Black and Gold Fascinators (The Evening Answer, Hand-Made Headwears)

Warm metal against black felt and satin, and the eight pieces that carry it best from a winter meeting into an evening.

A black and gold fascinator does something a plain black one cannot: it puts light at the face. Black absorbs, which is why an all-black outfit photographs as a silhouette rather than a person. Gold reflects, and a small amount of it at the head is enough to bring the whole outfit back. This is the combination for evening receptions, winter racing and any occasion lit by lamps rather than daylight.

Why gold and not silver

Undertone decides it. Gold is a warm metal and it sits against warm skin, brown and hazel eyes, and anything in the cream, camel, burgundy or bottle-green family. Silver is cool and it belongs with true white, icy pinks, grey and navy with a violet base. Against black, which is neutral, the metal is free to be chosen on the wearer rather than the outfit, and warm metal is the more flattering choice for most people in artificial light because it echoes the colour temperature of the room.

There is a practical point too. Gold-toned metal photographs as a warm highlight while silver can flare white under a flash, which is why so much evening jewellery is gold. If the occasion will be photographed indoors, gold is the safer metal at the head.

How these pieces are made

Every piece here is designed and hand-made in our London atelier. The bases are blocked by hand over traditional wooden hat blocks, a shape held under steam until the material takes it and keeps it, which is why a hand-blocked brim holds its line where a pressed one softens. Trims are built separately and stitched on by hand: silk petals cut and shaped one at a time, feathers stripped and curled, beadwork applied by needle rather than glue. Merve Bayindir is a member of the British Fashion Council with pieces selected for the Royal Ascot Style Guide. Work is made to order as part of a deliberate, low-waste way of working, and every order arrives in a custom box, with worldwide DHL Express shipping included.

Most of the pieces here are wool felt or fur felt, blocked wet over a wooden form and dried hard so the crown holds a crisp edge. The metalwork is applied afterwards by hand, in zinc alloy or copper-based metal, either stitched through the felt or set into a faux leather or velvet base. Nothing here is cast as one piece; the felt and the metal are made separately and married at the end.

Eight black and gold pieces

Prices include UK VAT. Several are single units, so it is worth checking availability before you plan an outfit around one.

VOGUE FASCINATOR

£1,000

A dramatic black silk abaca fascinator worked with gold-coloured beadwork and rooster feathers. Silk abaca has a faint sheen that plain sinamay does not, so the base itself carries light before the beading is counted. The page states it sits on a discreet headband. The most formal piece here.

DOREAL HEADBAND

£550

A black satin headband carrying intricate antique gold metalwork, with warm golden accents set against the deep black base. Antique gold rather than bright gold, which means it reads as jewellery rather than costume. Wear the hair smoothed back so the metalwork sits clear of it.

NOCTURNE FEDORA HAT

£550

A black wool felt fedora with a black grosgrain band and a metallic chain detail in warm gold, in zinc alloy. A fedora is the least ceremonial shape we make, which is exactly why it works for a winter race meeting or a city lunch. Customised orders dispatch within fifteen working days.

CLARISSE PILLBOX BERET HAT

£550

A black wool felt pillbox-style beret with a black faux leather bow on a metallic gold base and a sculpted gold spiral. The bow gives it the one soft element that keeps a pillbox from reading as uniform. Winter weddings and considered evening occasions.

AETHER FEDORA HAT

£500

A bold black wool felt fedora trimmed with freeform golden wirework. The wire is drawn rather than moulded, so no two are identical and the line changes as you move around it. The most contemporary piece on this list.

LIORA FELT BERET HAT

£500

A smooth black wool felt beret with a geometric gold-tone chain embellishment in zinc alloy. The chain runs as a line rather than a cluster, which keeps the beret's soft silhouette intact. For a day that runs from an office into an evening.

CELESTE HEADBAND

£450

A sleek black satin Alice headband carrying a statement gold chain in heavy, sculptural links. The heaviest metalwork here and the most confident. Keep the rest of the jewellery to earrings only, because the head is already doing the work.

VALKYRIE HEADBAND

£450

A sculpted black velvet headband with a gold-tone metal ring and a bow in black faux leather lined with a gold metallic base. Velvet reads warmer than satin under lamplight, which makes this the evening choice of the two bands. Customised orders dispatch within fifteen working days.

At a glance

Frequently asked questions

Is a black and gold fascinator too much for a daytime wedding?

Not if the metal is antique or warm rather than bright. Bright gold reads as evening in flat daylight. Antique gold, brass and gold-tone chain sit comfortably at a winter daytime wedding, particularly against a black, bottle green or burgundy outfit.

Should I wear gold or silver with black?

Choose on your own colouring rather than the outfit, because black is neutral and takes either. Gold suits warm skin and warm-toned eyes and photographs as a warm highlight indoors. Silver suits cool colouring and pairs better with optic white and icy pinks.

What is the difference between a beret and a pillbox?

A beret is soft and sits flat against the head with no vertical wall. A pillbox has a straight, shallow side wall and a flat crown, so it stands up off the head. Several pieces here are described as pillbox berets, meaning a blocked shallow crown worn with a beret's tilt.

Find your piece

Each piece above is blocked and trimmed by hand in our London atelier. The wider black collection holds more, and the beret hats and fedora hats ranges are where the winter shapes sit. If you are dressing a black dress rather than choosing a headpiece first, our guide to fascinator colours for a black dress takes the opposite route. A black and gold fascinator is the piece that earns its keep from October to February, and the complete range of fascinators is worth a look before you settle.