The Royal Ascot 2019: Fashion Review

When Americans think of horse racing and fashion, it's probably the magnificent hats of the Kentucky Derby. But when the British think of horse racing and fashion, it's all about the Royal Ascot. To many Americans, the image of the Royal Ascot that comes to mind is the breathtaking black-and-white "Ascot Gavotte" scene from the musical My Fair Lady.

Today, the hats are just as magnificent, but much more colorful, as are the dresses. There is a fairly strict dress code for those in the Royal Enclosure (originally reserved for guests of the monarch, but membership is currently similar to that of an exclusive country club: sponsorship of two current members plus a membership fee is required). Men are required to wear black or gray morning dress and top hats; women's dresses or skirts must be below the knee, with straps at least one inch wide, and hats or headpieces with solid bases at least four inches wide must be worn. Pants (including jumpsuits) are also allowed for women.

Let's take a look at some of the fashions that have been on display on the first day of the event:

We would expect nothing less than sartorial perfection from the ever-stylish Duchess of Cambridge, and she did not disappoint in a floaty, ethereal ice-blue ankle-length dress and matching hat. At another venue, the high-necked, long-sleeved, bow-tied top might look a bit dowdy, but it fits nicely with the traditional styles of the Ascot, and the sheer sleeves and yoke give it a contemporary flair. Her wide, flat-brimmed hat is tipped at a rakish angle with a large flower tucked under the brim, the light color set off nicely against her sleek, dark chignon.

The Queen herself also opted for a pale blue ensemble, paired a flared 3-button coat dress with a traditionally-style, flower-covered sun hat. She accessorized with a large black patent purse and sensible matching flats.

Princesses Eugenie (left) and Beatrice (right) also wore blue. Eugenie's teal blue pleated dress featured a vivid yellow lining and side inset that coordinated with her pert yellow hat. The bust was not terribly well-fitted, being slightly snug with the darts not quite falling in the right place, and I might have opted for a just slightly lower neckline, but in general it was a nice look, and I loved the daring contrast of the bright yellow. Beatrice wore baby blue lace with an A-line skirt and a wide-brimmed flat sunhat. A bit more conservative than her sister, but very pretty and flattering.

 The Duchess of Cornwall wore her signature light pink coat dress, in this case a long silhouette with front pleats and beautiful white appliques down the front, paired with white gloves, a white clutch, and her usual triple strand of pearls, topped with a lovely hat with upturned brim and large flower-and-feather detail. I found it a lovely, flattering, and age-appropriate look.

Many attendees wear deliberately simple dresses in order to call attention to their magnificent hats, as exemplified by Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. She wore a simple tan-and-brown frock with a feminine sheer gathered neckline and bell sleeves, topped by a flower-laden tipped sun hat. I like the pop of color in husband King Willem-Alexander's purple tie; his dark ivory vest tied in nicely with her tan color scheme.

Princess Anne followed the trend of coat dresses favored by many of the older royals with this ivory, flared, patch-pocket coat dress over a high-necked ivory blouse. Her kettle-brim, flared-crown hat brought in contrasting brown in its wide hatband and ribbon-edged brim, coordinating nicely with her dark brown gloves, clutch, and pumps.

Lady Kitty Spencer hearkened back to the days of black-and-white ensembles in this demure white lace fit-and-flare dress with a pert white hat and black clutch and heels. Simple but elegant and classic.

Charlotte Hawkins' red print dress had quite a bit of personality with its puffed sleeves and long, full cuffs, topped with a feather-adorned red cocktail hat and strappy red sandals. She brought in just a touch of black with a narrow black belt and ribbon trim on cuffs and hat. I especially love the way the curves of the hat feathers echo the curves of the print on the dress. Eye-catching and fun!

Chelsey Baker certainly caught everyone's attention, not only with her brighter-than-bright fuschia dress, but with her impossibly huge, gravity-defying chartreuse hat trimmed with fuschia bougainvillea blossoms. An absolutely marvelous look.

Ilda di Vico wore a busy black-and-orange print dress with puffy short sleeves and a v-neck, topped by a hat that was less a hat and more a large cluster of red flower blossoms. Although I liked the silhouette of the dress, and the flower headpiece was fun, the colors didn't work together for me, and I found the whole look to be too busy.

Another wonderful pairing of a very simple dress with a magnificent hat was sported by Jodie Kidd. She paired a white dress with flared sleeves and a modified handkerchief hem, trimmed with a simple black belt, with a deliciously whimsical hat formed by multiple brightly-colored small hats stacked together. It caught the spirit of fun of the race in a charming way.

