When it comes to selecting a hat for the Melbourne Cup carnival, ignore advice from the betting ring to go big or go home. Styles big or small will meet with the approval of the city’s milliners.

“There is no hat trend,” says milliner Jill Humphries . “Big hats, pillboxes, fedoras are all creating amazing silhouettes.”

Milliner Felicity Northeast adds: “The pillbox style is great because people can push it a bit further on the back of their head, or tilt it to the side.

“There’s more than fascinators.”

Louise Macdonald, who in July displayed her hats at the 2025 Festival du Chapeau in France, says size doesn’t matter. “Felicity has had customers ordering wide brims, while I’ve found smaller styles are popular,” Macdonald says. “Size doesn’t matter. It’s just reassuring that people

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