A unique collection of hats is being auctioned off for charity as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
All money raised by the auction of the ‘Hats Fit For A Queen’ collection will go towards Brain Tumour Research.
Milliners across the UK have designed 15 hats which will be presented on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 June at Epsom Derby.
Organised by The British Hat Guild, the hats were inspired by each decade of the Queen’s 70-year reign.
The guild’s chairman Stephen Jones OBE said: “Her Majesty is almost the patron saint of millinery of the world.
“I think the reason that Britain now occupies such an important role within the perception of hats is because of her.
“The ultimate royal hat is the crown and it is the symbol of royalty.”
The hat collection showcases contributions from upcoming and well-known UK hat designers, including Jones.
Jones’s creation interprets his fondness of 1950s hats with a modern silhouette on the traditional Rudolph design worn by the Queen at the time.
Regarding the Queen’s fashion evolution over the years, Jones said: “She always looks like a reflection of our times.
“I think in her younger times, she could have been termed a fashion leader, but now she represents something which is much bigger than that.”
Jones was awarded his OBE in 2010 for his services to fashion, and specifically millinery.
The auction collection spans the decades from the 1950s to the 2010s.
Each decade features two designs, with the 1950s showcasing an additional top hat from Lock & Co Hatters.
Milliner and events committee member of The British Hat Guild, Edwina Ibbotson said: “It’s been a complete honour.
“We are very, very lucky in this country that we have the royal family who helped promote hat wearing so much.
“We have racing, and it is traditional here to wear hats to weddings, so more hat wearing is done in this country.
“We’d like to keep it that way and bring it back as much as possible, because there’s more and more people interested in doing millinery.”
The British Hat Guild was re-established in the spring of 2019 and is the national association of professional milliners, hatters, headwear designers and millinery affiliates.
The group provide guidance and support to British milliners through the exchange of knowledge and ideas.
The auction was organised by Brain Tumour Research, who has an established relationship with guild members including organisers of London Hat Week.
London Hat Week celebrates all things hats, with creations from the best hat designers in the world.
Milliners of the guild were previously approached by patients on using their hats to cover their heads post-treatment.
This sparked the idea of a partnership between the guild and charity.
Brain tumour patients were among those photographed as models of the hats, on the private balcony of the Royal Box.
The hats will be exhibited in partnership with The Jockey Club and Go Epsom at the newly renamed Queen Elizabeth II Stand at Epsom Downs Racecourse.
Her Majesty is scheduled to attend Derby Day for the 73rd time.
Jones added: “I think the future of millinery looks really good.
“The fact that so many people are practising themselves, that’s great.
“Nothing’s more charming than a hat.”
The hashtag #HatsFitForAQueen will be promoted during the event.
Bidding on the hats will end at midnight on Sunday 12 June on the Brain Tumour Research website.
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