Royal Fascinators

A quick search for images of Kate Middleton will return many of them in which she is wearing a fascinator.  Such an interesting title for what is essentially a greatly embellished headband/piece that has a similar, yet muted affect of the traditional hats many royal women wear.  It's not quite a hat, but it's definitely more than a headband.

Ladies invited to the Royal Wedding have been asked to wear a hat or fascinator, so the wedding coverage should have a good show of these lovelies.

That first image is from her first official royal duty and her first public appearance with Prince William following their engagement - the blessing of a lifeboat in Wales.  It was a rainy, windy day but Kate stood out as always, and the fascinator elevated the look of her classic trench to match her awaiting royal title.

I love her in red, what has all but become her signature color.  She's definitely inspired me to look for ways to incorporate more red into my wardrobe while keeping the look classic and not 'Julia Roberts pre-Richard Gere in Pretty Woman'.  If you know what I mean.

I'm sure over the coming months she will be setting trends for the world, even more than she is now, and it's only a matter of time before designers catch up and start putting out their own fascinators.  For now, a quick search on Etsy will yield the best results if you're looking to rock a fascinator yourself.  Here are a few favorites that I found:

by ArturoRios

by lilacpop

by EmeraldDiamond

If you want to take after Kate's fashion sense, but don't have an occasion to wear a fascinator, The Blue Door Boutique I confessed my obsession about a little while ago just launched their new website so we may now shop anytime day or night!  The new site features a Kate section of goodies inspired by the Duchess-to-be (I hear William will become a Duke, thus making her a Duchess, but the jury is still out), including the gorgeous ring.

$46 from The Blue Door

Check out The BDs gorgeous new site, especially their Kate section!

Then get some sleep.  Even though I'm DVRing, I still plan to get up early enough to watch most of it before I head into work.