--- description: These days, the grandstand at Churchill Downs is one of the rare places in America to find ladies wearing elaborate hats. Here's why. title: A Brief History of the Kentucky Derby Hat image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5092d86561b3429c/698891db196cf464f103b788/160504-kentucky-derby-16.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Style](/tag/style/) ## Style Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Brief History of the Kentucky Derby Hat by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) May 6, 2016 1:00 PM CUT  Secretariat, winner of the 99th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., sports a blanket of roses as jockey Ron Turcotte pats him in the winner's circle on May 5, 1973. Secretariat, winner of the 99th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., sports a blanket of roses as jockey Ron Turcotte pats him in the winner's circle on May 5, 1973.AP Photo by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) May 6, 2016 1:00 PM CUT “They’r-r-re OFF!” wrote TIME in a [1926 recap](http://time.com/vault/issue/1926-05-24/page/25/ "undefined") of the Kentucky Derby. “The long roar thundered like a wave, grumbled like a rising sea-surge through the crowd down the long stretch,” the piece continued. “The stands seemed to sway, to swell with it; hats and parasols and a foam of faces rose, hesitated for an instant on the top of the wave, settled slowly down into a whisperless silence. The horses moved down the stretch. It was a perfect start.” The piece, “In Louisville,” contained TIME’s first-ever reference to Kentucky Derby hats—but at the time, the hats were hardly remarkable. Their presence was mentioned as a given. And one look at the vintage Kentucky Derby photos above will reveal that such a situation continued well into the race’s history: many women and men wore hats, but they weren’t the outrageous (and often ridiculous) hats [for which the race is known today.](http://time.com/3844266/kentucky-derby-best-hats/ "undefined") Now, however, the grandstand at Churchill Downs is one of the rare places in America where elaborate headwear is the norm, and at the race this Saturday the hats are sure to be a focal point. How did that happen? [_Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter_](http://time.com/newsletter "undefined") Fashion has always been an important part of the Kentucky Derby. It was after [traveling](https://www.churchilldowns.com/about/churchill-downs/history/ "undefined") to the famed Derby races in England and the Grand Prix de Paris in France in 1872, that Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. decided to establish a similar high-profile horse race in America. He raised money for a racetrack outside of Louisville, Ky., and held the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. Though races were a mainstay for British and French society, American women at the time might have hesitated to stay away from horse racing, and the gambling and drinking that went along with it. But if wouldn’t do for the new race to seem seedy. So, in pursuit of his vision, Clark and his wife enlisted the ladies of Louisville to attend the races to picnic with friends. They knew that part of creating allure for the event would be positioning it as a fashion event — so the dress code required “[full morning dress](https://www.kentuckyderby.com/history/traditions/hats "undefined")” for men and women from the start. ### Kentucky Derby Fashion Inspiration From 1945  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fashion at the horse races, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images The picnicking women therefore wore hats and gloves with their dresses. And though the attire has evolved somewhat throughout the decades, the hats have remained a constant. By the 1920s, though the daytime Kentucky event didn’t attract much of the flapper style for which the era is remembered, the ladies could choose between formal suits or dresses to go with a range of fashionable hat styles. In the [1960s](https://www.kentuckyderby.com/history/fashion/1960s "undefined"), attendance and fashion rules relaxed a bit across the nation, and at the racetracks. As hats receded from the category of everyday clothing, the crucial change occurred: people who didn’t wear hats all the time were more likely to use the excuse to wear something extreme, with bigger brims and bolder hues. Going all out became a way to gain attention and admiration. ### How To Throw a 1930s-Inspired Mint Julep Party for the Kentucky Derby  Caption from LIFE. A perfect mint julep expression is here displayed by Jonathan Van Dyke Norman, who critically sniffs the aroma of mint and Bourbon as he holds a silver mug somewhat defrosted by affectionate handling. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Tall glasses holding mint juleps, consumed by Kentucky Colonels at the annual Kentucky Colonels Julep Reception held at Louisville's Kentucky Hotel day before the Derby, were pronounced incorrect by the private party guests shown elsewhere on these pages who drank their mint juleps from silver mugs. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. The Van winkle kitchen was a pleasant scene of hospitable preparation as trayful after trayful of silver-mugged mint juleps were sent to the appreciative Derby Week guests. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. The No. 1 Van Winkle servant, white-gloved William Kirby, expertly balances a tray of juleps with the second-nature dexterity acquired during 22 years with the same family. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Congenial celebrants at the Van Winkle mint julep party included, from left to right, T. V. Hartnett, tobacco bigwig; Mary Van Winkle, the host's daughter; Richard Dewey. