Hold on to Your Hat

During this changing of the seasons, and with the elements at their roughest, we’ve all fallen victim to crazy, wind-combed coifs. A simple solution to this that’ll last you until the sun is brightly shining again ala spring runway shows? A hat! Pretty obvious, huh? Well you’d be surprised as to how many people overlook this fabulous accessory that can actually assist in various hair dilemmas, like when you’re between appointments with your hairstylist, but your roots are already starting to show (this usually happens that one week of the year you actually do need to look your very best).

Since I’m not the biggest fan of straw hats, (excluding straw fedoras on freshly tanned beach bodies, very cute) the chunky knit options, menswear materials, and classic wool styles of fall and winter are what really send me into hat heaven. Beanies with either heavy ribbing, cable knits, or even a pompom are perfect for your casual outfits with a pair of over sized sunnies. Hats that resemble more of a fedora, such as anything with a 360˚ brim, are a little more polished and of course, ever so classic. And just like with the beanie, they can be paired with an over sized tank and jeans seamlessly. On the other hand, caps and berets, I think, hold a little more presence and therefore should be styled with a bit more care. Not to worry you, it doesn’t take much more, but caps look great with jackets and trenches. Personally I’ve found that they don’t usually hold their own with just a tee shirt, in most cases. Although as a general guideline, most hats look best with your hair down, unless your hair is short, of course. But bunching up your golden locks into a little black cap can look a little too much like you’ll be competing the Hampton classic after lunch, instead of heading back to the office.

Keep in mind, hats are perfect pretty much all year around. Some of my favorite milliners include Eugenia Kim (who also has a lower-end line at Urban Outfitters, “EEK! By Eugenia Kim”) and Victor Osborne. Barney’s has a great selection of Kim hats, and LaGarconne.com carries an assortment of Osborne creations. Even Anthropologie and Banana Republic are making some impressive options that are very wearable and reasonable priced. Who could ask for more? So now that you’ve all been brought into the hat club, make your own fashion statements and don’t discriminate against any part of your outfit, even the very top.