Business & Tech

Wyandotte Hatmaker Wins Kentucky Derby Contest

Gina Conti's design is now included in a hat exhibit at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Wyandotte milliner has done it again.

For the ninth consecutive year, a hat she designed has won a coveted spot in the Kentucky Derby Museum Annual Hat Exhibit.

“We're delighted to be chosen once again this year,” Conti said. “In the final days approaching the derby, we were working nearly 'round the clock. Nothing else matters but creating the hat when it’s a run for the roses.”

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This year’s design, which was awarded most representative of the Kentucky Derby, was hand-sewn from four layers of straw and molded into a disc shape. The white base features black polka dots and red roses.

“The asymmetrical hat ‘disc’ cradles a lovely bunch of long-stemmed, winner’s circle, red feather rosebuds–a sure bet at Churchill Downs,” Conti said.

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The museum's exhibit highlights one of the derby’s most glamorous traditions–the exquisite hats worn on race day. Hat designers from around the world submit their entries for the annual competition.

The winning hats are now on display at the museum until June 2012.

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