Ascot hats knock ’em down with a feather

ON the track, the competition was fierce – but off it the rivalry was even hotter in the Ladies’ Day Outlandish Hat Stakes at Royal Ascot yesterday.

A bewildering array of headgear ranged from the modest to the massive, from the elegant to the bizarre as yards of material were sacrificed in the name of fashion.

Nothing was too garish for some of the female guests, with everything from tropical scenes to giant butterflies, lobsters, horses and bottles of bubbly on display as they braved breezy conditions.

Charlotte Ricard-Quesada, 30, amazed racegoers with her jungle themed hat and matching dress.

‘I came up with the idea of something tropical and wanted a toucan at the centre,’ she said. ‘It’s very lightweight but I’m having a bit of trouble with this wind.’

Some hats seemed to envelop the wearer’s face, while others took two hands to keep firmly in place.

Away from the fashion stakes, for some revellers, the hot sunshine – and ample supply of refreshments – proved all too much, as they were seen sleeping things off on the grass.

Frilly season: Headpiece is topped with a horse Feathered friend: This hat is funnier than what’s on pal’s phone, and inset, Lavinia Lewis’s bubbly offering Having a flutter: Butterfly design is a flight of fancy for this lady Jungle Look: Charlotte...