If the hat fits – buy it!
One hat certainly does not suit all – but there’s a method to finding your perfect match, says
I’ve had the pleasure of going to Royal Ascot twice and Goodwood once. Each time, I was po-faced about the idea of wearing a hat, slipping on a borrowed boater at the last moment. And each time I regretted my attitude immediately on arriving and walking among women who looked like birds of paradise in their magnificent millinery creations. But finding a great hat, when the only other time you’d usually worry about headwear is when it’s freezing and you need something woolly and cosy, can be an intimidating experience.
So I’ve made it my mission to take the hard work out of the hat search. I start at Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair, where milliner Vivien Sheriff carries out fittings (she also has a shop on Fulham Road and a workshop in the Wiltshire countryside which clients can visit). My immediate realisation is that you should probably look for the same qualities in a milliner as you would in a lingerie fitter or midwife: honest, no nonsense but essentially utterly kind and compassionate. Sheriff is all these things.
She describes her creations as “wearable art”, with plumes of feathers, delicate lace and silk flowers among her signature embellishments. It could be tempting to dive straight in and pick out the prettiest creation, but Sheriff – who requires a minimum of six weeks for bespoke commissions that range in price from £450 to £1,500 – advises first starting with working out what style will suit you.
“If you’ve got a rounder face, it makes it a little easier in that you could wear lots of different shapes. I’ve got more of a long face, so I need a bigger brim,” she explains. “If you are a tiny, petite person, I really wouldn’t suggest you wear a big-brimmed hat, because you would feel totally enshrined in it.”
Sheriff, who is currently busy juggling Ascot and royal wedding commissions, has a vast range of styles in her collection, from small discs to elaborate architectural structures that are guaranteed to steal the show on Ladies’ Day or if you were a central part of a wedding party. I try on an inky blue option that has curves akin to a Zaha Hadid roof. It’s heavy, but if you want to make a statement then it would be the perfect choice.
For those who don’t feel that brave – or have faith in their neck strength – Sheriff says that a vertically tilted disc is the best starting point. These add an elegant sense of height, have a great impact and don’t obscure the face at all. “There are some shapes, like these discs, which you can put on anybody who comes in and immediately it eliminates the fear of wearing a hat.”
This sense of confidence is essential for successful hat-wearing, she adds. “People can put on a hat and just not know what to do with it; don’t let it tilt on the back of your head, make sure it fits snugly, and angle it down on the right.”
Most hats are made to be worn this way, and Sheriff demonstrates how a minute angular adjustment can transform a piece from just fine to supremely flattering and cheekbone enhancing. As for hair, Sheriff works with hairdressers to devise dos, but emphasises that sometimes you can’t beat a great blow-dry, perhaps swept to one side.
Next, I head to the millinery department at Fenwick on New Bond Street, where the legendary “Mr Tony” has been tending to the headwear of everyone from Royal Ascot peacocks to reluctant mothers of the bride for the past 15 years. He is dressed in a wonderfully flamboyant floral embroidered suit and immediately puts me at ease with his winning combination of sass and wisdom. Up to 80 per cent of Fenwick’s hat business at this time of year comes from Royal
Bethan Holt
‘There are some shapes that immediately eliminate the fear of wearing a hat’
Ascot, with weddings, garden parties and investiture ceremonies making up the rest, he tells me.
If you were to make an appointment with Mr Tony, he would first ask you a barrage of questions: “I always try to find out as much about the event as possible – what’s the crowd like, who will be there? It’s different if a younger person is getting married versus an older person. Do you want traditional or modern? What do you usually like to wear? What are your favourite colours? If you already have a dress, we look at its shape – is it flared or fitted? What’s the length? And then I look at a woman’s height, shoulder width and even the thickness of her hair, as this can affect how a hat can be fastened to the head. After that, we work on the hat!”
Mr Tony says it is much easier to get your outfit before coming to find a hat, but he’s easygoing about whether one should go matchy-matchy or complementary. “I do love to coordinate colour, but it’s not always easy,” he explains. “So if you had a turquoise outfit, it could be lovely to go head-to-toe, but I also love a colour like hot pink, which could be more flattering, too. Lilac is very on-trend this year, but it can look quite cold.”
Fenwick’s hat department – which expands at this time of year to accommodate event season collections – has everything from traditional styles to avant-garde designs by the likes of Awon Golding, whose hats have a graphic, modern edge. Prices start at about £50.
This summer, Mr Tony is excited about anything yellow, turbans, ostrich feather clusters by Alexandra Harper (“They’re proving very popular with mothers of the bride or grooms, because they’re very easy to wear and soft, but also look rather regal”) and low crown styles, “like Miss Marple wore, so elegant”.
As I try on a jaunty black straw option, I can’t help but agree. Perhaps I will finally make it to Ascot in a hat to rival the peacocks.