'09
On Wednesday, Ellen DeGeneres lightly poked fun at Aretha Franklin’s unusual inauguration hat. The gray felt cap with the giant bow got a lot of people talking, with more against than for it. I knew it was a serious topic of conversation when I noticed last night that my roommate had joined a Facebook group devoted to the hat. That’s how you know stuff is important. Ellen’s take on it was pretty cute.
On Wednesday’s Ellen DeGeneres Show, the talk show host sports an over-the-top hat similar to the one that Aretha Franklin wore to Barack Obama’s historic inauguration.
“That would of been so embarrassing. The next thing you know, we would have been in Us Weekly’s ‘Who Wore it Better?’” DeGeneres jokes. “They said this is the only one they made! I can’t believe it!”
[From Us Weekly]
US notes that bloggers took to the web en masse to protest Franklin’s hat.
On Tuesday, bloggers criticized Franklin… “What was up with Aretha Franklin’s hat at the inauguration? While it’s quite Aretha-like, between the shape and the bow and the glitter she reminded me of the ball atop Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Tone it down, honey, this is not your day,” wrote blogger Kristi Gustafson on Timesunion.com.
[From Us Weekly]
To be fair, it’s Aretha’s job to be “Aretha-like,” regardless of the occasion. It’s also “Aretha-like” to wear unsupportive dresses without a bra, but she at least kept that business to herself. And a couple hundred people are big fans of the hat. The milliner who made it has been flooded with requests, and is doing his best to accommodate eager buyers.
The calls began to flood Luke Song’s hat shop not long after Aretha Franklin finished belting out “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Franklin, who wore a gray felt custom-designed hat from Mr. Song Millinery, has inadvertently caused an economic boom for the South Korean immigrant’s store.
Song said he wasn’t prepared for the hundreds of calls requesting the hat with a Swarovski rhinestone-bordered bow. We even have a lot of men calling to get it for their wives, mothers and grandmothers,” Song said. The hat worn by the “Queen of Soul” was hand-molded and would cost upward of $500 _ if it were for sale, the 36-year-old designer said. Customers instead were offered a satin ribbon version for $179.
“They want the same hat, but they understand it’s for the ‘Queen’ only,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent said, ‘That’s fine. I’ll get the next best thing.’” The family millinery has been in Detroit for about 25 years, and Franklin has been a customer for about 20 of those years. The store also sells to about 500 boutiques across the country. “We always make hats for her for high-profile events, so for us, the inauguration really was no big deal,” Song told The Associated Press on Thursday.
[From the Huffington Post]
I love that making a hat for a historic inauguration was no big deal to them. I suppose if it were an ordinary hat it would make sense for them not to think twice about it. But that was one attention-grabbing piece of headwear. In a sense, Aretha designed it herself. According to Song, it was a combination of two different hats. Franklin walked through the store looking at the merchandise and said, “I want that bow (put) on that hat.” Sounds like it worked out well for nearly everyone – with the exception of a vocal few.
Images thanks to Newscom.
Written by JayBird
Posted in Aretha Franklin, Fashion
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40 Responses to “Aretha Franklin’s big bow inauguration hat is flying off the shelves”
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I thought the hat was fun! Good for her. Ellen’s hysterical, I’m sure it was all in great fun.
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The men that called for their wives, mothers and grandmothers… they were looking to get cut out of the will right?
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In the same tone as Aidan said to Carrie:
“Nice hat”
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Oh wait, it was Berger… never mind
(damn lack of edit!)
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Only Aretha can get away with wearing a hat like that.
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I LOVE THAT HAT.
Serious. I want one. It’s dramatic, fantastic, and deliciously diva. But in a “Serious diva is serious” kind of way.
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I don’t know why but I think it’s hilarious that the national media is all “wtf?” about her “unusual” hat when I saw the same thing at church every Sunday for 15 years.
I think every African American in this country (who goes to church anyway) didn’t even blink twice at that hat. I thought it was awesome, to be honest. A Church Hat to beat all Church Hats.
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It was the ULTIMATE church hat, and she did it proud! Didn’t need a feather or a veil, and she rocked it.
But wait, NotBlonde, you said you didn’t go to church in the Obama is the 44th president thread. Transparency must only be for our new leader.
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awesome. and i thought aretha looked fantastic.
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“A Church Hat to beat all Church Hats.”
Yes, exactly.
Anysayamensomebody, Aretha can do no wrong as far as I am concerned.
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Has anyone read the comic strip Curtis? It’s about an African American family and a lot of the comic strips feature Curtis and his little brother in church making fun of women and their crazy hats as they walk by their pew. Wonder what they would have to say about Aretha’s hat lol.
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Me2, I’ve said that I went for 15 years.
I’m 22. There is no way you could have known that I was 22 but the joke’s on you. Nice try, but even on these silly celebrity gossip boards, I don’t lie.
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Me2, I’ve said that I went for 15 years.
I’m 22. There is no way you could have known that I was 22 but the joke’s on you. Nice try, but even on these silly celebrity gossip boards, I don’t lie.
