Aretha's Hat

About

Aretha Franklin was wearing a very unique bow-style hat while she sang “My Country ’Tis of Thee” during the Obama Presidential inauguration on January 20th, 2009.

Among the mounds of press content produced on the day of the inauguration, Aretha’s hat was of immediate interest to many. Nearly everyone who was on site was making some sort of commentary about Aretha’s Hat:

• CNN
• ABC News
• Buzzfeed.com
• Urlesque.com

As Buzzfeed.com, one of the early advocates of this meme, states:

… the hat adds dignity and grace wherever it goes. Try on Aretha’s hat or envision it in other great moments throughout history.

Notability

In the days following the inauguration, thousands or bloggers were raving about it in blogs.

Even the Smithsonian Institution wants to make an exhibit of Aretha’s hat so as to “highlight Barack Obama’s place in history as the first African-American president.”

The Hat

The hat was made by a milliner by the name of Luke Song who bases his company in Detroit, Michigan. According to the milliner, Aretha came in to his Detroit showroom early that January looking for a special hat for the big day. “She’s our regular customer and comes to us often,” Song stated. “She actually had three to choose from for that day, but went with her second choice. It probably looked better on camera.”

Resources

• This site teaches you how to make your own “REAL” Aretha Hat: Lemondrop.com
• The official website: ArethaHat.com