Royal Fashion Minute: Royal Ascot and...THE HATS!!

Hat KRAZEEEEEE...

Color Happy: Royal Ascot attendees in their finest--Imagine being THE ONE friend in the group who decided to wear black! Oooops!

Well kiddies, it's Royal Ascot!! What, pray tell, may that mean? The Royal Ascot is one of Europe's most famous race meetings, dating back to 1711!! It's a MAJAH event in the British social calendar (didn't realize there were still such things as "Social Calendars"). Press coverage of the attendees usually exceeds the actual races themselves and so of course, I have to give my "Nick V Two Cents". There are always some colorful outfits, dresses, and especially THE HATS!!! It's all about those hats!!! The theme for dressing to the Royal Ascot is "Dress To Be Noticed" darlings. The British Royals always attend and arrive each day in their horse-drawn carriages (of course they do!). So, speaking of the Royals...

HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: Day One (Left) and Day Two (Right)--The Queen usually loves a bold bright color but for the Royal Ascot, she has chosen more elegant subdued pastels. I actually really like the pink hat it has a softness to it that you don't always see with the Queen. I also love that his boutonniere matches her hat!

Princesses Beatrice(L) and Eugenie (R): Speaking of subdued, these two royals decided to "tone down" their ever-so-fabulous "Prince William and Kate Wedding" Haute Couture ensembles (who can ever forget THAT Philip Treacy hat worn by Beatrice)...and went for a more "delicate" route for the Royal Ascots. I actually wished they would have stayed more FAB-U-LOUS as opposed to BORING.

Mrs. Urs Schwarzenbach, Francesca with Sophie, Countess of Wessex: Chic and Chic. Francesca (L) is the wife of Urs Schwarzenbach, multi-millionaire (worth 900 Million Euro back in 2005) Swiss financier living in the UK. He has his own Polo Team and is a big sponsor and supporter of horses and racing. He also own properties all over the UK--HUGE estates , my kiddies...Mrs. Schwarzenbach also happens to be a former Miss Australia (Love that!)

Best at the Royal Ascot:

Welsh Opera Star Katherine Jenkins and her TV-presenter boyfriend Gethin Jones: These two look so gorgeous! What a handsome couple, and so well-dressed! Love the deep-fire red dress and that over-the-top hat! I just feel (a little bit) bad for the woman behind her who cannot see a DARN thing because of THAT hat!!!

Danish-born Fashion Designer (and DIVA!) Isabell Kristensen: OK, this woman IS FIERCE! Three words: You GO Girl! She's a very stylish fashion designer who does mostly Custom Designs for the very wealthy from her Couture Boutiques in London and Monaco (of course!). I have no idea who is funding her and her design business, but really WHO CARES...when you look like that! She has now become a Royal Ascot fixture for her oh-so-amazing hats. And this is what she wore LAST YEAR:

I absolutely LOVE her!

The "Ascot Wacky" Awards Goes To:

Yellow Explosion

It's like this woman went to the UK version of Michael's Arts and Craft Store and this is what she came up with! Now, if she would have also found an OVERSIZED Bee and glued it in the middle of it, then...and maybe then...I would have given her a "You Go Girl" high-five!

Well, at least these two women kind of tried. But there's something about the hats--and their ensembles (it could be the badly sewn armhole princess seam on the purple dress!!)-that well, looks a little "pedestrian" and certainly, NOT Royal. But I give them a couple--just a couple-points for trying...

But THE WORST...

OK, both of these women are Royal Ascot MESSES!! What is that on the right? It's like her 19 year old gay nephew who's "studying fashion" made it for her!! Seriously. But it's the woman on the left who takes the cake. Someone should have stopped her after her fifth flute of Champagne! What is she trying to give here--in terms of her look? It is a cross between a cheap "Miss Great Britain" National Costume for the "Miss World" Pageant and... Captain Stubing of "Love Boat". Who. Does. That?
And now, May I Present you...The Gays:

My "GayDar" Just Busted: Three lovely men at the Royal Ascot

Never to be outdone are my precious Royal Ascot Gays (allegedly). I'm going to London in a few weeks and I hope, really hope... that I will run into these three boys as I step over people to get to Harrods and Topshop and Buckingham Palace. I think there are three 75 year old women in the UK right now looking for their "missing" hats.