Hats at the kentucky derby 2010
Hatitude at The Kentucky Derby:
Vernell Washington Introduces Grace Mark - Nigerian Hat Designer - at the Derby
By Vernell Washington
I’ve had a fascination with hats ever since I first put one on as a child and received so much praise! Even now, I get many oohs and ahhs from strangers stopping in their tracks to ask to take my picture or friends who ask with excitement, “Where did you get that hat?”
Lovely chapeaux (a French term for hat) have always made a fashion statement - and it’s fitting that hats go hand-in-hand with The Kentucky Derby! You can’t have one without the other! The tradition of wearing hats at the Derby has been going on since its inception 136 years ago. It has been said that wearing a hat brings good luck and fortune. Not surprisingly, over the last few years, more men have been joining in on the fun, excitement and attention that “donning a hat” at the Derby brings.
I knew my life would be more colorful and my love for hats would be addictive when I met the dynamic chapeaux artist Grace Mark of Lagos, Nigeria eight years ago. I happened to be modeling in a fashion show where I wore about six of Grace’s hats. I purchased two hats that day and had a tough time deciding which two I wanted because they all were so beautiful.
Because my degree is in Fashion Buying and Merchandising and Production Management, I quickly recognize that Grace Mark was a phenomenal talent that I needed to connect with. From humble beginnings, Grace had style and class. I knew right off the bat that Grace Mark was brilliant!
I was quickly drawn to her grace, style, talent, kindness and spirituality. We hit it off with ease and I have since used my marketing skills to become her Global Representative. I have traveled the world and country presenting shows for her and promoting her as one of the “best hat designers” in the world! In Nigeria, she is virtually a household name. She has a factory with 19 workers and a showroom filled with her creations. Fashion forward women visit her showroom daily to get their special chapeaux.
The 136th Kentucky Derby was the perfect place to showcase Grace’s hats. As she made her way to the States from Nigeria she didn’t know what to expect at the Derby, since it was her first Derby. But she had me (known as Grand Diva to many) and a host of others to welcome her to Derby City - including publisher & editor of Sonya‘s Spotlight Web Mag, Sonya Jenkins, who has proudly worn Grace’s hats at the Kentucky Derby all of the four years she has attended. Boy, did Grace get a lot of attention (along with all the models that wore her hats) from the day she arrived until she departed back to the motherland. Grace and I were asked to be guests on a gospel radio show and we also appeared on television broadcasts while in Louisville that weekend. Attendees at the Derby told us that our hats were by far, ‘the best’ and often asked to take pictures of us in our Grace Mark designs.
As a prelude to the Kentucky Derby, we attended the Atlanta Steeple Chase races (the week before the Derby) and during the hat competition Grace’s hats won 1st 2nd and 3rd place for the “Best Hat Design” out of 48 other hat entries.
Hats are really growing in popularity! Most women’s organizations have created yearly hat luncheons, which encourage women to don their most lovely hats. These gatherings have really put a smile in my heart, because even women who felt as though they weren’t hat lovers are getting into the excitement. Their attitudes seem to change when they put on a hat. Yes, they have HATITUDE now!!
Grace Mark’s excitement about her chapeaux popularity made her thankful to all the women who have supported her in the States. She is becoming so well known she said she almost feels like a “rock star.”
Now, a little fashion tip: People often ask, ‘Do I get my outfit first or should I get my hat first?’ I’d say to get the hat first - particularly when you are buying a one-of-a-kind Grace Mark design. But whether you get your hat first or not, when you wear your hat, be sure to tilt it to the front and slightly cock it to the side, right over your eyebrow. Some of Grace’s hats can be worn in several directions, but generally start off with the adorned part of the hat in the front. You want the “biggest bang” with the first impression when you walk into a room. Oh, and did I say, hold your head up and start struttin! HATTITUDE….here we come!
Take a look at all the unique Grace Mark hats we showcased during our four-day Derby trip - including some other Derby hat fashions.
For more information about Grace Mark Hats, contact me at Granddiva10@aol.com, 678-521-7697 or check out my web site at www.granddivaenterprises.com
Vernell Washington Introduces Grace Mark - Nigerian Hat Designer - at the Derby
By Vernell Washington
I’ve had a fascination with hats ever since I first put one on as a child and received so much praise! Even now, I get many oohs and ahhs from strangers stopping in their tracks to ask to take my picture or friends who ask with excitement, “Where did you get that hat?”
