Queen Elizabeth II was at Ascot Racecourse yesterday to take in the QICPO British Champions Day. For this fun day out, she repeated her beautifully proportioned lilac-grey straw hat with gently sloped crown and raised brim, trimmed with handmade straw flowers and bow loops.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
While I usually prefer more saturated colour on Her Majesty, the subtle colour play between the purple and grey hues in the hat (likely created through layering sinamay in both colours, with a purple top layer on the crown and grey on the upper side of the brim), highlighted by it’s nuanced shape, works so wonderfully. These things, combined the lift-lending bows and those exquisite handmade straw roses (or camellias?!) to create a hat with presence, statement and pure beauty that defy its pale hue.
Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: Aug 5, 2017; May 4, 2017; April 11, 2017; July 1, 2016; October 20, 2015
I’m so pleased to see this hat again- what do you think of it on this this time out?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I’m glad to see a larger brim back on HM! Even though it is a more subdued color, it’s still a great choice for HM, and much better than the harsher contrast of the stone grey we saw earlier last week. Fantastic details with the hat and outfit, although I never noticed the little green stem for the flowers previously.
Still such a beautiful hat. And HM obviously agrees too. Nice to see it again. The contrast between the grey and the lilac is so subtle and yet so effective.
Even HM’s brooch continues the subtle theme; diamonds, not a purple amethyst or similar.
Fabulous repeat! I’m surprised it was chosen for a racing event, though; usually racing outfits are falling out of the regular rotation, and I’d like to see this outfit continue. Queen Elizabeth pulled out all the stops today: she’s even wearing her dressier shoes!
I hadn’t noticed that racing day outfits were on their way out of rotation! If so, I agree with you about it being a shame in this case. Some of the big contrast trims on HM’s hats are too much for me, even knowing there is a dress that pulls the colours together; the near monochrome subtlety of this hat really appeals to me.
Sometimes grey can be so boring, but the added lilac tone is beautiful. What a lovely style of hat and Her Majesty looks wonderful.