The HerKentucky Guide to the Vineyard Vines for Target Capsule Collection

Two of my very favorite brands of all time have a huge new collaboration that goes live sometime tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to shop Vineyard Vines x Target, but first I want to share a few tips with y’all.

Now, I know a lot of y’all remember Target’s collabs with Lilly Pulitzer and Hunter. A lot of those pieces were great, but they sold out in a hurry. You’ve got to plan ahead. Here are a few tips I’ve

1. Find the pieces you love!

The first thing you need to do is decide what you love. Head to Target.com now and pick out your favorites, marking them with the “heart” favorite symbol on the Target site so you can come back to them later. My very favorite is this pink 1/4 zip, and its striped counterpart. (I predict these will be the first to sell out; they’re FABULOUS and so reminiscent of the VV Shep Shirts!)

I also love this gingham long-sleeve shirtdress and striped midi skirt. The best part about these pieces are that they are size-inclusive! This dress runs from sizes XS-3X, so there should be a great fit for most folks!!

This baseball cap is the perfect wear-anywhere piece, and this tote is absolutely perfect!

Of course, I found a few pieces that Sophie will love as well. There’s this Stoneware feed dish, and the cutest collars in patchwork and whale print!

Once you’ve picked your favorites, you need to get ready to lose some sleep for Step 2!

2. Set Your Alarm!!

We never quite know what time Target will drop these collections. It could be anywhere from midnight eastern to the early hours of the morning. Check early and often. That’s how I actually scored a few pieces of the Lilly collection — around 3 am on the morning of its launch!

3. Check back in Stores!

Now, I don’t love lines. Waiting outside a store for hours is not my thing. If you want to hit the store in the morning, it’s all you. I’ll be drinking coffee. But, I will check back at Target over the next few days. You’ll be surprised how many returns and late shipments will trickle in. You may very well score something you didn’t expect!

Let me know if you score any Vineyard Vines for Target!

Vineyard Vines Kentucky Derby Sale!

Vineyard Vines Kentucky Derby Shep Shirt (c/o)

We all know that Vineyard Vines knocks it out of the park every year with their Kentucky Derby collection. This year’s was absolutely fantastic, and I’ve especially worn this Shep Shirt so many times this Derby Season!

I’ve also worn this Vineyard Vines x Formé Millinery fascinator to a couple of Derby season events! (Click here for my interview with Louisville’s own Jenny Pfanenstiel of Formé!)

Vineyard Vines Fascinator (c/o)

Draper James Dress (c/o) also now on sale!

A fun little secret about Kentuckians that I’ve noticed recently is that a lot of us like to scoop up some Derby-themed decor and clothing after the big race. It makes sense; it’s a whole lot like finding Christmas decorations you love and putting them up for next year! I still wear last year’s Derby Shep Shirt all the time, and I’m thinking of snagging the Run for the Roses tote for next year’s Derby fun! Let me know if you save Derby items for next year’s use!!

Lilly Pulitzer and the Kentucky Derby

(Reposting this popular post, which was originally written in 2016. This post was brought to you by Shircliff Publishing. For more Kentucky Derby history, download The Kentucky Derby Book by Bill Doolittle for only $9.99; available in Kindle and iBooks editions.)

Here in Kentucky, a lot of us love to wear our Lilly Pulitzer prints to the racetrack. A flattering dress in a bright, preppy print is the perfect outfit for a day at Keeneland or Churchill Downs. Lots of us break out our favorite Lilly dresses for Kentucky Derby week activities. But did you know that Lilly Pulitzer herself had lots of ties to the Derby and thoroughbred horse racing? 

Lilly's famous Derby-themed prints

Lilly's stepfather, Ogden Phipps took horses quite seriously. He used Paris, Kentucky's storied Claiborne Farms, for the breeding and training of his horses. He helped found the New York Racing Association and served as Chairman of the Jockey Club for over twenty year, and he lost the famous coin toss that awarded Secretariat to Penny Chenery.  Mr. Phipps owned horses that won the Breeder's Cup and the Belmont, but a Kentucky Derby win eluded him. In fact, in the 2004 book Essentially Lilly, Lilly told her co-author, Jay Mulveny, "I don't race, but everyone in the family has had horses in the Derby. And no one has ever won."

