I love fascinators.  It’s (usually) a giant, fun thing you can wear on your head and play dress up.  I’m adding it to my list of statement accessories that need to be more utilized.  Over here in the states, we shy away from  the fancy fascinators.  We gasp and poke fun at the silly British royalty that dons these hats like there’s no tomorrow.  I will admit, Princess Beatrice looked a tad bit silly at the Royal Wedding.  Anyways, why don’t more people in the US wear them, especially in fashion-forward New York?

My theory? They don’t know how to! Besides the actual act of assembling them on your head, would you actually know how to style one?  Luckily, my resident fascinator creator, Tocame Mika, sent me one for practice and challenged me to style it three different ways. (Be sure to look at her new pieces. They are unbelievable!)

This look I like to call ‘Be a Princess.’ No one can do it better than the royals, so why not emulate them?With a basic wrap dress, heels, simple diamond jewelry, and nude tights included, I felt just like the Dutchess of Windsor.  Well, minus the part of actually having a title.

For the next look, I wanted to go all glam.  With a $30 vintage fur shrug, I imagined I was back in the 50s when people actually made a point to get dressed up when they went out, regardless of where they were going.

For the final look, I wanted to wear the fascinator in a more casual way. I kept it simple with black pants and a cream button-down.  With my hair in a side braid, I tried to treat the fascinator as a hair accessory rather than a fancy hat.  That mentality really did wonders. I could totally see wearing this to brunch or a girl’s night out.

What do you think of fascinators?