Walking the Red Carpet Every Day

New Derby Fashion Exhibit Opens at the Kentucky Derby Museum 

Written by Katrina Helmer

Photography Courtesy of Kentucky Derby Museum 

Hats everywhere. Wide brims dripping with feathers, fascinators sparkling with sequins, roses climbing across dresses and bow ties. The crowd hums with chatter as colors blur past: bedazzled jackets, fluttering boas, laughter and flashes of cameras. It feels like Derby Day, that dizzying moment when you never know where to look first. 

But this isn’t Churchill Downs on the First Saturday in May. It’s the Kentucky Derby Museum, where the brand-new Derby Fashion exhibit has transformed a gallery into a living Derby crowd. The exhibit opened with a flourish on July 31, 2025, complete with a ribbon cutting and VIP appearances. On opening day, guests stepped onto a red carpet lined with gowns, hats and iconic looks spanning 150 years of tradition—a permanent celebration of the spectacle that makes Derby, Derby. 

Fashion has always been part of the museum’s storytelling, but Derby Fashion takes it to another level. This permanent exhibit is dedicated entirely to style, and it’s a milestone in curatorial work that has been years in the making. The museum’s fashion holdings have been growing steadily since 2020, thanks to both strategic acquisitions and generous donations from the community. What began as a handful of treasured items has grown into a deep collection representing both everyday fans and celebrity attendees. The display blends history and culture with eye-catching ensembles that make visitors feel like they’re strolling through a Derby crowd. 

“Especially within the past decade, the museum has been intentional about creating that Derby Day feeling every day,” says Patrick Armstrong, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Museum. “This exhibit helps bring that experience to life, and it deserves a permanent place here. Fashion has always been a defining part of the Derby’s identity, elevating it beyond a sporting event into a cultural tradition, and this exhibit honors that unique heritage.” 

Located just outside the museum’s iconic 360-degree movie theater, the exhibit stretches along a red carpet with dazzling outfits on either side. It’s immersive, playful and impossible not to smile as you take it all in: a fashion parade frozen in time, yet still alive with energy. 

While the newest pieces hail from the historic 150th Kentucky Derby in 2024, the fashion collection reaches far deeper. The earliest items date back to the 1870s, when women wore corseted gowns and gloves to the track, and men arrived in top hats and tails. In those 

early years, fashion was an extension of social status, and Louisville’s elite donned their finest for a day at the races. 

As the decades passed, the track became a canvas for changing trends: the flapper dresses and cloche hats of the 1920s, the bold prints and broad-brimmed hats of the postwar years and the vibrant, sometimes daring styles of recent decades. Each generation has left its mark on the Derby’s style identity, and the museum’s curators have carefully preserved those touchpoints. 

“Fashion is part of the iconic history at the track, going back more than 150 years, and it has always reflected the world outside Churchill Downs’ gates,” says Chris Goodlett, Senior Director of Curatorial and Education. “This exhibit really walks you through time, and the added digital aspect gives us the ability to showcase a wide span of our collection.” 

The touchscreens Goodlett mentions are among the exhibit’s biggest surprises. The interactive displays are tucked in between the mannequins, allowing visitors to scroll through more than 150 additional pieces in the collection, many too fragile to display physically. This digital experience opens the archives, letting guests discover hidden gems: hats from the 1920s, gloves from the 1940s, even dresses worn by everyday fans whose devotion to Derby is stitched into every seam. It’s a high-tech approach to preserving history while making it accessible to new generations of Derby enthusiasts. 

Like the Derby itself, the exhibit brings together an eclectic cast of characters. Among those who donated or loaned items are names tied to horses, hospitality and hometown pride. Country music artist JD Shelburne, photographer Jenny Doyle, McPeek Racing’s Greg Morehead and Sharilyn Gasaway—part-owner of 2024 Derby winner Mystik Dan—are all represented. So are Steve Wilson, co-founder of 21c Museum Hotels and co-owner of Hermitage Farm, and the legendary duo known simply as “The Lindas,” beloved for their spirited Derby looks year after year. 

The Lindas, friends Linda Keith and Linda Moore Zirnheld, became icons in the infield and beyond thanks to their “Hot to Trot” ensemble: a rainbow-hued, rose-covered creation complete with a towering hat, feather boas and My Little Pony–embellished sneakers. The outfit won multiple awards in Churchill Downs’ annual hat contest and made an appearance at the Kentucky State Fair. 

“We created this out of many yard sales and second-hand stores,” recalls Zirnheld with a laugh. 

Everywhere they went in the outfit, cameras followed. “Even a couple getting married stopped us to have their picture made with us on their wedding day here at Churchill Downs,” she says. “Anywhere we wore this, we always were photographed.” 

Over the years, the colorful costume was shuffled back and forth between the friends, until they realized it deserved a new life. “We were passing it around from her house, my house, from attic to basement and said, ‘Well, why don’t we dedicate it – donate it – to the Derby Museum? It might be a special thing that other people could enjoy.’ So, we wrote a letter, and it made it!” 

Now, instead of gathering dust in storage, the “Hot to Trot” ensemble holds court on a red carpet among sequins, silk and feathers—a reminder that Derby fashion isn’t just about couture, but creativity, joy and the fans who bring the tradition to life. 

While Derby Fashion is billed as a permanent exhibit, it isn’t fixed in place. The cases are designed for easy rotation, allowing new outfits, hats, and accessories to be swapped in after each Derby. That means the collection will continue to grow, keeping the gallery as dynamic as the styles that inspire it. 

“We knew this exhibit had to be flexible,” explains Goodlett. “Derby fashion isn’t frozen in time. It continues to change with every race, and we wanted a space where we could reflect that energy.” 

Accessibility was also top of mind in the design. Each display is positioned for easy viewing and movement, ensuring all guests can take part in the experience. For the museum, that inclusivity is just as important as the glamour on display. 

The timing of Derby Fashion is no accident. Its debut is part of the museum’s 40th anniversary celebration, marking four decades of preserving, interpreting and sharing the stories of America’s greatest horse race. In just the past ten years, the nonprofit organization has invested $10 million in exhibit upgrades and facility improvements, drawing more than 258,000 guests annually from around the world. 

This new exhibit is both a celebration of that milestone and a promise of what’s to come. Just as Derby fashion reinvents itself each year, the museum is committed to evolving and creating new ways to connect visitors with the traditions they love. 

On Derby Day, the horses may be the stars, but the fashion often steals the spotlight. Outfits become conversation starters, hats become landmarks and the shared spectacle binds strangers together in a kind of colorful community. 

That feeling is what Derby Fashion captures: the thrill of not knowing where to look first, the joy of being part of a crowd that is at once timeless and ever-changing. Whether you’re a lifelong Louisvillian or a first-time visitor, the exhibit offers a chance to walk the Derby runway any day of the year. 

After all, the Kentucky Derby isn’t just America’s greatest horse race. It’s one of America’s most stylish traditions—and now, it has a permanent home.