Members of Monaco’s royal family celebrated their country’s national holiday today at a military parade and balcony appearance in the palace courtyard and thanksgiving mass at the Cathedral of Monaco.
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The most senior female member of the family in attendance this year was Princess Gabriella, who wore a darling ivory soft boiled wool beret trimmed with a tulle veil and small pink blossoms.
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Designer: It is the “Boiled Wool Basque Beret” from Monna Lisa
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Prince Jacques repeated his miniature winter dress uniform of the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (Prince’s Company of Riflemen, the infantry branch that protects the Royal Palace) complete with blue cloth helmet with red and white dress plumes.
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Princess Caroline wore a headpiece of two sizes of black net tulle attached to a headband, the large dotted and placed further back from her face. There’s not much to say about this design.
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Designer: Likely Chanel. Suit by Chanel.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Princess Alexandra of Hannover and Monaco wore a black silk rose and bow headpiece, anchored on the back of her head.
Designer: Likely Chanel. Coat by Chanel.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Tatiana Santo Domingo Casiraghi wore a navy bandeau headpiece with flat bow and birdcage veil. Her daughter, India, wore a navy double bow in her hair.
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Designer: unknown. Dior coat and Valentino lace skirt.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Beatrice Borromeo Casiraghi wore the only brimmed hat of the day, a tall crowned design with wide dropped brim in ecru braided straw trimmed with a wide black hatband and bow. The graphic contrast and spectacular scale of the design makes it stand out… and while I can’t ignore the construction issues giving the hatband some wobbles (it doesn’t look like it was cut on the bias), the overall look is an elegantly classic one for Beatrice.
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Previously Worn: This hat is new.
Camille Gottlieb wore a black felt blocked beret trimmed with a large flat bow. It is the first hat Camille has worn for National celebrations and it’s a good one.
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The Monaco royal ladies are not a widely hat wearing bunch and the popularity of smaller headpiece is evident here. What do you think of this group of millinery designs today in Monaco?
Images from Getty as indicated
Fête Nationale Monégasque 2020
Members of Monaco’s royal family gathered today to celebrate their country’s national holiday.
Princess Charlene wore a black beret described by the designer as “a modern take on classic Parisian style. It is crafted from soft rabbit felt using traditional millinery techniques and embellished with a nylon veil for a feminine touch.”
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The veil elevates the hat, and it’s small scale beret pairs very well with the high necked coat (I adore the pops of magenta which give great energy!). It’s another sleek and streamlined look for Charlene.
Designer: Dior “Parisian Beret”. Coat by South African designer Terrence Bray.
Previously Worn: This hat is new.
Princess Gabriella wore a pair of red bow hair clips while Prince Jacques looked very handsome repeating his miniature winter dress uniform of the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (Prince’s Company of Riflemen, the infantry branch that protects the Royal Palace) complete with blue cloth helmet with red and white dress plumes.
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Designer of Princess Gabriella’s hair clips: Jacadi
Prince Jacques’ hat previously worn: Nov 19, 2019
Princess Caroline topped her exquisite feather-trimmed Chanel suit with a plaited bandeau headpiece made of textured black silk. As far as bandeaux go, this one is a good one with wonderful texture and enough elevation not to look like a headband. While I would have loved to see this suit paired with a wide brimmed black and white boater or bergère, the bandeau is a slightly tamer yet still very elegant choice that Caroline wears really well.
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Designer: unknown. Suit by Chanel.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Tatiana Santo Domingo Casiraghi wore a bandeau headpiece of triple layered black velvet bows. It is the third black bandeau she has worn to this event in as many years (see 2018 and 2017) and while the scale and shape are good, it doesn’t seem that distinctive from the others already in her closet.
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Designer: Jennifer Behr “Katya Headband”
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new
Beatrice Borromeo Casiraghi repeated a burgundy velvet knotted bandeau headpiece.
