Aretha Franklin's Inauguration Hat Conquers the World

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A funny thing happened when we decided to write something about the gray, bedazzled, bow-topped church lady hat Aretha Franklin wore to sing at the inauguration on Tuesday, and its sudden, meteoric rise to internet fame. Every time we thought we'd found all the relevant links, twenty more popped up. The hat has its own website and its own (surprisingly funny) Twitter. Buzzfeed has asked readers to demonstrate how it would look perched on their own brows, thereby flooding the Internet pictures of cats in the hat. It is, in sum, a force to be reckoned with.

It's also exclusive to Aretha, since the Dr. Frankenstein behind this monster, Detroit-based designer Luke Song, won't sell it to anyone else. Shoppers "want the same hat, but they understand it's for the 'Queen' only," he told the New York Daily News. The non-royal can purchase a satin version for $179.
· Aretha Hat [Official Site]
· Aretha's Hat [Twitter]
· Fans flock to copy Aretha Franklin's big bow inauguration hat [NYDN]