I’ve wanted to host a Kentucky Derby party for as long as I can remember. I pictured everyone in over-the-top, food-themed hats and bright, playful outfits — and this year we finally did it. We partnered with IZZE to throw a “Hold On To Your Hats!” celebration. IZZE’s colorful, fizzy drinks were the perfect complement to our bold styling. Whether or not you’re a horse-racing fan, the Derby makes a fun excuse to get creative with handmade hats, tasty treats, and pretty beverages.
Those hats are ridiculous in the best way — and we’ve included tutorials so you can make your own. But first, here’s how we styled the party table.
Decor: We collected horse figurines and vases, then spray painted them in soft pastels. Giant award ribbons were made and hung on the wall beside a hand-painted sign for an instant Derby vibe.
Tableware: We used pink-toned tableware and our tie-dye napkins from a past IZZE collaboration. The colors tied everything together and felt festive.
Dessert: Food served double duty as decor. A decorated cake became the table centerpiece, topped with a painted trophy (place a circle of parchment beneath any topper to protect the cake). Small bowls of taffy doubled as favors for guests.
Drinks: IZZE Sparkling Grapefruit was our featured beverage — bright, tart, and refreshingly pretty. For cocktail lovers, try a grapefruit julep by adding IZZE to a traditional mint julep for a citrus twist.
Time to make hats! Below are step-by-step directions for each whimsical design.
DIY Egg Hat
You’ll need: white poster board, a foam dome (or a circle cut in half), yellow paint, scissors, a hot glue gun, and a headband.
How to make it: Paint the foam dome yellow and let it dry. Cut an egg shape from the poster board. Hot-glue the painted foam onto the poster board, then attach the poster board to a headband for a secure fit.
DIY Milkshake Hat
You’ll need: a top hat, pink poster board, cotton batting, a straw, a fake cherry, white paint, and scissors.
How to make it: Cut a strip of poster board to wrap around the top hat and glue it in place. Twist cotton batting into a whipped-cream shape and glue it to the top. Add a straw and a faux cherry, and paint the brim white if you like.
DIY Lemon Meringue Hat
You’ll need: yellow and tan cardstock, polyester stuffing, a fake lemon slice, a hot glue gun, and a pie box template.
How to make it: Enlarge a pie box template on yellow cardstock and assemble it into a slice. Use bent tan cardstock for the pie ridges and glue it to the back of the slice. Add polyester stuffing on top for the meringue and finish with a lemon slice.
DIY Donut Hat
You’ll need: a foam wreath form, tan and pink felt, cotton batting, scissors, colored paper, tape, a hot glue gun, and a headband.
How to make it: Wrap the wreath form with several layers of cotton batting and secure with hot glue. Cover the batting with tan felt and glue it in the center. Cut a frosting shape from pink felt and glue it on top. Create sprinkles by rolling small strips of colored paper into tubes, tape them, then glue them onto the frosting. Attach the finished donut to a headband.
DIY Cake Hat
You’ll need: a round box, white paint, lace and flower trims, a faux flower, and hot glue.
How to make it: Paint the box white and let it dry. Embellish with trim and finish with a faux flower glued to the top for a charming cake effect.
DIY Pancakes Hat
You’ll need: 1/2″ upholstery foam, tan and brown paints, yellow paint, a headband, and scissors.
How to make it: Cut three circles from the foam and taper the edges diagonally. Stack and glue them together, paint with tan for the pancakes, and add slightly lighter edges for dimension. Paint a small square of foam yellow to mimic a pat of butter, let it dry, and glue it on top. Attach the stack to a headband.
DIY Cereal Bowl Hat
You’ll need: a melamine or plastic bowl, poster board, your cereal of choice, hot glue, a plastic spoon, and a headband.
How to make it: Cut a circle of poster board slightly smaller than the bowl’s rim and glue it inside. Poke a hole through the poster board and insert the spoon so its handle sticks out. Cover the poster board by hot-gluing layers of cereal on top. Secure the bowl to a headband for wearability.
DIY Lollipop Hat
You’ll need: a foam disc, a wooden dowel, paints in multiple colors, a hot glue gun, and a headband.
How to make it: Paint a rainbow swirl across the disc, covering the sides as well. Add a white swirl layer for lollipop detail. Carefully make a hole in the disc and insert the dowel, ensuring you don’t puncture the front or back. Glue the dowel in place and attach the lollipop to a headband.
Once the hats are finished, pick your most colorful outfits and celebrate. Seeing everyone in these looks was the best part — each outfit was so full of personality.
We also included IZZE Sparkling Apple and Sparkling Clementine because those flavors were irresistible. The playful can, cooler, skirt, and shoe styling added an extra layer of fun to the shoot.
Cheers!
Photos by Jeff Mindell
Wardrobe styling by Jordy Scheinberg | Makeup by Page Beauty
Hand lettering by Chelsea Evers | Craft production by Annie Steward
Creative direction by Kelly Mindell
Huge thanks to our readers who modeled for the day and to IZZE for partnering on this colorful project. Which hat would you make first? If you recreate one for the Derby, tag your photos with #troopstudiodiy — we’d love to see them!
This post was created in partnership with IZZE. All opinions are my own. Thank you to the sponsors who help keep Studio DIY going.