16 March 2018

Royal Hats of the Day: Zara Takes Cheltenham

Given that it includes two royal weddings in addition to Ascot and the usual things, 2018 will offer the British royals plentiful opportunities to flex every bit of their powerful millinery-wearing prowess.

Zara Tindall's getting the fun side of this hat-filled year off to a running start at the Cheltenham Festival this week. Always a staple in her calendar, she likes to pair fresh and fun hats with pieces that aren't too carefully put together, which I like as a bit of a change from all the overly coordinated stuff.

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Day 1, with the Princess Royal
And there are appearances from a couple other royals, too. (The Duchess of Cornwall made her yearly appearance on Ladies Day.) These two look like they're ready to pull off a mother and daughter heist.

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Day 2
So Zara's prepping for the Royal Baby Boom of 2018 as well, just in case you - like me - forgot. (She keeps a low profile!) It may be a serious forehead-bolter, this hat, but it's a great bit of warm up flair for the great hat occasions to come. I am very interested in this coat, which is bespoke Claire Mischevani; we saw a great dress from this designer at Ascot last year on Princess Beatrice, and I'd love to see more royals try the label out.

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Day 3
This is the kind of non-matchy coordination that makes me look forward to her looks from Cheltenham. It all works without trying too hard. The color on that hat is A+. She's also rocking those shades and she knows it, and I love it.