Beauty in Simplicity - Hat Week Day 2

Sometimes the most challenging thing creatively is to work within a very limited palette, yet still create something that is visually appealing.

For Day 2 of Hat Week (a celebration I created myself - you can read more about it here if you're interested), I wanted to look at creations that were restrained in their palette, yet completely exuberent in their expression.

Admittedly, it can be hard to find a restrained Derby hat, and yes, I'll be trying to find some of the most over-the-top examples I can in the coming days. But in the spirit of easing into the week gently, Monday will be pretty calm.

You might think that a white or ivory hat would be about as dull and uninspiring as a sink full of old dishwater. But take a look at the two hats here - one a fascinator, and one a broad-brimmed beauty that would shade your shoulders from the sun while you scream (oh so daintily and in your most ladylike voice) for your horse to win.

Dull? Not a chance. Unimaginative? Look at the fun the designers had with shape and line, and how the embellishments take a simple color way into something truly fun. The women who wear these will not shrink or disappear into the crowd. They will make their presence known, but they'll do it without shrieking at the top of their fashion lungs.

I set myself a challenge like this, using only shades of ivory and gold.

Using Dutch spiral for the center section and highlighting the necklace sides with freshwater pearls, I think the result was something appealing, in both the visual and tactile sense. I'm pleased to say that this piece was purchased while it was in an exhibition, so it now lives with a collector.

I wonder if she'll wear it to Derby...wouldn't that be a kick?