Kentucky Derby History

Churchill Downs 1902

When I think of Churchill Downs, naturally I think of beautiful Kentucky Derby Hats! However, we all know that Kentucky Derby Hats are only the tip of the iceberg of the grandness of what we call the Kentucky Derby. In 2007, even Queen Elizabeth of the UK attended the Kentucky Derby wearing a beautiful designer hat. Here’s a little of history lesson…
Kentucky has been a major center of horse breeding and racing since the late 1700s due to the Ordovician fields of the Bluegrass region, which contains higher than average amounts of calcium and thus produced superior race horses. In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, traveled to England, visiting the Epsom Derby, a famous race that had been running annually since 1780. From there, Clark went on to Paris, France, where in 1863, a group of racing enthusiasts had formed the French Jockey Club and had organized the Grand Prix de Paris, which eventually became the famous Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Returning home to Kentucky, Clark organized the Louisville Jockey Club for the purpose of raising money to build quality racing facilities just outside of the city.
The track would soon become known as Churchill Downs, named for Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr.’s relatives, John and Henry Churchill, who had provided the land for the racetrack. Officially, the racetrack was incorporated as Churchill Downs in 1937. The Kentucky Derby was first run at 1.5 miles (2.4 km), the same distance as the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. In 1896, the distance was changed to its current 1.25 miles (2.01 km).

The Most Famous Southern Belle Hat ~ Scarlett O'Hara ~ Gone With the Wind!

Wear an East Angel Harbor Southern Belle Hat to your next tea party or barbecue and you’ll get lots of attention…

just like Scarlett O’Hara!

A Southern belle was an ideal example of a young woman of the American South’s upper class, known for her gracious hospitality, cultivation of beauty, and flirtatious yet chaste demeanor and neatness. The most significant Southern Belle is the character of Scarlett O’Hara made known to us all as a result of the work of Margaret Mitchell with her book Gone With the Wind published in 1936. It was later turned into a movie/film and is still popular today in the form of DVD’s.
The Southern Belle hat most remembered is the wide brimmed straw hat that Scarlett wore to Ashley’s birthday barbecue at Twelve Oaks. She was the epitome of the Southern Belle as she sat daintily in her pretty green dress and hat wooing the hearts of the gentlemen at the barbecue. The wide-brimmed hat of the mid 1800′s was worn by Belles of both the North and the South; the women knew how important it was to protect their skin from the sun and when they went out for the afternoon, this wide brimmed hat afforded shade from the damaging rays of the sun.
Purchase your own Southern Belle Hat:

Black and Bling Diva’s ~ Featuring Beth Walker wearing East Angel Harbor Flapper Hat

Beth has purchased a number of my hat designs for her events; she’s a member of several clubs that wear hats.  This article talks about a recent Black and Bling Diva’s event! October in the Black and Bling Diva’s birthday month, that is the month that the group was founded.

The two ladies who founded the group always host that month. The name of the event was Black ‘N Bling Birthday Bash. The theme they selected was The Roaring Twenties. Beth and the other ladies in the club were to dress in 1920′s attire. There was a contest for the most authentic Roaring 20′s costume and there was a costumer there who specializes in 1920′s fashion. She was one of two judges for the contest.

Here is a picture of the two of us together and in the bag

is the prize I won which was a 1920′s inspired rhinestone headband. 

Email from Beth. "I thought you might be interested to know that 

I attended a black hat event yesterday and the theme was the Roaring 20's. 

I wore the black flapper hat you made for me, the name escapes me right 

now. Anyway, there was a lady there that gave a talk about the 1920's. 

She is a costumer who specializes in the 1920's.  There was a contest 

on who was dressed most authentically for the period and I won. There 

were about 60 ladies there. I'm sure your hat had a great deal to do 

with it as the costumer made a comment about how authentic it was for 

the period. I have attached a couple of photos."

