Why are fascinators and cocktail hats so much fun?  

Perhaps they harken back to a time of sartorial elegance. “We dress for dinner,” meant that effort was required when tending to one’s attire.  In the past, going out was about adding glamour and mystique from head to toe.  Sometimes adding a cute little wisp to adorn one’s head was done with a fascinator while other times, a cocktail hat was a perfect choice.

Which begs the question, what is the difference between the two?

A fascinator is for the day, while a cocktail hat is worn at night. While not technically accurate it’s close enough.  For those of you that are sticklers, technically, a cocktail hat has a visible base while a fascinator does not.  What’s a base?  Not to worry, that definition is a tad complicated to explain so I tell people fascinators are for the day.

We’ve all seen the movies from the 1950s where everyone wears cute little cocktail hats and looked marvelously feminine and put-together. But unless your grandmother taught you how to wear one, you might be struggling with the best way to wear one.  Fascinators and cocktail hats look great and there are some basic rules.

Fascinators and cocktail hats should be in keeping with the outfit.  There are two approaches to selecting the perfect piece.  If you already have an outfit in mind, use color and mood to coordinate your fascinator or cocktail hat.  If you’re wearing burgundy then look for fascinators and cocktail hats in a coordinating color. You don’t need to find the exact burgundy color, simply look for a color that coordinates with burgundy.  You also want to stay in the same theme.  Is the outfit classically elegant or flirty and fun?  A classically elegant outfit might look best with a classically elegant fascinator or cocktail hat.  You want the outfit and the hat to work together.

The second approach is all about the fascinator or cocktail hat.  It’s the go-to strategy for when you find a fabulous cocktail hat.  With this approach, the hat is the focus and the outfit is secondary.  Monochromatic outfits ensure that the focus stays on the cocktail hat. A client once asked me to design a bright yellow fascinator.  She paired it with an off-white A-line dress to ensure that the yellow fascinator was the focus.

Remember that either approach works marvelously when selecting possible fascinators and cocktail hats.