FORT MITCHELL, Ky. — The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, and one of the biggest accessories you’ll need when attending this event is your derby hat.
At the Bunches of Bows, you can create your favorite Derby hat, with all kinds of colors and styles to choose from. Owner Traci Alexander, who started the gift retail business 10 years ago, designs them by hand.
“We order the hats,” said Alexander. “They come in and then we can add lots of embellishments, feathers, extra feathers and all that to them.”
She said the first step when picking out a hat is figuring out the style that best fits you.
“You kind of get to pick your hat depending on your face and your kind of body type,” she said. “If you’re a little taller you can wear a really big hat. If you’re shorter you don’t want to overwhelm yourself.”
Navy-colored hats seem to be the hot item this year. But not only does she sell a variety of hats, she sells fascinators too. Fascinators look like headbands with feathers on them.
“Last year lots and lots of people wore fascinators,” she said. “This year we’re seeing more hats. So, that just changes up. It’s surprising. I don’t know if that’s because the coronation or because it’s a king that everyone wants a hat.”
Alexander said people from all over come to buy hats from her. She’s sold hundreds of them since the orders started coming in January. And she expects to stay busy up until the Derby is over.
“This is actually one of our most busiest times of the year,” she said. “I would say it’s right up there with Christmas and certain days during Derby season we’re actually busier.”
Although it gets busy, Alexander said nothing beats the smiles on her customers’ faces when they get to put on the perfect hat.
“It’s really nice to see people realize how great they look in a hat and how fun they are to wear.”
