This summer’s Asc-not hats to know
Royal Ascot’s hat parade might be cancelled, but we don’t need to abandon millinery, says Bethan Holt
Royal Ascot is usually a week of peacockery, when we delight in donning our finest millinery – or poring over pictures of those who have taken their headgear to neck-strength-defying levels of Ott-ness. Alas, this year it is not to be – even if many of them would have been excellent for enforcing social distancing.
Gamely, Britain’s milliners have pivoted from concocting designs for Ascot and weddings to creating hats that work for now. “It was pretty daunting back in April when we realised that the summer season was going to be cancelled,” says Jess Collett, whose hats are loved by the likes of Pippa Middleton and Princess Eugenie. “I was really worried that we wouldn’t have any business at all, we rely so heavily on the summer events for our income.”
Luckily, Collett has developed a sideline speciality in beautiful sunhats – the sort of thing you could wear to a country wedding one week and on a beach in Mexico the next. Or, in the case of summer 2020, on your next trip to the garden centre. She has also, as part of the British Hat Guild, been making visors, masks and uniforms for the front-line workers. “I don’t miss the 20-hour days in the lead up to Ascot – I get such sore fingers and neck,” she reflects, “but I’m missing the whole whirlwind of appointments, outfits, the glamour and fun.”
While a sculptural disc or fancy fascinator may not be a millinery must-have right now, there are plenty of hats that will still add a sense of occasion this summer. These are the five styles to know…
The garden hat
A floppy straw hat with some kind of idyllically pastoral detail (flowers/ bows/ribbons) is just the thing for garden pottering and socially distanced teas. Laura Cathcart’s new “Lydia” design is very Austenchic, as the name suggests. Wear with one of the “posh pinnies” that Cathcart recently began making. She says they have proven “an unexpected hit for anyone wanting to look chic while baking”.
Lydia straw hat, £150 (lauracathcart.com)
The not-going-onholiday hat
Festooned in pom poms and geometric print bands, Collett’s collection of trilbies and fedoras will enhance the feeling of escapism when you are staycationing… in the park.
The Zoom-band
“They are super easy to wear with jeans and a T-shirt and a great way to hide a bad hair day, or even roots,” notes Jane Taylor of her extensive headband collection. “Also in the heat I find a band really helpful as it keeps your hair off your face.” Taylor’s bands, loved by the Duchess of Cambridge, would also be a brilliant way to up your video call style game. Pink headband, £205 (janetaylorlondon. com)
The who-needs-a-hairdresser turban
If you are beyond the point when a hairband can help (we have now gone three months sans hairdressers, after all) then why not try a turban? You can scoop almost any unruly barnet into one and appear instantly glamorous. Mary Jane Claverol’s decadent options are now half price in the Net-a-porter sale.
Turquoise turban, £93, Mary Jane Claverol (net-a-porter.com)
The adventure bucket
Have you invested in a paddle board? Saved that “50 best wild swims in the UK” newspaper supplement? Vowed to hike the South Downs Way? Well, you’ll be needing a hat to do it all in. Enter, the bucket, which is a little chicer than a cap (possibly thanks to its Dior connotations) but still extremely practical.
Textured bucket hat, £17.99, Mango (shop. mango.com)