Hats are hip. The decorative head coverings can fit flat on the head or be wide brimmed, tight or floppy, simple or flamboyant, work related or worn for fashion, but hats always add a special touch of “something” to an outfit and to your overall appearance.
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against the elements like rain or wind, ceremonial reasons such as university graduations and religious reasons, safety such as when working on a construction site, and for all fashion divas, as a flattering fashion accessory!
Hat Fun Fact: In the past, hats were an indicator of social status. In the military, hats may denote nationality, branch of service, rank, and/or regiment. Police typically wear distinctive hats such as peaked caps or brimmed hats, such as those worn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
While there aren’t many official records of hats before 3,000 BC, they probably were commonplace before that. Archaeologists think that the Venus of Brassempouy 26,000 years ago may depict a hat. One of the earliest confirmed hats was worn by a bronze age man, whose body (including his hat) was found frozen in a mountain between Austria and Italy, where he’d been since around 3,300 BC. He was found wearing a bearskin cap with a chin strap, made of several hides stitched together, resembling a Russian fur hat without the flaps.
Decorate your head in a hat that’s all that!
Popular Styles of Hats Include:
- Ascot Cap
- Baseball Cap
- Beanie
- Bearskin Cap
- Beret
- Cowboy Hat
- Chullo
- Cricket Cap
- Coonskin Cap
- Custodian Helmet
- Deerstalker
- Fedora
- Hard Hat
- Kippah
- Montera
- Panama
- Pillbox Hat
- Santa Hat
- Sombrero
- Top Hat
- Toque
- Turban
So many types of hats to choose from…so many choices to make. I’ll wear one hat to the theater, one hat to the store and one to my birthday party as I dine on delicious cake.
Who can deny that not only women can rock great hats, but men look dapper, suave and sophisticated when they strut cool with a hat on their head!
Let’s take a moment to suck in and savor the late Prince’s beauty and style!
Hat Fun Fact: The Philippi Collection is a collection of religious headgear assembled by a German entrepreneur, Dieter Philippi, located in Kirkel. The collection features over 500 hats, and is currently the world’s largest collection of clerical, ecclesiastical and religious head coverings. One of the most famous London hatters is James Lock & Co. of St. James’ Street. The shop claims to be the oldest operating hat shop in the world.
The tradition of wearing hats to horse racing events began at the Royal Ascot in Britain, which maintains a strict dress code. All guests in the Royal Enclosure must wear hats. This tradition has been adopted at other horse racing events, such as the Kentucky Derby in the United States. I tip my hat off!
Hat Fun Fact: Extravagant hats were popular in the 1980s, and in the early 21st century, flamboyant hats made a comeback, with a new wave of competitive young milliners designing creations that include turban caps, felt hats and tall headpieces made of human hair. Some new hat collections have been described as “wearable sculpture.” Many pop stars, among them Lady Gaga, have commissioned hats as publicity stunts.
Hat sizes are determined by measuring the circumference of a person’s head about 1 centimeter (one-half inch) above the ears. Inches or centimeters may be used depending on the manufacturer. Felt hats can be stretched for a custom fit. Some hats, like hard hats and baseball caps, are adjustable. Some hats come in standard sizes, such as small, medium and large.
Traditional hat size is worked out by adding the fore and aft and side to side measurements (in inches) and then dividing by two. In the United Kingdom, an equivalent hat size is an eighth of an inch smaller than in the United States.
Are you looking for a gorgeous, great, playful or funky way to add appeal and allure to your outfit? Why not place a fashionable hat on your head? Enough said!
Peek a Boo. Who is that hiding behind that fabulous hat? Oh, it’s you!
In fashion, proper etiquette styles are made to be broken! Always remember that, and wear a flamboyant, frilly hat!
Nancy Mangano is an American fashion journalist, screenwriter and author of the Natalie North murder mystery book series. Visit Nancy on her global online fashion/style/beauty magazine Nancy Marie Mangano Style at https://nancymariemangano.com, her Facebook page Nancy Mangano at https://www.facebook.com/nancymmangano/ Twitter @https://twitter.com/nancymangano and her author website http://nancymangano.com
