“Hats Off to the Horses: The Road to the Derby,” an online fashion auction produced by Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Central Kentucky, continued January 1st as bidding opened on the latest handcrafted Kentucky Derby Hat designed by custom milliner Sally Faith Steinmann of Maggie Mae Designs®.
To celebrate the first auction of the New Year, Steinmann created two unique cocktail-hat designs for this six-month charity auction, which launched November 1st.
The first honors Old Friends’s mascot and miniature horse “Little Silver Charm” and the second is inspired by retiree “Bull Inthe Heather,” the greatest son of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand.
Little Silver Charm, presumed to be a Shetland pony-Miniature horse cross, was rescued for $40 off of a slaughter truck in Rockingham Park in New Hampshire and brought to Kentucky by Old Friends founder and president Michael Blowen. He has, over the years, emerged as the organization’s official “spokeshorse,” delighting many young visitors to the farm. He even appeared in People magazine last August.
For the “Little Silver Charm” Steinmann chose a teardrop cocktail foundation in warm chocolate dupioni silk then piled it high with an assortment of swirling tulle, silk feathers, veiling, rose curls, buttons, fabric leaves, and fancy braiding.
More than four yards of ivory tulle were swirled and sculpted and enhanced with just a hint of delicate silver veiling. The colorful medley of silk organza “feathers”–a Maggie Mae Designs® trademark–was fashioned out of ivory, cream, and gold organza. Small loops of glistening silver braiding add a bit of magic. The final touch: A single hand-rolled rose curl provides the central, organizing element for all the trimmings.
Bull inthe Heather’s is the the greatest son of Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner and 1987 Horse of the Year ,whose death in a slaughterhouse in 2001 helped drive the formation of Old Friends.
To create a hat befitting this 1993 Florida Derby winner, Steinmann decided bold design and substance would best capture his dramatic gray coat and dark points.
Winter-white dupioni silk was fashioned into an asymmetrical cocktail hat with upturned brim. This base was then abundantly trimmed with bows, organza “feathers”, ruched silk-organza tails, silk florals, and sparkling buttons all in varying shades of silver.The hat is complemented by an oversized bow lined with gray-blue organza that is laid across the brim. In the center sits a stunning organza peony adorned with marcasite jewels. The back of the hat retains all of the same sweeping elements as the front with the addition of a soft, swirling bed of silver tulles that are entwined around the crown and held in place by the upturned brim.
Old Friends opened bidding on January 1 and the hats will be on the block through January 11. To view the hats and to read more about Maggie Mae Designs® go to www.maggiemaedesigns.com To view the hats and bid go to www.oldfriendsequine.org
Steinmann, who owns the Massachusetts-based Maggie Mae Designs®, is donating seven magnificent millinery creations to raise funds for Old Friends, the 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that is home to more than 80 retired racehorses. Each hat is inspired by one of the retirees at Old Friends and will be auctioned monthly right up until the famed First Saturday in May with 100 percent of the online proceeds going to Old Friends.
This unparalleled online shopping experience began on November 1st with “The Black Tie Affair,” a hat commemorating the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and 1991 Horse of the Year. It was followed in December by “The Commentator,” a chapeau for the two-time Whitney Handicap winner. The auction series has so far raised nearly $1,500.
“For the New Year I wanted to do something extra special for the horses of Old Friends,” says Steinmann of her dual creations. “These two horses have sparked my imagination from the beginning. They couldn’t be more different in size and personality, yet they are equally important as ambassadors for Thoroughbred retirement.”
“Cocktail hats, also known as fascinators, have made a real comeback at racing events like the Kentucky Derby,” continued Steinmann. “They offer an opportunity for whimsy as well as drama, and I couldn’t think of a more playful yet powerful way to celebrate this very special pair of Old Friends!”
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