Category Archives: Ascot

Ascot Day 4: York Family

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Members of the York family enjoyed the races together today. Princess Beatrice topped her palest blue tweed dress with a wide brimmed hat. In pale peachy pink straw, the design features a wide, cartwheel brim and a shallow crown and is trimmed with a slim black hatband that loops into a lovely bow on the side. The hat is finished with pink tipped yellow spider lily flowers.

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It’s SUCH a great hat…. but I just can’t get behind its pairing with this dress (which on its own, is also great on Beatrice!). Even linking with the pink purse and shoes, I can’t see this hat and dress as a harmonious pairing. It’s a bit disappointing, really, as both pieces are so lovely on their own.


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Designer: Sarah Cant. It is the ‘Gloriosa’ design from SS2018. The Fold ‘Camelot’ dress.
Previously Worn: This hat is new 
The Duchess of York joined her former husband and eldest daughter in a navy dress trimmed with black lace on the sleeves and her repeated black straw upswept saucer hat trimmed with royal blue silk roses and straw twists beneath the raised side of the hat. The hat’s colour scheme works so well with Sarah’s auburn hair and while I’m not always a fan of outfits that mix navy and black, this one works.
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Designer: Philip Treacy. Roland Mouret ‘Ulverston’ dress 
Previously Worn: June 19, 2015
The Duke of York repeated the black silk top hat he’s worn so far this week. 
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Thoughts about this trio of hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Ascot Day 4: Dubai Royals

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Members of Dubai’s ruling family attended the fourth day of racing at Royal Ascot again today.

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Princess Haya topped her black floral dress with an edgy black silk headpiece. Built on a flat base, the design features curling black silk outer petals that layer toward the silk bloom’s center of rolled silk flowers studded with black beads. It’s an interesting design for Haya that reminds me of this similar headpiece she wore, also to Ascot, back in 2016.  Sheikh Mohammad, as usual, repeated his black silk top hat.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new
The family celebrated another victory with Sheikha Al Jalila’s horse, Old Persion, winning the King Edward VII Stakes. Jalila collected her winning cup in a bandeau headpiece of layered red straw bow loops in the same vibrant red as her dress. While the young royal shows great maturity and poise, we need to remember she is not yet eleven years old- I thought this headpiece was wonderful on her (she wears the colour red incredibly well, just like her mother!) and hit just the right note between her youth and the formality of this event.
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Designer: Alexandra Harper Millinery
Previously Worn: This hat is new
 What do you think of this trio of hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Ascot Day 4: Queen Elizabeth

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For the second day in a row, we have successfully predicted the Queen’s hat colour! Her Majesty attended the fourth day of races today in her fourth new hat, this one in vibrant lime green. It follows a very familiar Angela Kelly shape with fluted, domed crown covered in the same silk wool crepe as the accompanying coat. The straw brim follows a gentle sidesweep and is bound in a wide stripe of the same fabric covering the crown; the hat is finished with a posy of pink silk rose blooms studded with leaves and pink glass bead floral blossoms.

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I like the creative use of the pink glass beads, nestled in with the silk flower trim, which lend a slight sparkle and lightness to the design. I’ve always found this style of crown to be a bit clunky, particularly when covered in fabric. The more open, straw brim also lightens up the design and in bright sunshine, illuminates the Queen’s face. The bright colour scheme is one we’ve seen on the Queen before and while not my favourite interpretation (I’m more partial to this one), enables her to stand out successfully in a crowd!

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Her Majesty was accompanied this morning by her nephew, the Earl of Snowdon, in his very smart black silk top hat. Of all the royal men’s top hats we’ve seen this week, this one excels in terms of both shape and state of repair. It’s such a handsome hat.

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Thoughts about this new lime hat for the Queen?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Ascot Day 3: Wrap Up

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While the third day of Royal Ascot did not see many noble guests (that I’ve been able to identify, there were still lots of wonderful hats to share! Joining the Queen in her carriage for the opening procession was Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, son of Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain, in a black silk top hat. The fourth rider, Sir Nicholas Bacon, wore a grey felt top hat.

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Lady Carolyn Warren wore what looks to be a round pink brimless hat trimmed in net tulle. Her daughter, Susanna repeated her round cream bumper percher with mass of feathers around the top. Not visible from far view, this Emily London design’s base is entirely beaded and glints in the sunlight.
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Ladies’ Day always sees wonderful hats in the crowd and these designs on non-royal heads stood out to me  at the races today:

Emily London’s black and white patterned wide bergère hat with pink roses
Gina Harding’s raspberry beret base Jane Taylor percher with triple berry hued crin ruffle
Heather Morris  in a white straw Yuan Li London Millinery inverted saucer with red lace applique
PR executive Nazer Bullen in a veiled Rachel Trevor Morgan mushroom brimmed hat with veil
Lizzie Hughes in a Guibert Millinery coral sidesweep with vibrant floral trim to match her Marc Cain dress
British milliner Alexandra Harper in a textured mint green boater of her own design
Gravity defying bow on this magenta metallic hat from Ana Bella Millinery. Love it with the green dress!
Australian milliner Lauren Ritchie’s white mini boater with fantastic purple striped ribbon trim
Francesca Cumani in a Jane Taylor textured bandeau with beautiful pink feathers
Irish milliner Aoife Harrison in her own upswept design with vibrant floral trim
Sasha Evans in an almond straw vertical Rachel Trevor Morgan saucer with bow trim
Jackie Appel in Harvy Santo’s incredible structural black heapiece

And finally, two people we hear much about here at Royal Hats but seldom see- Rachel Trevor Morgan and Stephen Jones. The curve on the crown of Stephen’s hat is so dapper and the flowers on Rachel’s hat (clearly her own design) are stunning.

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What other hats jumped out at you today on Ladies’ Day? See you all back here tomorrow!
Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Ascot Day 3: Kent Family

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The Kent family was represented at the races today by Zenouska Mowatt and Lady Gabriella Windsor. Zenouska topped her printed black dress with a very smart black straw boater hat. The hat is trimmed with a wide Petersham ribbon hatband and a sprinkling of gold flowers with faux pearl centers. The medium sized hat is a perfect scale on petite Zenouska and made a perfect topper for her fun dress.

Lady Gabriella Windsor topped her bright yellow dress with an unexpected, vibrant pink hat trimmed with exuberant pink straw and crin twists. The hat’s shape, with sideswept brim and angular crown with off-center peak, is one we’re becoming familiar with this season- Lady Gabriella has worn several similar designs that she always carries well. It’s the colour of this hat, however, that really stands out, especially in combination with her yellow dress. If any better photos are released, I’ll update this post (please share links in the comments!)


Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This hat is new
It’s always lovely to see younger members of the extended royal family at the race and these two hats are winners for me. What do you think of these two designs?
Photos from Getty as indicated