Left Right Center - placement of Race Day Hat Or Fascinator

"When it comes to a special occasion in British society, the special occasion is not complete without a hat" & "There has to be a hat, it's part of the social fabric." "For most european people, the hat is quite serious and frivolous at the same time & It completes the outfit and it's a finishing touch." "I would think the Queen of England is probably the most famous hat-wearer in the entire world," "She is rarely seen without a hat and her hats always coordinate with her outfits. And they are always in very strong bright colors, one of the things she wants is to be able to stand out in the crowds so people can see her if they've been queuing for hours, perhaps miles away."

Spring Carnival style is completely european. When creating your outfit for the races, creating your look is all important. Part of that look is which headwear you chose to complement the outfit, and how you then chose to wear your race day hat or fascinator.

Hat construction and design

The construction and style of your hat will likely dictate where you wear it on your head. A hat with a crown and brim will likely sit and feel more secure placed front and centre of your head, a fedora might tilt towards the right, a pillbox could be positioned more towards the back of the head and a baseball cap anywhere it feels comfortable and trendy!

Normally a headpiece will have a “trim” – a decoration of flowers, feathers, beading, jewels or other accessories. Where this trim sits is influenced by the designer who will in turn determine where the final creation will sit on a head. Trims should be balanced so that their weight and placement will not cause the headpiece to slip or for it to create you difficulties and discomfort when wearing it.

Where a hat sits is largely determined by the design and then secondly, by the type of fastening used to secure it to your head. Typical fastenings are Alice bands (headbands), hat elastic, combs, hair clips and pins. One is not better than the other and some hats might use a combination eg. an Alice band and a comb – depending on the design and weight of the headpiece.

Hat placement is important

It can get confusing where to place a headpiece on your head.

Most fascinators, hatinators and many hats are designed to sit to the right of the head (as illustrated below by Ava Rises Up and Savannahs Blush) because this is where the majority of women part their hair. The headpiece could be slanted almost to the ear, just right of centre and anywhere in-between.

For instance, if the headpiece is attached to an Alice Band, the smaller side of the band will usually sit to the right of the head. Likewise hat elastic is typically placed to suit a right placement.

Options galore

As illustrated below, there are lots of options that you can use if you part your hair in the middle or left side:

(1) If you part your hair to the left you can select a style that is weighted to that side of the head, that will cover your part (see below top where we use Blushing Penny, Dotty and Roseand Cover me Clementine to illustrate this) or that hat can be worn to the right or left (as we have done in the bottom illustration with Suquin Suzi).

(2) You can select a design that is more comfortably placed in the centre – many hats with crowns and brims or pillboxes are suited to this placement (see below middle where we use Aqua Takes a Bow and Glittering Molly to illustrate this).

Don’t be frightened of experimenting – you will know instantly if a headpiece you try on is sitting well; if it suits you; and if it makes you feel amazing. Go and play … and have lots of fun.