HATS OFF

By Benjamen Judd

It’s Spring. Which means it’s also race season. Giddyup!

Once considered the sport of kings, it’s now mostly the ladies who wear the crowns and it’s off the racecourse where the real competition is taking place.

Fashion spectacles at the races have become infamous over the years. Mostly for the level of effort that people put into their outfit choices for the day. Sometimes for the monumental disasters that can, and do, occur (orange is NOT natural skin colour people!). One of our favourite things about race season is all the super fun hats that appear, adorning heads left, right and centre. Where do these people get these gems? They’re like the cupcakes of headwear and can be just as tricky to pull off. And if you have ever had a bad cupcake you know what we are talking about…

Your first step is to find yourself a decent milliner. No one wants to experience the faux pas of turning up at the same party in the same outfit as someone else. Did Brenda and Kelly from Beverly Hills 90210 teach us nothing? Hello Suzy O’Rourke. With a background in costume design, Suzy has an instinct for dramatic flair and an eye for the eye-catching.

After launching her millinery label back in 2003, she has since hatted the well-coiffed heads of Miranda Kerr, Natalie Imbruglia and racing royalty Kate Waterhouse and Emma Freedman.

O’Rourke’s creations are sculptural masterpieces, handcrafted in her own studio in Sydney. Suzy does offer the option of either custom made or ready-to-wear hats available in either David Jones or her website.

For more information, or to contact Suzy to discuss making your own special hat all for you, head to her website here.