Best Bonnets from the New York Easter Parade

It's that time of year again. The biggest runway of spring is the New York Easter Parade showcasing the most creative of headgear. Yes, we might have a chill tomorrow, but spring weather was kind to New Yorkers and tourists for the annual event. Flowers, candy and other holiday motifs embellished not only hats but continued through entire outfits.

Yours truly came armed with butterflies and flowers. I took a selfie with Purely Patricia, an icon of the Parade and often at NY Fashion Week. She came decked out in a crochet yarn bomb theme.

One of my favorites was the Easter Island inspired couple who created towering Moai faces as a visual pun.

There are always dressed up dogs of all sizes. I was surprised to see baby goats and lambs hanging out with a giant St. Bernard dog on the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

I love seeing artists, vintage fashion fans, crafters, and designers bring their Egg-Game every year. It's great to watch the diversity of bonnet fans come out each year. There is a huge range of men, women of all ages and cultural backgrounds participating in a big way. 

Happy Easter folks. Eat chocolate. Enjoy the weekend. 

Photos by Mariana and David Leung

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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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The Hat Between Art and Extravaganza

Is there a fashion accessory that lends itself to sculpture better than a chapeau? The Palazzo Pitti in Florence is home to a beautiful exhibit celebrating The Hat Between Art and Extravaganza.  On display are wearable works of art made by designers like Philip Treacy, Christian Dior, Prada, Chanel, Stephen Jones along with a handful of independent Italian artisans.

The museum is housed in a Rennaisance palace that was once home to the royal Medici family.  Caterina Chiarelli curated this costume gallery show, the first to encompass a single category of fashion item.  The 179 hats were chosen from the over 1000 item collection in storage at the Palazzo.  The show also presents original sketches and fashion illustrations by the creators.  Pieces in the exhibit include contemporary designs and vintage pieces from the early part of the last century.

The mannequins resemble marble pedestals to the hand crafted sculptures above.  With a hat, you can create any shape, use any material.  You can build a soaring piece up and away from the head or work the shape to frame it instead.  As an artistic medium in fashion, you don't need to worry about fit and barely concern yourself with function with a hat.

It is a shame that in America, mainstream culture doesn't really support such millinery displays except at the Kentucky Derby or New York City's Easter Parade.  The English make a spectator sport of wearing couture hats, something I wish we could bring to Hollywood red carpet culture.  The addition of a spiraling headpiece at the Academy Awards would really kick things up a notch.

The Hat Between Art and Extravaganza exhibit at the Palazzo Pitti will be ongoing until May 18, 2014.
Photos courtesy of cappelloinmostra.it

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Easter Parade Fashion

I hope everyone had a happy Easter!  I took a stroll down Fifth Avenue Sunday to check out the wonderful bonnets of the informal NYC Easter parade.  

The artfully hatted crowd was a mix of floral masterpieces, cheesy crafts, head-to-toe drag queens and of course, the freaks who just wanted attention.  I loved the ladies who adorned sculptured creations that actually suited their personalities (hello Rosemary Ponzo!) and managed to look elegant.  There were dapper gents who wore brightly colored suits and wonderfully coordinated accessories of hats, pocket squares and ties.  There were people who rocked the vintage outfits, fashionable children and pets.

Steve Buscemi and the band Vampire Weekend were spotted outside Radio City Music Hall in their chic outfits filming a promo.  

I loved the spirit of people who actually put forth an creative effort.  Many of the holiday attired gentleman also carried a generous spirit by carrying baskets of toys or eggs that they gave out to children.  

In snapping shots of the fine millinery, I realized later that my Hubby photobombed most of the pictures... He wasn't trying to be obnoxious, he was just afraid to lose me in the crowd and stayed close.   I also found a corporate-looking Easter Bunny falling asleep on the job:

Check out the rest of the pics here.

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Fabulous Headpieces of the Chinese New Year Parade

It's the Year of the Dragon.  Look out for a baby boom from those who celebrate the Lunar New Year.  On Sunday afternoon, NYC's Chinatown was host to a glorious display of cultural pageantry to celebrate the big holiday.

While you can usually count on colorful processions of dancing dragons and confetti canons, most people don't looks to the streets as a runway for great hairpieces and hats.  Some spectators wore  classic embellished chopsticks.  While riders on the floats donned millinery made from flowers, pearls, fur and jewels.

The Easter parade in New York has always been a showcase for flamboyant chapeaux, but this is street fashion with a little more depth. The accessories here were worn in tribute to the tribes and performing arts of China.  A fortuitous occasion indeed.

Photos by Mariana Leung

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