The Countess of Wessex attended Royal Ascot today in a hat many of you have been hoping to see again! Her magnificent burgundy straw braid bergère with shallow, flat crown and wide brim made its second appearance at the races, this time trimmed with burgundy and pink jinsin interwoven twists.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
The retrim is clearly a move to match the hat to Sophie’s pink dress and the pieces combine well…. better, I think, than its previous pairing. I miss the rose trim originally on the hat but see why it would not have worked with this ensemble. It’s fantastic to see hats reworked and not relegated to the back of a wardrobe after just one outing. The photo on the right below shows the hat in its original iteration.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Jane Taylor. Dress by Suzannah London.
Previously Worn: June 21, 2017
The Earl of Wessex attended as well (see him handing out prizes below!), presumably in his black antique silk top hat. I’ll update the post when photos become available.
What do you think of the Countess’ retrimmed hat today?!
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
So so, elegant! I love the retrim; without the roses this hat looks much more balanced to my eye.
Sophie looks lovely.
I loved this hat at its premiere, I still adore it, and I also think the original trim would’ve worked just fine with today’s outfit (which was miles/kilometers ahead of the previous one). But I also see mittenmary’s point that the original trim was a bit top heavy at certain angles and the new trim is a bit more balanced. Another brilliant hat to help us start Ascot off right!
Perfect complement to her beautiful dress. Love this entire look!
Wonderful to see this hat again. While I like the original rose trim, it did give the hat a bit of a top-heavy feel. The new twists feel lighter and more balanced. Splendid re-working by (I assume) Jane Taylor! And I agree with all that the new dress is soooo much better!
While I love Sophie’s repeats, I hope she comes up with at least one new hat this week — perhaps for Ladies’ Day?
Loooooved the hat the first time and I loooooove it this time!
OMG this is amazing. I think I love it even more this time, the dress is better and the trim links to it so well. Sophie did her greatest hits last Ascot; is she releasing volume 2?!
Dare we hope?!!!
This Burgundy straw bergère hat has been my all time favourite Royal hat since it first appeared in 2017. So I’m thrilled that The Countess of Wessex has repeated it today.
While I prefer the original trim with the stunning rose , I do think the new trim pairs beautifully with today’s gorgeous dress. And beautiful earrings and brooch.
I agree about the trim. The problem with the first outfit was the hat and the dress didn’t link well together. Today’s dress works so much better with the hat (the mix of draped cowl bodice and wide brim are so pretty together) and the pink jinsin on the hat ties it all together.
I so prefer her dress this time round! Sophie looks lovely.
Like everything about Countess of Wessex’s hat.