Mardi Gras Millinery Giveaway

It’s giveaway time and a winning combination: Mobile, Millinery, and Mardi Gras!

We have paired up with local Fairhope style blogger Fashion Tuna and the incredible New York City Milliner Christine A. Moore Millinery to gift one lucky winner a hat of her choice for Mobile Mardi Gras, a prize valued up to $500. 

“Men love women in hats because hats highlight the eyes –

and the eyes are a window to her soul and mind.” 

–Christine A. Moore

You have most likely seen Christine A. Moore’s work on television, her hats have been featured on The TODAY Show, Nashville, Gossip Girl and The Carrie Diaries, as well as in magazine such as InStyle and Vanity Fair. I have personally been a fan of Moore’s fabulous work for several years – having always worn a CAM hat to Polo at the Point in Point Clear, Alabama – so when Christine reached out to me about her event at CK Collection in Fairhope I jumped at the chance to finally get to meet my favorite milliner. 

My friend Tate Sutton of Fashion Tuna fame and I went to CK this past Friday to try on the Christine A. Moore Spring 2019 collection in order to pull our Mardi Gras luncheon looks together and to learn everything hats, hatinators and fascinators from the best in the business. 

My favorite piece of advice gleaned from our time with Moore is that a fascinator should be “tilted towards your eyebrows, so [the eye traces] from your head and down your face, like the hat is intrinsic to your being, and glides right off your foot” – creating a literal head-to-toe look.

Here is a quick overview of the three different types of headpieces that you will see at the various Mardi Gras luncheons, compliments of Moore’s interview with Parade:

The Southern Belle Hat: “The most iconic headpiece […] is the oversized Southern belle hat. This hat is often saturated in hue and features a wide brim that spans across the forehead and can be tipped to the side for a more sophisticated look.

Hatintors and Fascinators: Hatinator and fascinator styles pose a modern day take on the more lavish hat styles. Fascinators are typically small to medium in size and attached to the head by a headband or comb, while hatinators are larger and sit on a headband. Both are highly regarded for their structured shape, which is often topped off with playful elements, including ornamental appliqués, netting or feathers.

Pro Tips: If you’re rocking a hatinator/fascinator, wear it to the side you part your hair on to add depth and symmetry to balance your natural face shape. If you are sporting a traditional hat, ensure the brim rests right above your eyebrows and not on the back of your head. If you are looking to add symmetry to your look, wear it with a slight angle to either the left or right side.” (Parade)

Ready to enter to win a CAM hat of your own and join the impressive ranks of beautiful women who wear Christine A. Moore Millinery, like Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige and Kate Upton? The contest will occur in three phases, outlined below, and will end just in time for Mardi Gras. 

Phase 1: Entries are Submitted 

To enter, simply submit a photo of yourself that features you in your favorite Mardi Gras hat luncheon look from a previous year. All submissions are to be sent to MardiGrasinMobile@gmail.com and are due by February 12th at 5pm CST. Please include your full name along with your Instagram handle, if applicable.

Phase 2: Rock the Vote

We will select our top 10 favorite Mardi Gras luncheon looks – and then give you the chance to pick the winner via Instagram! Voting will begin February 13th and run until February 21st. 

You will be able to vote by commenting on our Instagram post featuring the Top 10 looks. In order for your vote to count, you must be following Christine A. Moore Millinery,  The Southern Atelier and Fashion Tuna on Instagram (and we will check!). 

Phase 3: Winner is Announced

The winner will be announced February 22 via Instagram and the winner will redeem her hat of choice from CK Collection in Fairhope by March 2, 2019. 

More on Moore:

Established in 1994, Christine A. Moore Millinery is based in New York City on 34th Street between the fashion and accessories districts. Although Christine designs a wide range of women’s and men’s hats, she is best known for her explosive racing styles for the Kentucky Derby, two of which are in the Kentucky Derby Museum. 

This past year she designed the Official Belmont Stakes 150th Anniversary Women’s and Men’s hat that were signed by Triple Crown Winner Justify (his hoof print) and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, and in 2017 she designed the Official Arlington Million 35th Anniversary hat. In 2009, she partnered with Churchill Downs and Mattel to design the Official Barbie derby hat, and in that same year her hats were used in the official Kentucky Derby poster. 

Moore recently appeared in the 2018 Netflix film 7 Days Out, a behind the scenes look at the Kentucky Derby. She has designed Oaks and Derby hats for Kentucky’s former First Lady Jane K. Beshear and Preakness hats for former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and current Mayor Katherine Pugh. 

Christine has been on the TODAY Show six times live from Churchill Downs where NBC calls her “The Milliner to the Triple Crown.” In March of 2018 she was named “Featured Milliner of Kentucky Derby 144™” – the first time this prestigious title has been awarded in the 144 year history of the Kentucky Derby. She is also the official milliner for Breeders’ Cup, America’s Best Racing, the Iroquois Steeplechase, the Jim McKay Maryland Million Day, featured designer at the Preakness Stakes, Keeneland, and the Florida Derby. 

Christine has worked with Longines helping to highlight fashion trends at many racing events across the country. She has worked with corporations providing lifestyle and racing fashion experiences for companies such as Under Armour, Woodford Reserve, Red Door Spa, Pivotal Payments, Bare Essentials, Navistar, Grey Goose, Black and Decker and CXI, to name a few. 

Christine’s hats have graced many magazine covers including InStyle with Katy Perry, Vanity Fair with Jennifer Lopez, Sophisticated Living, SENSE Magazine, the Baltimore Sun and was the first milliner to be showcased on the cover of Churchill Downs Magazine. In the fall of 2009 Christine was named the ‘Official Hat Designer’ for the prestigious Naples Botanical Garden and has since partnered for prestigious events such as the Central Park Conservancy, the Trust for the National Mall and the Huntsville Botanical Garden. 

Christine’s hats have been showcased on many television shows including Nashville, The Carrie Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Horse Players. Christine’s hats are available at the finest boutiques throughout the country – in Alabama they can be found at CK Collection in Fairhope and Gus Mayer in Birmingham.

Her other collections include the Blake Collection for men, casual collections for Summer, Beach, Fall, Winter, Resort and a Dessert Collection unveiled at “Taste of the World,” a Breeders’ Cup 2016 event at Warner Bros. Studios.

Each hat in her collection has a drawstring in the grosgrain (hat band) to adjust for size and comfort. Each of her straw creations is hand dyed to the desired color, blocked on wooden forms, wired, lined and handmade trim applied adding a quality finishing touch to her designs. 

Christine A. Moore Millinery is known for their fine finishing work, attention to detail and customer relations. Her designs are light in weight giving a softer wearable feeling. Each hat is individually made with great care in NYC, USA.

Above, The Southern Atelier’s Sarah Levey pictured in Christine A. Moore Millinery at Polo at the Point with Arden Ward Upton.