Next up is the Countess of Wessex who wore a sweeping cream headpiece trimmed with swirling Lady Amherst feathers.
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Fiona: Beautiful hat, I love the soft undulating line sweeping across her face and the three dimensional shape of the hat. I am a bit disappointed with the dress- although the neckline is pretty, the fabric looks like a cheesecloth and I am not so certain that the bell/puffball sleeves work so well. But overall, quite a nice look for Sophie.
Jill: I am always a fan of texture and although this platter is not my favorite shape, I think it is great with her dress. The trim is a little ho-hum, good for the foul weather but feels more fallish and a little sedate for the occasion. I would have liked to seen a nice pop of feminine color. The Countess of Wessex wears these larger platter shapes very well though.
Christie: Unfortunately this isn’t my favourite look on the Countess. The heavy material in her dress along with her neckline and large round sleeves are screaming to be broken up with a light, clean lined hat. If this base piece was in sinamay, with some angles, it could save the look. However, I feel that it’s round lines and material is too heavy with this. I like the idea of the trim, but I don’t feel like it’s well executed. I’d be more inclined to have a clean start to the feathers, perhaps wrapping them with some material and then curling them out from this point. I do, however, like her brooch and earrings.
Royal Hats: Using the same fabric for a dress and to cover a hat can be tricky and the photos yesterday show it doesn’t always work well. Sophie usually looks fantastic but both the dowdy dress and the heavy handed hat were complete misses for me.
Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: This hat is new
It seems that we’re back to very mixed opinions about this hat. What are your thoughts, dearest readers?
Royal Hats 
Oh no no no. The dress adds years and pounds so it’s a total nightmare. The hat looks like a stack of soggy Pringles. Sophie usually looks so good at Ascot. What happened this year?
I like the shape of this hat but agree that it feels too heavy. Waiting for Sophie to wow us tomorrow!
It’s a miss for me too. The feathers look messy, and I keep seeing a praying mantis.
I will echo the sentiment that the hat shape is great, but the look is way too heavy. Rare miss for Sophie.
I’m liking her blue hat on day two – JT as well?
Yes- the Countess wore a new Jane Taylor design on day two. These days, if Sophie wears a new hat, we can safely assume it is a Jane Taylor design. She hasn’t stepped out in new pieces from other designers in more than five years. She repeats older pieces from other milliners but the new ones have been exclusively Jane Taylor.
The hat passes muster for me, but as with many others I dislike the dress. Its volume does her lovely figure no favours and the gathering below her bust, coupled with the waist detailing is rather unflattering (I speak as someone ‘low-slung’ who couldn’t even look at that sort of style). I think the volume of the underbrim of the hat is a miss, it would have looked much better with a crisp profile.
I like the shape of the hat, and as the material is so heavy, I hope she wears it in the winter. The feathers are a disaster. I love Lady Amherst feathers but these just look chaotic. The dress – no.
I actually like this hat, the unusual shape, the color and the feathers but I do agree it seems like a winter hat and would probably be stunning with a darker dress maybe brown to match the feathers. I also don’t really like the dress. Sophie usually is sleek and sophisticated but in my opinion not today.
I like the hat…my only negative when looking at the first two pictures the feathers appear to be an insect…that turned me off a bit. Really like the shape and she wears it well.
The hat is really lovely, but imo the dress is awful. So sad! With something tailored and darker the hat could have been perfect.
Yes to something dark and tailored with this hat!
Ick to the dress – the hat just gets a pass from me – I might like this hat with a very tailored suit possibly.
This hat shape is spectacular for her and I love the Lady Amherst feather trim. But the material of this hat makes it feel heavy, and my OCD is definitely not liking that very obvious seam on the hat. As Christie said, it would be a true winner if is was made from sinamay. The dress is just a no all around. I would’ve liked to see a dress in a plain burnt orange to bring out the orange seen in some of the feathers.
This looks more like a hat and outfit for Christmas time. After scrolling up and down a few times, I think the Countess of Wessex’s whole look would benefit from borrowing Princess Beatrice’s navy percher hat.
Do the Royal Ladies wear white and muted colors to allow Queen Elizabeth to stand out?
There are no rules about what to wear and as we’ve seen in years past, the Countess often wears bright colours!
Sorry to add a no vote on this. Heavy and blah sum it up.
Oh. I just don’t love this. She looks like she’s auditioning for Gone With The Wind with those sleeves! The hat is a bit too heavy and it just all looks really bulky. I hope Sophie has some other stunners in store – this is far from what we’ve seen from her of late.
Sophie does usually tick all the boxes but didn’t quite do it today . I’m waiting for the Sophie wow tomorrow .
Oh, Sophie – you usually look fabulous but this whole ensemble is a big miss. Love the jewellery, though! I know you will do better next time.
I agree. Sophie is one of my favourite royals and often wows me with her spectacular hats and beautifully put together outfits, but this is a rare miss. I know she will stun on day 2.