LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It's almost that time of year again where everyone will be putting their best fashion forward, from the big hats to fancy fascinators at Churchill Downs.
"That fashion tradition has been around at Churchill Downs since the very beginning and of course we're celebrating 150 long years of fashion history," said Jessica Whitehead, curator of collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
The Kentucky Derby Museum is pulling literal history out of the vault; they showcased Derby hats dating back to the 1900's, and showed while styles change, hats remain.
"In the 1940's and 1950's something interesting happened because you hear a lot about Derby hats, Derby hats," Whitehead said.
There were hats in various different sizes -- different eras -- all made with unique materials and objects. And they didn't forget the other accessories; shoes and purses were also on display.
"You can see that this hat uses all kinds of different fabrics; it uses all kinds of different embellishments, this is a piece that is from the early 1900's 19-teens," Whitehead said.
Fascinators are one of the newest ensembles that just started in the 2000's. They're known to be slightly expensive and easier to wear.
Whitehead said the concept of fascinators "came from the royal family in England; you're thinking of Kate Middleton wearing these beautiful fascinators."
In honor of Secretariat's 50th anniversary last year someone wore a creative large hat with red roses.
"Believe it or not someone actually wore this hat on their head to the 2023 Kentucky Derby, it's very heavy, very incredible," said Whitehead.
With Derby 150 just a month away Whitehead said now is the time to start planning outfits.
"I think this is an awesome year to be starting to look back at what people were wearing to the race track before and how we can freshen that," she said.
Whitehead added she's looking forward to seeing even more creative fashion this year.
These archived fashion styles will be showcased in the Kentucky Derby Museum's upcoming exhibit "See & Be Seen" in July. That means 150 years of fashion will be displayed in the new exhibit.
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