Flora MacDonald Johnston was one of a number of women who chose to wear trousers rather than a skirt or dress. Her bright red, overall-inspired jumpsuit was cute enough, although the hem was several inches too long (I can only imagine how muddy the bottom of her pants were once the rain started later than morning). But the fuzzy, colorless straw hat, although it was a fun shape, didn't work with the jumpsuit for me. Perhaps if it had been trimmed with some red (or even contrasting colored) flowers, it might have worked, but the ensemble as it is was too disjointed and casual for the event.

Georgia Fowler stunned in a long mauve bandage dress and a tall, white-and-pink fascinator, accessorized by a small white bag and matching pumps. Great lines all around.

Zara Sassoon was a little frothy for my taste in an oddly disproportionate white tulle gown with a marabou-laden picture hat and clunky white-and-gray kitten heels. The concept wasn't bad, but everything seemed just a hair...off. The sleeves were a bit too short, the heels were a bit too pointy, the waistline wasn't quite empire but it wasn't quite natural waist either, and the hat was a funny shape. It just didn't come together for me.

I loved the bold orange lace gown worn by this unidentified attendee, with its simple silhouette broken by a marabou peplum, and topped with a magnificent tipped hat accented with orange ostrich plumes radiating like the rays of a star. The large red roses in the center of the hat provided just enough contrast of color to save the look from being too monochromatic. A dramatic and effective look.

Some couples chose to coordinate their (often whimsical) outfits, as did Rebecca Johnson and her escort, with the purple-and-white diamond print of his vest and her dress and jacket echoing jockeys' silks. She finished the look perfectly in a hat with a hugely oversized brim sporting silhouettes of jockeys riding horses. The perfect blend of elegance, tradition, and whimsy that is the hallmark of the Royal Ascot.

 

Ines Hernandez sported one of the most magnificent hats of the day; a hot pink and pale green concoction with bright and light pink roses at the center of a pinwheel of pointed green organza leaves tipped with bright pink marabou feathers. The underbrim of the hat was a delicate crown of more bright and light pink flowers. Hernandez wisely paired the hat with a simple short sundress of a slightly brighter pink, and a beautiful pair of light green bowed pumps. Simply spectacular.

 Viscountess Weymouth wore a short, pleated ice-blue dress topped with a coordinating eyelash jacket with marabou cuffs, topped with a simply wonderful fascinator ornamented with chenille loops forming a flower. I'm not sure how she got around the "below the knee" skirt rule, but it's still a charming and elegant look.

Amanda Wakeley's charming blue velvet hat was designed for fashion, not function, so when the rain came out, she pulled out an umbrella to protect her lovely fitted cobalt blue satin dress with its bright coral underskirt. Too bad she didn't have a coral umbrella!

Some party-goers came as a group, like these lovely ladies in matching crinolined yellow wrap dresses topped with floral headpieces and finished with matching metallic sandals. A pretty but not especially eye-catching look - until you see five of them in a row.

This attendee chose a delightfully vintage 1920s look, with a drop-waisted black and white striped, mid-calf length dress, long pearls, and a black straw cloche adorned with a single black flower on the side. Bonus points for the lovely and period-appropriate embroidered hose.

The staff at the Ascot also wore matching outfits, vivid coral mermaid dresses and short black jackets with coordinating black-and-coral fascinators. I love the touch of individuality in the varying styles of black heels.

This enormous, gravity-defying, attention-grabbing, bright pink lace hat is adorned with a few puffy feathers. Magnificent!

These brightly-colored, oversized, flower-adorned hats were among the many fanciful and fantastical creations at the race. I especially like the yellow hat decorated with purple butterflies and pheasant plumes in the first photo, and the blue hat in the lower photo with its rainbow spray of feathers.

Doesn't it just make you want to go out and buy an amazing hat?!?

Solo: A Fashion Story

I was very excited to see the new "Solo: A Star Wars Story" movie last weekend. Having grown up in the '70s and '80s, the original trilogy is near and dear to my heart, as are all the characters in it. So it was exciting to get to see a glimpse of the backstory of a few of them. And the best part of the decades-long wait since the original is that the crew members involved with the film are also people who grew up watching and loving the films and the characters. They GET it. The original Star Wars era was THEIR era. So I was particularly intrigued to read this article from Nerdist.com and this one from starwars.com, which include interviews with the costume designers of "Solo," discussing their inspirations for the costumes in the film - which, in my humble opinion, were extremely well done and true to the characters as well as the overall style of the film.

Now, if you haven't yet seen the film and want to remain completely pristine and unspoiled, you should probably stop reading right now. If you haven't seen it but you don't mind a few mild hints, go ahead and read on. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, although I will (out of necessity) include a few character descriptions and, of course, some photos. So if you're still with me, let's take a look!

