HAT-A-TUDE DERBY HATS
You have to go back to the beginning of the Kentucky Derby to find the answer to why Ladies wear hats to the Kentucky Derby…Drum roll…now a little History which you can quote to your friends at the Derby while sipping a Mint Julep:
In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. (grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition) traveled to England to attend the famous horse race known as the Epsom Derby which had been running annually since 1780. He became very keen to bring this spectacular English society horse racing affair to the US. Horse racing was common in the US, but it did not have this social prestige. With the promise of gifted land from his uncles, John and Henry Churchill, Col. Meriwether and his wife set about marketing the idea to the ladies and gentlemen of Louisville, Kentucky society. On May 17th, 1875, approximately 10,000 spectators wearing “full morning dress” enjoyed al fresco meals while watching fifteen three-year-old thoroughbreds thunder a distance of 1 1/2 miles. Ladies and gents dressed in their finest…including HATS! . “Women coordinated their hats, dresses, bags, their shoes and their parasols,” said Ellen Goldstein, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. “To go to a horse racing event was really a regal affair."
Thus the Kentucky Derby became not only the most famous thoroughbred horse race in the US, but also a celebration of fashion, southern culture and tradition. This year, May 6 will be 143rd running of the “Run for the Roses.”
With cameras clicking and worldwide press coverage, ladies and gentlemen of today can be recorded in their regalia. The Derby is all about the HAT! Browse through the PHOTOS of Ladies wearing their Hat-A-Tude Hats at the Races through the years at HAT-A-TUDE.com. (Dropdown Button at top of homepage)
Ladies, please choose the Hat first! It is so much easier. Call (888)832-0630 or Email me, Kathi, your personal hat designer, for a Free consultation. Your Derby Hat will make a Statement and I will help you make the right Statement!
Kathi
www.hat-a-tude.com
(888)832-0630
PS/ Plan your Hat & Outfit early. Ground shipping @ Hat-a-Tude is Free. Express is not!
