These absurd Royal Ascot hats put typical Kentucky Derby headwear to shame

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What is it about a horse race that drives people to don the most feathery, umbrella-like object they can find in their house and call it a hat? Besides the practical function of blocking the sun from their eyes, on Ladies Day during the Royal Ascot, women are actually required to wear a hat that covers "the crown of their head" while in the Royal Enclosure, a policy which dates back centuries. While the tradition lives on in the American Kentucky Derby, there's no question that the Brits do bizarre toppers best, and the annual five-day horse race in Ascot is the best embodiment of the bizarre sartorial display. Take a gander at some of this year's nuttiest looks:

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