Where else to begin than with Solo himself? In the original films, Han Solo (as played by Harrison Ford) wore a loose white shirt with a black vest and later a black canvas jacket, and in the most recent films he was seen sporting a similar cropped military-style black leather jacket.

In "Solo," the title character is portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich. At the beginning, the film is quite dark, in a very literal sense. Most of the clothing we see well into the story is blacks and browns and grays. So Han's cropped brown jacket with black yoke is worn over a black shirt rather than a white one, and paired with black pants. The jacket has a wonderful worn look to it: the leather is wrinkled at the elbows, the stand-up style collar has begun to wilt a bit at the front, the black yoke has a dusty look to it. This jacket - and presumably Han along with it - has seen some action. 

But let's look at another familiar character, whose style is completely different from Han's: Lando Calrissian. Portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in the originals, Lando was flashy and colorful. He wore bright colors with fancy trims, and carefully coordinated accessories - including a collection of magnificent capes. 

Not surprisingly, the younger version of Lando, played by Donald Glover, also wears flashy colors and styles. In fact, Lando's flashy wardrobe is such a part of his character that we actually get to see his closet, full of brightly-colored shirts, an entire collection of capes, fur and leather coats, and accessories, accessories, accessories. 

This bright yellow shirt with its wide cuffs and black flap is eye-catching enough, but when you add a black cape with a stand-up collar and blue satin lining...this is a man who knows his sartorial stuff. One of my favorite details is a bit of an Easter egg: the print on Lando's black scarf is actually a still from the scene in A New Hope where Luke and Leia swing across the chasm in the Death Star. 

Now let's move on to some of the new characters, starting with Tobias Beckett, played by Woody Harrelson. 

Beckett is a kind of mercenary, out-for-himself outlaw, much like Han is at the beginning of A New Hope. His wardrobe is more cowboy than military, with a long loose hooded coat worn over a practical work shirt and a bandana-like scarf at his throat. The pale canvas coat blends with his sandy hair and beard and helps him fade into the background, which is very convenient when carrying out a stealth job.

Beckett's literal and figurative partner in crime is Val, played by Thandie Newton.

Val is pragmatic, tough, smart, suspicious, and fearless. Her clothing a designed for practicality and toughness. Like Han, the condition of her clothes prove that she's seen some adventures. She wears a harness with all kinds of tools and gadgets, so she's prepared for anything, and although she takes risks, her helmet, boots, and gear shows she doesn't take unnecessary chances. I love this little pop of rich burgundy at the neck, breaking up the stealthy black of the rest of her outfit. She may be practical, but she's still a woman with style. And yes, she has a cape.

So if Han is the hero, Beckett and Val are the gray areas (are they good guys, bad guys, or willing to side with whomever benefits them the most?), there must be a villain. Oh, but there is, and such a villain he is.

Played with magnificent panache by Paul Bettany, our first glimpse of Dryden Vos is [SPOILER ALERT!!!] as he is killing a subordinate with a glowing red bladed weapon. His face contorts in fury and the long scars running from his forehead down his cheeks darken to a deep red, then fade along with his fury into an even more frightening calm. Dryden's psychotic, murderous nature is all the more terrifying due to his elegant, cultured demeanor. His suits are perfectly tailored, with an open-necked white shirt under an impeccably-cut black suit completed with a single-shoulder cape that sweeps dramatically about as he moves (shades of Darth Vader, anyone?). His accessories include expensive jewelry. Clearly, this is not a man to be trifled with.

Another marvelous (and well-dressed) new character in this film is Emilia Clark's Qi'ra. I won't spoil her character with too much backstory other than to say that she is a love interest for Han, a friend from his youth who now has dangerous ties to Dryden. Qi'ra moves effortlessly from femme fatale to action hero. When Han first meets her after again after leaving Corellia, she is wearing a gorgeously sexy 1940s-inspired black gown reminiscent of Lauren Bacall or Rita Hayworth. The gown has simple flared sleeves and a plunging neckline that sets off a large gold necklace - which we later discover proclaims her ties to Dryden's syndicate. When she sets off with Han on their "mission" (avoiding spoilers!!), she changes to a more practical yet somehow equally sexy cropped, fitted tan jacket with fur lining, flared black leather skirt, and tall boots. Later, she adds a magnificent red cape with black yoke and collar (which she no doubt nicked from Lando's closet), giving her an impressive air of authority and nobility.

Another interesting comparison of the various characters comes with comparing their various fur coats, which nearly all the characters wear at some point or another.

