Archive for July, 2008

Garden Party: HM The Queen

Posted on July 22nd, 2008 by Ella  |  1 Comment »

I cannot for the life of me figure out what I think about this hat. Do I like it? Do I hate it? I have no idea. At first, I think it's the color that's off, but then it starts to grow on me. Then, I hate on the flowers, but then I realize it's a garden party, and, well, if you're going to wear a bunch of bright red flowers on your head, you might as well do it then.

I'm so torn, Your Majesty. Apologies for the vague verdict.

Garden Party: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

Posted on July 22nd, 2008 by Ella  |  No Comments »

With the Duchess of Cornwall, it's always something. Either the hat looks like a silly explosion of the floral department at your local craft store, or her outfit looks like something that Blanche would have worn on The Golden Girls. At the last garden party of the year at Buckingham Palace, it was the latter.

I like the hat quite a bit, but the combo seems a little strange. The hat is clean, architectural, simple; the dress is fluffy, mumsy, floaty. A woman Camilla's age needs structure in a garment, and this is doing her no favors. Wouldn't the hat look smart with a tailored jacket and skirt, like the one she's worn two years in a row on her birthday? I think it definitely would.

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: The Lady Rose Gilman

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  3 Comments »

It's just good manners to save the bride and the star of the show for last, isn't it?

Also, Tiara Alert!

Lady Rose looks beautiful, her new husband is a hottie, and she's got some major royal bling on top of her head. The tiara is the Gloucester Leafage Tiara, given to Princess Alice by her husband, the Duke of Gloucester (the current Duke's father). Fabulous!

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: Countess of Ulster

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  No Comments »


Listen, Claire, I know that you're a doctor and a new mom, so you probably have a lot on your plate. But seriously, at this point, why even bother? That's not a hat. It's not even a fascinator. It's just a bunch of feathers that you threw at your head, and luckily, some of them stayed.

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: Mrs. Peter Phillips

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  No Comments »

Oh, no! Not our favorite Canadian!

It's like perhaps Princess Anne and her new daughter-in-law made a pact to look terrible together at today's royal nuptials. Maybe they wanted to make sure that Lady Rose looked extra gorgeous?

The neck scarf makes her look like a flight attendant. The dress looks a size too small -- not flattering on a petite little maple leaf like Autumn. And the hat ... well, I think a similar effect could have been achieved had she sent Peter out to gather up bird feathers from the park and superglued them to the back of her head. I'm just so disappointed. From the glowy, blushy pink hat to this?

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: The Lady Sarah Chatto

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  No Comments »

If there was a Mad Hattery best-dressed list, Lady Sarah Chatto would be skyrocketing to the top today. How chic and fabulous does Princess Margaret's daughter look? The black and white is crisp and smart, and the hat is just so retro cool. Top marks!

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: Miss Kate Middleton

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  1 Comment »

K. Midds has gotten so much coverage this weekend, half the world's population probably thought that she was the bride at this wedding. I'm sure she didn't mean to steal the spotlight, but when the girlfriend of the second-in-line to the throne shows up at a royal wedding, tongues will inevitably set to wagging.

I wasn't a huge fan of the dress itself today -- the whole thing was sort of meh, way better than what she wore to Peter and Autumn's knot-tying, but overall, she's looked better. And the fascinator's pretty run-of-the-mill for Kate. But how fab is her hair with this hat? Richard Ward deserves a knighthood. Volume and curls with a fascinator in July? Amazing!

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: The Lady Gabriella Windsor

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  1 Comment »

Yay! I love it when little-seen royals make a mad hattering appearance. This is The Lady Gabriella Windsor, for the more casual royal watchers in the audience. She's the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and she's absolutely gorge. (Also, she apparently goes by "Ella," so we're obviously twins separated at birth.)

And today, I'm in love with the hat. Granted, it's a familiar style, but it's beautiful on her. The pale pink is nice with the light grey dress and jacket. Wonderful!

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: HRH The Countess of Wessex

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  No Comments »

See, normally, I'd be a little miffed that the Countess of Wessex decided to recycle a hat, especially since we see so very little of her lately. I would be even more irritated that she's re-wearing one from Trooping of the Colour, only a little more than a month ago.

But in light of her sister-in-law's millinery flashback today, I can't even begin to mind. I mean, at least she's wearing a different suit, and the hat isn't older than I am.

The Lady Rose Windsor's Wedding: HRH The Duchess of Gloucester

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by Ella  |  No Comments »

And today, from the mother of the bride: a hair explosion!

If you can draw your attention away from the gigantic collar of this dress for a moment, I ask you, dear readers: doesn't this look like a big '80s barrette gone wrong? It's like it's not quite a fascinator and not quite a hair ornament. It sort of looks like something that my mother would have put in a floral arrangement circa 20 years ago.

Plus, everything -- literally everything about this ensemble is the same color. Skin, hair, dress, shoes, semi-hat. Birgitte is a lovely woman ... why doesn't she step up the panache-factor and add a little color?