To study the program and to learn about the horses, is important

Last weekend the highlight of the season, the „Grand Prize of Berlin“, took place at the Berlin racecourse Hoppegarten. A trip to Germany‘s biggest and most beautifully turf with its 145 years of tradition needs specifically preparations. Particularly the most elegant lady should be nominated by a jury due to the 126^th international champion-race. An incentive. Not only for the high-quality horses and jockeys.

Me wearing a dress in pastel tones of Dolce Gabbana and a hat by Berlin millener Fiona Bennett

Because the motto on such a day is called “Spruce yourself up”. I chose a dress in pastel tones of Dolce Gabbana, which I shopped many years ago at Theresa, one of my favorite shops in Munich. However in a horse race, the essential feature of an outfit is the namely elegant headwear. To me in this matter there is only one address in Berlin worth considering: Fiona Bennett’s Hat Palace.

Invited guests place on the porch of the former imperial grandstand and enjoy snacks whilst having the perfect view on the race

Tadaa, let the games begin: Glorious weather with bright blue sky in Berlin and a great visitor rush in Hoppegarten. Well protected with a gold-colored ribbons-creation, I walk past the snow-white Toto house in my Peep-Toes over the crunching gravel to the red bricked clubhouse, from whose VIP terrace – the former imperial grandstand – I observe the individual races with salmon fillet and strawberry tart. And of course I also inspect one or the other lady of the Berlin and Potsdam Society with their headdresses. And I got to see a lot!

Versatile hat creations and their wearers in Berlin Hoppegarten

The mood in Hoppegarten is wonderful. People lying in fresh-mown grass with picnic baskets, you stroll, you bet. I also tip, once I back a horse for place and once I back for a win. Unfortunately without success, but at least with a small monetary commitment. Whilst drinking a glass of champagne I’m telling myself that being there and taking part is everything.

Is number six going to win?

Suddenly I’m on stage as one of the nominated women for the “Prize for Elegance”. What an Honor! How exciting! Finding the right words when a microphone is held under your nose worked out fine. Only not with the first prize. This one goes to the lady in green. Applause. And as I said, being there is everything.

Exciting. Suddenly I find myself under the nominated ladies for the “Prize for Elegance”, whose winner was honored with a watch of the “Longines Collection”

Finally resonates the starting signal the highlight of the day, the “Grand Prize of Berlin” over a distance of 2,400 meters. Now I would also like a pair of binoculars to spot the galloping horses in the distance. The exceptional stallion “Protectionist” wins with its jockey Eduardo Pedroza and two and a half lengths lead. Its owner can look forward to the prize money of 110,000 Euros. And his wife to the “Prize for Elegance”. What a great luck, believe it or not.  BvH

Info Hoppegarten:

Hoppegarten looks back on an exciting past. Founded in 1868, Hoppegarten counted as the most important German racecourse, which attracted up to 40.000 visitors, until the First World War.  After reunification investors were sought, who should awaken the traditional racetrack with new life. 2008 the former fund manager Gerhard Schönigh, who lived in London, took over the racecourse. He renovated the historic racecourse, which is nowadays a natural and historical monument. Now every year take up to eleven days of racing place, which also attract international racing teams. With 430 hectares Hoppegarten is Germany’s biggest racecourse

Race-flair in historical ambience: Passing the snow-white Toto-house, over crunching gravel paths it’s getting onwards to the Wilhelmine wooden bleachers

Chaiman of the racecourse committee Tini Gräfin Rothkirch with Gerhard Schöningh, the owner of racecourse Hoppegarten

The leading ring: to me the most exciting place on the racecourse

Every 20 minutes before each race a dense crowd of people gets together in front of the parade ring – a small oval, in which the horses absolve some rounds in slow tempo

Preparation is everything: the jockeys talking to the owners and the trainers before the race

A glimmer of Ascot: a single gentleman was seen in cut

Final sprint!

Where are they running?

