Living Well 60+ May-June 2014

Hats, Horses
Go Hand in
Hand at Derby
Tradition is
important part of
great Churchill race
by Tanya J. Tyler, Editor
When you think of the Kentucky
Derby, you probably picture not
just sleek, swift Thoroughbreds
running for the roses on the
first Saturday in May; not just
Churchill Down’s famous twinspired
grandstand; not just the
inevitable infield madness.
You think hats.
“I can hardly believe they’d let
women in Churchill Downs on
Derby Day without a hat on. It
just seems like it’s almost sacrilegious,”
said Sherrie Goebel, owner
of Nitro of Frankfort, a women’s
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clothing store that hosts an annual
Derby hat trunk show. The first
lady of Kentucky always kicks off
the event by choosing her Derby
hat, which the store then puts on
display.
What is the connection between
the Kentucky Derby – “the greatest
two minutes in sports” – and
hats?
“It’s tradition,” Goebel said. “The
big thing is you have to have a
comfortable hat – one that’s not
too heavy because once you put
it on your head, it doesn’t come
off. It has to be comfortable when
you’re going to put it on in the
morning and then have it on for
10 or more hours.” Some people
go the Governor’s Breakfast in
Frankfort on Derby morning and
then head to Louisville for the
races. Since the big race usually
goes off around 6 p.m., it can indeed
make for a very long day.
A few years ago, fascinators were
all the rage at the Derby after
people saw guests wearing them
at the wedding of Prince William
and Kate Middleton.
“We still have versions of that,”
Goebel said. “Some of the gals
like them because they’re fun
and they’re sometimes a little
outrageous. We had some in this
year that are a little smaller than
what a typical fascinator would
be; they’re like a little hair clip.
They’re really cute.”
Goebel said her clients either
match their hat to a dress they’ve
already chosen or buy the hat first
and then coordinate their outfit.
“Sometimes they just fall in love
with a hat and work backward
from there,” she said.
Hat prices can range from about
$60 to $200. “If you want to add
some feathers or flowers or that
type of thing, it might be $20 to
$40 in additions,” Goebel said.
Some people wait till late in Derby
Week to choose their headwear.
“Typically as we get closer to Derby,
it gets wilder because people
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know what the weather is going
to be by then,” Goebel said. The
weather determines how elaborate
people get with their hats. “If it’s
going to rain, they’re going to be
a little lower key and not put that
much more money into it because
it might get ruined by the end of
the day,” Goebel said.
Goebel said many of the hats
Nitro carries are made of sinamay,
a type of woven material. Nylon
and polyester are popular too,
and some people prefer silk hats.
Goebel likes the traditional Derby
hat sporting a 10- to 12-inch brim
with flowers and perhaps some
feathers on it.
“A good Derby hat is classic and
conservative and yet has a flair,”
she said. “For a lot of people, it’s
a once-in-a-lifetime thing to go
to the Derby. We’re here to help
them look their best and be comfortable
on Derby Day.”
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