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Mint julep drinker Mrs. Eugene Walker demonstrates how a Louisville belle manages to achieve maturity gracefully and happily. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Changing into evening dress, many Van Winkle guests proceeded to Mrs. Henry J. Powell's buffet supper. Above, left to right, Mrs. Rowan Morrison, Gustave Breux, Mrs. William C. Hall and Judge Arthur Peter. The tall glasses contain not mint juleps but Bourbon and soda. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A man sips his drink in celebration of the Kentucky Derby, 1937. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Bourbon display at the 1937 Kentucky Derby. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Drink preparation is underway. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Pre-eminent among Churchill Downs officialdom at the 63rd Kentucky Derby held Saturday were the four stewards of the race. Left to right they are: Sam H. McMeekin, C. Bruce Head, S. C. Nuckols and Presiding Steward Charles F. Price. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Child at the 1937 Kentucky Derby. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. The black quartet shown consists of Churchill Downs Bar waiters. The bar overlooks the track and no Bourbon-and-soda orders whatever are filled when the Derby horses are coming down the stretch. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Crowds at the cashier stand, 1937 Kentucky Derby. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Churchill Downs jockeys in their quarters, include several who rode in the Kentucky Derby. At lower left is Hubert Leblanc who rode Miss Mary Hirsh's No Sir. Next to him is Hilton Dabson, who rode William Shea's and Miss E. G. Rand's Merry Maker. Fourth from left, with the number 10 on his sleeve is Basil James, who rode J. W. Parrish's Dellor. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  War Admiral wins the Kentucky Derby two lengths ahead of his challenger, Pompoon, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on May 9, 1937. AP Photo Since then, [the hats](http://time.com/86775/the-craziest-hats-of-the-kentucky-derby/ "undefined") have become fodder for chatter and [style watches](http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2014/05/01/derby-hats-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/ "undefined") alike. The Kentucky Derby website claims that the fashion at the [Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton renewed enthusiasm](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/gallery/2011/05/the%5Fkentucky%5Fderbyvs%5Fthe%5Froyal%5Fwedding.html "undefined") about hats, fascinators and headpieces that defy categorization. This year marks the 142nd time people will arrive at Churchill Downs under the weight and shade of their derby hats—but even Col. Clark himself could not have guessed how important the headwear itself would become to spectators of a horse race.  Crowds on hand the day before Kentucky Derby running at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, 1935. Bettmann—Getty Images  Formally dressed men and women at a Kentucky Derby party, 1937. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Ms. Doris Murphy attending the Kentucky Derby, Louisville, Kentucky, 1938. The Abbott Sengstacke Family Papers/Robert Abbott Sengstacke—Getty Images  Damon Runyon, ace relator of epics of the track and outstanding story teller of the "Undercrust" of the sport of kings, leans over the rail at Churchill Downs to catch the angles at the 64th running of the classic Kentucky Derby. 1938. Bettmann—Getty Images  Spectators attending the Kentucky Derby, 1945. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  People placing bets on the Kentucky Derby, 1945. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fans eating in restaurant at the Kentucky Derby, 1946. Tony Linck—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Fans getting ready to place bets at the Kentucky Derby, 1946. Tony Linck—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Seven of the Jockeys scheduled to ride in the 1947 Kentucky Derby sit on the rail at Churchill Downs after taking part in the Kentucky Oaks. L. To R., with horses they'll ride: Steve Brooks, Star Reward; Johny Longden, on trust; Eric Guerin, Jet Pilot; Shelby Clark, Cosmic Bomb; Eddie Arcaro, Phalanx; Job Jessop, Liberty road, and Will Balzaretti, Riskolater. AP Photo  Jockey Eddie Arcaro is kissed by his mother, Josephine, holding roses, after winning the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky., on May 3, 1952\. At left is Lucille Parker Wright, whose racing stable Calumet Farm has had five Derby winners. At center is Ben Jones, who has trained all six Derby winners. AP Photo  Spectators at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, 1955. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Three women sitting in the infield at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby day, 1955. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Fans wait for the gates to open for the 1955 Kentucky Derby. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Waiters serve mint juleps to spectators at Churchill Downs on Derby day, 1960. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Kentucky Gov. Louie B. Nunn, right, raises his program to his face as he talks over the Kentucky Derby program with President Richard M. Nixon in the governor's box at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on May 3, 1969. AP Photo  Secretariat, winner of the 99th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., sports a blanket of roses as jockey Ron Turcotte pats him in the winner's circle on May 5, 1973. 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