Hats vs. Fascinators

I was thrilled to have my business featured in the September/October 2021 edition of Tea Time Magazine. Having been an avid reader of this magazine that writes all about all things tea, it was indeed an honor.  Tea is such an important part of my life.  My Mother always welcomed me to her home with a cup of tea.

The purpose of the article was to discuss ideas for what hats to wear to tea.  While this might seem an easy topic, there are quite a few tips that I have picked up over the years.  For over 12 years, I have been a member of the Ladies Historical Tea Society in the Central Kentucky. We have had historially themed teas, bridal showers and birthday parties.  Many of us dress up in our Regency finest and attend Louisville’s Jane Austen Festival annually.  Attending all these teas over the years has give me a birds eye view on what millinery is best for teas.

For an outside picnic tea, you can always wear something larger.   A large sun hat provides more sun protection and is also, just plain romantic.  I love a simple oversized hat.  This hat I purchased at a charity auction years ago. It is one of my very favorites as it is simple, yet dramatic at the same time.

The best thing about wearing hats to tea is being surrounded by others in hats!  You don’t feel like you stand out as much. I hear so often, “I love to wear hats but have nowhere to wear them”.  Go out to tea with friends or host a tea and you will have the perfect excuse to wear a hat or fascinator.

During a recent tea at Holly Hill Inn, my friends and I wore hats. As you can see, there is a quite a variety here.

Women do wear hats to the Belmont Stakes.  Since it is the last race of the Triple Crown, it can garner much attention.

In the past, ladies have sent me a photo of their dress and then I have designed the hat around that.  It’s always fun to see them in their hats on t.v. 

I lived in New York, but the Belmont is the one track that I have not been to.  I’ve attended the Derby and Preakness. 

This year, I am working on a fascinator and saucer hat for the Belmont.  It will prove to be an exciting race to watch, to say the least.

Christina Olivares at the Belmont

The Belmont Stakes is traditionally called “The Test of the Champion” or “The Run for the Carnations” because the winning horse is draped with a blanket of white carnations after the race, in similar fashion to the blanket of roses and black-eyed susans for the Derby and Preakness, respectively. The winning owner is ceremonially presented with the silver winner’s trophy, designed by Paulding Farnham for Tiffany and Co. It was first presented to August Belmont, Jr. in 1896 and donated by the Belmont family for annual presentation in 1926.

Despite the fact that the Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the Triple Crown races, its traditions have been more subject to change. Until 1996, the post parade song was “The Sidewalks of New York“. From 1997 to 2009, the song was changed to broadcast a recording by Frank Sinatra of the “Theme from New York, New York” in an attempt to appeal to younger fans.^[5] In 2010, the song was changed to Jay-Z‘s “Empire State of Mind“^[6] before reverting to “Theme from New York, New York” from 2011^[7] through the present. This tradition is similar to the singing of the state song at the post parades of the first two Triple Crown races: “My Old Kentucky Home” at the Kentucky Derby and “Maryland, My Maryland” at the Preakness Stakes.^[2] The change of song gave rise to “the myth of Mamie O’Rourke,” a reference to a character in the lyrics of “The Sidewalks of New York.” Some claim that changing the official Belmont song “cursed” the Triple Crown and was why no horse had won since Affirmed in 1978. Others note that there was no Triple Crown winner between 1979 and 1996, even though “Sidewalks” was still played.^[8]

Along with the change of song in 1997, the official drink was also changed, from the “White Carnation” to the “Belmont Breeze.”^[9] The New York Times reviewed both cocktails unfavorably, calling the Belmont Breeze “a significant improvement over the nigh undrinkable White Carnation” despite the fact that it “tastes like a refined trashcan punch.”^[10]

While the origin of the white carnation as the official flower of the Belmont Stakes is unknown, traditionally, pure white carnations stand for love and luck. It takes approximately 700 “select” carnations imported from Colombia to create the 40-pound blanket draped over the winner of the Belmont Stakes. The NYRA has long used The Pennock Company, a wholesale florist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to import the carnations used for the mantle.^[11]

Picking out a hat to wear in the summer isn’t very hard. Here are a few tips:

1. Buy a hat made from natural straw instead of synthethic. Sewn synthetic straws are heavy and don’t breathe. Many of the cheaper hats are made from this material. Parisisal, Sisal and Panama straws all are cooler hats to wear because they breathe.

2. Light color hats are cooler than black or navy. Remember, darker colors absorb more heat. Try to wear light colors.

3. Big brims are much better for coverage since they cover your shoulders as well. Hats made from sinamay, horsehair and thin straw weaves don’t work as well as a solid fabric.

4. Keep a hat in your car. I find that if I am going to be out and forgot my hat, having one stashed in the car helps a lot.

By: Polly Singer