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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: Nov 17, 2019
Marie Chevallier Ducruet wore a black felt beret percher trimmed in a large flat bow.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Melanie de Massy, Prince Albert and Princess Caroline’s cousin, topped her pink coat with an ecru felt beret percher.
The millinery at this year’s event is slightly more subdued than usual, understandable amidst a pandemic. What designs here stood out to you?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Monaco Royal Wedding: Families
Despite a long roster of famous guests, members of the Grimaldi and Wittstock families remained at the center of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene’s religious wedding on July 2, 2011. The Grimaldi matriarch, Princess Caroline of Monaco and Hanover, dressed the part in a Chanel ensemble with wide-brimmed white straw picture hat. The hat, likely from Maison Michel (Chanel’s in-house millinery division) was simply trimmed with a dusky pink ribbon hatband, cuffed at the back. It’s a simple design that packs a lot of drama!
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Charlotte Casiraghi topped her pink and black Chanel frock with a bandeau headpiece, likely also from Maison Michel. Solid black and grey ombre flowers covered a black headband base that anchored a black honeycomb veil designed to hug the face. The ensemble’s pink and black scheme was a chic one with the black accessories and edgy headpiece tempering the pink dress to create a very haute couture look.
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Princess Alexandra of Hanover was just 11 years old at the time and the white silk flowers studded around her half chignon created a pretty and celebratory look for the young princess.
Tatiana Santo Domingo and Beatrice Borromeo attended this event as royal girlfriends, Tatiana in an interesting ecru folded cloche hat and Beatrice in a ruffled silk aqua calot. While the cloche shape fit Tatiana’s boho aesthetic well, it seemed like an odd pairing with her magenta dress. The scale and texture of Beatrice’s headpiece worked well for her (I also like its placement, snaking over one ear and barely peeking out behind the other) but its execution was much less refined than her beautiful lace dress, making the two pieces a little at odds. Alas, both ladies significantly upped their millinery game in subsequent years since joining Monaco’s royal family.
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While Princess Stephanie opted out of any head-wear (again), her daughter Pauline, who was 17 years old, wore a pale blue straw multi-looped bow fascinator trimmed with raw edged crin and a scattering of costume pearls at the center. I suppose the rough edges on the piece were meant to coordinate with the fringe on her Chanel bouclé dress but the scale of the headpiece made it seem like little more than an oversize hair bow. But let’s give her credit- at least she made an effort.
Prince Albert’s extended de Massy family in attendance included his first cousin Elizabeth-Ann de Massy, seen below in a red dress and simple black straw hat with gently sidesweeping brim. Elizabeth-Anne’s sister-in-law, Baroness Cécile de Massy (wife of Elizabeth-Ann’s brother Baron Christian Louis de Massy, seated in between these two women below) wore a taupe straw button percher woven with metallic gold threads and trimmed with a gold feather spray.
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Elizabeth-Ann’s daughter Melanie is shown below, at the far right behind Pauline Ducruet, in an ivory fabric hat with double overlay of gently ruffled organdie on the brim, a ruched crown and organdie twists and multi-looped bows on the side.
Charlene’s mother, Lynette Wittstock wore an ecru straw disc percher hat. Built on a small saucer base, the main disc was elevated by a silk rose and large, multi-looped straw bow. From front view, the hat carries on the sleek, minimalist lines of Lynette’s oyster suit.. It’s a different story in the back, where Lynette’s curled hairstyle showed the hat to supreme effect. I always feel for non-royal family members dressing for these high-profile events but Lynette looked fantastic.
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The Grimaldis are not typically a hat-wearing bunch and their millinery, even for such a grand event as this was, as usual, a bit hit and miss. Looking back nine years on, what are your impressions of these millinery looks?
Jump to this post for an index of other royal hats that appeared at this wedding.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Fête Nationale Monégasque 2019: Extended Grimaldi Family
National Day each year in Monaco brings the Grimaldi family together to celebrate their country and yesterday’s celebration saw a number of lovely hats worn by extended family members
Princess Caroline topped her pale blue coat with a black and copper floral silk jacquard printed bandeau trimmed with a large swath of black veil. There’s not much to say here- it’s a headband with a veil pouf. High fashion, perhaps, but not terribly exciting.
