A Summer of Hats: Our 2026 Season Round-Up
What a summer it has been at Layla Leigh Millinery!
The summer season is always one of our favourite times of year, and 2026 has been filled with beautiful occasions, wonderful clients and, of course, plenty of fabulous hats.
From elegant wedding headpieces and bespoke bridal creations to statement hats designed for the season’s most prestigious racing events, our work has taken us from intimate celebrations to some of the biggest dates in the social calendar.
A Royal Ascot Highlight
One of the most special moments of our season was seeing Her Grace The Duchess of Richmond and Gordon take part in the Royal Carriage Procession at Royal Ascot, travelling in Carriage Number 2 alongside Prince William and Princess Catherine.
Her bespoke Layla Leigh Millinery hat was specially created to complement her beautiful dress by Suzannah, with the design, colour and detailing carefully considered to work seamlessly with the outfit.
It was an absolute honour to create such an important piece for Her Grace and to see the finished look take its place in one of Royal Ascot's most iconic traditions. Seeing a bespoke Layla Leigh creation travelling through the gates of Ascot in the Royal Procession was undoubtedly one of the highlights of our year.
Royal Ascot is always one of the most exciting dates in the millinery calendar, and this year was particularly memorable. From sophisticated wide-brimmed hats to striking sculptural designs, we were delighted to create bespoke pieces for clients attending the meeting and to see each hat come to life alongside their carefully chosen outfits.
Weddings, Race Days & Summer Celebrations
Alongside Royal Ascot, we have had a wonderfully busy summer creating bespoke hats and headpieces for weddings, wedding guests and special celebrations.
There is something particularly special about creating millinery for a wedding. Whether it is an elegant mother-of-the-bride hat, a sophisticated piece for a wedding guest or a bespoke bridal headpiece, we love being part of such an important occasion.
We have also been busy creating pieces for some of the UK's most celebrated racing events, including Royal Ascot, the Epsom Derby and Goodwood. Each race meeting brings its own inspiration, and we love working with clients to develop colours, fabrics and details that make their millinery completely personal.
Our bespoke service allows every element to be considered around the wearer — from the silhouette and scale of the hat to the colour, fabric, feathers, bows and finishing details. Whether you are looking for timeless elegance or something more daring, our aim is always to create a piece that makes you feel confident, stylish and wonderfully unique.
As we look back on a busy and inspiring summer, we would like to say a huge thank you to all of our wonderful clients who have trusted Layla Leigh Millinery to be part of their special occasions.
From weddings and celebrations to the excitement of the racecourse and the splendour of Royal Ascot, it has been a summer filled with creativity, craftsmanship and some very memorable hats.
And as one season comes to an end, we are already looking forward to the next — with new designs, new commissions and plenty more reasons to wear a fabulous hat.
Here’s to another season of dressing up, celebrating and wearing something wonderfully unique.
— Layla Leigh Millinery
