Joining me today is Toronto-based milliner Jay Cheng, creator of Jaycow Millinery to chat about the royal hats at Ascot.
Zara Tindall topped her chintz maxi dress with a blue straw hat (the royal hat colour of the day!). Made of pale blue sinamay, the split saucer is trimmed with silk roses, straw twists and large tufts of widely-woven pale blue net veil.
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Jay Cheng: Very stylish disk hat with the split detail, giving space for the roses to flow from front to the back side of the hat. I feel the blue of the hat could be slightly darker. It’s too much of a contrast to Zara’s tanned complexion. Overall, Zara made a graceful appearance.
Royal Hats: Agreed, Jay- the vent in the saucer base gives some variation to the shape and the trim gives this hat lightness and life. I really like the hat in combination with this dark floral print dress, which grounds it a little, and with Zara’s hairstyle, which shows it off to perfection. And I think you’re right- a shade darker would have been even better. It’s not a standout look for Zara but I think it’s a good one!
Designer: Juliette Botterill. I believe it is bespoke. Dress by Zimmerman.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Zara’s husband, Mike, looked dapper in his black antique top hat. He hat a miniature top hat hidden inside which greatly amused the Queen and Countess of Wessex!
Royal Hats 
Solved the mystery of what was under Mike Tindall’s hat- salted caramel truffles!
A lovely hat for Zara, and I very much enjoyed it’s pairing with this floral-patterned dress rather than trying to pull a monochrome ensemble off. Mike looks extremely dapper in his morning suit and fantastic top hat; my only issue is he didn’t wear a pocket square.
It was so nice seeing Zara and Mike at Ascot. They always provide the best photos due to their interactions with everyone. You can tell they are highly regarded within the family.
Mike always looks great in his top hat. He’s a very dapper dresser.
Zara looked so beautiful in that hat. It’s such a lovely design and color. Her hair was lovely and the dress was very pretty.
They are great fun to watch, for both their interaction and their style (I believe Zara’s stylist is Annie Miall and she’s created some fantastic looks for her recently). I must have replayed that video of Mike pulling the mini hat out of his hat 5 times last night. So funny!
I love the length of her dress and the shade of her hat. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see Zara as it was her daughter’s first birthday so it was a lovely surprise. As far as day one goes, Zara and The Duchess of Cambridge are tied for best dressed of the royal ladies.
I think Zara looks splendid here. It’s a very good hat, and, the great thing is that it’s that little bit larger than many of her hats, which leads to a far better balanced outfit overall than often is the case with Zara. It pairs nicely with the dress and the proportions are good.
I love Zara’s hat and I’m so glad she didn’t go for a teardrop-shaped percher again, as much as I love those. The split with the roses flowing through is lovely. I love that she pulled the blue from the dress print, because most people would have gone for the pink. Those pictures of her with Charles are beautiful. Mike is awesome!
I absolutely love Zara’s hat, the flow, the color simply wonderful
I think Zara looks FAB! Camilla has her style and looks great in it, Ditto for Zara…so pretty and just suits her open, cheerful and fun loving personality. Kate won my overall look but this hat is my fave for day 1. Thanks for the coverage.
As you say, HQ. A good look but not a standout. Her hat is lovely -she has such a good eye for her headwear. The big plus for me was Zara’s polished hairstyle – instead of her usual scraped back into a tiny bun do. But the minus was the length of her dress, which is odd, given I sometimes think her hemlines are a tiny bit too high. But this ankle-length floral print is kind of swallowing her. It’s a nice print, mind, but just a much of it. Kate’s is almost as long. A tea-length might have been better on both.