With a Tip of the Hat

With paparazzi snapping her photo from the moment her town car door swing open and her stiletto-clad feet touch the pavement, Kate Middleton has been faced with the challenge of transforming into a polished, put-together member of the royal family, while still retaining her own personal style. With a few tips (and a signature accessory) from her princess predecessors, Middleton’s style has been well received by fashion blogs and ruthless tabloids alike. Judging by some recently photographed outfits, it’s clear that Middleton can fulfill at least one crucial duty as a princess-to-be: Pulling off the iconic royal hat.

Her knack for finding the perfect beret, pillbox hat or feather-trimmed fascinator — a lightweight headpiece made from wool or lace — has even been Karl Lagerfeld- approved: "She is very different from Princess Diana, and seems very well balanced and a happy person,” the notoriously discerning fashion designer told Women’s Wear Daily. “She is chic in a way the position needs.”

But being a member of the Royal Family does not necessarily mean every style choice made is met with adulation: While some royal hats are exquisite works of art atop some of the world’s most beloved heads, there are others who have made some royal fashion faux pas. Princess Beatrice of York attended cousin Peter Phillips’ wedding wearing a multicolour butterfly sculpture hat, looking to some as though a flock of enormous monarchs were attacking her head. Beautiful as the hat itself was, it seems some accessories belong in the Buckingham Palace garden rather than a princess’s closet.

That being said, members of the Royal Family should be commended for their daring style choices and trendsetting abilities. From intricate bouquets of baby’s breath, lace and bows to structured berets adorned with feathers, some Royal Highnesses have donned accessories that would put even Lady Gaga’s headpieces to shame. Middleton’s wide-brimmed black sunhat worn to Harry Meade’s wedding made her look the epitome of a princess-in-waiting, paired with an elegant black blazer and royal blue (stylistic choice or coincidence?) gown.

With a knack — and a personal stylist — for perfectly co-ordinating her hats with her prim and proper outfits, Queen Elizabeth II has entire websites dedicated to archiving her signature accessory. Her style of hat has evolved with each changing decade: Silky turbans in the 1950s, ruffle- and flower-embossed headpieces in the 1970s, dainty pillbox hats in the 1990s and today’s trademark brightly coloured, stiff felt hat. Her hats have been studied by fashion designers and artists alike, and are a testament to the way in which one signature accessory can make a style icon.

With the much-anticipated royal wedding around the corner, the fashion community is abuzz with guesses about Middleton’s dress will look like — and if she follows in the fashionable footsteps of past princess brides, her veil is sure to be nothing less than exquisite. Will she go for Princess Diana’s traditional tiara with cascading white netting, or opt for a more avant-garde look like Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s feather headdress? If one thing is for certain, it’s that April 29 is sure to showcase some intricate and outrageous royal hats for your viewing pleasure — if you can drag your eyes off of the bride and groom, that is. •

 

You don’t have to have a Her Royal Highness honorific to wear a hat fit for a queen: Check out some of these photo galleries and online hat emporiums for inspiration. 

1. CTV Royal Wedding Hats Gallery
2. Lilliput Hats Toronto
3. BeauChapeau Hat Shop
4. Mad Hattery!
5. KC’s Hats