Thursday 18 June marks Ladies Day at the Royal Ascot Racecourse, which will see ladies from all walks of life don their finest headwear to impress racegoers from across the country.
Exactly when the third day of racing at the Royal Ascot meeting came to be known as Ladies Day is difficult to tell. According to the Royal Ascot website, legend has it that the third day at the races was traditionally the most popular, and drew in the largest crowds, including a big proportion of female spectators drawn to the style and elegance of the event.
Beau Brummel, a close friend of the Prince Regent, advised him that it would be appropriate for men to wear black suits and waistcoats along with white cravats. Over time this new dress requirement evolved into the rule requiring male attendees to wear full morning suits with top hats. Women were provided a little more flexibility of choice, as long as they wore a hat and their attire was deemed ‘suitable’ - meaning no thin shoulder straps on dresses and a prohibition on bared midriffs.
As the years passed, Royal Ascot Ladies Day evolved into something of an unofficial fashion contest, with ladies competing for the title of ‘best dressed’. The Royal Procession at 2pm on Ladies Day sets the tone for the occasion, with the Queen and other Royals dressed in their finest attire as an open carriage transports them across the Ascot turf.
HotHive Textiles has been speaking to milliners across the country to give you a guide to making sure you stand out from the crowd this Ladies Day with some fabulous hats and fascinators. If you are feeling really adventurous we even have some patterns for you to have a go at making your own fashionable headwear.
Edmund, one of the milliners at Louise Oliver Millinery, was happy to share some advice with those of you heading off to Ascot in a few weeks’ time. He told us, "Make sure you choose your hat first and then colour co-ordinate your dress. When you get the chance to wear a hat, such as on Ladies Day, make the most of it and have fun looking stunning. At a special occasion such as Ascot, people will comment on your hat, rather than your dress. It is all about colour co-ordinating, rather than colour matching your complete outfit in tones of the same colour."
So what does Edmund expect to be the key colours this year? "Black and white will always be classic; bold colours will also feature, especially red, yellow or cobalt blue." So with this in mind, here are our pick of the best Ascot hats to make sure you’re looking great, and fashionable, at one of the most stylish events of the year. All the hats featured below are pictured at the bottom of the article.
We will begin our feature with a look at a few of Edmund’s favourite Louise Oliver designs. The first hat he picked out for us was a beautiful, summery yellow and black design using the highest quality sinamay and feathers, and trimmed with Freshwater Pearls. The Eskdale yellow & black ladies’ Hat retails at £95 and is available to order online here.
Edmund’s second choice was an ultra-stylish blue creation, again made using the highest quality sinamay and feathers, and trimmed with genuine Freshwater Pearls. The Allendale blue ladies’ hat retails at £89 and can be ordered here.
The third choice Edmund made for us was a striking black and red design, made from 100% sinamay and finished with feathers and genuine Freshwater Pearls. The Allendale black and red hat retails at £65 and is guaranteed to turn heads at Ascot. You can order this hat here.
The second milliner we spoke to was Sally-Ann Provan, who creates innovative millinery and accessories with an emphasis on detail and form. She specialises in designing and making headwear for racegoers, bridal wear and occasion wear and is known across the UK for her intricate and eye-catching designs. The hats we have chosen from Sally’s collections will appeal to all nature lovers out there as they feature gorgeous handpainted butterflies. The hats can be made in any colour but the two we have featured are in cornflower blue retail price £300 and antique white peachbloom felt retail price £210 just to keep you on trend! Both of these hats are made to order and are available through Sally’s website www.sallyannprovan.co.uk or can be ordered from Sally by emailing sallyann@sallyannprovan.co.uk. Sally is also happy to send out felt colour samples and paint the butterflies to colour-match your outfit for an extra charge.
We will finish our pick of the best feature with a look at the ’All Decked Out’ collection by milliner Sara Gadd. Sara has some fabulous hats available and the cream and white ‘Sugar Lace’ design was one of our favourites. This hat is made from sinamay, silk, lace and feathers and retails at £180. This is a definite statement piece – the large silk flower gives it a vintage feel, with the feathers adding a modern twist. This hat can be ordered online here or if you would like it custom designed to match your outfit then contact Sara on saragadd@tiscali.co.uk.
The final hat we have for you is also taken from Sara’s ‘All Decked Out’ collection and is a classic black and white piece. Titled ‘The Joker’, this is a real luxury design that is a complete one-off, so you can be assured that there will be no-one else with anything like it! The hat is made using sinamay and feathers and retails at £300. You can order it online here but be quick, as there is only going to be one available!
For those of you with a creative streak, why not try making your own fascinator to wear? There is something extra satisfying about being asked about your headwear when you know that you can reply that you made it yourself. We have two different designs for you to try – one will teach you to make a lily fascinator and the other a briar rose hair comb.
The briar rose hair comb we are featuring here is made using pink sinamay, but of course you can substitute this for a colour that matches your outfit. To have a go at making this hair comb please click on the link below:
Briar rose hair comb
The briar rose hair comb is one of three designs that can be made when students attend a ’Fascinator Fun’ or ’Hattie Hen’ workshop at Sara’s studio in Cumbria. For further information please visit www.saragadd.co.uk
The final pattern we have for you will show you how to make a lily using sinamay. This pattern comes courtesy of How2Hats www.how2hats.com, the best resource on the web for learning all about hat making. This lily can be attached to a comb to wear in your hair, stitched to a hairband, added to a hat – the possibilities really are endless! To download the instructions please click on the link below:
Lily fascinator instructions
If you are attending Ascot this year then we hope you have a great time and look fabulous! We would love to see your photographs from the day, so make sure you send any images of great hats to textiles@thehothive.com and we will feature the best ones on our website.
Contact information:
Louise Oliver Millinery
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