A hat exhibition dedicated to emblematic figures from the history of European royal houses, signed by designer Ana Istodorescu, will open on Thursday at the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in London and will remain open to visitors until May 29.

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, conceived as an artistic tribute to European royalty and its influence on visual imagination and stylistic evolution, the exhibition 'Royal Portraits in Hats' proposes a journey into the symbolic universe of European monarchies, from the 15th century to the present day.

'Through 18 sculptural hats, each conceived as a symbolic portrait dedicated to an emblematic female figure from the history of European royal houses, the exhibition explores the relationship between power, identity and aesthetic expression. Scheduled to coincide with the season of major British social events - such as Royal Ascot and the traditional garden parties - the exhibition invites the public to reflect on the elegance and enduring nature of the aesthetic codes associated with royal ceremony, highlighting the way in which historical memory and symbols of power can be reinterpreted through contemporary design,' ICR London said.

The exhibition route brings together historical figures such as Isabella of Castile, Anne Boleyn, Catherine de' Medici and Marie Antoinette, whose biographies and symbolic universes are reinterpreted through the hat as a designer accessory, created using elaborate craftsmanship and embroidery techniques, each creation becoming a contemporary expression of royal memory and symbolism, the cited source added.

The exhibition also features personalities from the 19th and 20th centuries, including Queen Victoria, Empress Eugenie, Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, alongside Queen Marie of Romania, Grace of Monaco, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales.

'Created over more than a thousand hours of work and presented for the first time in London, the exhibited pieces combine precious materials and complex techniques, each creation functioning both as a design object and as a visual narrative. The exhibition creates a coherent experience in which fashion, sculpture and storytelling meet in a subtle dialogue between past and present,' the press release further states.

A selection of hats will also be available for visitors to try on, offering an interactive and personal experience.

NITA SAO is the creative identity of Ana Istodorescu, a designer who since 2014 has developed a distinctive artistic universe at the intersection of design, symbolism and contemporary craftsmanship. A graduate of the University of Westminster and the University of the Arts London - Central Saint Martins, Ana Istodorescu has created more than 20 collections and taken part in numerous international specialised events, including London Hat Week.

In 2025, her work was recognised through the granting of the title Supplier to the Royal House of Romania. Through her creations, the designer proposes an aesthetic in which tradition, memory and contemporary expression coexist, transforming each object into a form of story and identity. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)