KEY POINTS:
Royal Ascot is one of the most anticipated race meetings each year, as much for fashion followers as for those who fancy a flutter on the horses, but Auckland milliner Diane Dudley says come race season here, New Zealanders are unlikely to copy the hat designs on display too closely.
"I find that New Zealanders are quite individualistic when it comes to their hat requests," said Dudley, who owns Devonport millinery shop Urban Turbans.
"They like to look elegant but I find they also like to set their own trends and not look exactly the same as everyone else."
Dudley said the hats at Ascot this year appeared to show a recurrence of chic, elegant designs that were not overly complex.
"The white hat worn by Sophie [the Countess of Wessex] is a very classic piece . . . that type of thing is becoming quite popular."
Other designs which caught Dudley's eye were a red tubular hat and a distinctive full-face number.
"Artistic pieces do have quite a strong presence in millinery but I think New Zealanders really like their hats to be comfortable as well as elegant," she said.
As for the Queen's hat, Dudley said it was an ideal choice for the monarch as it didn't hide all her hair and it lifted her eye line.
"It's a style of hat she always wears in different colours. It's a safe choice for a woman of her age."
Dudley said some of her clients do take inspiration from the northern hemisphere's race meetings, but 80 per cent of them have their own ideas about what they want.
A red feathery piece on display at Ascot - reminiscent of hats popular in the 80s and 90s - is a perfect example, Dudley concludes: "It's like leopard print. Most people have moved away from it, but there will always be someone out there who really loves it."
