Naples Botanical Garden staff member Emily Kless, interpretive specialist, with service animal Clementine greets each guest as they make their way to the lunch tent.
Hats in the Garden is the spring event of the season at the Naples Botanical Garden with its coveted tickets selling out months in advance. On Wednesday March 30, they welcomed more than 600 participants!
Hats, dresses and jewelry were all high and sewnand this year’s tropical splendor showcased the garden’s vibrant colors of reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and whites against the soothing backdrop of its surrounding natural beauty.
2019 was the last year Hats in the Garden took place. For the 2022 event, it was time to think whimsical, ornate, one-of-a-kind, romantic, chic, creative and traditional – if there is such a thing. It was Easter Hats, Kentucky Derby, Ascot in England and Central Park Conservancy, where local and international couture milliners used their art to magically capture and match the tropical splendor of the garden.
Guests were welcomed with a champagne reception.
Hats off to Di For, the awe-inspiring creations of Marco’s couture milliner. Left to right, Maria Lamb and her mother and daughter, Irma and Maureen Leonard.
“We are thrilled to be back together,” echoed Garden Board Chair Kathleen Kapnick and President Donna McGinnis. They expressed their gratitude to the dedicated women of the Sustaining Leadership Council (SLC) “for nurturing the garden through good times and bad.”
For Linda Koehn, Hat Chair of the 2022 event, it took two years, four months and two days to prepare for this event. She wanted to showcase the tropical beauty of the Botanical Garden of Naples; “bright, sensual, exotic and seductive.”
Best of the best hats and the winners were:
Most chic hat: Kathy Woods
Most Creative Hat: Heather Dockweiler
Best Ensemble NAEEM KHAN: Linda Koehn
Linda Koehn also received the Jane Purdy Berger Distinguished Service Award. The award was previously presented by the SLC to Jane Berger herself to recognize outstanding leadership.
Naeem Khan, a fashion designer based in the heart of New York’s fashion district, made his inaugural spring debut at the event with 42 of his fashion shows showcasing part of his fall 2022 collection. not disappointed with portions of the proceeds from this event that will be donated to the Garden.
And who can miss the Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry collection, which has long been synonymous with French luxury and fine jewelry.
For the third consecutive year, William Raveis Real Estate was the presenting sponsor of the event. The sponsor of the program was Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
According to a press release provided by the Botanical Garden of Naples, the annual affair is coordinated by the Garden’s Sustaining Leadership Council (SLC), a group of 45 women philanthropists who advocate and support the organization. Created in 2009, SLC provides philanthropic leadership for the Garden, promotes its collections and programs, and promotes a better understanding of the Garden’s mission.
Proceeds support the garden’s multi-faceted mission, which includes serving as a regional leader in plant conservation, ecological restoration and environmental education, and setting a standard of horticultural excellence. The garden’s 170 acres welcome more than 230,000 visitors a year, who enjoy tropical-themed gardens, extensive displays of aquatic plants, and 90 acres of native Southwest Florida habitat, offering a taste of wild nature a few kilometers from downtown Naples.
Another Fund-a-Need campaign held during the luncheon will benefit the Garden for All program, which works to remove financial, language and cultural barriers that may prevent Southwest Florida residents from visiting the garden. This year, the program is focused on providing free access to educators across the region in hopes of inspiring nature-based lesson plans, providing teaching resources, and simply giving working teachers hard a chance to recharge.
The $1.2 million event goal has been reached!
Please save the date and don’t miss – 2023 Hats in the Garden, March 29, 2023.
