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Keeping Up the Easter Bonnet Tradition

Hatmakers are hustling to fill their orders for Easter bonnets. And at Estella's Hats in Northeast Washington, D.C., owner Estella Wheeler is surrounded by a sea of sequins, feathers, rhinestones and ribbon.

Wheeler reigns supreme at her storefront corner shop where hats of all sizes, shapes and colors line the walls. Cloches, pill boxes, derbies and wide brims -- some as large as umbrellas and amazingly elaborate. There used to be dozens of milliners in Washington. Now there are just a handful, run by women like Estella who help sustain the tradition of wearing hats every Sunday morning. NPR's Michele Norris, host of All Things Considered, made a visit to Estella's to talk about the culture of hats.

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