I’m honored to welcome Toronto-based milliner Jay Cheng, creator of Jaycow Millinery here to chat Ascot hats today!
Princess Beatrice topped her blue lace with a blue straw boater hat described by the designer as a “striking, oversized matador design with hand stitched swirls and tassles in raspberry, cobalt and tangerine.”
Jay Cheng: I love Princess Beatrice’s look. Its a very chic “Royal” mix and match style that she pulled of really well. The new twist on the boater hat with the hand stitching detail on the brim and the tassels is the icing on the cake and adds just a splash of color to the very blue ensemble. Princess Beatrice is certainly bring a playful air to Ascot!
Royal Hats: Such a great take on a classic boater style! I agree, Jay- the colourful stitching and tassels are fun and creative embellishments. The pairing of lace dress and a hat that feels less formal is a bit unexpected but really good. The colour is beautiful on Beatrice and I really like the overall balance of the silhouette. Lace dresses don’t always work with modern hats but this feels fresh and chic and I really like it!
Designer: Bundle MacLaren. It is the “Nia” design. Dress by Maje
Previously Worn: this hat is new
What do you think of Beatrice’s new hat today?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I really liked this hat as it has a Spanish feel to it. Love the coloured tassels too!
The hat is fun and fresh, and I love the dress, but I will never look at these ladies the same after their rude behavior during Bishop Curry’s sermon at Harry’s and Megan’s wedding.
No second chances? That feels unkind. Let’s keep the conversation to hats and not conjecture about events that occurred more than a year ago.
Mea culpa. I’ll behave from now on!
It’s all good. What you all don’t see is the increasing number of awful trolling comments (personally attacking ones in shocking brutality) thankfully caught by the comment policing robots behind the scenes. I’ve become less lenient about things here as a result and likely a little wary as well. This space is about the hats and I love the ways we discuss and change our minds about them! I also LOVE the way we’ve been able to learn from milliners about their craft. This space feels fun and respectful – forgive me when my determination to keep it this way gets a little strong!
I don’t blame you for being protective, and I promise to stay on point!
A dress with shirt collar and turned up sleeves like this never seems as dressy as other styles to me, so ordinarily I wouldn’t say I liked the style very much for an event like Ascot. However, combined with the hat, the fabric belt gives the whole look a matador vibe that actually works very well, I think, so I like it much more than I would expect.
Bea might be, to my eyes anyway, the only one who can wear the boater shape successfully. I do like this bigger one on her and the color is fab. I did not notice the colored top stitching in the other photos and that detail is beautiful. Not sure about the tassels but it’s a different way to add a pop of color without “fussying up” the hat. I love the fabric of the dress but I think the style is not the best for that stiff lace, it makes Bea look wide in some shots. A classic sheath would have been amazing in that fabric.
I like Bea in a wide brim, so much more flattering than the small boaters she favours. That tassel (repeating what her sister did last year), is such a fun little detail.
The colour is fab… but I don’t love the dress. It’s a bit stiff and the wide sleeves are too bulky. I much prefer her in softer fabrics.
Beatrice has worn other boaters in the past, and generally I’ve not been a fan, but this one I love for her! I think the thinner material makes for a more balanced look, whereas previously her other boaters have been made of thick straw that looks bulky on her. I’ve never been a fan of tassels and still not in love with them here, but I love the color they add to this hat in addition to the stitching.
When I first saw this hat in newspaper coverage, I thought ‘matador’ so well done me! I rather like it, (okay, so I have a secret soft spot for tassels). The colour is lovely on Beatrice and she’s chosen a nice style of dress. My only quibble is that the dress isn’t lined to the length of the hem (why do designers do that?) and so falls against her legs awkwardly in some photos.
I never noticed the hand stitching on the hat until you pointed it out. I like the sleekness of the matador look with the pop of color on the tassel. What I love about Princess Beatrice is she doesn’t play safe. She likes to explore designs and have fun. Her dress is so lovely and light, and the color is gorgeous on her.
I love that Princess Beatrice looks like twins with the Queen! Fabulous. I also really like this Boater shape. Something about the depth of the crown and the size of the brim make me like it more than some of the boaters we’ve seen in recent years. I have to confess I don’t care for the tassels though, imo they strike an incongruous note.
I think the color is a good color for her.
That’s all I have to say.