61, 624 Fans and Counting
flickr; NewsHour via flickr; Another hat wearer, JeanineAndersen via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]
I'm sure you've seen, read or heard about Aretha Franklin's inauguration day hat. The
Queen of Soul made a splash not for her singing abilities, but for her fashion choice. Who says television is dying? Granted, this was the most important televised event in 45 years, but the medium is still an incredibly powerful presence. Just ask Luke Song, of Mr. Song Millinery. (I have to admit, I thought the shop name came from its association with Detroit and the Motown sound) His little shop on Woodward Avenue was innundated with telephone calls before the ceremony was even over. Ralph Lauren can't buy publicity like this.
But lets leave old media behind and talk about the power of new media. The hat is such a
sensation that it has its own Facebook page. When I checked the site yesterday, Aretha's hat had 61,624 fans! The hat even has its own web page: arethahat.com Does this foreshadow changes in the fashion world, and its marketing machinery? Who could have imagined that a hat would have tens of thousands of followers on a social networking site? Up and coming fashion designers take note. It's a crazy, wacky world we live in, and the old rules of how to do things just continues to crumble.
Talking about new media; since blogging has been around for a little while now, a Chicago
company is combining the new with the old. The Printed Blog, a daily newspaper of blogs, launches today. On real paper. And, on a very personal note: e, saw this on newcurator (one of our fellow Twitter Tweeterers) and thought you'd find this interesting, What kind of museum residencies are there?
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