Elegant ladies and gents watch the race from the club terrace

Always stylish: Isa Gräfin Hardenberg

Hats belong to a race

PanAm-Lounge chief Natascha Bonnermann wearing the colors of the PanAm-Logo

The „Grand Prize of Berlin“, which was founded 1888 in Hoppegarten, came back to its birthplace for the first time in 2011

Media-Expert Jo Groebel and I

From Switzerland arrived: Volker and Josephine Varnholt

Grit Weiss – chic as always – with Hans-Rainer Schröder from BMW

Actor and horse fan Tom Schilling with his family

Me and the king-of-ties Jan-Henrik Scheper-Stuke

Chairman of the Race Committee is Tini Countess Rothkirch who established the new racing club

TV presenter Tanja Bülther wearing a dress by Guido Maria Kretschmer

The race is over. What a beautiful day!

Racecourse Hoppegarten:

www.hoppegarten.com

The post My perfect day at Berlin’s racecourse Hoppegarten appeared first on My Stylery.

Meet me 4 Tea

Fiona pours tea into her cup and enjoys it without milk and sugar

Since over 30 years she gives hats a contemporary touch and transfers them into new environments: The Milliner Fiona Bennett equips fashion and stage shows, decorates prominent heads and shapes hat fashion not only in Germany but worldwide. Her celebrity clientele includes Hollywood stars like Brad Pitt, Ashton Kutcher and Christina Aguilera. Her in detail handmade creations vary from practical everyday’s like the classical felt cap to sensational unique items that already graced the cover of Vogue and other fashion magazines. About 90 models emerge monthly in Fiona Bennett’s “transparent Atelier” at the Potsdamer Straße in Berlin-Schöneberg, where I meet the in England born for a cup of tea. Her being a passionate tea drinker, is as unsurprisingly as her enthusiasm for equestrian sport. Just think of England’s famous horse racing at Ascot, where it practically teems with wearers with striking hat creations. When it comes to the Berlin racecourse, the Hoppegarten, Fiona Bennett gets enthusiastic and excited about the charm of the old wooden bleachers and the spirit of the turn-of-the-century, which blows over the extensive area.

We drink jasmine tea from hand-painted “Office Mugs” of the tradition series Kurland by KPM

MyStylery: You are born in England, one must have put your tea drinking right in the cradle?
Fiona Bennett: That’s true actually. The tea is the national drink of England. My entire family is constantly drinking tea, my father is a downright tea-addict. I am an Espresso-fan and need two to get out of bed. Then I will continue with water before I change to tea. The day ends with a cup of tea.
MS: Well, the teatime in England is often celebrated with milk and sugar. How do you like it the most?
FB: I prefer the tea being pure. Moreover, the Englishman only have milk and sugar with black tea. Most of all they like the tea brand “PG Tips”, of which only the top leaves of the tea plant are used, the “Tips”. Portioned in special bags that you simply put in the jug. Done. Only sometimes I add sugar and milk. This has something cozy and reminds me of my childhood.

“The jasmine tea tastes very nice, it’s so tender”, says Fiona Bennett and enjoys

MS: Which varieties are preferably in your cup?
FB: I love ginger tea and green tea . And this Yogi mixes with the intense spices. Basically, I buy my tea in health food stores. Perhaps that would be different if there was a well-stocked tea shop near me.
MS: I’ve noticed that Englishmen like to leave the bags or loose tea in the pot. As connoisseurs we know that tea unfolds bitters after five minutes.
FB (surprised): No, also in England you only let the tea brew for two to three minutes.
MS: Why do they always serve me the extra pot with hot water then?
FB: Maybe it is believed that you could forget to remove the bag? (Laughs, pointing at me) No, in England you take the tea out to.

In the summer the motto is: rather more color on the head than less. “That looks fresh”, says Fiona

MS: With England you can also associate a different tradition, that of the horse racing. And related to this is the wearing of hats. Do you also deliver your creations to Ascot?
FB: We have many customers who order their hats for Ascot . A customer had been invited three days to the race, sitting next to Duchess Kate in the box. For the German racetracks the hat is just about to come.
MS: I have often seen hats at such events …
FB: The hat is playing an increasingly larger role, wearing a hat comes to the fore. The customers pay more attention to quality. Hat is not the same hat.

