Sep 28, 2026

Birdcage Veil Fascinators With a Little Old Hollywood Mystery

From the Merve Bayindir atelier in London: eight hand-made pieces with a birdcage veil, and the details that decide how a veil falls: the mesh, the width and where it is set.

A birdcage veil is a short veil of open net that falls over part of the face, usually from a small hat, a fascinator or a headband. It is named for its mesh, an open diamond net that looks like the wire of a birdcage. Most people know it as a bridal detail, but birdcage veil fascinators are just as much at home on a wedding guest, at a funeral, at black tie or at the races. The veil changes how a piece feels: it softens a bold shape, adds a note of mystery and draws attention to the eyes.

What it is	A short veil of open diamond net, falling over the brow, the eyes or down to the chin.
What decides length	The width of the net and where on the head it is set.
How it is worn	On a comb with hair up, or from a headband or fascinator with hair down or short.
Who wears it	Brides, and guests too: weddings, funerals, evening and race days.

Eight birdcage veil fascinators from our atelier

From bridal white to deep red, each with its veil cut and set by hand. Prices include UK VAT.

RAVENNE SAUCER FASCINATOR

The female model is posing, wearing Ravenne, the black oval fascinator crafted from fine sinamay, featuring soft pleated detailing across the crown, a small beaded accent at the top, and a delicate birdcage veil that drapes over the face. Designed and made by Merve Bayindir Millinery.

£1,500

Black sinamay with a softly angled crown, gathered detailing and soft pleating, a small beaded accent at the top and a birdcage veil that falls over the face. Composed and restrained, for funerals, memorials and formal days.

OMBRA FASCINATOR

The female model is posing, wearing Ombra, the black round fascinator crafted from sinamay woven material, topped with sculpted looped detailing and framed by a dramatic open birdcage veil that flares outward on both sides. Designed and made by Merve Bayindir Millinery.

£1,000

A fine black sinamay disc crowned with sculpted loops and framed by an open birdcage veil that flares outward on both sides into a sweeping, asymmetric shape. A veil that frames the face rather than covering it.

ÉCLAT HEADBAND

The model showcases the front of the Eclat headband veil mask, a tall sculptural headband form in black velvet is crowned by a jet-black beaded starburst and wrapped in delicate oval veiling that gracefully shields the eyes. Designed by Merve Bayindir.

£1,100

A tall black velvet headband and mask hybrid, anchored by a jet beaded starburst, with an oval of birdcage veiling in fine hand-knotted netting falling forward over the eyes. For black tie, masquerades and evenings with a sense of theatre.

EVER FASCINATOR

The female model is posing, wearing Ever, the fuchsia velvet padded headband with a pink feather pom-pom detail, finished with a soft birdcage veil overlay and mounted on a slim black headband. Designed and made by Merve Bayindir Millinery.

£850

An angled fuchsia sinamay base softened by fine birdcage veiling that frames the face, with a plume of blush feathers rising from the crown for height and movement. Vintage in feeling, modern in colour.

PAT FASCINATOR

The female model is posing, wearing Pat, the mustard yellow sinamay fascinator featuring an oversized structured bow, set on a matching base with a soft birdcage veil overlay and secured with a slim black headband. Designed and made by Merve Bayindir Millinery.

£950

A bold yellow piece with an oversized sculpted bow in luminous straw and a soft birdcage veil draped across the face. The bow gives height and presence; the net softens it.

DENALI FASCINATOR

The female model is posing, wearing Denali, the yellow sinamay mini fascinator with a shallow oval base, decorated with vibrant yellow and orange flowers, sculpted red sinamay loops, and a delicate birdcage veil, mounted on a slim headband. Designed and made by Merve Bayindir Millinery.

£750

A round yellow sinamay base that sits neatly on the crown, with hand-crafted flowers in yellow, coral and green, sweeping red sinamay loops and a birdcage veil. Joyful colour for summer weddings and race days.

MARIGOLD HEADBAND

Model is showcasing a White bridal custom headband embroidered with flowers and silver beads with a veil.

£1,000

A white bridal headband in silk sateen, embroidered with hand-stitched flowers and set with fine beads, with a simple birdcage veil falling over the face from the band. Worn set back over the crown so the veil falls just over the brow.

JERICHO WIDE BRIM HAT

The female model is posing, wearing Jericho, the deep red sinamay wide-brim fascinator with a sculptural pointed shape, decorated with orange and burgundy pansy flowers and a matching red birdcage veil. Designed and made by Merve Bayindir Millinery.

£1,450

A deep red wide brim hat with a sweeping, asymmetric silhouette, a tonal birdcage veil and handcrafted pansy-inspired blooms in amber and burgundy along the brim. Proof that a birdcage veil works on a full hat as well as a small piece.

