Lilac and Purple Fascinators (Lavender to Deep Plum, Hand-Made in London)

One colour family worked across its full depth, and the eight pieces that show how far it travels.

A lilac and purple fascinator is a tonal piece rather than a contrast, and that makes it the most forgiving thing in this series to wear. Instead of asking two colours to negotiate, it takes one hue and works it from the palest lavender to the deepest plum. The result reads as considered rather than bold, which is why it suits a mother of the bride as readily as a guest.

Why a tonal pairing is easier than a contrast

A tonal, or monochromatic, scheme uses one hue at several depths. Because every element shares the same underlying colour, nothing has to be resolved: the eye moves through the piece rather than between two competing points. That is why tonal dressing looks expensive, and why it is the structure most often used when someone wants presence without noise.

The one thing to settle is undertone. Lilac and lavender are cool, blue-based, and they take silver, pewter and optic white. Plum, aubergine and violet carry more red and they take antique gold, brass and cream. Mixing the two metals across one outfit is the common error. If your dress is the purple one, our guide to what colour fascinator to wear with a purple dress covers the accent question in full.

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.

Sinamay again does most of the structural work here, blocked damp and dried on the wooden form so the saucers hold their curve without wire through the edge. The goose feathers are hand-trimmed: each one stripped to the required width and curled over a blade so the arc holds. Velvet pieces are cut on the grain and worked over a padded base, since velvet cannot be blocked the way felt can. The beadwork and gemstone settings are applied last, by needle.

Eight lilac and purple pieces

Ordered from the deepest to the palest. Prices include UK VAT.

MAUVE CASCADE HAT

£2,000

A circle-shaped lilac saucer hat in a pastel mauve tone, trimmed in soft pastel hues of lilac and green. The green is the one note that keeps it from being entirely tonal, and it stops the pastel reading as sugary. The atelier states dispatch within twenty working days.

VIREL WIDE BRIM HAT

£1,900

A lilac wide-brim hat on a soft blush-lilac sinamay base, trimmed with flowers whose rich purple petals carry golden stamens. The full depth of the family in one piece, from blush-lilac ground to deep purple bloom. For an outdoor summer wedding where the brim has room.

ULMA WIDE BRIM FASCINATOR

£1,900

A sculptural deep plum statement piece carrying a delicate cluster of lilac and soft yellow blossoms. Note the name: it is built as a fascinator rather than a hat despite the width. Plum is the deepest shade we work in this family and the most formal.

FUCHSIA FLAME FASCINATOR

£1,500

A bold fuchsia pink fascinator perched on a contrasting lilac mini saucer base. The one piece here that steps outside the tonal rule, and it works because the lilac is pale enough to read as a mount rather than a competing colour. Stated to sit on a custom headband with elastic.

DUSKY AMETHYST SAUCER HAT

£1,450

A classic lilac saucer hat on a lavender sinamay base, trimmed with pink and lilac goose feathers. The feathers are hand-trimmed and curled, which is what gives the edge its softness. The most traditional silhouette on this list and the easiest to place.

FLAMENCO HEADBAND

£1,400

A headband carrying peony and fuchsia flowers in lilac, pink and ecru. The ecru is the quiet third note that stops the two pinks from fighting. Substantial for a headband, so treat it as a fascinator rather than a hair accessory.

LILAC KOI HEADBAND

£550

A soft lilac headband on a lavender base, set with gemstones in shades of silver, purple and green. The silver settles the metal question for you: this is a cool-toned piece and it wants cool jewellery. Two are in stock.

SERAPHINA HEADBAND

£550

A vibrant violet velvet headband with a spray of deep purple feathers, anchored by a gilded metal fan of branch detailing. Velvet and violet together make this the evening piece of the group, and the gilding is warm rather than bright.

At a glance

Frequently asked questions

Is purple a good colour for a wedding guest?

Yes, and nothing in British occasion dressing argues against it. The only two colour conventions a guest needs to respect are head-to-toe white or cream, which belongs to the bride, and unrelieved all-over black. Purple is neither, and a deep plum is one of the more formal choices available.

What is the difference between lilac and lavender?

Both are pale purples, but lilac carries slightly more pink and lavender slightly more blue. In practice the difference matters most for your metals: a pinker lilac will take rose gold, while a bluer lavender wants silver or pewter.

Can I wear lilac to an autumn wedding?

Change the depth rather than abandoning the colour. Pale lilac in sinamay reads as June. Deep plum or violet in velvet reads as October, and the same family carries the season if you move down it rather than across.

Find your piece

Every piece above is hand-made in our London atelier. The lilac collection and the purple collection hold more in both depths, and the autumn and winter occasion range is where the deeper plums sit. A lilac and purple fascinator is the tonal choice for someone who wants presence without contrast, and the complete range of hats and fascinators is worth browsing alongside it.