Royal Ascot Hats: Top Trends for 2019

Royal Ascot hats can come in just about any style imaginable. The annual British race meeting is well known for showcasing a diverse (and sometimes wacky) range of millinery creations. From the sublime to the ridiculous, you will be sure to see every size, shape, colour and style of headwear under the sun (or rain) if you visit Ascot Racecourse during the third week of June.

With its long and illustrious history, traditional hats are always on trend at Ascot. Some racegoers like to play it safe, opting for classic, time-honoured hat styles. Others prefer to follow in the footsteps of the late Gertrude Shilling, however, attracting international press attention by wearing the most outlandish headpieces they can find.

Factory-made sinamay hats and fascinators are a common choice for Royal Ascot. Available cheaply in a range of colours, these can be a good option if you are on a budget or are new to hat wearing.

If possible, though, it is best to commission a bespoke piece for Royal Ascot. That way, you can be sure to have a hat that no one else has and that matches your outfit perfectly. Skilled milliners from the UK and around the world work tirelessly in the weeks and months leading up the event, creating beautiful, handmade hats and headpieces for the royal meeting.

No matter what kind of headwear you like, Royal Ascot is THE place to hat watch and keep up with the latest millinery fashions. Here are four Royal Ascot hat styles that are trending this year…

Trend 1: Halo Crown Headbands

The halo crown craze shows no sign of slowing down. Ever since the Duchess of Cambridge wore a Jane Taylor halo headpiece to Prince Louis’ Christening last year, headband styles have been a top choice for racegoers around the world.

Halo crowns are popular for a number of reasons. For one thing, they are easy to wear and stay on the head securely without any effort. Plus, they look great with minimal decoration and can also be dressed up really effectively. Flowers, veiling and bows are all good halo crown trimmings.

The most popular headband shape goes right over the top of the head, crowning the face like a halo (hence the name). This shape is blocked on a headband block like those available from Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks. Other headband styles can be worn further back on the head.

Trend 2: Pretty Perchers

Perchers were a firm favourite at Royal Ascot again this year. Small hat and fascinator bases in a variety of shapes (like button, teardrop, beret and pork pie) were spotted all around the Racecourse, decorated in a myriad of ways.

Small headpieces, like percher or cocktail hats, are a great choice for anyone who is new to hat wearing. Putting one on can be much less intimidating than wearing a hat with a big brim. Because they are worn at an angle, percher styles add height and can be adjusted to suit most face shapes.

Trend 3: Mesh Discs

Sinamay discs and saucer hats have been in style for years and we spotted plenty of variations on this theme at Royal Ascot 2019. Usually secured with a headband or hat elastic, disc-shaped headpieces are popular because they are lightweight and can be worn at different angles depending on personal preference.

This year, discs made out of other woven mesh or net materials were also popular. Many of these headpieces had a central feature to add interest. From delicate wired veiling to abaca headpieces, mesh disc styles are definitely on trend in the racing fashion scene this year.

Trend 4: Fancy Featherwork

Putting feathers on a hat is certainly not a new idea. People have been trimming headwear with feathers for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Notwithstanding, we were still very taken with the amount of skilled featherwork we saw at Ascot this year.

From arrowhead explosions to beautiful feather flowers, milliners had cut, dyed, shaped and fashioned feathers in some really outstanding and creative ways.

These are just four of this year’s racing fashion and millinery trends. To see over 200 more Royal Ascot hats, download HATalk e-magazine’s special 2019 Royal Ascot Edition.

You can get a copy of this 75-page downloadable issue for a free with a 7-day HATalk Trial!