Beth in her 1st place winner Flapper era costume wearing

“Lady Ruth” Flapper hat designed by East Angel Harbor Hats

A Little Church Hat History

The Apostle Paul speaks of the covering and uncovering of the head during prayer in I Corinthians 11:4-10. A man is to uncover his head and a woman is to cover her head during prayer, however, these verses also talk about the man’s head being shorn (shaven) and that the woman’s long hair acts as a covering. It’s difficult to use these verses as the reason to wear a hat to church, although I realize that they’re some of the inspiration behind doing so. Throughout history, even before Christianity, women wore veiling when in the presence of God. In today’s society I believe that it is historical ritual, partly tradition as well as personal belief that inspire women to wear a church hat. If no other time of the year, women and girls wear hats to church at Easter.

 

Some women aren’t comfortable wearing a hat at anytime, although as a designer I’d like to convince you that if you put your hat on and feel good about it, you’ll look good too! Whether wearing a church hat, tea hat, cowgirl hat or even a stocking cap, a confident smile will take the already beautiful you and make you even more beautiful.
Church hats can be cute and perky, wide brimmed and dramatic, airy and delicate, but it’s the radiance of the woman or girl wearing that hat that makes the hat as well as vice versa…the right hat with the right outfit can make the woman or girl glow with self-confidence.
Throughout the years, I’ve asked quite a few men what they think about when they see a woman wearing a hat and usually I’m told that a hat lends an air of mystery about a woman. To my amazement…LADIES…most men find irresistible the appearance of a woman wearing a hat! Some of the hottest movie actresses wear a hat when they go out in public; and since women always get noticed when wearing a hat, it’s obviously not a plan to hide behind the hat…these actresses are saying “look at me” I’m beautiful and mysterious and people do look.

Church Hat ~ Miss Emily ~ Pink

Kentucky Derby Traditions

Today the 2 minute race is all about the hats! Kentucky Derby hats of all sizes, shapes, colors are the focus. The elegantly dresses ladies donn some of the most beautiful creations to grace the track at Churchill Downs. The rich and the famous as well as the person who’s scraped and saved for this special event all wear that unique chapeau to make their statement. 

In addition to the race itself, a number of traditions have played a large role in the Derby atmosphere. The Mint Julep, an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and a sugar syrup is the traditional beverage of the race.
The historic drink is best served in an ice-frosted silver julep cup but most Churchill Downs patrons sip theirs from a souvenir glass printed with all previous Derby winners. Over 80,000 mint juleps are typically served on Derby Day and the preceding day’s event, The Kentucky Oaks stakes race, which is considered by many to be “the Derby for Fillies.” Also, Burgoo, a thick stew of beef, chicken, pork and vegetables, is a popular dish at the Derby. Legal gambling on the race is done through parimutuel betting at the track.
The infield, a spectator area inside the track, offers low general admission prices but little chance of seeing much of the race. Instead, revelers show up in the infield to party without abandon. Sobriety is not a common state in the infield on Derby Day and on some occasions even being fully clothed has been optional. By contrast, “Millionaire’s Row” refers to the expensive box seats that attract the rich, the famous and the well-connected. Elegant women appear in fine outfits lavishly accessorized with large, elaborate hats.
As the horses are paraded before the grandstands, Stephen Foster’s “My Old Kentucky Home” is played by the University of Louisville marching band while the crowd stands and sings along. Native Kentuckians often surrender to tears as this traditional theme plays.
The Derby is frequently referred to as “The Run for the Roses,” because a lush blanket of 554 red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition is as a result of New York socialite E. Berry Wall presenting roses to ladies at a post-Derby party in 1883 that was attended by Churchill Downs president, Col. M. Lewis Clark. This gesture is believed to have eventually led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race’s official flower. However, it was not until 1896 that any recorded account referred to roses being draped on the Derby winner.
Information Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Derby

Somewhere in Time ~ The Movie

OH MY! One of my favorite movies!!!

