Hat by Fascinatingly Different


The accompanying Royal Ascot


Millinery Collective celebrated its eleventh year with a carefully curated selection of exclusive headwear by both established and emerging milliners. Inspired by the glamour of the 1920s and 1930s, the collection featured sculptural straw work, architectural pillboxes, dramatic picture discs, veiling and couture floral designs. This year's collective included Carol Kennelly, Edwina Ibbotson, Emily Baxendale, Emily Hurst, Filipa Cardoso, Fiona Cooper, Hood London, Jenny Beattie, Rachel Trevor-Morgan, Stephen Jones and Vivien Sheriff. Royal Ascot also continued its


support for emerging talent. Students from The King's Foundation Millinery Fellowship presented pieces from their final collections in a dedicated exhibition space on the Grandstand's ground-floor concourse within the Queen Anne Enclosure throughout the week.


Hat trends


Following last year's slight decline in the overall standard of millinery, the quality of headwear noticeably improved again this year. While racegoers continued to embrace wearable and versatile styles, many designs displayed a higher level of craftsmanship and finish than seen in 2025.


The most popular style by far


remained the saucer, worn in a wide variety of sizes on an Alice band. Other frequently seen styles included boaters, buttons, bandeaux, headbands and crown shapes. Larger hats, either fully covered or lavishly trimmed with ostrich feathers, also proved particularly popular, while butterfly-inspired designs appeared regularly throughout the week. No single colour dominated the enclosures, although gold remained a popular choice once again. Black-and- white combinations, pale pinks, and soft blues were also widely seen. Royal Ascot's official Bright Tomato colour appeared throughout the racecourse,


although many racegoers preferred to interpret the theme rather than adopt the exact shade. Weather conditions proved almost ideal. After heavy rain the previous week and extreme heat immediately afterwards, Royal Ascot enjoyed warm weather accompanied by a welcome breeze throughout the meeting. Only a few light drops of rain briefly interrupted Ladies' Day on Thursday, while the breeze provided movement to feathers and larger brims without causing significant disruption. One subject dominated


conversations throughout the week: the interpretation of the dress code. Uncertainty seemed to centre less around clothing and more around headwear this year. Several racegoers wearing larger or more ‘unconventional’ designs were stopped by members of the dress code team at the entrances, resulting in considerable confusion. The discussions raised questions among milliners about where the boundary lies between creative millinery and headwear that may be regarded as novelty pieces. As a result, many designers left Royal Ascot uncertain about what would be considered acceptable for future editions.


Hat by Fabienne Delvigne


Hats by Jenny


Beattie, pictured right


Royal Ascot Fashion Design Competition


The sixth Royal Ascot Fashion Design Competition continued to support emerging talent through its enrichment programme for students aged 15 and over. This year, participants were challenged to incorporate a hat from the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective into their designs. Winner Poppy Bergin saw her design produced by Daniel Fletcher and also spent time working alongside him in his London studio. She wore the finished outfit at Royal Ascot, paired with a hat by Vivien Sheriff.


august 2026 | 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84