Burgundy and Black Fascinators (The Autumn Alternative to Wearing Black)

Wool felt, jet netting and copper-toned blooms, and the four pieces that carry burgundy through the cold half of the year.

A burgundy and black fascinator does the job an all-black outfit is supposed to do, without the difficulty that comes with it. Unrelieved black reads as too sombre for a celebration unless something breaks it. Burgundy is the break. It holds the same depth and formality, it sits comfortably in autumn and winter light, and the black in the trim keeps it from tipping into anything festive.

Why burgundy carries black better than any other colour

Burgundy is a low-value red, which means it is already close to black in tone while remaining unmistakably a colour. That closeness is what makes the combination work: there is no jarring step between the two, so black netting or a black band reads as shading rather than as a second colour. Try the same trim on a mid-tone blue or green and it looks bolted on.

One correction worth making, because it circulates. Burgundy was never a half-mourning colour. Victorian mourning was a codified system with its own warehouses and its own cloth, and what it demanded was dull, matte fabric such as crepe rather than a particular shade of red. The colour that carried the half-mourning stage was purple, not wine. Burgundy arrives at an occasion with no funeral history attached to it at all. Our guide to burgundy fascinators for weddings sets out where the colour belongs.

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.

This is the felt group, and felt is the most physical thing the atelier makes. Wool felt arrives as a soft cone, is softened with steam and pulled down over a wooden block by hand, then left to dry hard so the crown holds a crisp edge and a sharp brim line. Nothing is cut to shape first; the shape is pulled into the material. The netting on the pillboxes is stretched and pinned across the blocked crown while the geometry is set, and the blooms are built separately from silk chiffon and taffeta before being stitched in.

Four burgundy and black pieces

Four pieces, which is the whole of this combination in the current collection. All four are felt, and all four belong to the cold half of the year. Prices include UK VAT.

BIJOUE PILLBOX FASCINATOR

£700

Burgundy wool felt and synthetic leather on a button-shaped base, with angular black netting tracing a faceted geometry across the crown and an architectural bow rising in the same lattice. The netting is what gives it depth in photographs, where a plain burgundy felt can flatten out. Small, stable and entirely suited to a receiving line.

VINE PILLBOX FASCINATOR

£650

A burgundy wool felt pillbox with two hand-crafted iridescent blooms in deep plum, wine and copper tones, each petal shaped by hand and finished with a small jet-black beaded centre. The copper is the warm element that keeps a deep burgundy from reading as severe, and it settles the metal question for you.

SABLE FEDORA HAT

£550

A rich burgundy wool felt fedora in a deep wine tone, with a sleek black band and bold gold-tone metal chain detailing in zinc alloy. A fedora is the least ceremonial shape here, which makes it the piece for a winter race meeting or a city lunch rather than a church.

SYLPH FEDORA HAT

£500

A burgundy wool felt fedora with black wire detailing and a black metal swan set with rhinestone. Quieter than Sable and more graphic, since the wire reads as drawn line rather than as applied weight. The least expensive piece on this list.

At a glance

Frequently asked questions

Is burgundy and black too dark for a wedding?

No, and it answers a real difficulty. Unrelieved black reads too sombre for a celebration unless something breaks it. Burgundy supplies that break while keeping the depth, which is why it has quietly become the autumn alternative to black.

What metal goes with burgundy?

It depends on undertone. Claret, merlot and bordeaux are blue-based and cool, and they take champagne gold, rose gold or pewter. Oxblood and maroon are brown-based and warm, and they want brass, copper or antique gold. Hold the fabric against something chocolate brown: a warm burgundy harmonises, a cool one suddenly looks violet.

Can I wear a burgundy and black fascinator in summer?

Rarely, and the material is the reason rather than the colour. Every piece in this combination is wool felt, which reads as autumn regardless of the weather. A burgundy piece at a June marquee wedding looks out of season however well it is made.

Find your piece

All four are blocked by hand in our London atelier. The burgundy collection is small at present, so it is worth checking availability early, and the black collection runs deeper. The autumn and winter occasion range is where this palette belongs, and the fedora hats and pillbox hats groupings hold the two shapes above. A burgundy and black fascinator is the piece that carries from a September wedding through to Christmas, which is a better return than most occasion headwear gives.