Aretha Franklins church hat in high demand - 5 hours ago
Luke Song with a replica of the hat he designed for Aretha Franklin to wear during the Inauguration. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press)While the fashion-conscious were focused on Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day, it was Aretha Franklin who pulled off the most unexpected sartorial coup.
Few people covered their heads that day, despite the cold. But the Queen of Soul did. She reached back to her gospel roots and adorned herself as if for church, topping her outfit with a dove-gray wool chapeau, dominated by a giant bow set off at a jaunty angle and ringed in sparkling Swarovski crystals.
The hat was an instant sensation. Even before Ms. Franklin had finished singing My Country, Tis of Thee on the inaugural podium, calls began pouring in to her hat designer, Luke Song, 36, of Mr. Song Millinery in Detroit, Ms. Franklins home town.
Aretha Franklin performed at the inauguration on Tuesday. (Ron Edmonds/Associated Press)A lot of my clients know my signature style, and they knew instantly that it was my hat, Mr. Song said in a telephone interview Friday. They called to verify it, and then they just started screaming at the top of their lungs.
Asked to define that style, he said he couldnt quite put it in words, except to say that he liked hats that frame the face.
The calls overwhelmed him, he said, and before long there were reporters asking for interviews as word of the hat went viral. It was still a current topic on television three days after the inaugural, discussed on The View and mocked by Jon Stewart and Ellen DeGeneres.
And Mr. Song has been flooded with hat orders, creating an instant backlog of three to four weeks.
But what he is selling is a similar design to The Hat, which he designed specifically for Ms. Franklin with her help not an exact duplicate.
Her particular hat, I will not sell a copy, even if someone offers me a million dollars, he said. I have to keep it exclusive to her. I made it for her.
If he did make any exact duplicates, they would cost more than $500 apiece, he said; the near-replicas, which will use different fabric (satin ribbon, held together with horsehair) and smaller bows, are being sold for $179. (He did not charge Ms. Franklin anything for hers.)
The story line of a small family hat shop suddenly put on the map by a superstar is a romantic one, but it doesnt quite fit the facts, Mr. Song said. Yes, his business started small, in a store opened by his mother, an immigrant from South Korea, in 1982. But Ms. Franklin has been a customer for two decades, and the business long ago outgrew the store: Mr. Song, who studied at the Parsons School of Design in New York and first thought he wanted to become a painter, dropped out after two years to return home and transform the business into a sizeable garment and millinery supplier, Moza Inc.
It started out as a store, and now that is only about 5 percent of our operation, said Mr. Song, who is chief executive of Moza. Our main operation is wholesale manufacturing and distributing. We ship our products to about 500 boutiques, most of them in the United States, and do a lot of private labeling, particularly with womens suits and dresses, though the Mr. Song Millinery name is still on the companys own label, and on the sign over its door. Most of his clientele is African-American women, and most of them buy outfits for church.
Theres still some magic in the story for Mr. Song, though. Since Tuesday, he said, the Detroit office has not been able to handle the load of hat orders, so they are being run through his agents in Dallas.
The order numbers exceed what we can physically make, he said. Our vendors say the clients cant wait three or four weeks, so some of them are just buying up our inventory, just so they can have the label. Im in disbelief of whats going on.
Mr. Song said that he had been having a strong season even before the Inauguration, despite the sour economy. His theory is that while customers are scaling back on buying clothes generally, they are still buying hats, because a new hat can change the look of an outfit for less money than a whole new ensemble would cost.
So the season was phenomenal, he said. This was icing on the cake. But it is a life-changing event.
21 January, 2009 Washington, (D.C.) NATEPERKINS.TV: vIDEO RELEASE News, President Barack Obama Inaugural Live NEWSROOM coverage. Washington, DCU.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, today issued the following statement in response to reports of incidents which prevented a large number of ticketholders from reaching their designated areas at the 56th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony:
Following is Senator Feinsteins statement:
I have just spoken with Mark Sullivan, Director of the Secret Service, and I have asked him to convene along with the U.S. Capitol Police, all law enforcement and other parties involved in planning for this Inaugural to conduct a prompt investigation into two serious incidents that have been reported. These reports have prompted great concern by members of the Inaugural Committee, including Senator Bob Bennett, and by Congress in general.
The specific incidents include the report that a decision was made to cut off access to Purple and Blue standing areas, which meant that a large number of ticketholders could not reach their designated areas.
I am also aware of the incident involving the 3rd Street Tunnel, where thousands of people were stuck for several hours and apparently without any law enforcement presence.
There may have also been other irregularities, but I have heard enough to know that something went wrong and we need to find out what happened. Mr. Sullivan has indicated that he will provide a full report.
I would encourage people who have direct information about these incidents to contact the Secret Service, in addition to contacting the Joint Congressional Committee for Inaugural Ceremonies at feedback@jccic.senate.gov.
By TAHMAN BRADLEY and FERDOUS AL-FARUQUE
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2009 In a sermon today at Howard University's chapel in Washington, Wright used Obama's life as an example to show how despite challenges as a nation, the country can build a better future.
"He was able to do what nobody of African decent was ever able to do in the 211-year history of this country. ... The Lord stepped into his story and gave him a new attitude," he said.
It was a completely different scene from Wright's defiant appearance at the National Press Club in April. Gone was any hint of anger directed at Obama for denouncing his more controversial sermons and statements, which became fodder for Obama's critics during the presidential campaign.
Exclusive: Wright Sings 'Proud' Tune on Obama in DC Pulpit Then ... - Jan 18, 2009
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright may have made his peace with the former parishioner he once suggested turned on him for political gain, President-elect Barack Obama, but in an exclusive interview, he showed he's still furious with the media, who he called "evil," and said he's "not going to kiss anybody's behind."
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