I'm Fascinated by.....

A couple years back while I was travelling through Spain, I kept seeing women with these ornate and fanciful decorations in their hair. Not the traditional peinetas or flamenco hair combs worn by a senorita of high society, but something else that the Spanish women were carrying off with elegance and aplomb.

The Spanish tradition at weddings is that the groom’s family arrives and enters the church, while the bride's family waits outside for the bride and her father to arrive and then follow the bride and her papa into the Cathedral as some sort of extravagantly dressed entourage. Personally, I believe it is because the bride's side of the family is often much more ornately dressed and wish to show off their finery. As an observer, this gave me plenty of time to enjoy how beautifully the women were dressed. The dresses, the shoes, the matching handbags . . .at 10:00am! But what really caught my attention were the elaborate decorations in their hair. Feathers, sparkle, sequins, beads, rhinestones, tulle netting . . .all either clipped in or held in place by a slim head band. Back in Canada, I described these to my mom, to which she said "oh, you mean a fascinator!"

I believe Sarah Jessica Parker summed it up best as her character Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City - The Movie when she said,

“I put a Bird on my head”
“Is that what it was? I thought it was feathers.”
“No, it was a bird.”
“oh, it was beautiful.”

From that scene on, the explosion of feathered and frilly head gear has been quite remarkable. Sure, women have been adorning their heads for centuries (think Marie Antoinette and her fabulous famous sailing ship hair piece) in attempt to obscure perpetual bad hair days but in the last couple years this ritual has become trend (once again) rather than necessity.

If you’re looking for demure and romantic bridal concoctions, then look no further than myrakim and Amie Noel Designs. Both are gorgeous for afternoon weddings in the garden . . or just afternoons in the garden for that matter. No wedding required.

Golden Bouquet custom order (right)

"Luna" Ivory Chiffon Flower with Pearl Center (left)

Whatever the occasion, you are sure to receive compliments whenever you wear a fascinator in your hair. I have a couple that I wear from time to time. My favourites are actually a couple of bright red poinsettias with feathers and crystals that I wear around Christmas. I receive many compliments each time I do. they add just a little bit of whimsy and make people smile.