The fascinator can be attached by a hairclip, comb, headband or hat elastic that tucks under your hair to the back. You can use bobby pins to help hold the fascinator in place for larger designs.

Each design is made differently. Some are made to be worn to the left side or right side of your face. Use the photos as a guide to wear it should sit on your head before you purchase it.

Besides horseracing, which may not be your cup of tea, there are other special events that certainly warrant a fascinating fascinator.

Events include:

• Wedding
• Formal event
• Cocktail party
• Graduation
• Marriage renewal
• Confirmations and other religious events
• Garden Parties or High Tea
• Special event

For starters, each one is unique. Besides that, they are:

• Eye-catching and wonderful eye candy
• Makes a definitive fashion statement
• Compliments your outfit with a loud exclamation mark
• Makes your outfit go from gorgeous to glamorous in seconds
• Makes for a conversation ice-breaker
• Makes you feel like a fabulous movie star attending a premier event!

That’s why you need one or two for that special event in your closet. In my opinion, a girl just can’t have too many fascinators in her wardrobe. Whether you want to match your new shoes or that old favourite dress you can pull out of the closest at the last minute and style up.

Well, many things can make up a fascinator so here’s a broad sweep of describing them.

• Fascinators come in different shapes, modest to over the top shapes or downright outrageous and unusual shapes.
• There are different sizes – small, medium and large configurations of swirls, loops, circles and swishes of different materials and combinations
• They can be solid colours or have several different colours, shades and hues
• They can be made on a hairclip, a headband, a comb, hat elastic or attached to a fitted tear-shaped base made of buckram or sinamay
• They can be designed with ribbons, feathers, netting, straw, hemp braid, jinsin, crinoline, sinamay,  lace to name a few
• They can be embellished with beads, crystals, silk flowers, cotton flower centres (stamens) ribbons, costume jewellery, sparkly bits, miniature berries and fruits
• Then there is the creative flair of combining it all together to create a truly beautiful headpiece.

The list goes on and on about what could make up your special fascinator. The only limit is your imagination of what can be combined together.

Wearing fascinators has become vogue again. The elegant smaller hat headpieces have had an enormous boost worldwide. It’s all due to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge for single-handedly putting them in the spotlight once more. Her Royal Highness has made them very popular by wearing a dazzling range of fascinators with her outfits.

Thanks, Kate!

All along fascinators have been mainstays of any woman’s more formal outfit who have attended special annual horseracing events such as the Melbourne Cup or Darwin Race week. They still do. The tradition will live on too because it’s fun and us women love to dress up – who needs a reason!