Category Archives: Ascot

Ascot Day 3: Princess Beatrice

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Princess Beatrice was back at the races today in a wonderful upswept saucer hat of patterned natural and black herringbone buntal straw. The design is trimmed in handmade silk satin roses with feather accents placed, en masse, on the underside of the raised brim.

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The medium sized hat is a great scale on Beatrice and the graphic, monochrome colour scheme is a great compliment to her auburn hair.

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Designer: Sally Ann Provan. It is the ‘Greta’ hat from SS 2018. Jonathan Simkhai dress and Moschino cardigan.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

 This is the second hat from Scottish milliner Sally Ann Provan we’ve seen on Princess Beatrice. She and her sister both regularly introduce pieces from new milliners- something not only brave, but that yields great new looks such as this. What do you think of this new hat on her?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Ascot Day 3: Queen Elizabeth

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After two days of seeing Her Majesty in hats of our second choice, we successfully predicted her hat colour today! A new design in bright pink straw, the hat follows a familiar shape with a sidesweeping brim of moderate width and a crown with gently molded waves on the side and a slight slant on the top. The hat is trimmed with a layered double hatband, handmade flowers and beautifully placed, arrow trimmed feathers, all in the same bright pink hue.

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While it’s a familiar look for the Queen, it’s a very good one. The saturated colour is wonderful on her and the cut of the tweed coat allows a fair amount of the printed silk dress to peek through and the neckline and hem, linking with the rose trim on the hat and giving soft contrast to the bright pink. The use of straw on the hat gives great textural contrast to the tweed jacket- while the two are the same colour, the ensemble doesn’t read as overly matchy thanks to the use of these different materials. It’s a great, summery hat on the Queen.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Queen Elizabeth was accompanied in the first carriage in today’s procession into the Ascot grounds by the Duke of York, in his black silk top hat. While it’s been a little sad not to see the Duke of Edinburgh this week, it’s lovely to see other members accompanying the Queen to what is widely known as one of her favourite events of the year.
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A quick note from our dear ChicagoChuck this morning confirmed that our winnings on the Queen’s hat this morning put us ahead for the week! He will graciously donate these, along with an additional donation, to your charity of choice, the Children’s HIV Association. We’ll hear more from ChicagoChuck about this year’s races in weeks to come (there is a hat story he will share!) but it sounds like he has had a wonderful time.
While ChicagoChuck will not be at the races tomorrow to place another bet on our prediction about what colour hat the Queen will wear, several of you have requested we continue these polls this week, for the sheer fun of it. So, before sharing your thoughts about the Queen’s new hat today, what colour hat do you think she will wear tomorrow?! 
Photos from Getty as indicated

Ascot Day 2: Wrap Up

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The second day of royal Ascot saw a number of hatted noble heads, starting with those in the third carriage in the daily procession into the racing grounds. Lady Lucinda de Mauley topped her red textured suit in a matching Dillon Wallwork hat featuring a button base in the same fabric wrapped in a rim of red straw and champagne crin that entwined in a curled bow at the top. Lady Celia Vestey’s Rachel Trevor Morgan picture hat, in blue open weave patterned straw, extends to a wide cartwheel brim beautifully edged in blue silk binding that is repeated on the hatband and a bow at the back, studded with silver daisies.

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Lord Samual Vestey, who is is the Royal Household’s Master of the Horse, and Lord Rupert de Mauley both wore black silk top hats.
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Longtime lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, Lady Susan Hussey rode in the fourth carriage with Irish horse trainer Michael Magnier and his wife. Lady Susan’s white straw hat features an upswept brim and folded hatband, giving an illusion of a double, stacked crown. The hat is trimmed with flying straw twists at the side.

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Harry Herbert, who runs the most successful racing syndicate in the world, Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, rode in the first carriage with the Queen, Princess Alexandra and Master of the Royal Household Vice Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt. Both men predictably wore black silk top hats.
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Lady Alice Manners, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland we saw yesterday, in an interesting draped hat in blue ikat printed straw from Lock & Co. that has a distinctly tribal feel.

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A number of hats on non-royal heads caught my attention today:
My favourite was fashion PR executive Nazer Bullen, in Edwina Ibbotson’s rainbow striped picture hat. The statement hat’s pairing with this red Suzannah dress (with pockets!) is just brilliant. Talk about a happy outfit to wear to a happy event.

 

That wraps up Day 2 of Royal Ascot! See you back here for Ladies’ Day tomorrow!
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Ascot Day 2: Dubai Royals

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Members of Dubai’s royal family attended the races again today to watch horses from their stables run. Princess Haya topped her textured cream dress with a close-fitting straw Juliette cap embellished with a dotted net veil. The hat’s unique take on this style, worn on the side of the head as almost a percher, suits Haya well, and the contrast with her dark hair makes the cream ensemble work.

Sheikha Al Jalila topped her pink dress with a headpiece covered in silk flowers. It’s a sweet and very age appropriate design for the ten and a half year old, whose nervous expression with her mother, above, was caught during a race when one of her own ponies was running.


Designer: I’m guessing Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Sheikh Mohammad, captured in a sweet moment above with his daughter, repeated his black silk top hat. Sheikh Hamdan, the Crown Prince who is shown in the top photograph, wore a grey felt top hat. 
Photos from Getty as indicated

Ascot Day 2: Gloucesters & Kents

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Members of the Gloucester and Kent families were also in attendance for the second day of Royal Ascot. Duchess of Gloucester, who celebrated her 72nd birthday today, surprised in a new hat! In warm caramel hued natural straw, the picture hat follows a traditional shape with rounded crown and flat brim. An additional stripe of crin around the brim extends the hat’s footprint and adds both formality and lightness to the design. It appears that the hat is finished with a mass royal blue flowers on the side that link with Brigitte’s vibrant dress. It’s a great hat for her and I adore its warm, orangey undertone with her blue dress.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

Princess Alexandra repeated her cream straw hat with a rounded crown and cartwheel brim embellished with a cream widely woven net veil overlaying the brim and silk roses and tiny curling feathers in the same palest barely-there mist green as her suit. While it’s a beautifully executed and balanced hat, I think the ensemble would benefit from an ever so slightly deeper hue of green on the suit and the hat’s trim.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: June 1, 2017; June 25, 2016

Princess Michael repeated her pale ecru straw hat with shallow rounded crown and high, upturned kettle brim, trimmed with white silk flowers and leaves placed on the left side of the hat, both on top and below the brim. I’ve always loved the way the flowers frame Marie Christine’s face – not something we often see on a royal hat – but I really think the height of the upturned edge on the brim means the hat should be placed as a sidesweep on her head. Wearing it straight on, as she did today, leaves the hat looking off in proportion which is such a shame because  its detail is really lovely.

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Designer: unknown. 
Previously Worn: June 14, 2014; June 4, 2013; June 28, 2012
Prince Michael repeated his black silk top hat.
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I suspect the Duke of Kent was in attendance today (ChicagoChuck spotted him yesterday) but alas, he’s not to be found in any available photographs. Until I locate him, I’m curious, dearest readers about your thoughts on these hats! 
Photos from Getty as indicated