While fashions come and go, one thing remains true – a Derby hat is a must.
You can’t think of the Kentucky Derby without thinking of the bright and bold fashions, particularly those adorning the heads of both women and men. Whether it’s a subdued sun hat or an all-out statement piece, Derby revelers treat the event as an opportunity to show up and show out.
According to the history books, the story of Kentucky Derby hats dates back to the beginning of the race itself. Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., the founder of the Kentucky Derby, looked to prestigious races such as London’s Epsom Derby and Paris’s Grand Prix for inspiration in transforming the new American racetrack – Churchill Downs – to one associated with elegance and grand tradition.
At European races, attendees treated the events as major social gatherings equal to balls and cocktail parties for the noble set. Women and men wore elegant fashions of the time including hats and headpieces.
As the Kentucky Derby took off and became one of the world’s preeminent horse races, the media was greatly interested in who attended the race and what they wore. While the more flamboyant style of large-brimmed headpieces began to take off in the 1960s, fashion and headwear have always been central to the history of the Kentucky Derby.
The Derby, dubbed the most exciting two minutes in sports, began in 1875. At the end of the 19th century, hats indicated a certain societal status. While everyday hat-wearing became less popular at the turn of the century, donning a hat at the races continued.
During the early years of the 20th century, large-brimmed hats with large feather plums were popular. In the 1920s the flapper style dominated the races, and much smaller cloche and bucket caps were worn by women and men, according to the Kentucky Derby officials.
The 1930s and 1940s saw many similar styles to the ‘20s, with smaller hats and people opting for suits instead of dresses. The ‘50s and ‘60s exuded elegance and sophistication with statement hats making an entrance. This particular era of Derby fashion, the Kentucky Derby website said, continues to inspire present-day Derby style.
The next two decades saw bold colors and fun accents on wide-brimmed hats, while some people dropped the tradition all together. The 1990s saw hats grow even larger, while those in the infield sought more simple attire including sundresses and straw hats, the Kentucky Derby website said.
The turn of the 21st century saw a continued desire to purchase extravagant and increasingly expensive hats, even while everyday hat wearing was largely not in fashion. The highly publicized wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William in 2011 showcased fascinators, a style of headpiece that is light and affixes to the head with a headband or comb, according to the Kentucky Derby website.
Local milliners Rachel Carroll and Kate Smith, owners of The Hat Girls, said the largest trend they have seen in the 13 years they’ve been designing Derby hats is the emergence of fascinators.
“We have seen the evolution of the fascinator’s popularity grow before our eyes,” Carroll said. “When we started the business, we were making and selling a majority of hats. About seven years ago, we saw a complete change in trends. Now we sell about 70% fascinators and 30% hats.”
Sara Bachman and Valerie Netherton, owners of Fascinate Designs, agreed with the popularity of fascinators in recent years.
“We’ve definitely seen growth in the preference of fascinators over hats,” Bachman said. “We both always preferred wearing fascinators because of the comfort and flexibility in hair styling.”
Whether Derby goers prefer hats or fascinators, thousands continue to flock to local boutiques and online shops searching for the perfect hat or fascinator to complement their look.
Carroll and Smith have been creating one-of-a-kind statement pieces since 2013. The two were featured milliners of Kentucky Derby 149 and 150, and official hat designers of the Kentucky Derby Festival from 2016 to 2024. Last season, the duo made more than 2,000 hats and fascinators.
Carroll said while pink is “always the most popular color for Derby fashion,” they are seeing more orange and yellow being incorporated into spring dresses, and anticipate those colors to be desirable.
Their storefront is located at 211 Clover Lane, Suite H in St. Matthews. Visit their online shop at thehatgirls.com and view them on Instagram @thehatgirls.
Bachman and Netherton say they focus on what they believe will be trending colors of each Derby season.
“Pink always tops the request list,” Bachman said. “We are also anticipating all shades of purples and greens this year too.”
Check out Fascinate Designs at fascinatedesigns.com, or on Instagram @fascinatedesigns. To view pieces in the store, Collections Boutique in Westport Village carries recent designs.
Nicole Finch, owner of Magnolia Millinery, said she takes inspiration from “different eras and things I see in everyday life.”
“With popular shows like ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘The Gilded Age’, it’s hard to not admire the millinery from that era; the pieces in both of those shows are incredible,” said Finch, who has been making hats since 2009.
She describes her style as one that stands out from the crowd, with a little bit of Southern charm, a dash of over-the-top, but always classy.
Magnolia Millinery is the exclusive milliner for a new Hallmark Channel movie called “Derby Romance”. The movie is a love story about a man training his horse for the Kentucky Derby and a woman who makes hats for the big race. It’s scheduled to premier in April. Finch’s designs are featured prominently throughout the film.
Visit magnoliamillinery.com, or @magnoliamillinery on Instagram, to check out Finch’s headpieces.
