A milliner is a person who designs makes or sells women’s hats. They have been around in the UK since
around 1700. At the beginning of the 20th century the type of hat worn was dependent on the activity
being undertaken and high society women could have several hat changes in one
day.
In these Edwardian times, unless you were destitute, everyone wore hats regardless of social status or age and
venturing out without one was a complete breach of etiquette. It was indeed the golden age of hats.
Over the years, particularly after the world wars, the popularity of hats has declined hugely. Today
formal hats are usually worn only for special occasions such as a wedding or special race days. There are of
course all manner of casual hats such as baseball caps and beanie hats that are universally popular
today.
A type of head wear that has become very popular of late is a fascinator. A fascinator is a fancy
head decoration which can be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats were traditionally worn. Or it can be
worn as an elaborate hair piece to go with an evening gown or cocktail dress. Fascinators usually incorporate
feathers, flowers, netting or beads and crystals – they can be extremely fun and frivolous and as over the top as
you want them to be! They attach to the hair by a comb or headband. Sometimes brides wear them as an alternative to
a veil or tiara – particularly if their wedding dress is very modern.
Hats and fascinators can be a great addition to a wedding outfit. They are fantastic for adding flair to
transformation a hat could make to say a simple black dress. This can be great if you are on a budget. You could
just buy a reasonably priced hat and team it with a dress or suit you already own for a whole new look. Chances are
you will probably already have shoes and a bag you can use too.
You will have to take a few things into account when deciding what style to go for. Tall people can wear
most styles but it is probably best to avoid high crowns. Short people should look for narrower brims with a slight
turn-up – avoid cloche hats at all costs. Another thing to bear in mind is that a lot of people tend to wear their
hats slightly on the back of their heads. This is wrong. A hat should sit on top of your head unless it is a
cocktail hat or mini top hats that should be worn to the side.
Where to Find Your Wedding Hat
You can find a big selection of high street retailers offering an excellent variety of hats and fascinators
in a huge range of styles and colours. They sell for anything upwards of £25. Marks and Spencers, for example, do a
good range and they tend to also have a good choice of matching pashminas.
If you want a bespoke design you will need to visit a milliner. This will obviously cost more but you
will end up with a designer piece that exactly matches or compliments the colour and style of your outfit. It is
something that you will keep forever and you won’t have any worries about someone else about another
guest wearing the same one. For a bespoke Hat expect to pay around £150 upwards. A bespoke fascinator will be
cheaper.
Another alternative is to hire your hat. There are lots of hat hire companies all over the UK from small
independent companies to national chains with prices starting from around £20.
