I don’t know about you, but I had no idea how fabulous the hats were a the New York City Easter parade! Regardless of your religious beliefs, these hats are worth a look. Mixed in with the photos is some great original artwork from our gallery, also on the subject of hats. I might just take a cue from these photos and start planning my Halloween costume early this year!
According to midmanhattan.com: “The NYC Easter Parade is ‘fashion meets fantasy’ affair. Irving Berlin memorialized the event in the 1948 musical with Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Peter Lawford and Ann Miller, but the New York Easter Parade tradition goes back to a much earlier time. “In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You’ll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade!”
The Easter Parade is a New York tradition that dates back to the middle of the 1800s. The social elite would attend services at one of the 5th Avenue churches and parade their new fashions down the Avenue afterwards.
The less well to do would come to see what the latest trends were. Many handy seamstresses found inspiration for their client’s wardrobes at the parade. It was a combination of religious services and haute couture in the days before TV, when only the wealthiest New Yorkers could attend the hottest Paris fashion shows.
While there is still some fashion involved in the spectacle, the modern version tends to be more fantastic. Live birds nest in bonnets of real flowers and pets are dressed in the latest 5th Avenue doggy wear.
The flamboyant headgear and costumes are paraded down the Avenue to the delight of onlookers. You don’t need a special outfit to join in the fun. Anyone can step out and stroll down the Avenue.”
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