Before organizing Hats in Hot Springs, the first three-day jubilee that celebrates “zany” head-toppers, Visit Hot Springs special events manager Chrissy Egleston didn’t know much about the accessories. But months of preparation have made her into quite the mad hatter. This weekend, Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs will be brimming with bowlers, beanies and berets, and Egleston will be there with top hat in tow.
Where did the idea for a zany hat festival originate?
It came about a year ago after the royal wedding. You know everyone kept looking and them and talking about them. ... So, we said “Well, why don't we have a hat festival that's free as long as you're wearing a hat?” Any kind of hat, they can come in for free ... We decided to go with a cover band that plays dance music that would attract a younger [audience]. The feeling of this is going to be kind of like your ultimate wedding reception. At the No Hat, No Cocktail party [Thursday Night at the Hot Springs Convention Center] we're going to do a photo booth. It's a chance to dress up and wear a fancy hat, not just an “I'm going out on the lake or the beach so I'm going to wear a floppy hat or a hat to protect me from the sun.” With our generation, where would you really wear a hat? … We though it would be an opportunity for people to wear them.
How many hats do you own, and which is your favorite?
I own probably about seven, but they're not fancy hats. I have purchased about three since we decided to do this event. I've got my own top hat. I've got a couple of fascinators, which are okay for the event. We're not saying it has to completely cover your head because back in the day they had all kinds of fascinators and things.
Have you received a lot of enthusiasm and support while organizing this first of hopefully many hat festivals?
We announced it on June 1, 2011, in our first press release. Mainly it was only picked up locally, but we are really pushing this using social media. ... When we posted this on Facebook, we had a lot of people say “I'm starting on my hat now” because we're going to have a contest. We're going to have [awards for] most creative, most glamorous and most outrageous. ... This is a chance to pull out all the stops and make your own hat.
What are your thoughts on people who don't have zany hats but want to come to the festival?
They can make one. Get you a hot glue gun and make your own. There are plenty of places to buy them. We are not going to stop people from coming in if they're not wearing a hat, but there are people called “tattletales” — we don't know if we're going to have them wear coonskin hats with tails or if they're just going to wear a tux kind of jacket with tails — but the tattletales will be looking for them, and if they come in without a hat they better be buying a hat. Right now we've gotten in touch with three hat vendors. Hats can be expensive, and a lot of people don't want to go out and spend $60 on a hat they're going to wear one time, but it's going to be an annual festival, so they can wear the same one every year. I think you could get one that's affordable. So, they can buy one or they can go buy a baseball cap and decorate it and make their own. There are price ranges [for everyone]. We are planning on our merchandise booths having some of those gaudy top hats with rainbow colors, maybe even chicken hats ... it can be elegant, it can be zany, it can be pretty, it can be plain. ... Any hats are welcome.
Hats don't really work on everyone. What do you think it takes to pull off a zany hat?
I think you've got to find the right hat for your head. Don't wear a hat that's too big or too little. I think to pull off a zany hat, it takes personality. If you've got a loud personality, wear a loud hat. If you're more conservative, I don't think any woman can look bad in a wide brim black hat or a solid color wide brim hat.
Will the rules of hat etiquette be applied at this zany hat festival? i.e. will men be expected to remove them indoors or when talking to ladies?
I guess not. We've researched the rules, but it's a learning process for everybody since people are not accustomed to wearing hats. .. So, I guess for No Hat, No Cocktail, they're not going to be observed. Once it's kicked off and we're having events downtown, we're going to have some trivia. The only thing indoors is No Hat, No Cocktail. Everything else will be outside.
Who is your favorite historical hat wearer?
Jackie O was somebody who wore a lot of hats. After doing all this research, that's my favorite era of hats. The stuff that was from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, those are the ones I think are the most elegant.
What's a piece of hat trivia that you found suprising?
I can think of a quote we found that's anonymous: “Saying you don't look good in a hat is like saying you don't look good in shoes.”
What fictional character do you think wears a hat the best?
The Cat in the Hat.