I loooove this hat! I just got it (ordered it with faster shipping because I need it for Derby Day tomorrow!) I ordered several hats that match outfits I could wear and I decided that I would pick the perfect hat first and that would determine the outfit I would wear. I pulled this hat out of a 2 gallon sized ziplock bag. It was shipped in a padded envelope but I think that's better than a box. The hats that came in boxes were forced into the boxes so that the brim wires were literally squared off. This one "floated" in a large padded envelope. It had about a 2" thick piece of bubble wrap on the inside top of the crown. This definitely helped keep the crown rounded with a sharp edge around the top (no wrinkles). I looked at some of the hats that came in the boxes and could see wasting A LOT of time steaming, shaping and bending brim wires to get them looking decent. THIS one literally popped up into a perfect shape (including the organza loops - and even the thin black feathers)! This black hat with multicolored edging around the organza ruffles will go well with the black dress I picked it for. The rest of the hats are going back! One thing to think about - I made up my mind to go to this party on Wednesday. I just figured a fabulous hat would be an impossibility. But I just randomly did a search on Amazon and was SHOCKED at all the results!!! But the My Fair Lady Ascot Races pink and black hat that I REALLY wanted was not shipped from the Amazon warehouse when it should have been! So, I am so glad I ordered black hats in 2 different designs and accent colors. So ordering a few is definitely my advice! As for the pink and black - I am kinda hoping it doesn't live up to my expectations because THIS one is really pretty. Oh, well. There's always next year to be My Fair Lady!