Damp skies did not seem to dampen spirits at opening day of the Cheltenham Festival today. Princess Anne attended in her repeated brown faux fur ruched hat with rolled brim, no doubt a warm choice on a blustery, rainy day.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: Mar 13, 2015, Apr 5, 2010; Sep 5, 2009; Mar 14, 2009; Feb 8, 2009; Mar 24, 2008; Feb 3, 2008;
Zara Tindall wore a yale blue felt formed teardrop percher, trimmed with a stitched bow and arrow trimmed feathers. Blue is such a fantastic colour for her and this deeper shade is no exception. I’m less keen on the pairing of this hat with Zara’s navy coat- from close view, the hat does pick up similar threads in the coat’s weave but from far away, the look is less cohesive.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Juliette Botterill
Previously Worn:This hat is new
Mike Tindall repeated the navy coogan cap we saw him wear to this event last year. We see so few men in hats, it’s great to see one like this that not only combats dismal weather, but makes its wearer look rather dapper in the process.
Designer: Holland Cooper Baker Boy Cap
Previously Worn: Mar 16, 2018
What do you think of the hats today at the Cheltenham Races?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Love Zara’s hat and seeign the other random non royal hats – that feathered bandeau is lovely!
Zara’s hat is very attractive. It’s a type of hat that she often favours, and usually I think they suit her very well if one just sees her face, but don’t balance with her whole outfits. However, this time, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a full-length shot, I though the hat looked good as part of the whole ensemble, and I wonder if the balance of the overall look is better because in this instance Zara is wearing a short coat. (That’s apart from any colour-matching issues with the hat and coat.)
As JamesB and Jake has said, this percher is quite similar to others Zara has sported. HatQueen, this makes me wonder whether you would consider doing an inventory of her blue perchers?
I’ve not done any inventories on Zara’s hats because I suspect most of them are borrowed or rented. We seldom see her repeat a hat and know she sometimes works with a stylist (who often borrow hats for clients)… that all being said, it could be fun to look at this further. When I’ve got time, I’ll put something together!
I can see why she favors these: the color shows off her eyes, and the style flatters her face. But if she has this kind of relationship with milliners, she could be experimenting more.
I’m cutting myself after already spending too much time on this, but here are the examples I’ve found so far.
https://royalhats.net/2017/03/15/cheltenham-festival-2017-day-1/#comments
https://royalhats.net/2016/01/11/zara-phillips-at-aussie-races/
https://royalhats.net/2018/05/19/british-royal-wedding-phillips-family/
https://royalhats.net/2018/03/15/cheltenham-festival-day-3-2/
https://royalhats.net/2016/03/16/day-2-of-cheltenham-festival-3/#comments
Definitely not my favorite hat for Anne, but certainly a good hat considering the weather. The look of Andrew Parker-Bowles hats continues to get worse every year; I like the olive green color, but when one’s fedora is a crumpled mess that looks a size too small, it just makes me sad.
This is another beautiful hat for Zara, but like JamesB said, it feels like we’ve seen this before (she wore a peacock blue cocktail hat last year), and she has worn a lot of blues; I don’t mind the pairing of this hat with the navy coat, but I would like to see more of the peacock blue elsewhere in her outfit. It would also be nice to see her try green, purple, and orange to mix it up.
It was nice to see Mike rockin’ a newsboy cap again, although I wish he would wear them more often than Cheltenham.
Finally, here are a few of my favorite hats randomly seen on Day 1:
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The last hat (white teardrop) in your gallery is made and modeled by Irish milliner Jennifer Wrynne. I’ve been following her work and it’s dramatic and bold to say the least! Here’s the back of the hat:
Lady Laura Cathcart, another British milliner, wore a feathered kokoshnik bandeau of her own making. The feathers add a lovely touch.
What caught my eye today is the photo of Andrew Parker-Bowles. Exactly 16 years ago to the date, he and Anne are at Cheltenham Festival, in what appears to be the SAME hat, but new! No wonder he and the Princess Royal get on so well together!
March 12, 2003, March 16, 2012, more broken in.
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Brilliant!
Goodness, and I finally see Zara’s resemblance to her mother, thanks to this photo. Many thanks, Jimbo. AP-B’s hat seemed to fit him better in 2003 than it does in 2019. Do hats shrink? Or has his head got larger? Neither tremendously likely, but there’s certainly a difference in the way he’s wearing it.
Sandra, for what it’s worth, my hats fit differently after a good haircut, which is what is I would recommend for A P-B!
Does anyone remember the hilarious scene in “Caddyshack” where Rodney Dangerfield asks Ted Knight if he got a free cup of soup with his hat? RIP both of them!
Hmm, I agree with Jake, this is a rather serious case of hat abuse!
I totally agree; Zara’s hat is fab but the pairing with the coat isn’t quite right. She needs to follow the rule that colours need to match absolutely, or be different enough that there’s a strong contrast. Also, I just feel like we see Zara in a variation on the same hat nearly every time, I wish she’d branch out a bit, she used to have more variety.
I agree – she’s clearly found a look she likes, but some variety would be nice! Zara’s got interesting taste and she’s in a position (as a “non-royal” royal) to be a bit more experimental. Would love to see her explore some different shapes and silhouettes.
Zara’s hat is great, and I love seeing Princess Anne out. I think the feathers (arrows?) on the hat pick up well with the Navy on the coat, and I’m not bothered by the pairing.
love the color of Zara’s hat, it is a shape and size that suits her well
Anne’s hat looks so comfortable it probably is
I like the green fedora as well, nice color he looks dapper
The wearer of the green fedora is Andrew Parker-Bowles, a longtime friend of Princess Anne (and yes, Camilla’s former husband).
Mike Tindall looks really good in that coogan hat.
I love Zara Tindall’s hat. The color, the style. So pretty on her. I agree Hat Queen that the hat does not pair well with the jacket from a distance.