A few other royal-ish hats were spotted on Ladies’ Day:
Lady Carolyn Warren
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Lady Susan Hussey
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While the first two days of racing at Royal Ascot were very special and saw the most wonderful hats, Ladies’ Day was something extra. In the Royal Enclosure, where I was so fortunate to be a guest of my fellow British Millinery Association (BMA) colleague Jane Fryers, the fashion was that little bit more. It was evident that most people had put a lot of thought (and perhaps expense?!) into their ensemble.
It was also a meet-up of milliners. This part of it was so lovely, and it was just wonderful to meet people I’ve written about here or been in contact with through my role as Education Coordinator with the BMA. Rachel Trevor Morgan walked by and I somehow gathered the courage to run after her to say hello. She was gracious and lovely (and so complimentary of Royal Hats!) and introduced me to her companion, the incomparable Stuart Parvin who many of you will recall as the tailor behind many of Queen Elizabeth’s most beautiful outfits. They warmly chatted for several minutes, which was just amazing. On the whole, there was such a strong sense of millinery camaraderie and a palpable sense of admiration and respect for the work of other milliners. After visiting Luton, the former millinery manufacturing center of the UK, and seeing firsthand just how much the industry has declined, I left Ladies’ Day feeling so much more hopeful. There are some incredibly talented people making hats in the UK and seeing their work on hand was simply inspiring.
My favourite design was an Ian Bennett creation in pleated black crin with sinamay stripes that was incredible, both in terms of design impact and impeccable craftsmanship. Worn by his good friend Amanda Macor (who was absolutely lovely to chat with!), it was an absolute showstopper.
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Now for my hat. The pressure of creating something for Ladies’ Day, a day where I would meet many of my BMA colleagues in-person for the first time, was overwhelming. I waffled for months about what flowers to make and found myself a week before leaving for Europe with nothing complete and no plan. Garden roses have become a go-to flower for me so I made a handful in different sizes, all hand-dyed in vibrant colours, with two dozen leaves.
After arriving in the UK, my colleague Katie Vale generously offered me lessons in hat blocking and finishing, a process that had me swearing under my breath at moments but with even more respect for the millinery craft. I sandwiched deep purple-blue sinamay in between two layers of cerulean blue to give some depth to the colour.
The saucer was finished with bias binding, hand sewn with invisible stitches (the shape below was ironed out after the binding was sewn on for a completely smooth finish).
After sewing in an Alice band (to comfortably secure the hat to my head), it was time to start adding flowers!
And so, dear readers, you have seen my very first hat made by hand from start to finish. I’m so thankful to Katie for her patient coaching. The end result was a hat I adored and was very proud to wear on my final day at the races. My cotton fair-trade dress was again from Zuri.
There were so many incredible hats on Ladies’ Day. Which ones stood out to you?
Images from Getty as indicated and Abloom Designs. Photos from Abloom Designs can not be replicated on any platform whatsoever without written consent.
Royal Hats 