I no longer attend church, FYI.
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The hat looked awesome on her. Wish she could bring hats back into fashion. They’re so much fun!
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i thought that hat was awful. can’t believe there’s actually people wanting to look just as bad in that hat?
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Quoting NotBlonde from the previous thread:
“I don’t go to church so I have no idea what kind of “agenda” the black church has.”
And above:
“I saw the same thing at church every Sunday for 15 years.”
It’s only been seven years since you attended, according to you, you remember the hats but not the content of the services?
Tsk, tsk. The joke is you.
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Thanks to this thread, I’ve learned about church hats ! I love this site.
African women also wear awesome hats (I’ve been in Niger) and some of them keep wearing their outfits when they immigrate in Europe. Dresses and hats are really beautiful, often the only bright colors in the winter streets, and it’s so diverse, much more imaginative than western fashion. I just love it…
Oh, and as far as I know, in Europe there are no church hats, since you’re supposed to uncover your head in church, as a sign of humility in front of your Lord. Women and men alike would have to carry the hat by hand during Mass if they had come with one.
and @Me2 : aren’t you above going all Sherlock Holmes over NotBlonde’s church habits, honey ?
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Didnt Mariah wore that hat too?? I think I saw that somewhere… ?
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The HAT! Awesome, is what it is.
@Emily: I remember the comic strip Curtis. Our newspaper used to carry it and it is hilarious. Wow, I had forgotten about Curtis & his brother and the church ladies. Thanks for reminding me!
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@honey: Mariah WISHES she could wear this hat, lol!
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I loved the hat. You go girl!
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A whole lotta woman needs a whole lotta hat!!
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So to clarify, just for the sake of not seeming like a dishonest person (I cannot believe I am doing this nonsense) for Me2′s sake,
I am 22 years old. I went to church for 15 years. I was 15 years old when I stopped going to church. I have never believed in God, nor did I ever really pay attention in church as I thought it was a weird cult-type thing. When I was little, I didn’t know what was going on as I was a child and didn’t “get” any kind of agenda. I only had about 3 years of being the age where I could really understand what “agenda” could have been being pushed and at that point I thought it was a fat lot of nonsense so I didn’t listen.
But I love fashion, so I paid attention to the hats. And Miss Aretha has a fabulous Church Hat.
Is that clarified enough for you, random internet poster who I should NOT have to clarify anything to?
honey, someone Photoshopped Aretha’s hat onto her head. I saw that picture too and laughed out loud, I was like, that totally seems like something that diva would do.
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@notblonde
I also thought that it was very mariahish 
ok, thanx, I think it looks cool on both divas…
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LOL Baho, LOL notblonde.
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What a voice! Wish I could belt ‘em out like she does.
The hat? Eh, not my style, but she pulled it off.
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Don’t do anything for my sake, NotBlonde. I’m good.
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I wonder if the secret service guys looked under that hat to make sure there were no WMD…hehehe!
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Me2:
January 24th, 2009 at 12:13 pm Quoting NotBlonde from the previous thread:
“I don’t go to church so I have no idea what kind of “agenda” the black church has.”
And above:
“I saw the same thing at church every Sunday for 15 years.”
It’s only been seven years since you attended, according to you, you remember the hats but not the content of the services?
Tsk, tsk. The joke is you.
++++++++++++++++++
The fact that you’re so worried about it means the joke is on you.
But on another note..
The hat didn’t bother me. Looks like a regular Church hat with a big bow on it.
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Please Me2. Had I not said anything you’d be smug as hell thinking “I got this chick caught”.
Anyone who tries to impugn my honesty, regardless of the time or place, is gonna get served.
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Aretha is the ultimate diva, and she wore the ultimate hat. African American women wear magnificent hats to church. Aretha honored the inauguration with that hat, and she looked fabulous.
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I like that she picked a local millner from Detroit.
As far as fashion goes, that is a hat that ONLY Franklin could wear. She is an amazing talent but her fashion acumen has never been one to be emulated. She looked like a Posh Pirate.
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i DIDN’T NOTICE THE HAT AS MUCH AS ,I WAS SO IMPRESSED THAT HER BOOBS WERE COVERED UP….
SHE IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE QUEEN OF SOUL..AND SHE ROCKED ON THE 20TH
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hmm. for the entire ensemble, queen aretha is CONSIDERABLY more covered up than we’ve seen at many past events.
the church hat is the penultimate way for her to express the flair, grab the perfect amount of spotlight (and as she’s singing, she obviously does deserve some), and also boast cultural pride. loved it.
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What I thought when I first saw it was that ONLY Aretha could get away with that hat!!! (Hail to the Queen…!)
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I love her hat. I guess the thinking is you need a BIG bow for a BIG event. haha
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Awesome hat, awesome lady.
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I really liked the hat – I would have loved it, if it were a different color. The grey felt isn’t doing much for me.
Now if it was red – Look out, honey!
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I agree with a commenter above: only Aretha could pull that hat off.
Love it.
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i love maam aretha franklin hat,very nice and elegant.Perfect!! go with the flow!!
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