Fascinators, pillboxes, half hats, Dolly Vardens, straw hats, cartwheel hats, mushroom hats, sun hats, bongraces, picture hats, Gainsborough hats, cloche hats, peach basket hats and whatever else can be worn or affixed to the head will be on display this weekend in Louisville, with the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby.
Though the Derby has been the most famous horse race in the country since 1875 and still commands a large national audience in the days of fragmented viewing, the two-minute competition has recently taken a backseat to fashion. Whereas the Oscar red carpet is about “who are you wearing,” Churchill Downs is filled with questions about what you’re wearing.