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I am an avid hat lover. In fact it doesn’t just have to be a hat; a beautiful or bizarre band, fantastic fascinator, horrendous headpiece or even just hugely backcombed and ribbonned hair is good to me. A fantastic hat, much like a beautiful pair of shoes, can really set you apart from the rest of the beige clad Scholl wearers. If you are topped and tailed in class (in fact if you manage to actually have a tail too) then you can guarantee to pace miles ahead of the High Street styled Sallys.
But, just as it doesn’t actually have to be a hat, it doesn’t either have to be classy. Most will know who know me that I am a regular wearer of the ridiculous and the outrageous. I have on regular occasion tied multiple coloured ribbons throughout my hair, worn tasteless, pink leopard print sky scrapers, far too many accessories (a notion, much like the having too much onion on a sandwich, I believe to be false), or the cardinal sin (which makes it all the more appealing) of going full on pout in the lip department and total drag in the eye area. Yes on the same face and on the same night. Hurrah (laughs devilishly with full reverb).
With such enthusiasm for all things OTT, I quite literally ‘oooohhhhhhhhhh’d out loud when I spotted a fantastically large and glamorous hat in the charity shop today. I’m guessing it’s an 80s number harking back to the 30s. It’s a bit Brideshead Revisited and a bit Mother of the Bride circa 1983. So, naturally, I bought it.
Considering the average High Street straw hat is coming in at around £15-£25, I was chuffed to mint balls with the £5 price tag. It takes me one step closer to my Cadbury’s Flake advert infused summer. I wear it as I type and have found myself compelled to hold between my fingers an un-smoked but lit cigarette in a Bet Lynch style holder. This one item is trash, dressed-up in class, or the other way around. Either is just how I like my fashion.
Today I listened to: Belong by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Today I watched: The Crimson Petal and the White
My beautiful hat that I got today from the charity shop, takes me one step closer to hazy, summer bliss (though i’m going to damn well wear it regardless of the weather).
© Anne Louise Kershaw
love hats, have lots. my favourite is a battered straw cowboy hat, though i also have a spendid ridiculous russian hat for winter . happy easter!
The more ridiculous the better. I do not own either of the styles you mention however, they are going on my ‘hats to buy’ list. I am very fond of the beret and like to tie all sorts of tat into my hair. I wonder how I could work a cowboy hat, maybe with a dress and boots. Hmm, you have my hattie thoughts going now.