While Lilly never saw a relative win the Kentucky Derby, her half-brother Dinny Phipps did win the Derby with Orb in 2013, only a month after Lilly's passing.

Of course, longtime HerKentucky readers know that Lilly's ties to Kentucky don't stop with her family's racing heritage. Lilly briefly lived in Eastern Kentucky, putting her love of horseback riding to good use as she volunteered as a courier for Mary Breckinridge's Frontier Nursing Service.

And, of course, the Lilly Pulitzer company has put out some lovely Derby- and racing- themed prints over the years; these prints are traditionally cherished by Kentucky Lilly-lovers! 

My grandmother made me this quilt from a vintage, Kentucky Derby-themed Lilly print.

Shop my favorite Lilly Dresses for Kentucky Derby 145!
 

Formé Millinery Company

All Derby hats are NOT created equal. Every Derby season, you see a selection of hats and fascinators in every corner of Louisville, even the grocery store! While you can find your Kentucky Derby hat at nearly any outlet or price point, only a few are real works of art. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit a true hat wonderland, Formé Millinery, which elevates hat-making to an art form!

The hat forms on which Jenny Pfanenstiel creates Formé hats.

Formé’s owner, Jenny Pfanenstiel, blocks all her hats by hand using vintage hat forms and a 19th century braiding machine. Every nook and cranny of her shop is simply delightful! And, oh my goodness, are Formé hats unique and gorgeous!!

Gorgeous hats at Formé. That pink one wound up at HerKentucky HQ…

Jenny majored in fashion design in college, and soon became fascinated with the art of millinery. After learning to hand-make hats by molding straw or wool over wool hat forms. Soon, Jenny found herself making an annual six-week trek from Chicago to Louisville every year to sell her creations for Derby season. Eventually, she moved here and became one of the premier designers for high-end Derby looks. In fact, Formé is now the official milliner of the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Handcrafted fascinator perfection…

Of course, the Derby-ready hats and fascinators were unbelievably beautiful, but I was simply captivated by the vintage-style wool hats as well. Jenny’s designs channel so many 1920s and ‘30s vibes, and I am here for it. (And did I mention that she carries a full line of men’s hats as well?)

I love this chic Formé creation so very much!!!

This incredible cloche gives me serious Babylon Berlin vibes.

swoon.

Jenny has partnered with one of my very favorite brands, Vineyard Vines, to create a lovely line of Kentucky Derby fascinators. There’s even a fascinator that benefits the Norton Cancer Institute! My friends at Vineyard Vines were kind enough to send me a piece from this limited-edition collection; I absolutely love it!!

Dress c/o Draper James; Fascinator c/o Vineyard Vines

Thanks so much to Vineyard Vines for working with me on this post, and to Jenny Pfanenstiel for taking the time to talk shop with me! Happy Derby, y’all!!

Off-Broadway Shoes Derby Trunk Show

Remember in Steel Magnolias when Truvie says that it is our ability to accessorize that separates us from the animals?

It’s never more true than during Derby season. There are just so many events that require a cute hat and great shoes. You really can’t have too many accessories during a Kentucky spring. That’s why I never miss the Off-Broadway Shoes Derby Trunk Show. You can score so many cute finds at really great prices!

This Sunday, April 14, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse will host a trunk show featuring hats from C.K. Nobles Millinery. You’ll find an assortment of more than 2,500 hats and fascinators at the store this year during the trunk show, coming in at the reasonable price point of $19.99 to $129.99.  There are many cute and affordable pieces for every last-minute luncheon, tea, and party that pop up in your calendar. You won’t want to miss deals like 20% off your entire purchase and Buy One, Get One 50% on most styles!

I hope to see y’all at Off-Broadway Shoes in Shelbyville Road Plaza(4600 Shelbyville Rd., Suite 201) here in Louisville this Sunday. I’ll be hosting along with my girl Danielle from Lou What Wear. It’s always a fun time, and you’ll find some great pieces for your Derby week celebration!!

