CIAO NINA Creates The Most Festive Holiday Hat in All The Land

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Now here is a festive hat. Any lovely hat or hair accessory by D.C. hat maker Nina O'Neil is bound to be a showstopper, but her Winter Wonderland hat will definitely get some attention. Probably because there are vintage 1940s-era flocked reindeer perched on top of it.

In addition to her bobby pins, headbands, fascinators, and wedding headpieces, O'Neil got the idea to create whimsical, wearable art after making a hat for the Kentucky Derby. "I had so much fun making a sculptural, not-everyday hat," O'Neil said.

So when she found the reindeer in a thrift shop, the $350 Winter Wonderland hat was born. "I do a lot of hunting for things that shouldn't necessarily be hat-related and make them hat-related," she said. The reindeer are complemented by feathers, netting, and cute little German mushrooms. It's in white, so it will match any outfit. O'Neil made two, and there's only one left. If you buy it, you definitely need wear it to every holiday party you ever attend.
· CIAO NINA [Official Site]