Are Fascinators Ever Haute? A Guide To Occasion Headwear (2024)

'Fascinator' has become a dirty word in some circles. Images of deely-bopper-esque sprouts of pink feathers perching atop a set of hair extensions on an Aintree race goer have done something to damage their credibility.

But despite the rise of the Boho wedding - where unembellished beachy waves and shaggy fringes prevail - occasion headwear is still intensely popular, if not a growing trend.

In fact, as the SS18 catwalks have shown, headgear is officially back in a diverse range of guises. Gucci's balaclavas and the (perhaps questionable) turbans will no doubt spark a thousand copycats, and Chanel Cruise's berets and plastic bucket hats will have the Mykonos crowds stuffing their cases with headpieces for every day of their coastal vaycay.

And if this year's Royal Wedding taught us anything, its how the trend translates off the runway. And, newsflash, the standard wedding hat, though present, no longer reigns supreme. All manner of head adornments are having their day in the sun.

So, how do you choose the right headgear for an upcoming special occasion?

Here are a few simple guidelines, take them or leave them.

The dos and don'ts of fascinators

Fascinators are fine, but they're tricky to pull off. You'll want to err on the side of either subtle and simple or a clear, fashion-forward statement (for which, you'll have to do a little research).

• For the subtler option, avoid garish colours like acid greens and fuchsia and choose instead from muted colour palettes like taupes, ferns, navy, soft blues, blush pinks and greys.
• Let your colour choice be determined by the season. In winter, opt for deep reds, bottle greens or even black and in hotter months, choose pastels and creamier colours.
• Avoid fascinators with too many of the plucked ostrich feathers - you know, the floaty ones that are stripped from the base so that just a tuft remains at the end.
• If you've your heart set on feathers, why not look for one thick, rigid feather that makes a statement, rather than the sillier floaty kind?

  

  See Also

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• Avoid, if you can, a visible Alice band or elastic band. Try instead to find a fascinator that attaches by comb or with pins, or attempt to camouflage into your hair.
• Try a fascinator that's a little chapeau (cap), with a delicate bow or simple design on top.
• Always wear them perched to the side. People have experimented with central placement, but it's not easy to pull off and very much depends on the structure of the design.
• The design you choose needs to coordinate with your hairstyle.

  

  It used to be tradition that any formal event required an up 'do. Thought this isn't strictly the rule anymore, on balance you'll probably want to draw some of your hair back so that it doesn't compete with the fascinator at the front of your face. The more chic and neat the up 'do, the more you can afford to make a stronger statement with the fascinator.
• If you're prepared to experiment with a more fashion-forward design, be sure to pick a respected milliner like Philip Treacy, Keely Hunter or Piers Atkinson.

• Keep an eye on fashion magazines to know what the current trends are.
• Be wary of the event you're going to, as you wouldn't want an outlandish choice to upstage a bride.
• If you're going to go for it, go for it with confidence in your own fashion credibility. Don't choose something in which you'd end up feeling uncomfortable.

When to wear a big hat

• Traditionally, all formal church weddings would have required a hat. These rules have relaxed somewhat in recent years, but just as covering your shoulders is still the respectful thing to do in a place of worship, so is head-covering. Many people will now explain their expectations on the invitation, but if guidance is absent, you'd be best to assume a church wedding requires hats.

• Formal daytime weddings almost always benefit from a spray of beautiful hats - just think of the photos! So often, even humanist ceremonies in stately homes will still expect hat-wearing.
• And it's a general, but informal rule that the more formal the wedding, the wider you can take your brim.
• If it's a boho wedding in a forest or warehouse, in all likelihood, the couple won't expect you to opt for occasion headwear. They should state this on the dress code, but it's safe to assume that wedding hats are not mandatory. Hair accessories like a pearl comb or flowers are always a nice finishing touch though...
• Other daytime events that require hats usually centre around horses - racing and polo. But there are, of course, exceptions. If you're so lucky as to receive an OBE or to be invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, chances are, you'll need to get yourself a bloody great hat.

  

• Straw hats, boaters, fedoras and panama hats are not as formal as occasion hats, so while you might get away with one of these at the polo, they're not wedding ceremony or OBE appropriate.
• Although co*cktail hats are a category of their own, you are not usually expected to wear hats to evening events and especially not a hat with a brim.

Mother of the bride

While many hard and fast rules about weddings have gradually relaxed, there are a few traditions that it's worth observing still, even if not explicitly requested to.

One of those rules, of course, focuses on never upstaging the bride. Don't wear white unless she clearly states that it's ok. And aim not to look bridal in other ways too, such as a bridal 'do or hairpiece.

But there's someone else at the wedding that you'd be best advised to avoid upstaging and that's the bride's mum.

As history would have it, the bride's family put up the money for the wedding and it is the father and mother of the bride that would host the whole affair, making them the next most important attendees beyond the happy couple.

These days, wedding bills are often paid by the bride and groom, but in many ways it is still a crucially important day for the bride's mother, so you'll want to let her have her moment.

A groom's mum shouldn't aim to outshine the bride's mum. If there are two brides or two grooms, it's worth having a little chat to work out the best approach, so that everyone's on the same page.

What other options are available?

Wide brimmed hats and feathery fascinators are not the only options, when it comes to occasion and wedding headwear.

If you know your event will not hold you to the strictest rules of traditional decorum, but you want to honour the tone of the event by adorning your hair with something beautiful, you've a great range of options.

Pillbox hat - originally dreamt up in the '30s, the pillbox hat was actually inspired by military headgear, but gained popularity for its elegant simplicity.

Jackie-O was a big fan, of course, but you might not know that she preferred the minimalist style of the pillbox because she wasn't keen on the perpetual obligation to wear hats and would rather have gone without!

The pillbox is exactly that though - an excellent option for women that can't abide by all the feathers and sculpture of more attention-seeking designs.

co*cktail hat - not dissimilar to fascinators, but with a couple of subtle differences. co*cktail hats were originally designed to accompany evening attire and as such, they'd be made of richer fabrics (such as velvet and silk) and in darker colours (often black). Owing to the fact they'd classically be worn after dark, the addition of sequins and other glam embellishments like a partial black veil were much more acceptable.

These days there aren't many evening events where you'd be required to wear a hat and various co*cktail hats have made their way into daytime events - the partial veil proving very popular.

- if the partial veil seems like a desirable fashion statement to you, but you can't abide the hat that it goes on, you still have options.

As ornate clasps and combs make their way back into popular fashion, for example, some are using them to fasten on the partial veil.

As ever, beware looking too bridal. If accessorising for someone else' wedding, opt for a dark coloured partial veil or none at all.

Hair Accessories - while some won't consider this formal enough for traditional church or stately home weddings, thanks to the likes of Simone Rocha and Gucci, the hair accessory is firmly back on top.

And even diamanté is having a moment.

So glam up your boho wedding guest outfit with something pearly or sparkly.