FASCINATORS -- everything you want to know about them, and more!
 

Fascinators. Gauche? Preposterous? Adorable?

This thread is dedicated to fascinators -- the good, the bad, the outrageous, the fetching, and the ugly! Share your opinions and show pictures of fascinators that you love, hate, or at which you simply can't help but stare.

I am a little fascinated by fascinators. What is a fascinator, you ask? Here are some definitions:

Before Kate and William's wedding, I never knew about fascinators as a distinct type of human ornamentation. I am now intrigued by this phenomenon of people using peculiar, impractical headpieces to decorate themselves in order to catch attention and to surprise.

What I like about fascinators is that they show people appreciating their individuality even as they copy others. Fascinators, in my opinion, reveal that people enjoy their own creativity and sense of humor, and may admire the natural beauty of other animals, tufted and colorful in ways we are not.

I predict we will be seeing more fascinators now in daily life, for better or worse, because fascinator hats have even hit Iowa! Last week I saw two college women wearing fake flower fascinators that looked a little like Kate Middleton's below, but smaller:

http://c3.yousaytoo.com/rss_temp_ima...-1is7a8v-0.jpg

And here are more of Kate's fascinators. I actually think they are kind of cute! However, on the down side, I see that many fascinators appear to be made with real birds' feathers...and that probably means somewhere people are killing birds and collecting their feathers to turn into adornments, which I find sad. :(

http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users1...9272201351.jpg

http://www.utahbrideblog.com/wp-cont...-brown-hat.jpg

Seeing all these women wearing fascinators made me wonder: are men being left out of this phenomenon? The feminist in me hoped the answer was no. So I did a search, and found...

A male fascinator made with real flowers. :) No dead birds here:

http://earthfirst.com/wp-content/upl...ascinators.jpg

And here's what the world would look like if men wore fascinators more often than they do:

http://www.cairnsfest.com.au/uploads...ascinators.jpg

:)

What the hell is going on?

You are stunned by fascinator hats.

This is madness, is this what people are calling fashion these days?

Madness? Whatever do you mean...madness?

;)

http://fashionablepeople.files.wordp...inator-two.jpg

http://royalweddings.hellomagazine.c...70/zara--a.jpg

http://www.thepaperfox.net/wp-conten...at-232x300.jpg

:D

(That last little one is my favorite, methinks)

One step beyoooond

Oh my god, why? Fascinator hats on a guys?

Fascinator Hats can make or break an outfit of the person chooses the wrong one imo.

I will post a few of my faves a little later

Woah. You scare me :D

I blame it on my mother and her hat collection.

Therefore I'm quite knowledgeable about them

Hahaha, allright. That's plausible :D

I don't think he owns a hat like this but he should so this is an artists impression....

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l9...l050908_nc.jpg

:laughing:

That's strange... the penis is ejaculating, yet not erect at all.

I'm not entirely sure why a discussion about hats has turned into trading gay porn.

Aw... so the collar does match the cuffs!

It's not ejaculate. It's the clap.

Vegangelica- Those two above are as far as I'd go. They have a cute retro vibe to them, imo.

I personally think most all of the hats look extraordinarily silly, but if they enjoy it...meh. As for guys wearing fascinator hats, um....

Here are a few I found especially outrageous. I don't get it, lol......

http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/...scot-candy.jpg

http://0.tqn.com/d/jewelry/1/0/F/s/royal-ascot-4736.jpg

http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/...cream-cone.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/...12_306x506.jpg

check out her fingernails too. yikes.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/...27_634x385.jpg

http://mycoolpix.com/files/funzug/im...pt_hats_03.jpg

http://mycoolpix.com/files/funzug/im...pt_hats_05.jpg

http://mycoolpix.com/files/funzug/im...pt_hats_06.jpg

Not to sound cheesy but that's one Gouda looking hat.

:laughing:

a few more i'd missed....


http://www.backstageconfidential.net...ay_B_SW046.jpg

http://mycoolpix.com/files/funzug/im...pt_hats_07.jpg

http://mycoolpix.com/files/funzug/im...pt_hats_01.jpg

this one would actually be okay if it were an iphone
http://mycoolpix.com/files/funzug/im...pt_hats_10.jpg

waste of friggin time.

We do know that the last three are definitely photoshopped right?

I didn't even know these existed until now. I don't think I've ever seen one in real life. After seeing pics though, I'll say they look completely retarded.

These hats aren't considered Fascinators. The fascinators are generally smaller and look more like a headclip/head band type thing.

Right you are, dj. Fascinators are distinct from hats. I have corrected my initial post to provide a proper definition and hopefully avoid further confusion:

Let us consider a previous example of a fascinator provided in this thread:

Now, our resident artist's impression of a fascinator for Simon *would* qualify as a fascinator...a headpiece headpiece, if I may be so bold. Perched upon Simon's forehead and presumably affixed by glue, that jaunty fascinator would not keep his hair dry if it rains.