Once you’ve seen this romantic movie, you’ll dream of donning a Somewhere in Time Hat and promenading the elegant porch of the Grand Hotel. Somewhere in Time was written by Richard Mathison and was originally named “Bid Time Return” published in 1975 and made into a film in 1980.

It’s a story of love, desperation and time travel. Richard Collier, played by Christopher Reeve, is a playwright in the 1970′s. He completes his debut performance of his first play and an elderly woman walks up to him, hands him a watch and says “come back to me”. This is the beginning of Richard’s incredible journey as he learns about self hypnosis, buys clothing from the early 1900′s and takes a journey to Somewhere in Time to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. He finds a picture of Elise McKenna, played by Jane Seymour, and he realized that he was in love with her…unable to sleep, he proceeds to will himself back to 1912 and then the story really begins.

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island hosts a Somewhere in Time event every October…where a large following of fans arrive to the gala all dressed up in the style of around 1910. The beautiful ladies donn Somewhere in Time hats, gorgeous gowns and dainty shoes. The dashing gentlemen are wearing, suits, shoes and hats that depict the style of the era.

I design a lot of Edwardian Tea Hats that would compliment your outfit when you attend a Somewhere in Time Weekend at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Titanic Hat History

The period of time known as the “Titanic Era” occured during the Edwardian Era and was named for the British ship that went down in the North Atlantic April 14, 1912 when she struck an iceberg about 400 miles off Newfoundland, Canada. This era saw an influx of truly large and even more elaborate hat designs; hence they were tagged Titanic meaning that they were colossal like the ship and these are some of my favorite hats because they’re so much fun to design. And although they are referred to as Titanic Era, these large and elaborate designs are also associated with the Edwardian time period. The media had a grand time poking fun at these extravagant styles and this is a cute example labeled L’amour Discreet:

Titanic hats were celebrated for both their size and their beauty.  

The Titanic Era was followed by WW I and the world was not focusing on style as it had been before … however styles for women were at the beginning of a major change.   By the time the Flapper Era emerged in and around 1926, the hemline rose on shift-like shapeless dresses and corsets became a thing of the past. The stockings were rolled down below the knees and the knees were rouged. The hair style became a close cut bob and although wider brimmed hats were still in style, the cloche hat which fit very tightly to the head became all the rage with these “modern” women.

The Titanic era (1912) was not only a time for building huge ships, it was also a time for extravagant hats!
Here’s the link to some of my more extravagant designs; the ones worn by motion picture starlets and Edwardian postcard models. It was believed that bigger was better!

My rendition of the boarding hat worn by Rose in the movie “Titanic”

La Belle Epoque History

France was undergoing a period in style changes known as La Belle Époque (1895 – 1914) translates to “beautiful era”. This was a period of very opulent living with beautiful clothing and very excessive spending by the rich and privileged, however, this period saw an abrupt end with the beginning of WWI. Below is a French postcard made during this period; it punctuates the extravagance of the La Belle Epoque hat styles. 

 

 

French Picture Postcard

Two of My Favorite Hat Designs

I especially love delving into the designs of the more exotic French bonnets as well as the more elaborate and lavish styles worn by actresses, such as Lillie (Lily) Langtry (1853-1929) and Lillian Russell (1861-1922). These more elaborate styles worn by the actresses of the nineteenth century were brought to life by actress Mae West in her movies … such as Belle of the Nineties, Klondike Annie and Every Day’s a Holiday. Lovely illustrations of the more lavish styled hat can also be seen in early twentieth century European postcards.

Mae West (1893-1980)

History of Edwardian Hats

The Edwardian period began when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Edward VII, born November 9, 1841, became King of England; his reign ended in May 6, 1910.

This period saw the first phases of the larger wide brimmed Edwardian hats; although there were very many hat styles that were popular during this era, we remember it mostly for the wide brimmed Edwardian hat style. This era also spawned the Gibson Girl hairstyle which also generated very wide brimmed hats that required hat pins to keep them perched upon the head. The movie Somewhere in Time is set in the Edwardian Era and the costuming gives you an honest portrayal of the hats worn.

