Royal Ascot 2015

The Kentucky Derby has come and gone…. but the Royal Ascot 2015 (The Kentucky Derby is the hillbilly sister to a posh, British Royal Ascot, I suppose) is coming up next month! Here are some wacky and wild  hats from both events from past years and I have to say, I’d wear every single one.

That Lego Big Ben looks really heavy, though. Anything Lego is really awesome… I once made a Lego purse. I glued blue and yellow, flat lego panels to a pocketbook. It came out looking like an elementary school project!  The parrot hat looks pretty real and it could summon a whole gaggle of ravaging parrots!  That rose mohawk on Johnny Weir is pretty rad, in like a Rose Parade kinda way. Any who, I find the Royal Ascot has way better hats than the Kentucky Derby… so much more interesting.

If I had to wear a hat, I think I would choose my big, fat Persian cat, Mr. Miggins. Mostly because he’s warm and furry. But also because he’s white and he would match everything.

All kidding aside, one of my favorite hat designers is Piers Atkinson. His hats and fascinators are whimsical, chic and practical. He also specializes in bespoke hats with a variety of different materials and shapes.

Another designer I admire is the famous Philip Treacy of the United Kingdom. His hats are more classic, yet highly chic. His hats have graced the heads of many, many famous people including Dita Von Teese, Britney Spears and Boy George. I have one Philip Treacy hat on my hat rack that I had bought 10 years ago at NYC’s Henri Bendel. It’s a Tiffany Blue fedora that is fantastic for a rainy day. The only thing is I live in California, so rainy days are far and few between!

Another hat company I love is French designer Maison Michel. You may recognize their most famous design, the lace bunny ears made popular by Lady Gaga a few years ago. On their website, you may see a fascinating video of how hats are made and how tedious it is to craft these timeless pieces by hand.

Besides a fashion statement, hats can be very necessary in parts of the world with lots of sun, rain, or snow. I wear a hat pretty much everyday to shield from the awful California sun. There are days when I can feel my skin sizzle like a piece of friggin’ bacon! So, a hat is super duper necessary. Especially, since I’m a fan of the porcelain skin. I have to say it’s vey hard to keep your skin untanned in California! I use an SPF 600 sunscreen on my skin everyday! Not really, it’s SPF 50, but still a high SPF. I also make sure my kids have ample sunscreen on.

Anyway, let’s get back on track about the upcoming Royal Ascot 2015 coming up in June! What sort of hat would you wear and which horse would you bet on? Can’t wait to see the hats of the Royal Ascot of 2015! Pip Pip Cheerio!

photos: The Frisky, Royal Ascot 2015