Kimberly Williams-Paisley Buys Diane Keaton's Hat at Auction & What Happened When She Unpacked It Left Everyone Speechless

Aug 17, 2026 by apost team

Diane Keaton died on October 11, 2025, at the age of 79. She left behind one of the most singular wardrobes in Hollywood history — the turtlenecks, the wide-brimmed hats, the layered suits, the gloves, the skull and crossbones, the messages stitched into the brims of things. In June 2026, Bonham's auctioned a portion of her personal effects — art, photography, an original "Annie Hall" script, and pieces from her wardrobe — across a four-part sale. One of the people bidding was someone who had known Keaton not just as a style icon but as a friend, a mentor, and, in the context of a beloved film, a movie mother.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley, born September 14, 1971, played Annie Banks in "Father of the Bride" in 1991 and its sequel in 1995. Diane Keaton played Nina Banks, her mother. Williams-Paisley has described Keaton as a mentor and a "mother figure" early in her career — someone who made her feel safe, who she could talk to about anxiety and recurring nightmares, and who she had admired since long before they met on set. She won a brown bowler hat — decorated with a skull and crossbones and the words "NO MORE WAR" — for $6,144, in Bonham's online "Tailored & Timeless" auction. The hat had been worn on multiple occasions, including on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in 2012. She also purchased a pair of black fishnet gloves.

On August 7, 2026, she posted photographs of herself wearing both — black-and-white suit, Keaton's hat, Keaton's gloves, by a lake — and what she wrote in the caption was not primarily about the clothes.

"Recently I bought this hat and gloves from the Diane Keaton auction," Williams-Paisley wrote. "I'm so happy to have some of her iconic style with me. While my friends and I were carefully unpacking these items and getting ready to shoot this, a gorgeous, gigantic bald eagle landed in a nearby tree, stayed for a moment and then flew off. THIS IS SO RARE!! It definitely felt like Diane's energy was around us! The hat says, 'NO MORE WAR,' and she'd added a skull and crossbones. So, I'm passing along her message."

The bald eagle video, included in the carousel, circulated widely. "Absolutely love this look and apparently so does Diane, which is why she had to send the eagle as her stamp of approval," one fan commented. Another wrote: "Her style looks so natural on you. Like it was meant to be."

Williams-Paisley added that she had been nervous about meeting Keaton before filming began on "Father of the Bride" — she had admired her in "Annie Hall," "The Godfather," and "Baby Boom" long before they were cast as mother and daughter. On set, that nervousness dissolved. Keaton became the kind of person she could talk to about the things that keep you up at night. The relationship lasted until Keaton's death.

The hat she purchased has a message on it that its previous owner chose deliberately. Williams-Paisley was clear about what she intended to do with it. "I'm passing along her message," she wrote. She wore it by a lake in a black-and-white suit, a bald eagle landed in a tree, and for a moment the distance between the living and the gone felt a little smaller than it usually does.

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Are you a fan of Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Diane Keaton? Do you think this tribute is one of the most touching things a former co-star has done to honor a colleague? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and other fans out there!

Follow the link to see the photos on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimberlywilliamspaisley/p/DbwTVyvo5bu/?img_index=1