Thousands of orders for Aretha Franklin’s inauguration hat

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The flamboyant hat that managed to eclipse the Queen of Soul at the inauguration Tuesday is now prompting people to burn up phone lines, as thousands of orders pour in for the style.

Luke Song, owner of Mr. Song Millinery in Detroit, said he and his employees have ‘barely had any time to count’ exactly how many requests he has gotten ever since Aretha Franklin belted out ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’ while wearing his chapeau on national television.

The heather-gray wool felt headgear featured a prominent bow lined with Swarovski rhinestones. Custom-designed and hand-molded over two days by Song himself, the hat cost upward of $500.

Fans are welcome to drop $179 on a similar satin-ribbon version.

Franklin has been a customer of the store for 20 of the store’s 25 years, said Song, whose father used to own the shop. She was not charged for the hat: After all, she helped come up with the concept, wandering around the store and ‘adding and subtracting to what we had already’ to match a coat she wanted to wear, he said.

Song’s creation has spawned a cult following, with Photoshopped images of the hat adorning the heads of Mount Rushmore and Ellen DeGeneres sporting a version on her talk show. Song, 36, a South Korean immigrant, also sells to about 500 boutiques around the country.

-- Tiffany Hsu

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