Fiona is wearing a stylish black straw hat with three blue pompoms from the summer collection. Also this creation is wonderful for a racecourse visit, I think

MS: In England they would not even think about appearing bareheaded. Even beyond the royal box or the VIP area the visitors wear hats.
FB: It is even part of the dress code, which is specified by the British royal family, including the hat size. In Ascot the hat must cover at least ten centimeters of the head. Fascinators are taboo there, knees and arms are covered. Abandoning too much cleavage is self-evident.
MS: At the Hamburger Derby you were a member of the hat jury, that choose the most beautiful hat. Is the Hamburg lady more elegant than the Berliner?
FB: The Hamburg ladies are very classic and are more used to wear hats. The more I was surprised to see the many elegant ladies in Berlin Hoppegarten.

One more beautiful and unusual than the other. Trying hats is great fun. It’s like slipping into another skin. Suddenly you’re someone else

MS: I would not necessarily have expected that …
FB: For “Ladies Day” the people from Berlin wore incredibly chic hats. It seemed like it was almost more about the hat than the horse race (laughs). Quite apart from this, Hoppegarten is the most beautiful racecourse in Germany, with a lot of potential and getting more famous stockmen and horses participating. The horse racing in this country is just not so cultured yet. Berlin has to, in this regard, close a more than 40 years old gap.
MS: Berlin is not Ascot. Nowhere, a dress code is less respected than in the German capital. Do you think that Berlin will someday discover its passion for stylish headgear?
FB: I have the feeling that they perceive the hat as an accessory and expression of vitality. Driving to Hoppegarten is an event that is celebrated. This starts already with the arrival. One prepares and drives out there, sits on the lawns, picnicking, strolls and bets. In Hoppegarten you spend a wonderful day. It is a trip that will be remembered.

Fiona Bennett relies on color: “I love yellow and cherry red, which are auspicious colors and are also very becoming.” Should I get a red one with white pompoms …

MS: Have you spotted hat-sins where you thought, ouch, that’s a no go?
FB: Of course, can’t be missed (laughs). Measureless exaggeration in the form of too much shine. Half flowerbeds were sometimes worn on the head. Of course these are eye-catchers, which are very popular with the photographers. Now, of course they are not the taste police. Fine humor I like very much, but not when it gets carnivalesque. This has nothing to do with elegance, although in Berlin it belongs a certain lightness to it.
MS: Which outfit did you like best?
FB: A lady was wearing delicate powder shades that she had finely tuned and expertly fitted to her hat. And she had a special accessory, namely a noticeable attractive man. BvH

… or should I rather choose the beige bow-hat for the “Grand Prix” in Berlin Hoppegarten this weekend? Both are very chic!

Fiona Bennett’s 100-square-metre showroom in Berlin: Here hat-dreams come true. Traditional materials for a summer hat are Sinamay and sisal, light straw-kinds, that are particularly finely woven by hand and often manufactured in Italy. Not to mention the classic Panama hat

Fiona Bennett’s Styling-Tips …

for a skillful racecourse appearance:
When it comes to the category “best dressed” in the races – like this weekend at the “Grand Prix” in  Berlin Hoppegarten – Fiona Bennett takes in inspection the overall appearance of a lady.

1.) The dress should have a monochrome silhouette and should not stand in competition with the hat.

2.) Patterned Dresses? This can be done, but skillfully, and is therefore something for stylish fashionistas.

3.) Accessories like handbag and shoes should be matched to the hat.

4.) Stiletto heels are not really suitable for racetrack visits. You could dag in the dash. Better are light plateaus or wedges

Contact Fiona Bennett:

www.fionabennett.de

„Meet me 4 Tea“ is supported by KPM – The Royal Porcelain Factory, Berlin

The post Sugar and Milk, Fiona Bennett? appeared first on My Stylery.

The 100 square meter showroom at the Potsdamer Straße is a white room that doesn’t distract from the hat creations in his design

What a remarkable, creative job I’m thinking upon entering Fiona Bennett’s hat shop at the Potsdamer Straße in Berlin and am standing in front of her incredibly beautiful creations. One hat is more impressive than the other and if I wouldn’t be looking for a specific occasion – the ‘Wiesn’ in Munich – I would be completely overchallenged.

Hat designer Fiona Bennett wears a model from her new ‘Black Cherry’-collection: Nice!

