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Vogue<\/em>\u2019s Lilah Ramzi-Goettemann<\/a> was among attendees, an intrepid spectator beneath the wide brims. \u201cGiven the Met Gala<\/a> whirlwind this week, I\u2019ll admit I rather phoned it in\u2014I didn\u2019t have time to properly plan,\u201d she says. \u201cI pinned a Helena Simon<\/a> poppy brooch to a Destree<\/a> hat\u2014the brand started in millinery, after all!\u2014and called it a day, pairing it with a floaty 1950s chiffon dress. Fresh enough, but I certainly paled in comparison to the sheer inventiveness of the crowd.\u201d Her favorite look was that of Alexandra E. Bell, the owner of Suzanne Couture Millinery<\/a>: \u201cwhich is the<\/em> place to get a hat\u2014an Upper East Side institution,\u201d says Ramzi-Goettemann. Bell wore cream, black polka-dot vintage Oscar de la Renta dress. \u201cIt felt straight out of the 1960s\u2014utterly chic, perfectly proportioned, and quietly fabulous,\u201d she adds. I went up to her because I had to know who she was, and it turned out she\u2019s the sister of Aran Bell, a principal at American Ballet Theatre<\/a>. One of those perfect New York moments.\u201d There was also a lily-of-the-valley hat worn made by CB Design Sanctuary<\/a> and worn by Lizzi Longley<\/a>: \u201cIt had a real Dior-esque romance to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Martha Stewart<\/a> shared her fond memories of visiting Central Park with her father as a child, riding ponies and going out on the lake in a rowboat for a dollar a day. She opted for a gold Libertine coat and a vintage hat she picked up at Arts and Ends<\/a> in Northeast Harbor, Maine, which she adorned with a pink rose brooch by Helena Simon.<\/p>\n \u201cI love seeing women \u2018doll up\u2019 in summer dresses and beautifully crafted hats,\u201d says Stewart. \u201cEveryone goes all out, and to get over 1400 women to do this is an extraordinary feat, and it is because Central Park is so important to all of us. I\u2019ve gone for many years and always see something new and different.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fendi family was also represented by Fe\u2014in custom Emilia Wickstead\u2014and daughters Alessia and Paola\u2014in Emilia Wickstead and vintage Mary McFadden respectively. They explored Europe looking for their own chapeaux: Fe found her Tracey Hilley hat in London, and Alessia\u2019s raffia Patrizia Fabbri hat was sourced in Rome. Paola found a Eugenia Kim hat in her mother\u2019s closet. The Fendis all, of course, opted for Fendi shoes and bags. \u201cWalking down the steps and seeing the flurry of color is such a wonderful experience. There are so many works of art!\u201d says Paola.<\/p>\n Alice + Olivia<\/a> founder and designer Stacey Bendet<\/a> wore her own Adley poppy dress with a matching poppy embroidered bomber, which she paired with a sculptural vintage hat customized with more poppies. \u201cI loved supporting our godmother Judy Angelo, who was being honored, and it was so fun to see so many women wearing Alice + Olivia,\u201d she says. Her favorite chapeau? Marie-Noelle Pierce\u2019s blue bird and floral adorned headpiece.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n