the Mad Duchess
British Millinery in Austin, Texas
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The Mad Diary

A milliner, hat designer and maker's blog based in Austin, Texas. Stories about all things hat making, blocking, materials, and the day-to-day life of a local artisan.

Royal Ascot Tribute

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I knew nothing about Royal Ascot until I saw My Fair Lady, and even then it felt so foreign to me. After countless reruns of the movie (including another last week), I never grow tired of that famous scene. The funny thing is, those hats are not that far off from some of the pieces I see adorning the heads of women at the Kentucky Derby. (Even though the movie was released in 1964.) I believe were it not for the Royal Ascot dress code which includes a head covering, hats might be completely out of fashion. Could it be that race wear has single-handedly saved the millinery business from completely disappearing from the tops of our heads?

With Ascot just around the corner, I decided to kick off a month-long tribute, beginning with my hat “Estelle Naomi” which I created specifically in tribute to this year’s races, and our surfacing slowly out of this pandemic. It’s supposed to represent hope to me, and maybe a fresh start. I named it after my mother-in-law who died of Covid 19 last year.

Please come back often as I update each week highlighting a new hat for Ascot. Most of the hats are completed and technically available for purchase, but I have not been releasing the collection all at once. Please inquire if you need something for Ascot and see in advance what I have available.

MJR