We are less than two weeks away from the Epsom Races, the first stop in a month-long parade of marvellous British royal hats. In preparation, I thought you might enjoy this short interview with Australian milliner Rebecca Share who touches on current trends for spring racing hats.
What style predictions do you have for the royal hats we will see at Epsom and Ascot over the next few weeks?
Royal Hats 
Doesn’t matter how young or old one is; ugly is just ugly and that “ham” hat is ugly because of the way she is wearing it. Looks like she took some double-sided tape and glued the hat to her forehead! There has to be a better way of wearing what might have been an acceptable hat if it had been worn in a different position on her head. Case in point– the interviewer’s hat looks much better because it sits on her head and doesn’t look like it has been plastered to her forehead. Age has nothing to do with that!
Some of these photos were taken at the cenotaph where the King and Queen laid a memorial wreath at the National War Memorial (a major focus of this trip is to honour the Canadian military’s role in liberating Holland during WWII). Because this is a solemn event, the smile was appropriately gone for a few minutes.
I enjoyed the article and the video, but I am not generally a fan of percher hats. I agree with what Buffy says: May 27, 2015 at 8:06 am, when she says the designer looks like she is wearing a tailoring ham on her head!
I don’t want to be rude but it seems that a lot of older people with very traditional taste are dominating the comments. Percher hats like this are so cute and really in fashion. They are so fun and quirky and I know that a lot of my girlfriends (in our 20s) really love them. So please don’t say they look dumb just because you don’t like them. I know a lot of people who love them, me included.
Amen sista! Percher hats are so current and I hope we see a ton of creative ones at the races.
I also like percher hats. They can seem a lot more stylish than a lot of old fashioned royal hats. Kate’s percher hats are a little boring. I wish royals wore hats like the ones in the video!
Must agree about the perchers. So cute and so current. Wish more royals would wear them.
My mom reads this blog all the time and I come to see what Beatrice, Eugenie, Zara and Kate are wearing (and Maxima!). They are the only ones who don’t wear really old fashioned hats. I can totally see one of them (maybe not Kate) wearing the hats from this interview and rocking them. So yeah I like percher hats and it would be good if some of the older royals tried some younger styles.
The black & white hat is cute, especially with that dress. But I can’t take the designer seriously when she is wearing what looks like a tailoring ham on her head! So distracting and not very attractive to my eye. I’m hoping for more hats with larger brims, as well as calots and cloches. And I’m always on board with the more crazy Ascot ones, those are just fun and not meant to be taken seriously.
Exactly.
I agree with what Buffy says: May 27, 2015 at 8:06 am.
Thanks HatQueen for the video, as I always like to get fashion and millinery updates straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak! I am sorry but I can’t get on board at all with percher hats worn so low on the face, especially for the races. Rebecca Share’s hat looks like a small cushion that has had some weird trimmings attached. I wouldn’t wear such a hat and I wouldn’t recommend this type of hat to anyone else.
Do people like these silly looking things because they’re afraid to state the obvious? That purple thing is just nuts! Like the song..One eyed, one horned flying purple people eater…..
I still think a large-brimmed fancy portrait hat is the best way to do millinery at the races, but I do love the cocktail and percher hats for something different as well (the 2 featured in the video are pretty fantastic). While the little feathery fascinators have their place, I’m glad to see people are somewhat losing interest and that more proper headpieces are making a comeback. If anything, calots and berets are usually so common for other events now, I would like to see those gone from the racetracks (I’m looking at you, Beatrice and Eugenie). And yes, I certainly hope the Queen pulls out a couple new hats for Ascot!
I hope we see several of the younger royals rock some “percher” style hats. I think the style is fun!
I just want to see the Queen in a new hat sometime soon! She hasn’t had a new one yet this year I think.
I also don’t like these type of funny shaped hats stuck on foreheads. They don’t look very royal or elegant at all.
Do not like the percher hat AT ALL!
I’m glad that fascinators are “over” but I can’t say I’m all that excited about the weird shaped percher hats.
I really hope we’ll see some royals in classic big picture hats with a large brims. I love when these traditional shape hats are in modern colors with unusual (but not too crazy) decorations.