For a limited time, the fashion-forward retailer will run a 20% off entire purchase and Buy One, Get One 50% off for customers to enjoy.

Address is Shelbyville Road Plaza, 4600 Shelbyville Rd., Suite 201.

Kentucky Artists' Derby Giveaway!

Derby is less than a month away, y’all. I’m in full fascinator-shopping mode, and I’m ready to pull out all of my Derby-themed decor!

I’ve teamed up with a fabulous group of Kentucky artists to give one lucky HerKentucky reader a fabulous set of Derby-themed items, valued at over $500. There is so much fun stuff here, including:

• A hand-painted, bespoke Derby platter from Pete’s Sake Pottery.

• A set of four Kentucky Derby 145 Glencairn whiskey glasses from Bar and Vine.

• A Derby tea towel and pillow set from Doodles by Rebekah.

• Three hand-stamped Derby-themed spreaders by Sycamore Hill.

• Five pairs of Kentucky-themed socks by Barrel Down South.

• A Kentucky watercolor by Tulip Poplar Co.

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! We’ll contact the winner this Wednesday, April 13th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BenRiach Scotch Whisky Luncheon at Ostra

The cleverly named “Peet Rose” cocktail was created by Ostra for this event.

I recently attended a lunch tasting of BenRiach Scotch Whisky at Ostra. This was an invitation I was thrilled to receive; I don’t know a ton about Scotch, and the easiest way to learn more about a spirit is to attend a tasting led by an expert. BenRiach is a 120 year-old distillery of single malt scotch; its acquisition by Louisville-Based Brown-Forman in 2016 certainly makes it more accessible to Kentucky’s whiskey lovers. Stewart Buchanan, BenRiach’s Global Brand ambassador, led us through the tasting of four BenRiach expressions, each of which was paired with a creative and delicious food course.

Stewart Buchanan, Global Brand Ambassador for BenRiach.

In walking us through the tasting, Stewart pointed out that many folks who are new to Scotch often associate the spirit with heavy notes of smoke and earth. The peat flavor is is introduced into the spirit by drying the core grain — malted barley — over peat smoke for several hours. BenRiach offers both peated and unpeated expressions, offering a lot of room for exploration of the spirit’s flavor.

Tasting notes for BenRiach Whiskys

BenRiach 10 Year:

This accompanied our starter dishes of a kale pallet, oysters, and spotted prawn ceviche. I loved the mix of a lighter whiskey with these fresh and citrusy dishes.

Proof: 86

Nose: toffee, vanilla and pear

Palate: green apple, sherry, clementine

Finish: light spice, nutmeg

Ostra’s Jay Kale salad with citrus vinaigrette and goat cheese.

BenRiach 20 year

This accompanied a main corse of Wild Boar Gemelli, truffle honey fries, and crispy brussels sprouts. Honestly, the whisky and the pasta were so amazing together that I completely overlooked my blogger duties. I loved the interplay of the gamey boar with the sweet, lightly smoky whisky. I really liked this expression a lot; the notes were more familiar for someone versed with American whiskeys.

Nose: Baked Pear

Palate: honey and red wine

Finish: lemon and barley

We finished with two peated expressions, Benriach Curiositas 10 Year and BenRiach Authenticas 25 year. These were served with two amazing desserts: the cricket flour brownies and the red velvet churros with cayenne nutella dipping sauce. While I’ve never been one for peated whiskys, this pairing really worked well to coax out the notes of the spirit. I don’t fully trust my palate enough to give tasting notes on the peated whiskys; I simply haven't worked with them enough to get a great read on what I’m tasting and smelling. The Authenticas 25 year opened up to a lovely raisin palate, which worked well to cut the indulgent chocolate notes of the dessert. (And that churro was nothing short of lfie-altering!!)

Thanks so much to Brown-Forman, BenRiach, Lemonade PR, and Ostra for the invitation. I look forward to further pursuing my nose for Scotch!