Showing off a signature topper on Derby day is as much a part of the pomp and pageantry as Churchill Downs itself. To mark this year’s Run for the Roses, Garden & Gun collaborated with Louise Green Millinery on two designs available exclusively through G&G Mercantile.
Green comes by a love of headwear naturally since she grew up in Britain. She launched her line after settling in Los Angeles in 1984. “I realized that women lost the art of wearing a hat with confidence,” she remembers. “And I set out to create a line of hats that are comfortable and easy to wear.” Fast forward more than three decades and Green’s creations can be seen everywhere from breakout television shows like Big Little Lies and Scandal to topping off an ensemble for Taylor Swift at the Grammys.
But when Green created her pieces for G&G, she looked to Southern women, not Hollywood. “Hats require confidence,” Green says. “And Southern women possess a soft but powerful confidence in spades.”
Photo: Colleen Burdett
The Josephine (left) and the Elizabeth.
Green references Southern gardens with both sisal hats—a profusion of pansies anchors the Elizabeth, and a Magnolia-inspired blossom sets off the Josephine. Neutral hues and a simple velvet edge maximize their versatility. A sense of joie de vivre is the real draw, though. “Wearing a beautiful hat is like walking with a baby or a puppy—everyone stops to coo and talk about it,” Green says.
G&G’s hats are made to order and the interior band fits up to 22 ¾” unless otherwise noted. Claim one by April 19 to receive in time for the big day.
>> Order the Elizabeth or the Josephine today.