Below is an example of a fascinator reminiscent of Simon's so that all can practice distinguishing a fascinator from its larger cousin, the hat. Notice, if you will, that the base of this fascinator is much smaller than that of a typical hat. I believe this fascinator to be...a jellyfish:

FASCINATOR:
http://blog.craftzine.com/bloopFascinator.jpg

HAT:
http://www.independent.co.uk/multime...ion_58733t.jpg

I've never seen a red cheese in my life.
Except for babybel (anyone know that here?)
Strange.

:laughing: I love how Princess Beatrice's bold fascinator is used as the phasers! Stunned and amused was exactly how I felt when I saw her wearing it.

One commentator had this to say about Princess Beatrice's fascinator:

Others describe it as "an octopus in attack mode." http://news.softpedia.com/news/Princ...e-198106.shtml

:)

I admire her moxy:

http://thegoodgreatsby.files.wordpre...genia-hats.jpg

I love Babybel cheese! And Gouda is covered in red paraffin wax, isn't it? It's definitely not red on the inside.

Some of those fascinators and the hats that have been posted are ridiculous. Creative, yes, but some of them are just ugly.

Princess Beatrice wore way too much eye makeup. She looks like a raccoon.

Are you talking about women or hats?:confused:

"Intrigued"? "Phenomenon"? :confused: With due respect, Erica, your female "fascination" about headgear (I'm talking about that within the limits of a minimum good taste) is at least three centuries late compared to that of Spanish women. I'll show you a few examples:

These are three portraits of Spanish ladies from the 19th-century, by painter Raimundo Madrazo (1841-1920):

Good point, Zaqarbal. I am unfamiliar with the long history of people's headwear, since it only recently gained my full attention.

The woman above is stunning...even without fascinators! Her ornate earrings remind me of how fascinators are a subclass of head ornamentation that includes all sorts of adornments: jewelry, hats/veils, fancy barrettes, etc.

I suspect that the urge to decorate one's head involves pleasure at being and expressing creativity plus gaining people's attention and admiration...or just their surprise! The behavior of people decorating themselves, reflecting the mind inside, is really rather cute.

Your post made me look into the history of fascinators. So far all I've learned is what your painting examples show: fascinators originated hundreds of years ago out of lacy material that people used to decorate themselves:

I remember reading a magazine article several months ago about African lads who, without mirrors, decorate their heads in amazing, artistic ways using leaves, flowers, and pigments as paint. In my opinion, their endeavors are related to the urge to fascinate oneself and others by decorating one's head with fascinators.

I wish I could find pictures of these young men's creative head decorations! Since they lacked mirrors, they could only tell how they looked by seeing others' reactions, which served as their mirrors of the self. I imagine that hundreds of thousands of years ago, people were probably also plopping stuff on their heads to startle and appeal to family, friends, and strangers.

Glue?

No no no

His head is so big it has it's own gravitational pull. That's what keeps it attached.

:laughing:

Yes. Egyptians, for instance. Personally, I can show you the case of the Ancient Iberians. I've been many times at the National Archaeological Museum and taken hundreds of photos of Iberian antiquities. Female sculptures show how ancient Iberian women wore elaborate ornaments and dresses:


Amazing, isn't it? I've also read some stuff about it. There are written sources from the time too. According to 5th-century-BC Greek travelers, Iberian women were regarded as talented and skilled dressmakers. They also wrote that there were some sort of "dress contests". Imagine: female fashion designers 25 centuries ago!! Versace? Gucci? Pierre Cardin? Armani? Calvin Klein? Meh. They're not that original, actually (besides, they're men :)).

No glue needed. There's a comb named peineta, of different shapes and sizes. Perhaps you remember it from some artistic photography or an old movie:


That's an ancient Iberian invention. Look at this statuette (I took the picture myself). It is from the Iron Age II:


Actually, many things are much older than people usually think. Even the futuristic fashion is old. Really. You thought those Star Wars' striking female hairstyles were original? :nono: Princess Leia, "futuristic"? Nah. Just a copy. Look at these sculptures of Iberian ladies from the 5th century BC:



This headgear is part of a ceremonial folk costume from Valencia. It dates from the 18th century, and it is inspired by those of ancient Iberian women. They were so trendy!

Very interesting to see the fashions of ancient Iberian women! I agree that we in the present often seem to think we're so hip and modern, forgetting that we're just on the fringe of a huge and wonderful cultural history tapestry woven by our dead relatives.

I remember as a child thinking Princess Leia's headgear was so fascinatingly futuristic! Little did I know. :)

Thank you for sharing your photos and insights, Zaqarbal.

they haven't caught on here

(thanks the Lord for small mercies)

i personally believe that drag queens wear better fascinator hats than anyone else on the planet:

http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/452018-manila_luzon.jpg

http://www.missgayamerica.com/images....for%20web.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nu_0CjbqaB...844_9424_n.jpg