The Edwardian hat styles actually encompassed the Titanic Era as well as WW I. The hats virtually remained very wide brimmed although the hems were rising and ankles were showing. Although this era is known for wide brim hats, Toque hats (a turbin style) were also very popular, Great Britain was having a love affair with the cultures of the rest of the world, especially India and Asia and the styles reflect this.

History of Victorian Hats

Victorian hats have many styles as the Victorian era encompassed 64 years. 

Therefore, there was a constant change of clothing and accessory styles.

The Victorian era began in 1837 when Victoria (born 1819, reigned 1837-1901) became Queen of England … she ruled until she died in 1901. Hers was the longest reign in United Kingdom’s history.

The Victorian hats of this era encompass an extremely large array of styles from tiny little hats that perched on your head to large and elegant feather and flower laden hats. The utilization of flowers and feathers and even using whole birds became a near obsession with the hat designers and hat wearer of this era.

The following will give you an idea of the evolution of the Victorian hat:

The Victorian Era (1837-1901) began when Queen Victoria took the throne in England. The styles that followed gave birth to a fantastic hodgepodge of women's bonnets and hats. The bonnet was the fashion statement of the 1840’s; a refined straw base adorned with tulle, ribbons, laces, artificial flowers, grapes, fruits, leaves, small birds, feathers, and ostrich tips; it had a modesty drape to cover the neck. Women who gardened or lived in the countryside wore the wide brimmed Gipsy to protect their face from the sun.

The 1850’s saw the brim of the bonnet grow smaller allowing the face and the hair to show. This particular style of hat began its insurgence into society by being worn by young women of the day, older women considered it to be unladylike and rather fast. By the late 1850’s the riding hat was introduced and it was fabulously adorned with exotic plumes and ribbons.

The 1860’s also saw a change in the style of the bonnet; from the round shape to the oval spoon bonnet and with the new hairstyles, came the dainty bonnet that sat atop the bun. The younger set craved even more daring styles: forward tilting pillboxes and porkpies. On the seashore and in the countryside the gipsy and the straw skimmer which was a wide brimmed flat hat held in place by hatpins. These remained the popular choice to keep the complexion peaches and cream. The 1860’s also saw the emergence of the "very" wide brimmed Southern Belle hat. It wasn’t usually accompanied by a parasol because it was as wide or wider than the parasols of this era. The Southern Belle hat was worn by the younger ladies to picnics and promenades … also carriage rides. In the movie Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O’Hara wore a Southern Belle hat to the barbecue at Twelve Oaks.

The 1870’s began with the smaller Victorian hats of the 60’s, but by the end of the decade as hair styles changed so did the Victorian hat; a scaled down version of the wide brimmed Gainsborough from the 18th century reappeared. The most common material used in hat making had been straw, but now hats began being formed over wire frames and covered with velvets, silks, and lace.

The 1880’s saw the Victorian hat get bigger with higher crowns and a small version of the top hat adorned with tulle became the popular riding hat.

By the 1890’s Victorian hats were more popular than bonnets and the trim was wired to incredible heights, the more elaborate the better. As women became more active, straw boaters and fedoras were being worn for hiking, bicycling and tennis.

The Importance of a Parasol ~ Today and in Ancient Times

I’m a Civil War reenactor and a integral as well as important element
of the dress of a fashionable lady is a parasol.

A Parasol is a type of umbrella made for protection from the sun.

The word “parasol” is a combination of para,
meaning to stop or to shield, and sol, meaning sun.

A parasol is not designed to shield you from the rain.

My friend Lorraine at Battle of Spokane Falls Event 2007

I like to design my parasols for both function and beauty.

“Miss Kitty” Victorian Hat & Parasol.

