Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, Sheikha of Dubai, enjoyed the fourth day of Royal Ascot today in a fascinating black rose headpiece (likely handmade and constructed petal by petal) with black veil.
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Christie: I just keep thinking how long this flower would have taken to make! It’s quite incredible actually. It’s a shame the veiling is the wrong way around (hanging vertically as opposed to horizontally), as I think this is a really striking look otherwise. I’m not quite sure that the look works overall, but do love this flower.
Jill: Unfortunately, this hat screams a bit more bull fight than horse race to me. The construction on the flower is lovely, I love the depth of the layers and I am a big fan of black paired with the pale pink of her dress but the overall look feels a bit somber for the occasion. I know it is quite popular now to have this close to the face, unfinished veiling I just don’t think it is flattering and makes the hat feel unbalanced. I think no veiling and more of a tilt to the flower and this whole look would have been much better.
Fiona: I love this headpiece. The cabbage rose made from a satin fabric is impeccable and I adore the central placement. The raw edge on the light honeycomb veiling is a nice contrast to the dense rich satin of the rose – I really love this headpiece. Its a brave move putting the black head wear with an all neutral outfit – shoes, dress bag but its such a statement that it works for me. I feel the dress is a little heavy on ruching and gathering which is a soft contrast to the edgy statement headpiece, but I think I would have preferred a more structured dress here.
Royal Hats: I feel like we’ve gone from a hat shop to an art gallery with this piece- it is a wearable sculpture. It’s not pretty but it is beautiful (if that makes sense) and as others have already said, the mix of the edgy headpiece with the floaty dress is so unexpected, I can’t take my eyes away. I don’t use the word ‘masterpiece’ lightly but I think it may apply here.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new
I suspect that this black rose headpiece will garner mixed opinion and I’m curious, dearest readers, what specifically you like (or do not like) about this unique design.
Royal Hats 
Scrolling through Pinterest (as you do), I nearly fell over when I came across this photo of Dita Von Teese from October 2010, wearing a very similar hat to Princess Haya!! Unfortunately I can’t find who the milliner was but she was wearing a lot of Stephen Jones hats at the time.
“Dita Von Teese attends the Naomi Campbell 25 Years of Career Celebration with Dolce & Gabbana during Fashion Week S/S 2011 on October 4, 2010 in Paris, France.”
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That certainly looks like the same hat!
Haya always brings the drama. Most wouldn’t pair this hat with a pink dress or they’d make the hat more a more realistic rose color. It shouldn’t work but it does. I would have left off the veiling though or just done a tiny bit of it. And tilted it just a teensy bit. I agree with Chuck, Sheikh Mohammed needs a better tailor. Send him to the one Prince Michael and Prince Charles go to!
Interesting, in the photos where Princess Haya is standing still and looking at the camera I like everything. In the photos where she is walking something just isn’t right. I think maybe she doesn’t have a very graceful carriage to her walk. She seems to plod along and that is reflected in how she looks in those photos for me I guess. The black Tahitian pearls are everything! I wore my Tahitian black pearl cufflinks this week and love that Princess Haya has a beautiful strand of these gorgeous pearls.
Gotta mention the sheik – get that man a tailor, stat! For as much money as he has looking that sloppy just kills me. His hat is great but his clothes always look like he’s wearing hand-me-downs from his father or older brother.
Reading what the professionals say about how much work went into this hat, I have a better appreciation for it. The more I look at it, it reminds me of a modern version of those hats with veils Princess Diana used to wear in the early `80`s. Obviously not the rose, but the hat shape and veil. It`s quite striking.
This is so edgy I LOVE IT. Anyone could put this super cool hat with a shift dress but Haya is wearing the $%!& out of it with this pink dress. She is the only one of the royals who brings high fashion. Ascot would be so boring without her.
This hat is too dark and heavy for this dress — not a fan of the combo – the hat gets a pass from me
Agreed that the veiling should be a finer texture or horizontal. It’s an exquisite hat, but the color and drama are too much of a contrast with the soft, feminine dress.
I think of Haya as the queen of large picture hats, but she has really mixed it up this year!
Love how both Pss Haya and Pss Beatrice both wore floaty pastels today. Haya’s amazing black rose concoction both relects the extremeu femininity of her dress and tones it down a little. I love the colour of the pearls and think they work well with the hat. I don’t love the veil. think she’s brave to pair this hat with the neutral accessories and would have loved to see it all looked in real life. Beatrice does very well on what is probably a miniscule budget compared to others we see here.
Except for the dark pearls (I think white pearls would have “matched” the dress better), this is a stunning outfit. The dress is lovely and really highlights her waist (all that ruching around my waist would make me look like an elephant). Like HatQueen remarked, this is art. I love how the light reflects on the outer edges of the petals–it really emphasizes the texture of the many layers. And I personally love the recent trend of short veiling in front of the eyes! 😍
This has a very Spaniard feel to it, like a mantilla, especially paired with this dress. I think the rose is gorgeous, but I agree with Jill that the veiling must go and tilt the rose slightly to the side, otherwise it feels a bit too funereal for me.
I sooo want to like this piece – because Princess Haya is such a hat boss – but I am always unsettled by a hat that appears to float a centimetre or so above the head, that doesn’t look “connected” to its owner. I would love to see this amazing rose with trim at the sides, to give visual oomph and support to the central placing and the upswept sides of the rose. Love the honeycomb veiling too, but I would have liked to see more of it. As for the dress, a disappointment – unflattering, and too “bridal party” for my taste.
I love the hat, but somehow the hat and dress combination doesn’t come off. The dress both lacks verve and, its fit, in my opinion, is ill-suited to the princess. In any case, it doesn’t live up to the hat. (The pearls are fabulous!)
Surprised it was a black rose…very dramatic and our professionals acknowledge it as a work of art.
The entire outfit is nice.
LOVE the whole look and those pearls………WOW! She really is a stunner. If she ever gets sick of them, she can send them my way!!
Is this the same hat in a different color that Kate wore to the Garden Party in Ireland? I quite like this black rose hat. Something about it is very mysterious.
The ideas are similar but the hats are different. This hat is made of silk individual petals. Kate’s hat was swirled straw.
I love your description of Haya’s hat as mysterious- it certainly is!
Love the hat, not so crazy about the heavy black veil across a beautiful face – there’s either not enough of it or too much, I can’t make up my mind. Christie’s comment about the veiling being the wrong way round made me look again, and I agree with her. A sideways ‘woosh’ of more, but lighter, veiling would probably have been better. This fabric looks too much like an onion bag for my taste.
Haya always manages to wow us and this must be one of her best Ascot showings for some time. Her beautiful features were made to wear outstanding hats and we’re all pleased that she does just that.