I recently had the opportunity to attend the Breeder’s Cup, a highly important race among thoroughbred racing enthusiasts. Of course you KNOW that a lady dares not show up at such a classic racing event without first visiting the proper milliner. Hatware is of utmost importance if one wants to be accepted in polite horsey society. So I set out to find the perfect hat.
Where does one go to find a hat? Well, a Kentucky lady is perhaps more fortunate than others. Nearby at Churchill Downs, venue of the Kentucky Derby, is a hat museum. I journeyed the hourlong trip to Louisville, Kentucky to see what ladies of good breeding have selected in the past.
What awaited me there was a veritable array of elaborate (and sometimes really weird) headware.
Thia one, while interesting, was a definite “no.” It did NOT go with my dress!
I found some good possibilities in this display.
Now, if I were riding a horse instead of sitting at a cushy table watching the race, I might have elected to go with something like this.
The simplicity of this one appealed to me a lot. The price tag of $250 did not.
This was…uh…interesting.
I really do love the feathers.
This looked like it couldn’t possibly be a hat, but the photograph next to it proved that at least one lady did find a way to wear it.
There’s something to be said for the simple black and white hat.
Ahhh…now we’re getting somewhere. I loved this one.
On to the millinery. I had a BLAST trying on hats!
I almost had this one in my shopping bag. If my husband hadn’t seen the $300 price tag, I would have bought it!
The one on the left makes me look like a flapper, while the one on the right qualifies me to assist Sherlock Holmes.
This one was up on a display too tall for me to reach. I figured the price was probably out of reach as well.
I loved the fun flowers!
At the race, I was attuned to hats. I asked many ladies if they would mind posing for a picture of their hats. They were obviously as pleased with their headwear as I was mine.
Of course, hats aren’t the only thing people wear to a horse race. I wonder who these folks were betting on?
And it isn’t only the women who dressed for the race.
So what did I end up with? Well, I came close to going with a classic Fascinator that I liked very well.
But in the end, I selected a hat that matched my dress, and was unlike any others I had seen. No feathers or flowers. IN fact, I look like a cross between Lady Mary of Downton Abbey and the Mad Hatter.
All in all, a fun and informative exercise in millinery and ladies’ fashion! I believe this might show up in a book sometime.
