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This is the third of six unique creations by milliner Sally Faith Steinmann of the Massachusetts-based Maggie Mae Designs® that will be auctioned. Each of the six Steinmann pieces will be inspired by one of the pensioned racehorses at Old Friends's Dream Chase Farm in Georgetown, KY.
"Hats off to the Horses" will offer a new creation for bid each month, with all of the high-fashion action leading up to the most exciting two minutes in sports. Ms Steinmann is donating each hat, and 100 percent of the online proceeds will go to Old Friends, the 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.
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. The Black Tie Affair was auctioned for over $700 to winning bidder Bruce Dutton of Alabama. The second hat was "The Commentator" and was won by Helen Shannon of Illinois.
Little Silver Charm, one of the most popular stallions living at Old Friends, is a real celebrity. Believed to be a miniature horse/Shetland pony cross, he not only has a huge following with the fans but is the self-ordained Old Friends' official "spokeshorse" for equine rescue.
While he may be smaller in stature than the other stallions at Old Friends, there is nothing diminutive about Little Silver Charm's spirit or his features. To convey this whimsical counterpoint of physical size and personality, a miniature teardrop cocktail foundation was chosen in a warm chocolate/brassy dupioni silk to match his dappled chocolate coat. This tiny cocktail hat frame was then piled high to overflowing with an assortment of swirling tulle, silk "feathers", veiling, rose curls, buttons, fabric leaves and fancy braiding that bring together all of the elements of this stallion's conformation and personal charm.
More than four full yards of ivory tulle were used to reflect Little Silver Charm's flaxen main and tail. Cut and swirled and carefully sculpted, the tulle was shaped to recreate the free-spirited, free-flowing mop that is one of Little Silver Charm's most distinctive trademarks. Bits of delicate silver hat veiling were added selectively across the front of the hat and in the back to give that hint of "silver" reminiscent of Little Silver Charm's namesake.
A colorful medley of silk organza "feathers", a classic MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® trademark, was fashioned out of ivory, cream, and gold organza to reflect the varying tones of Little Silver Charm's flaxen locks as the sun hits them and brings them to their vibrant glowing fullness. |
Little Silver Charm by Matt Wooley equisportphotos.com |
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And finally, a single hand-rolled silver organza rose curl provides the central organizing element for the trimmings and is meant to reflect the very heart of Little Silver Charm. The center of the rose is filled with a medley of silver sparkle buttons and a single large pearl button in a gold setting. Small loops of glistening silver braiding add a bit of magic, and variegated bronze and warm chocolate silk leaves cradle the rose and frame it against the swirling ivory tulle layers and organza feathers that surround it.
Steinmann has been making hats for Derby and many other racing events since 1998. Her designs were seen in the winner's circle in 2008 when Big Brown captured the Run for the Roses. Her life-long love affair with horses has inspired her to create this matchless collection of Derby Hats to benefit Old Friends.
"For me, it's such a privilege to be creating these hats for these athletes," Steinmann said, "but it's also been hard to select just one at a time from the glorious array of choices at Old Friends."
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"The Bull Inthe Heather Hat"
Bull Inthe Heather, a resident of Dream Chase Farm since 2006, is the most successful son of 1986 Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand. Ferdinand's tragic death in a Japanese slaughterhouse in 2001 was a key influence in the creation and development of Old Friends, and so it seemed only right that his most famous son should have a chapeau created in his honor and for his legacy.
To create a cocktail hat befitting this magnificent stallion, a hat of bold design and substance was required. Bull Inthe Heather is most often described as being a cool blue-gray color. Therefore, a pale winter white dupioni silk was chosen to fashion an asymmetrical cocktail design with upturned brim. Varying shades of silver, pale blue-gray, and soft gray trims were added in the form of bows, organza "feathers", ruched silk organza tails, silk florals, and sparkle buttons to capture this fine athlete's now mostly-white coat and striking dark features.
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Bull Inthe Heather
by Matt Wooley
equisportphotos.com |
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To reflect Bull in the Heather's beautiful dark points, an oversized silver dupioni silk bow, lined with pale gray-blue organza, was fashioned and laid across the upturned front brim of the hat. This dramatic silk bow design provided the perfect backdrop for a stunning organza peony fleur. This delicate, innovative floral design was created by using alternating shades of gray, silver, and pale gray-blue organza for the petals, layered one upon the other, with a stunning center created out of sparkling blue buttons and marcasite jewels. |
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To capture the graceful, waving action of Bull in the Heather's silver-gray mane and tail as the wind blows through them, silver silk organza "feathers" were creatively shaped to convey the idea of movement. To these we added three ruched tails of dark silver, bejeweled gray, and pale gray-blue organza to add one more hint of the powerful energy of this great stallion.
The back of the hat retains all of the sweeping elements of the front of the hat with the addition of a soft, swirling bed of silver and pale tulles which are intertwined around the crown and held in place by the upturned brim.
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These two amazing millinery delights are up for bid from January 1st through January 11th, 2010. At the end of the month, the winning bidder's name will be announced (unless they prefer to remain anonymous) and on February 1st, 2010 the next hat will be put up for bid.
Bid as many times and on as many hats as you like during this running auction. For further information about the eBay bidding process, please contact Old Friends at 502-863-1775.
Freight charges will be at the expense of the winning bidder. Winning bidders, please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery of your hat in order to ensure proper sizing.
Hats will be up for bidding for ONLY ten days beginning January 10, 2010. |
Interested bidders can see the hats for sale and learn more about Steinmann by visiting Maggie Mae Designs®, www.maggiemaedesigns.com
To bid go to the Old Friends website at www.oldfriendsequine.org and click on the eBay-store link. Each month's hat will be available for bidding on the first day of every month through April 2010. |
