Do people wear fascinators anymore?

[applestrudels]

For reference, I'm 33. I spent most of my 20s wishing I could afford a fascinator to go with my outfit whenever I went to a wedding, but I could never justify the expense for something that would likely only be worn once or twice. Every wedding I went to, it seemed like I was the only woman not wearing one, including women my age. Now I'm earning a bit more, I bought a fascinator last year, but at the two weddings I've been to since, I was the only woman wearing a fascinator! I actually felt a bit out of place, like I was trying to show off or upstage the other guests... :/

So what's the consensus? Have they just gone out of fashion, or were the two weddings I've been to most recently just outliers...?

Yes they are out of fashion. I think it went hats to fascinators to nothing. I'd still wear one as I think anything goes at a wedding. I also like to wear trousers to weddings so they offset that being on the more casual side.

Disclaimer: I haven't been to a wedding in 20 years. However... Fascinators are very much a 20+ years ago thing for me and i don't think enough time has elapsed that I'd consider a comeback for them yet.

No

Fascinators are not very fashionable for your age group. There are some beautiful hair bands around, though I think they don't suit everyone (me included as they make ears stick out more).

Agree. I think that level of fussiness is quite dated. You might have missed the boat.

I think a modern hat can look cool. Headbands are ok. But fascinators not at the moment but they will come round again and you will get your ambition!

I’m in my early 30s and love a fascinator. I think the scrappy little feathered ones that look like an anaemic budgie on a skinny metal headband are a bit dated (and most importantly not very comfy to wear). I like the ones that are more like a hat so provide more coverage. I get most of mine from Etsy (I like a seller called Starcrossed Beauty).

If you like them wear them! I’ve always had compliments on mine with a lot of people saying it’s a shame people don’t wear hats anymore.

They feel very dated to me at the moment. A full-on hat is a style statement; a headband is a safe option; a fascinator just looks fussy.

It also depends on the type of wedding. Fascinators and hats are much more common at formal church weddings than more relaxed events.

I would never wear one now (I'm 46). If I could afford to go to a milliner I would. However, I mostly stick to plain hair up with a sparkly accessory these days.

They were always awful

Fascinators always felt like something for people that didn’t have the guts to wear a hat. I think a hat with hair up or a headband/hair accessory with hair down is best.

I've been to lots of weddings in recent years & still plenty of fascinators around here so maybe depends where you are!

I was at a wedding at the weekend and hardly anyone had a hat or fascinator. And most of the ones who did they were the tiny combs you can pick up in Claire's accessories. I do think standards have dropped in wedding attire over the years. Many women in dresses more suited to lunch in a pub or a nightclub. And it was a big Catholic church wedding.

I always wear a hat or fascinator to a wedding. It's the one chance you get to go all out on an outfit. And as someone who works from home and lives in joggies and leggings I will take every opportunity I get to get dressed up! I have a friend who makes them as a little side business so I always get her to design them for me. She did say that younger people tend to go for bejewelled or padded hairbands now, so they do seem to be old fashioned but I don't really care. I actually received a lot of compliments on mine at the weekend as it was quite different. Hell will freeze over before I give them up! Haha!

I volunteer with bhf and we have a really good selection of fascinators at good prices- much cheaper than John Lewis. Still popular judging by the number we sell.

They've always been a bit Marmite, but given that John Lewis have 34 different fascinators currently for sale, M&S 21, Accessorize 15, and Next 33, I'd say someone is wearing them.

I have worn nice headband to the last wedding I've been to, the only people wearing fascinators were the mums/grandma's of the bride and groom.
I love a nice fascinator/hat and I have a few but have only worn them to horse races. Maybe you can go to one and wear your fascinator?

Yes, a full on Andi McDowell in Four Weddings hat is great, even if no one else is wearing a hat. Headband fine too.

I think if you want to go down the fascinator route it needs to be something bonkers with real pheasant feathers like the ones in these pictures- i.e you need more guts than wearing a hat takes.

Agreed. I don't know that I'd describe mine as bonkers but certainly a bit different to the usual loops and a few feathers.

No but a big padded headband is in.

People wear them at Ascot etc as they say you need to wear them but not seen them at weddings for a while

NC as outing due to other posts

I’m in East Lancs and despite not having a race course in the immediate area there’s enough work here to keep all 3 of the milliners in this area busy. Fascinators aren’t so popular now (and people don’t want to pay the prices for a handmade unique piece) but hats, hatinators, and especially fancy headbands (The ones I mainly get asked for are leather with handmade flowers, or halo type, although I also make simple headbands and these are pretty popular at the moment too) are popular at the moment - also not as much as they were a few years ago.

I think it depends on the wedding and reception venue, and how formal the whole thing is going to be. I personally would wear a headgear of sorts, because my hair will get horribly messy otherwise and I'm not good at up dos. When you Google whatever was worn at the recent society/royal weddings, the mini hat type fascinators look really good, whereas the side bow clip styles we wore 10+ years ago have aged.

I'm 54. My friend got married recently and I wore a fascinator. I can't wear hats as they leave a ring round my afro hair. I got it from Vinted for 10 pound. Fascinators were extortionate prices.

I think this is lovely.

At the weddings I have been to you would look very underdressed without a hat/fascinator on. They would range from combs to designer.