Paula Beneytez, CEO of Marcela & Co, the Madrid-based hat brand: "I am inspired by royals."

Becoming the ideal wedding guest depends not only on your outfit but also on your accessories. Fascinators become the star accessory when it comes to weddings and special events. Today on COOLthelifestyle We interviewed Paula Beneytez, founder of Marcela & Co, the Spanish headpiece company that makes all its headpieces by hand in its Madrid workshop. Next, the expert in this field tells us about her new collection of Autumn-Winter 2024 , sharing with us the new trend shapes of this season, as well as the fashionable colors.

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Question: Who is behind Marcela & Co and what do you offer your clients?

Answer: " Behind Marcela & Co is me, Paula Beneytez. We offer our clients fascinators, wide-brimmed hats, headbands, wedding accessories such as handbags... Everything."

Q: At Marcela & Co do you serve by appointment?

A: "We are delighted to welcome our clients to our atelier in Pozuelo. We operate by appointment to ensure the most personalized service possible. Clients can bring everything they own, such as their dress and other accessories, to see what best complements their look and achieve the perfect result."

Q: Do you make custom-made fascinators? What is the process for adjusting a fascinator once it has been selected by the client?

R: "Yes, of course we make custom headpieces; as long as what they ask for is within what we master, what we know how to do and we can guarantee the client that we will offer her exactly what she wants.

For the fitting of the headpiece, clients usually come to see us at our atelier in Pozuelo. We see them by appointment. They typically come with the dress they'll be wearing, as well as their other accessories. Based on that, we determine what will suit them best. We also take into account when the wedding is and what role they have in it. We then create the headpiece, and it usually takes two to three weeks, depending on the season.

Q: Are there headpieces suitable for evening or daytime? Which ones do you recommend?

R: "Yes. For daytime, a wide-brimmed hat, for example. A wide-brimmed hat, a headband with a veil... Anything like that. And then for the evening, well, you can always wear a headband without a veil or hairpins..." Rhinestones , tiny feather details, but always something very small that allows you to play with the sparkle and feathers. But what I definitely wouldn't wear is anything that covers your face.

And as for colors, in the end it's like everything else. At night, there's always a tendency towards metallic tones, dark tones, and during the day, people always crave more earthy tones, bougainvillea, blues, any fashionable color."

Q: What are the trends you would say will be around this fall/winter?

A: "Well, this autumn-winter the colors are Klein blue, the whole range of reds, chocolate, olive green and then, in addition to that, the headpieces are quite minimalist, many with stems. There are also flowers, large flowers."

In this season's collection, we've focused on wool and felt fascinators , which are very original and add a lot of style to winter. And then there are the wide-brimmed hats in different shapes; we've opted for more pointed shapes instead of the round, oval ones we've used in the past. It's a way of changing the trend from other seasons and offering something different.

Q: The new collection is in line with current trends. But what inspires you to create the headpieces?

A: "Well, in everything. I love everything that has to do with..." royals And seeing old photos of what they wore before, what they wear now… I love trying to adapt that! They tend to be quite sophisticated designs. In Spain, hats aren't as sophisticated as, for example, in the UK or in Europe in general. I like adapting those hats for simpler women, who obviously aren't queens or princesses. But, taking that inspiration, I create something similar, but much simpler.”

Q: How long does it take to make a headpiece?

A: "We're usually quite quick at making headpieces. If it's something we already have made, it can be ready in a week. But if it's something that needs to be personalized, we'd need two weeks. Maybe three, if it's peak season; it depends on the time of year and the pieces chosen."

Q: What is the manufacturing process?

A: "Well, the first thing we do is choose the materials. Sinamay is still used in both summer and winter, although we later incorporate felt, velvet, and other fabrics. Once the materials are chosen, we look at the trending colors. Ultimately, people will look for the colors that are in style this year. So, a client might have a dress in a fashionable color and want a more neutral headpiece. That's why we always have headpieces in neutral colors. However, it can also happen that a client has a neutral dress from another season and wants to update it with a fashionable headpiece."

This year, Klein blue is incredibly popular. Any client can own a navy blue dress and accessorize it in Klein blue to give it this year's trendy touch. It's also super important to consider which colors flatter you because often a dress offers many options, but if a color doesn't suit your complexion, there's no point in wearing it.

Q: Is it common for a person to fall in love with a headpiece and then look for a matching dress, or does it happen the other way around?

A: "Both cases occur. There are clients who are very regular, so, being such frequent customers, they have seen the headpieces and go directly for a specific one. And other clients, who are the majority, come with a dress and leave the headpiece until the end, because many times they don't know if they are going to wear it or not. So, well, it depends; the process is different."

Q: How does a guest's headpiece differ from that of a bride or the bride's family members?

A: "The bride's headpiece differs from that of any guest mainly in color, because most brides wear white headpieces. It's true that some brides change for the reception to something very daring, like a bold feather headband, but most still wear white. Bridal headpieces are usually headbands, more classic in style. They're also often made from the same crepe or fabric as the bride's dress. Some brides do opt for a wide-brimmed hat, but they're in the minority. Ultimately, the color is the main difference; otherwise, they're very similar."

Q: Looking ahead to autumn, which fascinator usually sells best? Which is your best seller ?

R: « Our best seller It's the baroness tiara. They're made of sinamay, completely by hand. It'll never go out of style; we have 50 colors, and it's our best seller because the knot is so flattering. Plus, it can be worn day or night: during the day with a veil, and at night, of course, tucked in.

Q: Does Marcela & Co only sell or also rent?

A: "The fascinators can be for sale or rented. And the wide-brimmed hats too. But not the headbands. We always try to personalize the fascinators. Depending on the model, it's more or less possible. For example, headbands can be made in many colors. Sometimes it's possible, sometimes it's not, but we always try to adapt them. We might not be able to customize the entire wide-brimmed hat, but we can adapt the stems or the flowers."