Fascinator
A fascinator is a formal headpiece, a style of millinery. Since the 1990s, the term has referred to a type of formal headwear worn as an alternative to the hat; it is usually a large decorative design attached to a band or clip. In contrast to a hat, its function is purely ornamental: it covers very little of the head and offers little or no protection from the weather. An intermediate form, incorporating a more substantial base to resemble a hat, is sometimes called a hatinator.
In recent times, especially in countries like Australia and New Zealand, the term ‘fascinator’ has devolved to often refer to mass-produced cheap hairpieces (and used in a more derogatory sense); pieces handmade by qualified milliners are referred to instead by the generic term ‘headpiece’, or by the particular style such as cocktail hat, percher, etc.
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