New York City Easter Bonnet Parade

 
It has been two years without the New York City Easter Parade and I was starving for some good Easter Bonnet action. The parade is one of my favorite events in Manhattan, where New Yorkers and enthusiastic visitors strut their best hats and springtime fashion down the city's biggest runway on 5th avenue. 

I always make my own headpiece. Previous years have included giant flowers and butterflies. This year, my inspiration was a little bit Midsommar, a little bit Atlas (the statue at Rockefeller Center). I didn't start on the piece until earlier this week because I wasn't sure if the parade would happen. I started with metal wreath frames that I wired together. I also attempted to solder them, but the metal flaked off. Then I took silk flowers and wove them in and around the frames. I finished the headpiece by weaving ribbons around the crown base and metal headband attached for stability. 

I loved how it turned out, but boy, this piece was heavy AF. I think I have a permanent dent on my forehead from wearing this today. 

While making my annual headpiece is fun, I participate in the parade to peep (ha!) other people's creations. I was afraid millinery fans might slack off post-pandemic, but the absence only made them try harder:

Go big or go home was the theme for many of the looks. Flowers, butterflies, eggs, and feathers are a perennial favorite. The Yayoi Kusama tribute was by far the most popular creation for photographers.

This is a great event to showcase the nice side of NYC to tourists. Everyone is in a good mood. Creativity, craft skills and artistry of (almost) regular folk are on display. So are their humor and generosity (you can always find someone giving out candy). I was approached by a family visiting from Vienna who apparently photographed me four years ago, remembering my outfit. This was very impressive as I can't even remember what I wore yesterday, let alone several years ago. 

Did you dress up today? Did you have a great Passover and/or Easter? What was your favorite look from the Parade? Happy Spring!

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Top Bonnets from the NYC Easter Parade

New Yorkers will take any excuse to dress up. The NYC Easter Parade is a tradition for the fashionable to flaunt their style that dates back to the 1870s. The head gear has evolved way beyond an elegant bonnet and has expanded to wearable art, fashion designer masterpieces, protest symbols or an afternoon of family crafts.

There's me in my butterflies that I made the night before. I was inspired by the Philip Treacy hat that was part of Alexander McQueen's Fall 2009 show. I was flanked by two gentlemen who created a headpiece of gravity defying ties. What a great way to incorporate menswear for masculine style if you're not into flowers! Otherwise, many parade revellers live by the "Go big or go home" motto. They created dramatically large hats to dominate Fifth Avenue.

Unsurprising trends were outfits and hats that protested the current administration. One of the most popular was a pouting, childlike Trump mask. Another protested Trump's ties with Russia by incorporating him into Faberge inspired Easter eggs. Others used more generic protest imagery that corresponded to their outfit.

all photos by Mariana Leung and Adam Weinstein

A popular trend this year was The Wizard of Oz. I found lots of groups who were inspired by this story for Easter. Bonnets were depicting different scenes or characters from the story. There was a giant diorama on one person's head that included all of the characters. Different parade guests dressed as their favorite character from head to toe. I always thought Alice in Wonderland would be the go-to Easter story, but I was wrong.

As this is New York, some of the best looks were carried off with the appropriate attitude. There is my handsome husband in dapper tails and slick black derby and rabbit mask next to a Tim Burton-esque outfit depicting a hot air balloon. I love the multi-generational preppy duo at ease on the East Side. The older gentleman at the top right was a favorite of everyone at the parade for his sassy attitude with orange-dyed cigar carrots that he smoked and kept in his pocket.

The NYC Easter Parade counts as one of the best (free!) events of the New York. There is great history, celebrates fashion and creativity and inclusive to anyone who wants to watch or join. Which look was your favorite?

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The 8 Characters You Meet at NYC's Easter Parade

Happy Easter my peeps. The most stylish place in New York City will always be the Easter Parade along Fifth Avenue. The procession is a NYC tradition that dates back for over a century. Celebrities often participate casually. Ordinary folk who rock an amazing bonnet can become a celebrity for the day. You can find me and a bunch of other photographers staked out on the avenue.

There are distinct styles that emerge at every NYC Easter Parade

1. Arts & Crafts
These folks always look like they drove in from the suburbs and spent all night with a glue gun. They mostly use Easter paraphernalia like plastic rabbits, raffia, easter grass and construction paper, though marshmallow peeps were very popular this year. Some look like gallery-worthy sculptures while some are not nearly as successful, (AKA a hot mess). The artsy craftsy type is also a category where parents like to pimp out their kids and their latest art project to the photographers. You'll recognize these by the smug Mom and Dad standing next to them.

2. The Florists
This group raids their florist or backyards to put together intricate botanical arrangements on their head. They can be plastic or silk flowers, but you get extra credit for using fresh blooms in your look. Floral hats are the most popular category with photographers because the designers and artists build them with height and bright colors. Unlike other categories, almost every bonnet that I saw was a success.
Bravo garden style.

3. Eccentrics 
The eccentric characters at the parade are a broad group. You have the quirky older ladies with sculptural hats and a love of style. They are the women that collect art had affairs with Hemingway and goes on long trips to India. They always have a wildly inventive chapeau on their head that betrays the wild woman you can't see. Rosemary Ponzo is their patron saint.

On the other end of the spectrum are the lifetime "artists" who might be homeless, crazy or just incredibly fun. They might have an odd pet or wacky art piece they are dragging through the parade. Parents aren't sure whether to have their kids pose with them or hide them away.

4. Dandy Dogs
In the last few years, I have seen more and more dogs at the parade. They don't look like they are having nearly as good a time as the owners who are basking in the validation of photographer's attention. I am personally not a fan of dogs smaller than my cat tarted-up in plastic flowers and ribbons, but everyone else seems to love it.

5. Drag Queens 
If you are fabulous and the entire world should know it, why wait for the Pride parade or Halloween parade? St. Patrick's Cathedral is the perfect place to wear your Sunday best to honor Ressurection Day, no matter what size dress, or what you have to tuck to wear it.

6. Wannabe Designers
There are always the social workers/bank tellers who moonlight as designers at home in the basement. Those are easy to spot with a group of church ladies wearing crazy hats carrying huge signs advertising their friend's fashion business. They usually squat on a stationary spot on 5th avenue and pose to gain as much exposure for the "designer" as they can.

The variation on the wannabe designer is the wannabe model. Channeling Sylvia from the film La Dolce Vita, the wannabe model will be dancing or posing wildly on 5th avenue hoping for as many photographers clicks as possible. The exaggerated movements are to ensure ample space around her so photographers get a clear shot.

7. Goths
This is an unexpected category during a holiday known for its pastels. Nonetheless, they bring fully accessorized outfits and great hats to the event, but mostly in black. The reputation of Goths being anti-social or unfriendly is not true here. I always find them as happy to pose as everyone else.

8. Vintage Fashionistas
This group is popular for both men and women. They dress for a head to toe look. Choosing chic and elegant over garish and gargantuan. The fashion industry crowd, boutique owners, theater types and literary fans are usually found in this group.

As you can see, this is where I fit in when I dress for the parade. I just don't have the balance skills for a flower pot on my head and my fingers have already seen too many glue gun burns to make a big sculpture. I made the fascinator and added the vintage fur collar to a Holt Renfrew cape my mother gave me.

So there, you have it. All the fashionable, crafty, furry fans of the NYC Easter Parade. Now, which one are you?

All photos by Mariana Leung

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