Fashionable Fascinators Fascinate Me

When Kate and Wills got married, I made it a point to talk about the fascinators worn at the Royal Wedding on my blog.  In fact, as much as I loved Princess Catherine’s dress, I thought these lovely headpieces worn by the guests were way more interesting to look at and talk about.

First, what is a Fascinator? Fascinators originated in the 1750s and is a fine head covering, usually a scarf made of crochet or lace.  Wikipedia describes it as “a delicate, slightly-to-very frivolous head decoration worn almost exclusively by women. A fascinator may be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats were traditionally worn—such as weddings—or as an evening accessory, when it may be called a cocktail hat. It is generally worn with fairly formal attire. The Fascinator all but died in the 1970’s but is making a comeback in a pretty momentous way.

Back in 2007, I wore a birdcage veil, which falls under the category of Fascinator with my wedding gown.  Wearing a Fascinator as a headpiece was trend in bridal that was just beginning when I went on the search for mine to wear when I said “I do.”  In fact, I had to seek out a company all the way in Oregon to have mine made– Unveiled Bridal Designs who make the best Fascinators and Birdcage Veils on the planet.

 However, you don’t just have to wait to get married or to attend a royal affair to wear fascinators.  Here are some great ones that you can consider wearing with what’s in your closet now:

This fascinator would go great with any cocktail dress, like a little black dress or as a complementary color to a dress in teal or purple for example.  Like the woman in the photo, I’d keep the rest of your accessories simple to let the fascinator stand out.

This adorable headband style fascinator can be worn with a dressy casual look or even a pair of jeans that can really finish a more casual look more creatively.

Of course, if you are going to do a Fascinator, you can always do a fascinator and you can just throw all caution to the wind and do something like this.

and then get your hat its own fanpage