Fleur de Paris window int he French Quarter

In search of the perfect Derby Hat

by Sarah Lolley

Although I am a Yankee now, I still love my hats like a good Derby Girl. It goes without saying that I have amassed hats from skullcaps to sky caps.

The best hat candy shop South of the Mason Dixon Line has got to be Fleur de Paris in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Since its opening  in 1980, I have meandered past the pink pastel shop with awe and gitty schoolgirl excitement. My family is originally from Louisiana and I was married not far from the city limits five years ago in St. Francisville. Nola is a familiar place for me.

So it is no wonder when my husband had an opportunity to travel there the weekend before Derby that I freaked out with excitement. Derby hat season at its prime! I got to hat shop like a real Southern Lady although really I am from a farming family not a horse breeding one.

Fleur de Paris on Royal Street.

The Fleur de Paris shop was of course extremely busy with the hundreds of orders for Derby hats from high profile ladies that often fly into New Orleans just to be fitted and chose the right accessories for their chapeau. My experience was a little less glamorous since I announced myself a journalist. The intelligent property issue with designs is taken very seriously when you are charging $500 and up for an event hat.

Fleur de Paris display

The owner Joe Parrino sr. was too busy to answer my calls or pleads so I was left to hamper the staff on my own. While I was in the store clients, who had appointments, made $1500 purchases that included felt hats to wear in NYC. One mother exclaimed that all the good NYC hat makers were gone, only one left so her daughter must bite the bullet and buy all three couture hats the milliner had suggested to her. The designer pulled exotic feathers and fabric for sashes to get the right combination for the customers mood. Gosh, I just wanted a nice lacey bow on mine!

Walking in the store I was really interested in finding out what the current Derby Hat trend might be. Store Manager JoAnna McIntyre says that 1920s style hats have become recently popular but she doesn’t expect them to last like the traditional Southern lady hats with brims. Because of the upcoming release of movie “Great Gatsby” and the popularity of television shows like “Downton Abbey” I had to ask. “The movie gowns in the 30s and 40s started the trend.” As far as more men coming in for the Dandy treatment, “it’s not old men, but young hipsters and musicians.”

She also says that the cocktail hat and fascinator has become more popular in recent years, but it is not a Great Britain trend that the Royal Wedding fad might suggest. Hat styles were really set by Southern women and ventured outward.

With a rainy day ahead of me, I ventured out of the pink den of feathers and fine frills to see what I could see…

Holy Holly Hobby!

Fascinating fascinator

Too Las Vegas

For the Derby since it was raining I fixed a black rain hat with my pillbox fascinator, bought in the French Market. So at night coming from the track I could wear it as a cocktail hat! Well I thought it was clever considering most people were wearing plastic bags over their hats. It was a wet one… but mama won!

Track side Derby Day – Mama bet the Winner!

In the evening at the 21c Museum Hotel Derby Party