Zara Phillips appeared in the weekend edition of “The Australian” in photos to promote her Ambassadorship of the Magic Millions Race Day which was held on Saturday at the Gold Coast Racecourse.
In this photo spread, Zara wore a magenta disc hat trimmed with a large black feather and black laser cut filigree edge. This is a statement hat for certain- I love the strong colour and adore the intricate black edge. I think had Zara’s hair been worn down in a soft style around her face, the combination of hat, hair and floral frock might have been fantastic. What do you think of this daring and dramatic hat?
Designer: Danica Erard. It is the ‘Plume Flottant’ design
Previously Worn: This is a new hat
Photos from News Corp Australia via The Australian and Danica Erard Millinery
Royal Hats 
I admire Zara greatly and she does wear some lovely hats and outfits sometimes, but this is not one of those times!
I can deal with the dress. I can live with her chosen hair style. However, the hat is awful. I guess I am too conservative!
FABULOSITY! Love the color Love the feather LOVE the black edging LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Hate the dress LOVE the hat.
Zara seems so bubbly and spunky that she can carry off a big hot pink hat! But this one looks off balance, maybe because it is so flat. I agree that if she had her hair curled instead of slicked back, it would look nicer.
Yeah, probably better look with her hair down but this hat is FIERCE. I love it! I can’t think of any other royal who could wear it half as well.
I do think many of these comments are unnecessarily snarky. Zara is not representing the royal family in these appearances, she is being paid to be there and she’s been chosen for her “horsey” profile just as much for her royal connection.
As HQ points out in a reply to someone saying she needs a stylist, the poor woman has had one. Her dresses and hats will be by Australian designers, part of the deal of being the “ambassador” is to be a clothes horse (if you’ll pardon the pun). It’s not entirely Zara’s fault and I think we need to cut her some slack on these appearances.
I agree each outfit could have been better, but call stylist Rosemary Pantling out on it, not Zara. She’s accommodating her employers.
I agree sandra, but surely the stylist wouldn’t have told her to style her hair so she looked bald?
I LOVE the hat, but she needs hair.
The Floating Feather a/k/a the Plume Flottant disk hat is simply horribus:(
I like these larger disk hattinators, and this one is quite unique. I wish she had done a low side chignon like Maxima does so well, then it would dramatically improve this look.
Looks like a salad cleaner that you spin around. She is about to go into orbit. Really bad. This is a person who has more misses than hits. Between her and the Yorks maybe they could get a discount service from a stylist.
The horse is beautiful.
ENOUGH. Let’s please remain respectful and gracious in our comments.
I believe that this outfit was styled by Rosemary Pantling, who styled Zara’s other race ensembles in Australia.
Unfortunately the comments are on song, the stylist failed miserably with her assignment. Zara is at work in the commercial world that supports her life style, but she needs a better representative before she signs a contract so that she has a say in how she might be dressed. She’s a jolly good sport for still smiling I think.
She has my admiration for her balance of maternal activities and public appearances. But, please, if she is going to represent the Royal Family, they need to insist that she get a stylist. Her hair has been awful this entire trip and the comment about the brown/yellow area on her dress is so true.
perhaps a different hairstyle could have helped, but nothing would make it look GOOD. I mean, come on. That hat is pure ugly! It’s so cheap looking, too. The color is just sort of…off, and the thickness of tgat black edging material makes it look like some clumsy thing bought from the dollar store. Plus it’s a disc hat. It’s pretty rare for those to look like anything other than hideous.
Not the greatest. I like the color, but IMO it is too flat. Also, that bit of brown/yellow in the dress print is odd, and unfortunately placed. From this angle makes it look as if baby Mia has spit up on her.
Probably the best hat of the tour, but her hair is not flattering. She seems to be channeling Queen Margarethe and her bald look. Zara is too young and hip for this look.
Glitter Girl I agree totally. I got a good laugh out of “channeling Queen Margarethe and her bald look.”
I agree Glitter Girl.
Splendid hat, baldy scraped back hair makes it look unattractive overall.
Love the hat, just not on her the way she is styled – again, I think she needs a stylist – she needs to have shorter hair, maybe in a modified bob and then utilize wiglets so she has enough column to wear her hair up in the slicked back looks she so seems to love when it works with the occasion and what the rest of her outfit is calling for.
Another where’s her hair? hat. I love that it compliments her outfit but as you said, if she had only worn her hair down it would have said so much more about the entire ensemble.
Zara has worn some unfortunate hats in her time… this is one that, while I don’t particularly like it, does not really give offence!
I don’t like it either
Not a good look on her.