Hats
I like hats. I own around 30 hats and about ten ball caps. Show me something that you can wear on your head (lampshades don't count) and I am all over it. I have wide brimmed sun hats, cloches, a derby and two ribbon hats. I have dress hats and casual hats.
One of my prized hats is a hat that I bought at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It's a lovely creation of dark purple with flowers, feathers and a black net bow in the back. I tried it on and the saleslady said, "Most women who try on that hat look like the hat is wearing them. You are wearing that hat." Sold. Someday I will find the right dress to wear with it. Then I'll remove the black veil from the back and wear it.
The majority of my hats are summer hats. Many of them are wide brimmed and made mostly of straw with different kinds of bands. I like wearing them to keep the sun off my face. I also have two crochet hats one is navy blue, the other is pink. I like them because they look good and on windy days they stay put.
I don't know where my fondness for hats came from. I didn't grow up in a culture where hat wearing is common. I liked to look at pictures of women in England, especially the Royal Family to see what kind of hats they wear. While everyone else was looking at Diana, Princess of Wales to see what she was wearing, I was looking at the Queen, the Queen Mother and anyone wearing a hat.
I bought my first hat in 1993. It was a straw boater hat with a cream coloured lace band and some rose pink silk flowers on the back. I wore it to my brother's wedding later that summer. In fact it is the only thing that shows in any of the pictures. (I managed to duck the camera.) I still have it and wear it once in awhile.
The one thing I always wanted to do is buy an Easter hat. There aren't too many places that sell nice hats. I found some at Macy's and other small accessory stores. There aren't any milliners around where I live. In the spring, places like Sears have some fancy hats. They are mostly cheap looking atrocious creations that are fun to try on, but I'd never actually wear one.
C and I were walking around the Galleria, a mall in Edina, when I spotted something interesting. Inside one of the stores was a rack of hats. The store was closed and I almost pressed my nose up against the window to get a good look at the selection. I wanted to come back when they were open.
A few weeks later we did. At first I didn't see the rack that I saw before. There was a wall of mediocre summer things, but not the ones I was looking for. A helpful saleslady came up to us and showed me the ones I wanted. These were no ordinary hats. These were designer hats that were ordered for women who were going to attend the Kentucky Derby, where elegant,one of a kind hats are almost mandatory. It is probably one of the the biggest gatherings of hat wearers in the United States. It is right up there with the annual convocation of the Church of God in Christ in Memphis.
My dream of an Easter hat was about to come true. There were a lot of cool hats on the rack. I tired on several in gold, gray and black and white. All of them were very nice, but much too large. I called them, "Oh Lord why did you have to sit in front of me!" hats. Wearing a hat so large that it blocks the view of the front of the church is, in my eyes, very impolite. C spotted one and wanted me to try it on.
It was the smallest hat on the rack. I had looked at it, but wasn't too sure as it is a creamy white colour. It is sort of cloche shaped with a small down turned brim. A large bow decorated the front. The bow is accented by a white net band with pearls sewn on it.
I tried it on. Perfect. Not too large, not too flashy. It had just the right amount of understated elegance. Even better with its classic shape and pearl decoration it would not go out of style quickly. (like I pay attention to that anyway....) I decided to buy it.
It was the most expensive hat I had ever bought, but that was all right. Designer anything is never inexpensive. I justified the cost by telling myself that I could wear it for many years.
Last weekend C found the perfect dress to go with my hat. I finally have a genuine Easter bonnet.
Yahooo!
One of my prized hats is a hat that I bought at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It's a lovely creation of dark purple with flowers, feathers and a black net bow in the back. I tried it on and the saleslady said, "Most women who try on that hat look like the hat is wearing them. You are wearing that hat." Sold. Someday I will find the right dress to wear with it. Then I'll remove the black veil from the back and wear it.
The majority of my hats are summer hats. Many of them are wide brimmed and made mostly of straw with different kinds of bands. I like wearing them to keep the sun off my face. I also have two crochet hats one is navy blue, the other is pink. I like them because they look good and on windy days they stay put.
I don't know where my fondness for hats came from. I didn't grow up in a culture where hat wearing is common. I liked to look at pictures of women in England, especially the Royal Family to see what kind of hats they wear. While everyone else was looking at Diana, Princess of Wales to see what she was wearing, I was looking at the Queen, the Queen Mother and anyone wearing a hat.
I bought my first hat in 1993. It was a straw boater hat with a cream coloured lace band and some rose pink silk flowers on the back. I wore it to my brother's wedding later that summer. In fact it is the only thing that shows in any of the pictures. (I managed to duck the camera.) I still have it and wear it once in awhile.
The one thing I always wanted to do is buy an Easter hat. There aren't too many places that sell nice hats. I found some at Macy's and other small accessory stores. There aren't any milliners around where I live. In the spring, places like Sears have some fancy hats. They are mostly cheap looking atrocious creations that are fun to try on, but I'd never actually wear one.
C and I were walking around the Galleria, a mall in Edina, when I spotted something interesting. Inside one of the stores was a rack of hats. The store was closed and I almost pressed my nose up against the window to get a good look at the selection. I wanted to come back when they were open.
A few weeks later we did. At first I didn't see the rack that I saw before. There was a wall of mediocre summer things, but not the ones I was looking for. A helpful saleslady came up to us and showed me the ones I wanted. These were no ordinary hats. These were designer hats that were ordered for women who were going to attend the Kentucky Derby, where elegant,one of a kind hats are almost mandatory. It is probably one of the the biggest gatherings of hat wearers in the United States. It is right up there with the annual convocation of the Church of God in Christ in Memphis.
My dream of an Easter hat was about to come true. There were a lot of cool hats on the rack. I tired on several in gold, gray and black and white. All of them were very nice, but much too large. I called them, "Oh Lord why did you have to sit in front of me!" hats. Wearing a hat so large that it blocks the view of the front of the church is, in my eyes, very impolite. C spotted one and wanted me to try it on.
It was the smallest hat on the rack. I had looked at it, but wasn't too sure as it is a creamy white colour. It is sort of cloche shaped with a small down turned brim. A large bow decorated the front. The bow is accented by a white net band with pearls sewn on it.
I tried it on. Perfect. Not too large, not too flashy. It had just the right amount of understated elegance. Even better with its classic shape and pearl decoration it would not go out of style quickly. (like I pay attention to that anyway....) I decided to buy it.
It was the most expensive hat I had ever bought, but that was all right. Designer anything is never inexpensive. I justified the cost by telling myself that I could wear it for many years.
Last weekend C found the perfect dress to go with my hat. I finally have a genuine Easter bonnet.
Yahooo!
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