After circling the room several times looking for both "fun" and "table" hats, I have run the gamut of "wild and crazy" and "freshly imaginative."
Among the notables I've written down on my consideration sheet are a couple building-themed hats (a model of the VCU Business building, the Empire State building) and also a quiet man in a business suit who went for the simple-yet-effective approach of a sunflower headband, giving everyone in the crowded conference room a good chuckle. After deliberating between two equally impressive tables for "best table hat" category, I choose the VCU School of Business' table, which contained enough colors to cause a seizure and stood out like a sore thumb among the otherwise normally-dressed Richmonders in attendance. One category down, one to go.
I made favorites later on when a woman with a bowl-shaped hat featuring a sign reading "A Cookie for a Smile!" approached me. When I obliged, I was presented with a delicious-looking snack of the chocolate chip variety. I know that it's important to be unbiased (I tried – really), but the fact is that I'm a sucker for food bribes.
Besides – giving out cookies is fun for everyone involved.
As far as the "fun hat" category went, the winner was in the bag then and there.
I've finished judging a half-hour early, and after giving my final choices to Nancy, my fellow judges and I move to sit with the rest of the guests while runway models are prepping themselves for taking their turn on the catwalk. We go sit at a table near the front of the podium with several guests from local TV station NBC-12. As I sit down to an excellent meal, and schmooze with the rest of the local media, I soak in the moment and realize Dan Jansen's sitting at a table two feet away from me. Cool.
-- Mike Kulick, Richmond.com
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After arriving at the downtown Marriott, I walked into the lobby looking for my event liaison and judge coordinator, Nancy New.
I know I'm in the right place when I turn a corner and immediately begin wading through scores of women (and a few men, God bless their brave souls) wearing items such as florescent floppy hats, impressive homemade creations made from duct tape…and as I suspected I'd see at some point, two women with hats made of peacock feathers that put together could probably reconstruct an entire bird.
My lesson for the day – fancy hat parties are anything but dull.
After finally tracking down Nancy, I am introduced to my fellow judges for the event: Susan Winiecki, editor of Richmond Magazine, and Tina Ennulat, associate editor for Virginia Living magazine.
Being the only male judge for a hat show, I felt a bit out of my hat-critiquing league after meeting everyone, but I soon am put at ease when Tina tells me she doesn't really know what she's doing. That makes two of us, Tina.
As we're handed our judge pins and evaluation sheets, Nancy tells us that there was supposed to be one more judge, but apparently that fell through last-minute. We're told one of us would have to additionally judge the "fun hat" category also. Everyone looked at me, I smiled, and as of this point I have two categories for which I'll be "the decider" today. I'm all-in, baby.
-- Mike Kulick, Richmond.com
Thoughts? Send your comments to mailto:editor@richmond.com?Subject=[Blog].
Feathers, Catwalks and Dan Jansen
Friday at 10:00 a.m.
As a kid, I always took pride in my baseball cap "bill-forming" skills.
After buying a brand new hat and giving the fresh, flat bill a working over using my special "roll and squeeze" technique, that hat was good to go the remainder of its sun-shielding life.
This small achievement I've perfected in my almost 23 years of life is about the extent of my vast knowledge on hats. And fashion, for that matter.
So I was a bit intimidated when Hospital Hospitality House (HHH), Richmond's non-profit facility that provides free residence for families of patients receiving treatment in local hospitals, asked me about a month ago if I would mind being a guest-judge for the 10th annual Fancy Hat Party at the Richmond Marriott this Friday. But after putting on my thinking cap (sorry, it had to be said), I decided to welcome the opportunity to participate in a fun activity for a good cause – all of the profits from the $100-per-person event go right back into HHH, which is one of the best and most well-equipped hospitality houses of its kind in the nation.
As the guest judge for the best "table hat" category, I'm in charge of looking for three things: the group of hats that best conveys team spirit, has a creative or inspirational theme and has the most attractive hat design. Seems easy enough.
The luncheon will be followed by a raffle, a fashion show featuring several local cancer survivors and ends with a motivational speech by 1994 Olympic Gold medal speed skater Dan Jansen.
How hard can judging a piece of head wear truly be?
-- Mike Kulick, Richmond.com
Thoughts? Send your comments to mailto:editor@richmond.com?Subject=[Blog].