Hat designer Fiona Bennett knows the slightly enraptured and enchanted reaction of her customers. With a scrutinizing look into my green eyes she puts a lime green hat decently loaded with a lot of ornaments, starting with feathers to opulent silk flowers and shiny applications from her new garp collection onto my head. I instantaneously feel comfortable, since I like wearing hats. Yes, this could be it.

Me and a model from the new costume-collection: This hat suits me well, doesn’t it?

For months Fiona Bennett and her team have been working on the completion of the latest collection that includes seven themes and that distinguishes itself completely from the summer collection by the material and color choices. Shaped by noble velvet and patent leather, the collection that will grace the heads of many women this fall and winter is called so adequately ‘Black Cherry’. “It is quite couture-like and therefore suitable for evening occasions”, explains the designer the magnificent headdresses. “This season’s trend is reduced and pure.” Need more color? How about a model in the new powder shades.

How about a model in the new powder shades? At the atelier there is a buzzing atmosphere …

At the atelier there is a buzzing atmosphere, people steam and sew like crazy, because in two weeks the ‘Oktoberfest’ in Munich is starting: “And that is when the big demand for hats is happening, always shortly before the ‘O’zapft is’ “, smiles Fiona Bennett. She is well prepared. For the new models the milliner – how the hat designer’s job is traditionally called – has rediscovered an old artisanal tradition: creating feathers and other ornaments from the same material like the hat, felted mohair for example.

At the open show atelier the visitors can watch the hat designer’s assistants while they are working: hats are formed, wrenched and sewed, feathers wound and curled, flowers fixated and modeled

The native Brit Fiona Bennett has been living in Berlin since the 70s. Though born in Brighton, Fiona grew up in Berlin Charlottenburg and even as a little girl already knew that she wanted to do something creative and plastic. 25 years ago she learned the craftsmanship from an old Berlin milliner from scratch. Today Fiona Bennett’s creations are worn by celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Yoko Ono – and thanks to the men’s collection even by superstars Hugh Jackman, or Brad Pitt. “Often black limousines drive up and drop off the prominent clientele”, reveals Fiona Bennett, who never leaves the house without a hat herself.

Each hat model is developed in pure handiwork within several days. “It is a task full of concentration and meditative calmness”, describes Fiona Bennett her passion. A rare relict in today’s digital age

In her 100 square meter showroom Fiona Bennett also displays her amazingly soft knitting collection ‘Kiss by Fiona Bennett’, which is sold within 60 countries, besides the men and women’s hat collections. Bennett’s couture hats are often custom-made designs, as of recent, when a customer had hair of its own horse incorporated into the hat.

MyStylery loves the ‘Black Cherry’-collection: soooo beautiful and elegant

„The hat stands in the tradition of surrealism”, describes Bennett her design. “It always has something to do with leading things ad absurdum.” Yet it is important to her that a hat endues – and doesn’t disguise. The hat should reflect its owner’s personality. Back to my own hat concern and the near ‘Oktoberfest’: I decide to go with the lime green creation. The trendy flower wreaths that you can see everywhere these days are very sweet – in my opinion – for young girls. A grown woman rather chooses a suitable hat to go with her dirndl. BvH

A look into the atelier: The decoration’s stowed into countless boxes. Here the hats are being made …

… The ideas result from quiet places far away from the hustle though

In round show windows, which look like bull’s-eyes, Fiona Bennett displays her hats. The round shape pays homage to the head. Here a model from the ‘Nebula’-collection

My hat it has three corners – some have none: Like this fabulous loop-creation

These hats suit you well

On white porcelain heads Fiona Bennett displays her creations of felt, straw or mohair. The collection also includes berets, visored caps, headbands and fascinators

These models also made it into the wardrobes of Brad Pitt and Hugh Jackman

Still in progress and therefore top secret: Artificial fur is another component of her fall collection: “The idea came from the Steiff-animals”, explains Fiona Bennett. “This fake fur is made from angora and mohair and therefore extremely high quality.”

“We sell hats for each season”, says Fiona Bennett, who runs the company together with her partner Hans Böhme

Contact:
Hut Palast – Fiona Bennett
Potsdamer Str. 81
Berlin
www.fionabennett.com

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