Han leaves his fur coat open, because he's tough, and wears his gun belt over his coat, because he's also smart and wary. Lando's is noticeably better quality than Han's, and with its beautiful lines and artistically-placed zippers, it's clearly meant for both fashion and comfort. Qi'ra's coat is more like an elegant shrug  or capelet, with variegated colors of fur and graceful diagonal lines, still feminine and flattering despite its bulk. Val's coat is practical leather with just a hint of fur at the neck, likely both because she couldn't afford a full coat and because fur is too bulky for practicality. Beckett doesn't bother with fur at all, because he's Beckett and probably hasn't taken off that tan canvas coat in years. And Chewbacca, of course, has his own built-in fur coat.

As a costume designer myself, I love seeing how professional designers create and enhance characters using clothing and accessories, and in this case I think it was done extremely well. Kudos to the costume crew!

Wearing John Malkovich: A Fashion Review

One of my favorite Super Bowl ads this year was the one featuring John Malkovich. In it, Malkovich is trying to get the rights back to a website called www.johnmalkovich.com. If you go to that website, you find Malkovich's actual fashion design website. I expected his designs to be a bit crazy, much like Kanye West's fashion disasters. But in fact, many of his designs are actually quite attractive. Here is a review of some of the pieces in his Spring/Summer 2017 line.

I love the lines of this sweater. It's slightly fitted, with a dropped neckline so it can be worn over a shirt and tie, has two low front pockets, and buttons down the front, cardigan-style. This version is navy with a hint of red trim at the neck, but it is also available in ivory with black details, as well as in a non-cardigan version, which has a slightly squared-off neckline without the contrasting trim, and the same front pockets. The non-cardigan version is just a hair shorter than the cardigan. It's an elegant but casual style that works well in a work or a more casual setting.

The collection includes several jacket styles, three of which are shown above. The first style features four patch pockets with large buttons and a Mao-style collar, which according to the website can also be turned down and worn like a more traditional lapel. The jacket is nicely fitted and has beautiful seaming and topstitching details, and falls to a nice "first knuckle" length. The second style, shown here in a black-and-white pattern (which I LOVE), has a notched lapel, buttons quite high on the chest, and has three welted pockets (i.e., a finished slit-style opening). Like the first style, it is barely nipped in at the waist and skims the hips. Both styles are very tailored and sleek. The third style, however, looks to me like an oversized shirt. The notched lapel flares into a larger collar, the sleeves end in buttoned shirt-style cuffs, and the double seams down the front don't create a fitted silhouette. In fact, the side view shows how flared the the back of the jacket is. It reminds me of a poorly-fitted work jacket or even a smock. Well, as the song says, two out of three ain't bad.

Matching the above jackets, these straight-leg, flat-front pants are also beautifully tailored. These three images show three very different hem lengths, but I think all three work in different contexts. The first length, which doesn't quite touch the top of the shoe, is a very youthful and almost edgy design. The second has just a hint of a break at the ankle (a "break" is when the fabric creases instead of hanging straight down, a sign that the hem is touching the top of the foot), a more classic and formal cut. And the third is quite long, nearly reaching the floor at the heel, which gives a much more relaxed and casual effect. The linen-silk blend fabric is available in multiple colors, from classics like the black-and-white and greyed navy, to the brighter "blue heather".

The Bermuda shorts is where he loses me a little. The length is right in the middle of the knee, which seems unflattering to anyone. Traditional Bermuda shorts generally fall just above the knee. Also, this version is extremely flared, which in a crisp fabric looks uncomfortable and tends to make the wearer look slightly bowlegged. The red and blue houndstooth pattern isn't scoring any additional points, either. To his credit, the shorts are well-tailored, I just don't like the lines.

The shirts in the collection are more classically styled, but with a few tiny details that I like. The first shirt above is available in several solid colors as well as the whimsical face print shown here. The shirt has button cuffs and a single patch pocket, but the feature I really love is the barely curved collar, which lays beautifully and creates a soft line. The second shirt is a collarband style with a dropped yoke and narrow cuffs. Available in blue or white, both interestingly textured fabrics which add visual interest without being too busy.

I'm slightly less enamored with these two scarves. The blue one seems too stiff for the way it's draped, sticking out where it should lie softly, and pattern of faces along the coral one just seems odd. But kudos for designing men's dress scarves; it's a look that it growing on me and I'd like to see more of it.

The collection wraps up with a number of elegant knitted neckties. All in red, white, and blue, these knitted ties are straight and narrow, and the bottom is edged with either red or blue, a nice little finishing detail.

All in all, Malkovich's collection is crisp, businesslike but not overly formal, nicely tied together in style, and very wearable. Just skip the ugly shorts and you can look like a wealthy movie star!