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WHY WE ARE FASCINATED WITH FASCINATORS. YOU WILL BE TOO!

If you’re a fan of the British Royals or just follow their elaborate weddings, then you’d probably be familiar with those little yet flamboyant headpieces that adorn their heads, called fascinators.

If you aren’t, then you’re in for a wild and ‘fascinating’ ride – wink wink.

What are Fascinators?

Fascinators are small decorative headpieces adorned with trims made of beads, flowers, feathers and so on. Philip Treacy, a famous Irish milliner – that’s fancy talk for ‘hat designer’ – described them as small brimless and crownless adornments for the head which can be attached to the head with the aid of a comb, wire, pin or headband.

Fascinators are basically miniaturized brimless hats with ostentatious trims – it’s all about the trims really. They are traditionally meant to be worn on the right side of the head, although people still wear it on which side favors their hairstyle or compliments their face.

They are especially useful when you want to show off an elaborate hairdo or just don’t want the fuss of a proper hat.

Fascinator hats are a British staple, especially amongst the royals who have wowed the world with spectacular pieces, ergo Princess Beatrice’s bow-esque affair at the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton which set fashion circles a-buzzing.

She eventually auctioned it on eBay for a whopping $131,560 and donated the sum to charity.

Funny, the British didn’t start fascinators though they did make it a trend.

Where did they come from?

Historically, many civilizations had forms of fascinator-like headdresses worn by their women for various occasions. Africans – notably Egypt, Romans, Grecians and Aztecs wore ornaments quite similar to fascinators… men and women alike.

The British, Italians and Chinese were also big on headpieces.

But the term “fascinators” only made its debut in the 17th Century where it referred to modest lace shawls that created an air of mystery around the wearer. Which later evolved to towering lace castles known as “fontage” combined with equally full hairstyles.

However, the outrageous hats we know –and love- today was inspired by the French Queen Marie Antoinette, who wore a feathery construction to her husband’s coronation. She is also known to have worn hats with mounted stuffed animals and even one with a scaled model of a frigate!

The fascinator trend died down during the austere years after the wars of the 19th Century, made a comeback in the flapper age of the 1920s and reappeared in the 1980s with Princess Diana wearing a few creations.

The 21st Century heralded the fascinator era again, as famous royals and celebrities wore the elaborate hats to weddings and events.

Even Lady Gaga wore a meat fascinator to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010.

Top fascinator creators include Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy, who is a beloved milliner for the British royal family and even styled the Late Isabella Blow, a connoisseur of extravagant and chaotic headpieces –bless her.

Apparently, fascinators are here to stay. And if you haven’t any, this is an excellent time to get yours.

Need inspiration?

All you have to do is search for pictures of any British royal wedding and proceed to feed your eyes – Princess Beatrice and the Middletons are our fascinator favorites!

If you have any fascinator questions or any headpiece question at all, feel free to reach out to us. Stay fascinating!