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Designer: likely Maison Michel
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new
Tatiana Casiraghi wore a hat described by the milliner as a “slate velour felt downbrim with leather band and bow.” It has beautiful proportions and the layered leather cord as hatband is a subtle but interesting touch. It’s a great hat on Tatiana, a first of what I hope will be many more Rachel Trevor Morgan designs.
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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan. It is R19W24 from AW 2019
Previously Worn: this hat is new
Little India Casiraghi first appeared in a grey wool bonnet that matched her coat, removing both pieces to watch the parade from the Palace Balcony in a floral dress and matching ruffled hatband.
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Beatrice Borromeo Casiraghi wore a simple black felt formed beret trimmed with an overlay of black veil (vintage veiling, perhaps?). Beatrice seems to favour smaller scale, classic shapes such as this and she wears it very well.
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Designer: Dior Veiled Beret in Black from AW 2019. Clothing by Dior.
Previously Worn: this hat is new
Marie Chevallier Ducruet made her debut at this event, the first since marrying Princess Stephanie’s son Louis. She topped her blue coat dress with a smooth ecru felt halo headpiece. I’m not keen on the proportions of this piece, which make it look more like a pillbox from many angles, and wonder if tapered sides, more like those of a bandeau shape, might have worked better. The photo on the right, below, also suggests the piece is overly large for Marie and I wonder if the ruffled coat might have been shown to greater effect with a saucier trimmed percher hat?
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Designer: Jane Taylor. Clothing by Catherine Walker.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
It’s always lovely to see the Grimaldis in hats at this event- which hats on National Day this year stood out to you most? Jump over to yesterday’s post to see hats worn by Prince Albert, Princess Charlene, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Monaco National Day 2018
Members of Monaco’s royal family gathered yesterday to celebrate their country’s National Holiday. Princess Charlene used the occasion to debut a new hat in black felt with small, domed button crown and wide cartwheel brim.The pyramid shaped design is a style departure for Charlene that pairs well with her graphic coat.
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Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Gabriella sported a sweet cream hair bow on the right side of her head.
Princess Caroline topped her Chanel bouclé suit in a dark teal fedora hat trimmed with a cream lace hatband. The colour is lovely on her but there’s something about the mix of coat, hat and hatband combination that is at odds for me and the ensemble doesn’t draw harmoniously together (and I usually love a fedora!).
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Previously Worn: This hat is new
Tatiana Casiraghi wore patent leather bow headpiece with a swath of tulle veil. Her daughter India wore a sweet navy silk hair bow.
Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Beatrice Casiraghi also wore a headpiece, hers with a looped chocolate velvet bow and long, curved quills that arched over her head. There’s a lovely sense of scale and movement on this design and I adore how the velvet bow links with the chocolate velvet trim on Beatrice’s camel coat.
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Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Princess Alexandra of Hanover also went with a velvet headpiece, hers a layered black bow on a headband base. The bow placement is a bit twee, even for 19-year old Alexandra, but the scale, colour and luxurious sheen of the velvet coordinates well with her bouclé coat. We’ve not seen this young princess in many (or any?) pieces of millinery and I’m looking forward to seeing how she follows the sophisticated style of her mother and older sister.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new
Princess Stephanie wore a black leather headband while her eldest daughter, Pauline Ducruet, wore a formed black felt tricorn calot hat with bumper style indented crown. The small hat has a 1940s vibe to it emphasized by the saucy angle Pauline placed it on her head.
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Designer of Pauline’s hat: Nina Ricci
Previously Worn:
Melanie de Massy, daughter of Prince Albert’s first cousin, Baroness Elisabeth-Anne de Massy, repeated her black felt Garbo hat. I suspect Baroness Elisabeth-Anne was also in attendance- as soon as I locate a photograph, I’ll update the post. Feel free to post a link if you’ve spotted her anywhere!
Royal Hats 