Lovely chapeaux (a French term for hat) have always made a fashion statement - and it’s fitting that hats go hand-in-hand with The Kentucky Derby! You can’t have one without the other! The tradition of wearing hats at the Derby has been going on since its inception 136 years ago. It has been said that wearing a hat brings good luck and fortune. Not surprisingly, over the last few years, more men have been joining in on the fun, excitement and attention that “donning a hat” at the Derby brings.
I knew my life would be more colorful and my love for hats would be addictive when I met the dynamic chapeaux artist Grace Mark of Lagos, Nigeria eight years ago. I happened to be modeling in a fashion show where I wore about six of Grace’s hats. I purchased two hats that day and had a tough time deciding which two I wanted because they all were so beautiful.
Because my degree is in Fashion Buying and Merchandising and Production Management, I quickly recognize that Grace Mark was a phenomenal talent that I needed to connect with. From humble beginnings, Grace had style and class. I knew right off the bat that Grace Mark was brilliant!
I was quickly drawn to her grace, style, talent, kindness and spirituality. We hit it off with ease and I have since used my marketing skills to become her Global Representative. I have traveled the world and country presenting shows for her and promoting her as one of the “best hat designers” in the world! In Nigeria, she is virtually a household name. She has a factory with 19 workers and a showroom filled with her creations. Fashion forward women visit her showroom daily to get their special chapeaux.
The 136th Kentucky Derby was the perfect place to showcase Grace’s hats. As she made her way to the States from Nigeria she didn’t know what to expect at the Derby, since it was her first Derby. But she had me (known as Grand Diva to many) and a host of others to welcome her to Derby City - including publisher & editor of Sonya‘s Spotlight Web Mag, Sonya Jenkins, who has proudly worn Grace’s hats at the Kentucky Derby all of the four years she has attended. Boy, did Grace get a lot of attention (along with all the models that wore her hats) from the day she arrived until she departed back to the motherland. Grace and I were asked to be guests on a gospel radio show and we also appeared on television broadcasts while in Louisville that weekend. Attendees at the Derby told us that our hats were by far, ‘the best’ and often asked to take pictures of us in our Grace Mark designs.
As a prelude to the Kentucky Derby, we attended the Atlanta Steeple Chase races (the week before the Derby) and during the hat competition Grace’s hats won 1st 2nd and 3rd place for the “Best Hat Design” out of 48 other hat entries.
Hats are really growing in popularity! Most women’s organizations have created yearly hat luncheons, which encourage women to don their most lovely hats. These gatherings have really put a smile in my heart, because even women who felt as though they weren’t hat lovers are getting into the excitement. Their attitudes seem to change when they put on a hat. Yes, they have HATITUDE now!!
Grace Mark’s excitement about her chapeaux popularity made her thankful to all the women who have supported her in the States. She is becoming so well known she said she almost feels like a “rock star.”
Now, a little fashion tip: People often ask, ‘Do I get my outfit first or should I get my hat first?’ I’d say to get the hat first - particularly when you are buying a one-of-a-kind Grace Mark design. But whether you get your hat first or not, when you wear your hat, be sure to tilt it to the front and slightly cock it to the side, right over your eyebrow. Some of Grace’s hats can be worn in several directions, but generally start off with the adorned part of the hat in the front. You want the “biggest bang” with the first impression when you walk into a room. Oh, and did I say, hold your head up and start struttin! HATTITUDE….here we come!
Take a look at all the unique Grace Mark hats we showcased during our four-day Derby trip - including some other Derby hat fashions.
For more information about Grace Mark Hats, contact me at Granddiva10@aol.com, 678-521-7697 or check out my web site at www.granddivaenterprises.com
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Global Representative for Grace Mark Designs, Vernell Washington and Nigerian Hat Designer Grace Mark
Grace Mark
Grace, Penny, Vernell, Sonya in Grace Mark Hats.
Nigerian Hat Designer Grace Mark
Vernell Washington and Grace Mark
Fashionable Hats At The Derby
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