This Victorian parasol is a covered with rose brocade satin and accented with glorious organza lace with embroidered red roses.  The ribs of the parasol and the edge of the parasol are delicate black gimp.  The top of the parasol is adorned with a ring of red organza roses.  The handle of the parasol is tied in red satin ribbon.  This parasol is not only elegant, but will shade you from the son.

Most of my parasols are designed by special order.  This parasol is available in many colors of rose brocade satin.

Please feel free to call me at 509-233-8007 if you’re interested in a custom made parasol.

Here’s a sampling of other parasols that I’ve designed by custom orders.

 

 

Some of my parasols are designed with layers of ruffles…
 every element of my parasols are hand stitched by me.

 

  

The history of parasols dates back to Ancient Times.  In the Middle East there are sculptures at Nineveh  that depict parasols.  In Ancient China as far back as 21 AD they’re mentioned in writings.  In Ancient Egypt there are accounts of parasols being used on chariots as well as being carried in processions.  In 5th century BC, it’s mentioned in Greek writing that the parasol is an important articles of female use.  In ancient Rome, the parasol is mentioned as a item carried by women; it’s also mentioned in Roman poetry and epic stories.  In ancient India parasols are mentioned in stories and legends.  The Aztecs used a parasol made of feathers.  By 17th century parasols were in use throughout the world.

I have a few parasols at my website East Angel Harbor Hat
 

However, I prefer to design parasols by custom order 
so I can match your hat and outfit perfectly!

East Angel Harbor Retired Hats featured in “Milliner of the Month” Interview ~ 2006

Gosh!  2006 seems like a long time ago now!  
I was contacted by Millinery.info for an interview and I felt so honored. 

They not only wanted an interview, but they wanted photos of my designs.

Of course all of these hats are retired, but it’s fun to remember them!

This bird adorned Edwardian hat was inspired by my first trip to Disneyland…

on display at Disney was a hat with birds…

I could hardly wait to create my own rendition.

When I arrived home, I began the task of 
finding the materials to create the hat you see above. 

This Edwardian hat is totally hand made and all of the adornments are vintage/antique trims.

This is one of my first “Crystal Fairy” Edwardian hat designs! 

This elegant pink Edwardian hat was one of my earliest hats 
that displayed my “love affair” with feathers.

This dainty red veiled Victorian hat design is one of earliest riding hat styles.

This beaded brimmed Victorian hat design became know as my “SASS” hats.

 These 2 wide brimmed Edwardian hats are the same design, I used different colors. 

 Oh Yes,,, I added a few extra feathers to the burgundy wine hat!

If you would like to read my interview: Millinery Info

Flapper Hats ~ Yesterday & Today ~ Gatsby Hats East Angel Harbor Hats

I was in the hat business for several years before I added the Flapper hat to my repertoire of designs. Once I did, I have to admit that it’s now one of my favorite styles.  I began my research by purchasing 1920′s  postcards and then eventually a few of the early 1920s hat catalogs.  
 The Flapper hat is also known as the cloche.  
Cloche is French for bell; as you can see this hat style has a distinct bell shape.

These are Flapper hats from a 1920′s Millinery publication.

     

Flapper Hat Postcards

Jenna Kenny wearing “Lady Marguerite” 
 

Nellie wearing a pink designer straw hat with pink lace trim.

Kate wearing Flapper Hat inspired by Downton Abbey PBS Series “Sybil”

My "Fair Lady" Kentucky Derby Hat by East Angel Harbor Hats

Buy Your Kentucky Derby Hat ~ Ascot Hat ~ At the Races

Kentucky Derby Hat "Triple Crown" by East Angel Harbor Hats

Downton Abbey Hat "Countess of Grantham" by East Angel Harbor Hats

Gothic Hat ~ Countess Dracula ~ Vampire Designed by East Angel Harbor Hats

Edwardian Downton Abbey Hat "Lady in Red"

Edwardian Downton Abbey Hats "Lady Olivia" by East Angel Harbor Hats",