We love the fact that Fascinators, the “mini-hats” that are often attached to a head band adored with feathers, beading and other embellishments, are everywhere this summer. According to its wiki article“The word originally referred to a fine, lacy head covering akin to a shawl made from wool or lace” and was used as an alternative to those big old hats ladies used to wear back in the day. We give you the scoop on how to rock the fascinator trend on a budget.
Where to Wear A Fascinator
- To a Wedding. A very stylish alternative to the wedding hat. Also a great way to pick up men.. for some reason men really like fascinators
- To a Cocktail Party. Fascinators are great conversation starters.
- To an Art Opening/event. A Great conversation starter
- To a Little League Game. If your kid’s Little League team is, well, is a little behind on the hand-eye coordination thing, then you can wear your fascinator to distract the other team.
Here’s how to wear them
- Keep it in Proportion. Make sure the fascinator is in proportion to the size of your head and features. If you have a smaller head, don’t wear a fascinator with a 10 foot peacock feather. If you got a big head, don’t wear a dainty Fascinator with a 1 inch miniature top hat.
- Keep Your Hair Simple. Keep your hair styles very simple, so it doesn’t distract from the hairpiece. A nice chignon, slicked back do, a simple ponytail, etc all work well.
- Keep it Styled. There’s a tendency for those who are new to fascinators to go a bit overboard (aka a 10 foot tall whopping crane with pink bows and a 3 inch replica of Big Ben on your head). Start small and simple- a basic black straw Fascinator will do.
Where to Find Them
- Forever21.com- Super Cheap, but sometimes cheesy, Fascinators
- Etsy.com- Stylish and amazingly affordable Fascinators
- New York Fascinator Company- basic Fascinators for newbies.
- ebay- Vintage Fascinators
- Asos.com - Contemporary Fascinators from the British version of Bluefly
Founded in 2003, TBF is a fashion blog dedicated to helping you live your best for less. We give you the 411 on the latest fashion trends & tips and sample sales. 
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This picture is a very bad example of a Fascinator. The clumpy mascara. the straight on flash and the over dramatic mugging for the camera imparts an image of Curella D’ville. I bet Fascinators can be presented much more nicely than this picture.
@elderberry yes the outfit is a bit much but the hat itself is awesome. As alternative we could have used the photo of SJP at the Sex and City Premerie in London inwhich she had a bird on her head. This one s bit more sedate than that
I’m ready for hats to return, facinators are a start. The links you provided showed some really nice examples.
I think fascinators are a really great alternative to a hat for a wedding. They can suit younger people and they can be a lot lighter to wear – especially in the heat of summer. You’re not going to take the fascinator off and suddenly worry about your hair or look less glamorous.
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