelor prince heirs, both in military uniform with caps.

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One poignant comment yesterday wondered if we’d ever see such a glittering array of jewels at a single event. After all of the social distance and pared-down scale of events we’ve all experienced over the past year and a half, it seems impossible, doesn’t it? I have, however, hopeful that as the next generation of crown princesses enters adulthood, the weddings of these future queens will enthrall and delight just as those of their parents did.

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Images from Getty as indicated; Scanpix and Corbis