Meet Our Featured Hat Designers

Jessica Schickli, a second-generation milliner and owner of Hat Haven, has been creating unique headwear that perfectly captures the elegance and excitement of the Kentucky Derby. 

With more than 25 years in the business and over 5 years specializing in custom Derby hats, every hat is a labor of love, meticulously handcrafted to reflect the individual style of each client. Her commitment to quality is demonstrated in every detail, from hand-stitching and intricate embellishments, to custom dyeing and unique trimmings. 

Several of her pieces were highlighted in the inaugural Kentucky Derby Style Guide. Her winning selection in the Derby 150 Fashion Contest is now a part of the Kentucky Derby Museum’s permanent collection. Other headpieces have been featured in The New York Times, People Magazine, Business First, The Seattle Times, The Voice Tribune, and on the heads of numerous celebrity clients. 

As the proud successor of a family tradition, Jessica continues to blend time-honored techniques with innovative designs, ensuring every hat is a reflection of her clients personal style and expression.  

Official Milliner of the Kentucky Derby Museum 2025

Louisville-native Mary Julia Kaiser, owner & designer of Derbyologie offers a line of show-stopping Derby fascinators featuring a spectrum of styles from graceful to gutsy! She was named Featured Milliner of the Kentucky Derby Museum x3 in 2023, 2024 & 2025.

Raised in the Bluegrass, a love for all things Derby started young, dating back to the quintessential Kindergarten Derby. Inspired by Kentucky’s southern charm and Brooklyn’s urban flair, hat designs mesh the traditional millinery materials with modern textures. Generous feathery, imported fabrics & hand sewn details create a signature artisan flavor. Derbyologie offers a broad stylistic range—garden bouquets & sculpted sinamays and just about everything in between.

Wife to Travis, Mom to 6 kids & Nurse Practitioner—-turns out, designing & curating Derby hats has proven to be a rewarding creative outlet. Therapy, really! A surprise for many, for a gal who was forced into sewing lessons at Louisville’s Behr fabrics off Market Street some 30 years ago. 

Derbyologie has been tickled to dress the heads Hoda & Jenna on The Today Show, Lauren Akins, wife of Thomas Rhett, Damaris Philips from The Food Network, clients at the Royal Ascot in London, Queen’s Tea in London, Melbourne Cup in Australia and countless locals with really great taste. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Kentucky Derby Style Guide by Churchill Downs 2024 & 2025 with front page feature 2024, Southern Lady Magazine--5 page spread 2025, NBC sports, Garden & Gun Magazine & countless local media outlets across the Derby city. Derbyologie has enjoyed partnerships with Dillards, Von Maur, Hotel Genevieve, 21C Museum Hotel Lex, Oxmoor Mall, Draper James and numerous local boutiques. 

Official Milliner of the Kentucky Derby Festival 

Rooted in Kentucky tradition, Jacey Rhorer’s journey began in Henderson, KY where her bold creativity and Southern style shaped her from an early age. Driven by a dream bigger than her hometown, she moved to Chicago to study Fashion Design at Columbia College Chicago, carrying her roots with her. That powerful blend of where she came from and where she dared to go became the foundation of Rhorer Couture. 

As the founder and designer of Rhorer Couture, Rhorer approaches millinery as wearable art that empowers women through self-expression. She proudly serves as the Official Milliner of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Her first year in the role in 2025 brought extraordinary recognition, including being featured as a cover model and story for Sophisticated Living Magazine, named one of KY’s "Most Admired Women" for Style by Today's Woman Magazine, honored as a “Top 25 of 2025” by her alma mater, selected as an Honored Listee of Marquis Who's Who 2025, and exhibiting her hats in a Chicago museum-further establishing millinery as fine art. 

As she steps into her 2nd year as KDF’s Official Milliner and her 17th year designing Derby hats, Rhorer designs with purpose—celebrating power, individuality, and unapologetic presence. Her work gives women a voice through style, proving that sometimes the strongest statement is made without saying a word…“SEE ME RHORER!” 

At The Hat Shoppe, Lisa wears many creative hats! Not only does she help support our visual storytelling and engage with our community online through social media content creation, but she also contributes to the creative energy that inspires both customers and fellow makers. Her keen sense of design helps elevate how we showcase our collections and share hat-making journeys with followers near and far.

Lisa brings a deep well of creativity and experience to The Hat Shoppe, with over 20 years of hands-on work in retail, production, and textiles. Her background in apparel design and visual storytelling gives her a thoughtful, well-rounded approach to hat design—balancing artistry with practicality, craftsmanship, and wearability.