A line of women in colorful hats and fascinators snaked down the block toward the Vanderbilt Gate entrance to Central Park on 105th Street yesterday just before noon. They were heading into the 31st annual Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon, also known as the “hat lunch,” hosted by the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy. Martha Stewart (without a date) strolled the crowd in a bronze topper with a wide brim. “I made this in 15 minutes,” she told us. Fashion designer Lela Rose designed a mesh topper with a veil embroidered with lips and an eye that covered her face. “I embroidered it yesterday and glued it together this morning,” she told us. Jewelry designer Ranjana Khan wore a headband with extended feathers. Central Park tour guide and hat luncheon veteran Carole McDermott’s intricately designed headpiece included a park bench sitting in an open atrium, called the Dairy. “I had a friend who’s an architect who did the foam core building, and I painted it up,” McDermott told us. “My husband bolted the building on. I started [working on the hat] in March.” Conservancy trustee Gillian Miniter wore a pom-pom-style fascinator with pastel streamers designed by Eric Javits that she called a “party on my head.” Lizzie Tisch (wearing a serpentine-shaped topper), Amy Fine Collins, Deborah Roberts, Somers Farkas, Jamee Gregory and Karen LeFrak were seen at tables at the lunch. But several people had to skip the pea-soup starter because their hats had too many moving parts. The luncheon raised $3.3 million for the conservancy. John and Jenny Paulson, who donated $100 million last year, were honored.
Martha Stewart, Lela Rose: Topper the morning to you
