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Monday May 06, 2024

Queen Máxima of Netherlands' headpiece - Milliner Delvigne reflects on 'stressful' experience

Queen Máxima is loved for her tiaras

By Web Desk
June 24, 2023
Queen Máxima of Netherlands headpiece - Milliner Delvigne reflects on stressful experience

Milliner Fabienne Delvigne has explained how she made a very special headpiece for Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

The renowned hatmaker, who's prepared several hats for royal families, has claimed that it was very "stressful" experience to design a unique and shiny headpiece for the Queen.

Sharing the challenging experience of creating the hat, Delvigne told Hello! magazine: "She wanted a hat that was called 'Secret Dream'. This hat was all made of feathers that required a certain coloring to match her dress."

"We made the hat with wonderful feathers, very shiny and that went directly with the driver to the Queen. No trial," she explained.

Queen Máxima of Netherlands headpiece - Milliner Delvigne reflects on stressful experience

Máxima, then known as Princess Máxima as it was before her husband King Willem-Alexander acceded the Dutch throne from his mother in 2013, attracted massive attention as she rocked a gold top with puffy bell sleeves which transitioned at her waist to a black skirt complete with a gold brooch belt, which the was designing to match.

speaking of the challenging experience of the the stunning hat, the designer said: "We had very little time. I ordered feathers and said they needed to be as white as possible but the feathers arrived and they had a color that was actually quite sad. We couldn't give light with that kind of feather…"

She continued: "We love a challenge, we found a procedure to whiten the feather to give it a more shiny color. We started to dye and we were happy, it worked! But overnight the product burned the feather.

"Things got even more nerve-wracking when they met with the royal to go over the look.

"I had a meeting with the Queen and told her that I only had three feathers that were okay. I had to explain to the Queen that I found a solution — but there was no way to try the hat."

The La Maison Fabienne Delvigne founder said they eventually "made the hat with wonderful feathers, very shiny. And that went directly with the driver to the Queen. No trial.

She added: "At that moment it was, of course, very, very stressful."

which featured brown feathers which transitioned into three long gold feathers with black line detailing — ended up being a hit with Máxima, who had initially commissioned the accessory to wear on a gloomy day.

“The story was funny because the Queen chose two hats, one for bad weather and another one for the sun. And it was very sunny,” Delvigne explained

“Nevertheless, she chose the hat that was for bad weather. I think she just loved the hat!”

Most recently, Queen Máxima wore a sparkling headpiece at the banquet celebrating the Dutch state visit to Belgium this week. She is also loved for her tiaras.