The Kentucky Derby Museum is excited to announce that a record number of models, wearing show-stopping designs by the 2023 Featured Milliners, will walk the runway at the third annual Derby Hat Show on Sunday, March 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Tickets are now for sale on the Museum's website.
Get an exclusive look at the latest couture designs from the Kentucky Derby Museum's featured milliners at this one-of-a-kind hat fashion show event! Enjoy unlimited mimosas and gourmet brunch bites before models take to the runway to show off what will certainly by the hottest hat and jewelry trends for Derby 149.
“The fashion of the Kentucky Derby is such a beautiful part of what makes it one of the most unique sporting and social events in the world. Our Derby Hat Show brings all of that to life, and it gives our guests the perfect opportunity to plan out their hats and accessories for a fantastic Derby look with the help of the professionals all in one place,” said Patrick Armstrong, Kentucky Derby Museum President & CEO.
A DJ will keep the party going while the milliners help you plan your signature Derby look. Representatives from David Yurman and Davis Jewelers, the Kentucky Derby Museum Hat Show's Supporting Sponsors, will also be available to help guests purchase jewelry to go with their hats.
Then, shop in the newly remodeled Derby Museum Store to find coordinating accessories or fun hosting items to throw the best Derby-themed party! During the event, the Derby Museum store will be offering a 30% in-store discount for Derby 149 merchandise, hats, and fascinators. (Some exclusions may apply.)
Ticket Options: General admission tickets cost $60 each, and VIP tickets cost $80 each. The VIP ticket includes reserved front row seating along the runway and a swag bag full of unique gifts. Tickets can be purchased here.
Featured Milliners: Dozens of milliners applied to be part of the Kentucky Derby Museum's prestigious Featured Milliner Program, so a fifth position was added for the 2023 lineup! The program is designed to highlight the beautiful artform of millinery and support small business owners by featuring their pieces at the Kentucky Derby Museum Store.
The 2023 KDM Featured Milliners are Melissa Huff (Mad Hatter 502), Mary Julia Kaiser (derbyologie), Ilana Kogan (The Hat Doctor), Christine Moore (Christine A. Moore Millinery), and Jenny Pfanenstiel (Formé Millinery Co).
Melissa Huff — Mad Hatter 502
Melissa Huff, a Louisville native, has been attending The Kentucky Derby since she was a kid with her family. She has a fashion merchandising degree, loves crafting, and was inspired by the beautiful hats and fascinators she would see every year during Derby season. So, she decided to start making them in 2017 for her friends, then she eventually formed her hat business, Mad Hatter 502. In 2020, she opened Mad Hatter 502 behind her boutique, Mamili, in the NuLu Marketplace.
Huff has been featured in Tops Magazine, Today's Woman, The Voice-Tribune, Great Day Live on WHAS, and WLKY. She has styled numerous newscasters for Derby week, and she loves seeing her pieces come down the runway in fashion shows during Derby season!
Mary Julia Kaiser — Derbyologie
Louisville native, Mary Julia Kaiser is owner and designer of derbyologie — a line of show-stopping fascinators featuring a spectrum of styles from graceful to gutsy! Raised in the Bluegrass, her love for all things Derby started young, dating back to the quintessential Kindergarten Derby. Inspired by Kentucky's southern charm and Brooklyn's urban flair, her hat designs mesh the traditional millinery materials with modern textures. Generously feathery, imported fabrics, and hand sewn details create a signature artisan flavor.
Derbyologie has been tickled to dress the heads of clients at the Royal Ascot in London, Queen's Tea in London, Melbourne Cup in Australia, and countless locals (with really great taste). And, she sure is having a ball doing it!
Ilana Kogan — The Hat Doctor
The Hat Doctor is more than just a fun name for a millinery business. Ilana Kogan, owner and sole milliner, is also a full-time radiologist! Kogan is originally from New York City and moved to Kentucky in 2005 to attend the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Her business began when she started creating Derby hats for her medical school classmates by reconstructing and embellishing hats on students' budgets. Now, years later, her handmade, one-of-a-kind designs showcase her love for creative silhouettes and delicately embroidered details.
The Hat Doctor designs have been featured in The Voice-Tribune, Tops Magazine, Today's Woman, Elizabethtown Lifestyle, and Garden & Gun Magazines.
Christine Moore — Christine A. Moore Millinery
Christine Moore started her career in the world of theater as a costume designer and quickly began making hats for regional theatre productions. In 1990, she moved to NYC to work for renowned milliner Rodney Gordon where she spent four years making hats for Opera and Broadway productions such as Phantom of the Opera and Cats. In 1994, she established Christine A. Moore Millinery. Although Christine designs a wide range of women and men's hats, she is best known for her explosive racing styles for the Kentucky Derby, four of which have been displayed in the Kentucky Derby Museum.
She was named a Featured Milliner of the Kentucky Derby Museum in 2021 and 2022, and she was named a Featured Milliner of The Kentucky Derby five times, the first milliner bestowed this title in its 149-year history. Christine's hats have graced many magazine covers, and her hats have been showcased on television shows including Nashville, The Carrie Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Horse Players.
Jenny Pfanenstiel — Formé Millinery Co.
Jenny Pfanenstiel is a world-renown milliner, awarded and recognized for her skill of creating and sculpting hats by hand using the highest quality and rare materials from across the globe. The art of millinery is a technique that dates back centuries through molding straw and felt over wooden hat forms, which she takes great pride in applying with each one-of-a-kind hat. Pfanenstiel is also known throughout the world for her unique process of sculpting hats on a braid machine from the 1800s. She is truly passionate about her craft and empowering those who wear her hats to feel confident and beautiful.
Pfanenstiel has placed her mark on the horse racing scene as the Featured Milliner of the Kentucky Derby for four years and has crafted hats for some of the world's most well-known dignitaries and celebrities, including Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Neil Diamond, and Barbara Corcoran from the TV show “Shark Tank”.
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