It’s always exciting to see the Cheltenham Festival arrive, as often a nod as to what millinery fashions we will see at Royal Ascot, taking place in June. Whereas the Cheltenham Festival is set in March; so the main difference is the seasonal fashion changes.
We see a lot more tweeds, velvets & fur hats at Cheltenham; warming & practical materials to protect against the cold weather.
However, just because we are limited slightly due to the weather, there is still the chance for flamboyance!
I just love the warm plum colour of this hat; decorated with berry coloured flowers that match her dress. Simple & elegant.
Zara Tindall, as always, got it right, with this teal felt percher hat. She wears them comfortably & they suit her too.
We must make sure that we enjoy all of Zara’s hat’s at Cheltenham this year, as her baby is due in the summer & we might not see her at Royal Ascot. This felt disc, separated with a 2-tone silk rose shows, the type of styles we might see at Ascot, but in summer fabric, such as straw or sinamay.
This bottle green fur & feathered hat was obviously worn on St Patrick’s Day. The texture of the hat means that it needs little decoration to complete the beautiful design.
Pheasant feathers are so long & strong as they stand up right, it’s lovely seeing them used for fanned designs such as this.
With all of the gloominess, it’s nice to see these 2 ladies brighten up the fashion. And it’s clear to see that orange, peaches & corals are here for another few years yet, after making a real surge last year.
This pretty lilac percher suits the lady’s petite face really well.
Once again we are seeing these front facing discs; they are popular as they are easy to wear, but are very eye catching too. We will see lots of this style at Ascot.
We saw the same lady the next day in this monochrome front facing disc too. The lace softens the edge of the design nicely.
I just adore the structured swirls that accompany the long feathers in this piece. In fact this is probably my favourite hat of this year’s festival.
Navy Blue is the most popular colour that I use for orders in my studio; it is so easily teamed with any colour & that is shown here as 2 ladies add peach & peacock feathers to their separate hats.
There are no specific millinery expectations for the Cheltenham Festival, like we have at Royal Ascot, so it is lovely to see this group of ladies ensuring that they still wear some striking pieces to mark the Ladies Day.
I’m now super excited for Royal Ascot 2018! I can’t wait!
Thanks
K
xx