Page 58 - The Hunt - Spring/Summer 2023

TOPPING IT
ALL OFF AT
THE RACES
GET TO KNOW THE REGION’S PREMIER HAT PURVEYORS.
BY EILEEN SMITH DALLABRIDA
CHRISTINE A. MOORE
Horse races are like hats, says Christine A. Moore. Each one has a distinct personality. “The Kentucky Derby is over the top,
with big brims and lots going on,” says the milliner. “Point-to-Point is more like the Preakness—not as Southern belle, feminine but not ostentatious. Radnor Hunt is a little sportier.”
Moore has been official milliner of the Kentucky Derby five times. She also holds the post at the Breeders’ Cup, Iroquois Steeplechase and Jim McKay Maryland Million Day. And she’s the official hat designer for America’s Best Racing.
Moore first considered a career in millinery when she studied costume design at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. “I was in awe watching the milliner create hats,” she says. “After that, that’s all I did.”
Most of her hats are sold where racegoers shop, including Wilmington Country Store in Greenville, Delaware. Merchants often refer patrons who want a hat in a different color or with individualized trims. Many simply hand over the reins to Moore, trusting her to create the perfect design.
Moore embraces the traditions of millinery, noting that Philadelphia was
the epicenter of women’s hat-making for more than a century. When Stetson left the
(Clockwise from above) A hat from Christine A. Moore; Wilson King at the reins; Tiffanny Arey.
22 STEEPLECHASE LOOKBOOK 2023 | todaymediainc.com
city for new digs in Texas, she bought hat blocks from the factory.
Her spring hats are made from straw and other natural fibers. “We don’t buy ribbon or premade flowers. We make them from silk because it holds the shape the best,” she says.
For racegoers, weather is always a concern. On rainy days at the Kentucky Derby, women frequently enter the grandstands with plastic trash bags draped over Moore’s glamorous creations. “Steeplechase people are outside, so the weather is more of an issue,” she say. “With flat racing, you just have to get to the stands.”
Moore reshapes hats for patrons who’ve been caught out in the rain. “If you think it’s going to rain, wear a fascinator or something with feathers,” she says. “Birds fly in the rain, and rain won’t hurt feathers.”
Visit camhats.com.
WILSON KING
Wilson King wears lots of hats. An ardent carriage driver, he dons the appropriate top hat, bowler or fedora whenever he takes the reins. He’s also the founder of Chester County’s Outback Trading Company, whose garb for outdoors enthusiasts includes oilskin hats with generous brims, which are ideal for spectators at drizzly steeplechase events.
King is also a collector of hats, from wool felt chapeaus for men to fanciful fascinators for women. The hats aren’t for display—they’re meant to be shared. “I have one in every size, because you have
to do it to the nines,” he says. “When I do driving, people can pick the hat they want.”
Typically, the carriage dictates the attire. “If you’re in a sporting vehicle, you’d likely wear a fedora,” King continued on page 24
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY OF CHRISTINE A. MOORE, WINTERTHUR
AND TIFFANY AREY