Hat chat is hot to trot

The fascinator has evolved from its humble beginnings as a glorified hairclip with feathers to come of age in new towering, structured creations and tiny pillbox or button hats on headbands or elastics, also known as hatinators. Large, wide-brimmed hats are, well, old hat.

John Kasriel and wife Molly of Kasmo Design are responsible for a large percentage of what ends up on women's heads at Flemington in spring through his multiple hat labels including Fiona Powell, Morgan & Taylor and men's label, Blake.

He said if the Caulfield races were any indication, the hat-fascinator mix has dropped from 40 per cent hats last year to only 20 per cent this year.

"It's a big, big change as people have all of a sudden decided that fascinators or hatinators are what they want to wear and 95 per cent of them are on headbands," Mr Kasriel said. "What women feel frumpy in now is the big, structured hat with the tall crown and the side swoop and that sort of look. That's definitely old."

Myer's millinery buyer Sarah Perry said low-slung 1920s-style headbands were popular with the masses this year and flowers will rule over feathers. Hot pink and purple are likely to be the colours of the carnival along with Melbourne's much-loved perennial black.

Myer's hat department was frantic with last-minute shoppers at lunchtime yesterday.