At a glance

Piece	Detail	Veil	Price	Best for
Ravenne	Black sinamay, pleated crown	Over the face	£1,500	Funerals, formal days
Ombra	Black disc, sculpted loops	Flares both sides	£1,000	Evening, weddings
Éclat	Black velvet, beaded starburst	Oval, over the eyes	£1,100	Black tie, masquerade
Ever	Fuchsia sinamay, blush feathers	Frames the face	£850	Weddings, races
Pat	Yellow, straw bow	Across the face	£950	Summer occasions
Denali	Yellow, flowers, red loops	Birdcage	£750	Weddings, races
Marigold	White sateen, embroidered	Just over the brow	£1,000	Brides
Jericho	Deep red wide brim, pansies	Tonal birdcage	£1,450	Races, autumn weddings

What makes a birdcage veil

The mesh

Birdcage netting is an open diamond mesh, stiffened so it holds its shape rather than draping like tulle. The size of the diamond changes the effect. A fine mesh, around a centimetre across, reads as a soft haze over the skin. A larger, open mesh reads as a graphic pattern and looks bolder in photographs. Names such as Russian or French net are used loosely and mean different things to different makers, so it is more useful to describe a veil by its mesh and its width.

The width

Veil netting comes in set widths, most commonly around 9 inches (about 23cm), 12 inches and 18 inches. The width of the net becomes the length of the veil once it is gathered and set. A 9-inch net is a short, neat veil; 18 inches is a full veil that can reach the chin and the sides of the face.

The length

A birdcage veil is described by where it stops. Brow length covers the forehead. Eye length falls over the eyes and stops at the cheekbone or the tip of the nose. Chin length covers the whole face. As a rough guide, a 9-inch veil set a couple of inches above the hairline and angled to one side will cover the forehead and one eye, and a 12-inch veil set on the crown will fall to about the tip of the nose.

The width of the net becomes the length of the veil. Where it is set on the head decides the rest.

How to wear a birdcage veil

Hair up: a piece on a comb, set to one side or towards the front, with the veil falling forward over the face.
Hair down or short: a headband or fascinator carrying the veil, with the hair brushed over the band.
Angle it. Most birdcage veils look best set to one side, covering one eye more than the other, rather than dead centre.
With glasses: choose a brow-length or eye-length veil set high enough to fall above or just over the frames, so the frames stay visible.
Eating and drinking: fold the veil back on itself and pin it discreetly at the base, then let it down again afterwards.

Our guide to hats and fascinators with veils covers placement and care for every kind of veil in more detail.

Not only for brides

The birdcage veil is closely associated with the hats of the 1940s and 1950s, when a short net veil was an everyday finishing touch rather than a bridal one. Today it moves easily between occasions.

Brides choose it for a civil ceremony, a short dress, a second wedding or a reception change. See our bridal hats and fascinators.
Wedding guests can wear a coloured or black veil, provided the piece reads clearly as a guest's rather than a bride's; avoid all-white.
Funerals and memorials suit a black veil that falls over the eyes. Our funeral hats and our guide to mourning attire cover the conventions.
Evening and black tie suit a dramatic veil on a small, dark piece. Our black tie guide explains the dress code.
Race days suit a birdcage veil on a bright, structured piece that holds its own at a distance.

How our veils are made

In our London atelier the veil is treated as part of the design, not an add-on. The netting is chosen for its mesh, cut to width, gathered and shaped so it curves away from the face, then stitched to the base at the point that makes it fall where it should. The edges are finished so they do not catch. Merve Bayindir is a member of the British Fashion Council, with pieces selected for the Royal Ascot Style Guide. Every order arrives in a custom box, with worldwide DHL Express shipping included.

Frequently asked questions

What is a birdcage veil?

A short veil of open diamond netting that falls over part of the face, usually from a small hat, fascinator or headband. It takes its name from the mesh, which looks like the wire of a birdcage.

Can a wedding guest wear a birdcage veil?

Yes. Choose a coloured or black piece rather than white, so it reads clearly as a guest's headpiece, and keep the veil short.

How long should a birdcage veil be?

Brow length covers the forehead, eye length falls to the cheekbone or nose, chin length covers the face. The width of the net and where it is set decide which you get.

Can you wear a birdcage veil with glasses?

Yes. Choose a brow-length or eye-length veil set high enough that the frames stay visible beneath or below it.

How do you eat with a birdcage veil?

Fold the veil back on itself and pin it discreetly at the base of the piece, then let it down again afterwards.

Find your birdcage veil fascinator

All eight are hand-made in our London atelier. Browse our full range of fascinators and saucer hats and fascinators, our wedding hats, or our black hats and fascinators for evening and solemn occasions. When the date is close, our ready to ship pieces dispatch the next working day. A birdcage veil fascinator is the smallest detail with the biggest change: choose the piece for the occasion and the veil for the face.

Currency