Of hats and afternoon tea

It’s not very often that I allow myself to indulge in afternoon tea, not with cake anyway, but this was an exception to my overly strict rule.

In preparation for the Dubai World Cup and summer weddings, our dear friend, Evelyn McDermott [@eve_mac] aka The Hat Lady, organised a stylish event in the Hotel Indigo, Dubai downtown.

We were greeted by a stunning display of the amazingly talented designer, Evelyn’s hats, headpieces, call them what you will, but please don’t say ‘fascinator’!

Occasions such as this are a great opportunity to try on various styles and assess which one actually suits and works with ones face shape and hair type.

I am always taken aback by some people looking stunning in a hat that may look awful on the next lady, and there never seems to be a set rule for what will or won’t suit one. You just have to keep trying them on until you find the one that hits the mark.

It is a tremendous help to have a group of like-minded ladies alongside Evelyn’s expertise to give encouragement and inspiration and that oft required little nudge to take the plunge and decide on a hat or two or maybe even three. All put quietly away in our wardrobes and produced when the right day arrives, quite often to chimes of husbands voices, “new hat darling?”

“No dear, I’ve had it for ages,” being the standard reply!

The author is a former Derby-winning trainer and the mother of world-renowned jockeys, James & Sophie Doyle