When I started making hair accessories I never thought I would be making a custom piece for someone sitting in the millionaire row at the Kentucky Derby. Sylvia B my Kentucky Derby client had this to share:

Derby 2010..... What a Derby it was! If you've never been to Louisville to experience Derby, the best way to describe it is "Rites of Spring". The entire city is redolent with flowers, blossoming trees, and buckets of bourbon. If you've never been to Derby, it's the best party you've ever been to in your life- it's the time where we all connect, fall in love and come out to play!

Photo of my sister Selena wearing the hair piece

Derby is the ultimate mix of highbrow and lowbrow- You have the infield where it's muddy, crazy, fun:

And then, up above, Millionaire's Row:

A woman's hat is a piece of performance art she'll create in Louisville all year- it tells a story about who she is.
Derby hats are typically something like this:

BIG! And full of all kinds of ornaments. When I thought about what I wanted to wear to Derby this year, I really wanted something different. The work I saw of Austie Eckley on Etsy I knew I had found an artist who I could trust.

Austie made a hat of legends. I swear, I was stopped maybe 50 times with people commenting on the hat. It was sooooo beautiful, different, light and easy to wear (some of these hats are so heavy they give people headaches). Mine was so comfortable I wore it 12 hours without a break- and it never slipped, I never even felt it on my head. So many people took pictures of the hat- even, Ruben Stoddard- the guy from American Idol- he asked to pose with me because he loved- the hat!

This photo is of Sylvia B wearing the hair piece with Ruben

Did I mention that there are horses at Derby too? We love our horses, and we bet on them for sentimental reasons- the name, the jockey, the color of the blanket on the horse, the number- really it's a game of luck, there is very little science in picking your horse. That's what makes it so much fun- anyone can win. And if you bet against the odds, and win- the payouts are huge!

My husband has a sixth sense- he's picked the Derby winning horse every year we've gone, and this year was no different- Super Saver took the prize and we cashed in a fat ticket after the race- hurrah!!!

So, from Louisville, Happy Derby!