Vintage-Inspired Fascinators (Eight Pieces and the Decades Behind Them)

From the Merve Bayindir atelier in London: the shapes of the 1920s to the 1960s, how each one was worn, and eight hand-made pieces that carry them into today.

A vintage-inspired fascinator borrows a shape, an angle or a detail from an earlier decade and makes it new: the tilt of a 1930s doll hat, the veiling of a 1950s cocktail hat, the clean lines of a 1960s pillbox. None of the pieces below is a reproduction. Each is hand-made in our London atelier from modern materials and meant to be worn with the clothes you already own. What makes a vintage fascinator work is knowing which decade it is quoting, because that tells you where it sits on the head and what to wear with it.

 

Eight vintage-inspired pieces from our atelier

Arranged roughly by the decade each one quotes. Prices include UK VAT.

AMENITA HEADBAND

£450

A light green silk sateen headband carrying a soft vintage veil, with a small wired resin detail of see-through leaves and matte flowers to one side. A quiet nod to the jewelled bands of the 1920s, it carries from afternoon tea to a wedding.

STORY BOATER HAT

£1,000

A purple parasisal mini boater with a sleek, structured shape and a cluster of purple and hot pink violets on the left. It is worn tilted to the right, the small hat and strong angle of the 1930s, for summer weddings, garden parties and race days.

TILDA BERET HAT

£550

A black wool felt beret on a structured, softly rounded shape, embroidered with a raised abstract motif in tonal black thread. The beret was a 1940s staple; the lace-like embroidery makes it one to look at closely.

ANNA HALF HAT

£950

A rose gold half hat whose padded base hugs the crown, set with geometric mirrored panels in rose and clear, fine beadwork along its lattice and a champagne satin lining. The mid-century half hat, made architectural.

GEORGETTE FASCINATOR

 

 

£1,100

A black button fascinator on a round sateen base covered in lace tulle and fine beadwork, with black silk roses at the front, two metallic orbs among them, and a black netted veil in a geometric pattern falling across the back. A 1950s cocktail hat in spirit, for formal days, funerals and the races.

LUCIE FASCINATOR

£1,000

A navy button fascinator topped with violets in yellow and blue-violet, and a stiffened netted veil that falls just below the eyes, its fine hexagonal mesh sitting close over the face. The soft-focus veiled line of the 1950s, in a colour that works from spring to autumn.

DUSKIR FASCINATOR

£1,200

A black sinamay pillbox covered with an embroidered lace veil that cascades over the face and shoulders, with a bow at the crown. A composed, respectful piece for the days that ask for one.

ELODIE PILLBOX HAT

 

 

£550

Soft ivory wool felt in pillbox form, with a small felt stem at the crown and miniature golden metal bows scattered across the surface. The 1960s pillbox with a playful modern finish, for winter events and festive gatherings.

At a glance

The decades behind the shapes

The 1920s: close to the head

The defining hat of the decade was the cloche, a bell-shaped hat pulled low to the eyebrows, popularised by Parisian milliners in the early 1920s and worn until the early 1930s. It suited the new short haircuts, which is why it sat so close to the head. For evening, the bandeau took its place: a band worn low across the forehead, often jewelled or feathered. A slim, decorated headband worn a little lower than usual, with the hair smoothed, is the easiest way to quote the 1920s today.

The 1930s: small and tilted

Hats shrank and moved forward. The doll hat, a miniature hat worn tipped over one eye and held on with an elastic, was the look of the decade, and the brimless pillbox first appeared on women in these years too. The rule was the angle: forward and to one side. A mini boater worn at a strong tilt, like Story, carries exactly that line.

The 1940s: berets, turbans and the half hat

When clothes rationing began in Britain in June 1941, hats were not rationed, and they became the one place a wartime wardrobe could still change. Berets, turbans, snoods and small tilted hats were everywhere. The half hat, a shaped band that curved over the crown and stopped above the ears, belongs to the 1940s and 1950s, and it sat back on the head to show the hair.

The 1950s: the cocktail hat

The small hat made for evening. It had a fully formed, visible base, often covered in fabric or lace, and it was finished with veiling that fell over part of the face. This is the shape most people picture when they say vintage fascinator, and it is the ancestor of the modern button fascinator with a veil. Our guide to hats and fascinators with veils covers placement and length.

The 1960s: the pillbox

The pillbox, a neat, flat-topped drum with no brim, became the hat of the early 1960s, worn on the back of the crown with the hair set in volume beneath it. The most famous example, worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at the 1961 presidential inauguration, was fawn. Our history of the pillbox hat tells the full story.

What makes a vintage fascinator work is knowing which decade it is quoting: that tells you where it sits and what to wear with it.

How to wear a vintage-inspired fascinator today

• Quote one decade per look. A 1950s veil with a 1960s shift dress and 1920s beading reads as costume. Choose one reference and let the rest of the outfit stay modern.

• Get the angle right. Cloche lines sit low on the brow. 1930s and 1940s pieces tilt forward and to one side. Cocktail hats sit forward over one eye. Pillboxes sit on the back of the crown.

• Let the hair do the period work. Set waves, a smooth victory roll or a low chignon will make a modern piece look vintage without anything else changing.

• Keep the clothes clean-lined. A plain dress or a sharp coat lets the headpiece carry the reference.

• For a themed event, go further. Our guide to what to wear to the Goodwood Revival covers dressing for a full period day.

How our vintage-inspired pieces are made

Every piece in this edit is hand-made in our London atelier using the same methods the originals were: bases blocked by hand, veiling cut and set to fall at a chosen point on the face, flowers assembled petal by petal, beads and trims sewn on one at a time. 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.

Find your vintage-inspired fascinator

All eight are hand-made in our London atelier. Browse our full range of fascinators, our pillbox hats, wool beret hats and boater hats, or our saucer hats and fascinators for another mid-century shape. When the date is close, our ready to ship pieces dispatch the next working day. The best vintage fascinator is one that knows its decade and wears it lightly.