LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — The permanent fashion exhibit at The Kentucky Derby Museum at historic Churchill Downs is nearly one year old.
The exhibit, which opened last summer, is located just outside the Great Hall on the first floor and features a wide range of suits, dresses and Derby hats spanning early Derby history to modern fashion.
The placement of the exhibit was intentional, with the red carpet experience in mind.
"Because you think of that on Derby Day... Everyone's there to show up and show out. It's see or be seen," said Katrina Helmer, the director of communications at the Kentucky Derby.
Helmer said the feeling visitors get when they walk in is immediate.
"As soon as you walk into this exhibit it's just like, 'Wow, that's how big that hat would be,'" Helmer said.
Fashion is one of the most iconic parts of the Run for the Roses, and the exhibit is designed to make that clear from the moment visitors arrive.
"Fashion is going to hit you in the face," Helmer said.
The curatorial team worked to expand the museum's collection since 2020, and the exhibit represents the result of that effort.
"This was kind of the culmination of that to put it all on display and to really give you a range of early, early Derby history to modern fashion," Helmer said.
The exhibit also includes interactive touch screen displays and is designed to serve as an entry point into Derby history for visitors who may be unfamiliar with the event's traditions. For those visitors, the exhibit offers answers early in the tour.
"This is one of those first key ways that we jump into the topic of Derby history," Helmer said.
Every year, one of the museum's strategic goals is to feature an upgrade or a brand new exhibit — something Helmer noted is uncommon in the museum world.
