Ooh la la! {Hats}

Remember the Victorian days of old when women always wore those confectionery masterpieces, also known as hats? They looked positively delicious. Nowadays, I don't really see many people wearing hats. All right, the occasional panama or newsboy cocked on a teenager's head does appear, but hats don't emerge anywhere near as much as they did in the 1940s or 50s. And if anyone other than a teenager takes on this trend, they are either utterly dedicated to fashion, a previous era, or in the most drastic cases, SPF protection. :P {nothing against SPF protection here, but I don't think that should be the *only* reason to wear a hat} All right, I might be generalizing here. Yet the fact remains that people hardly ever wear hats. My theory? Whenever I talk to people and ask them why they don't wear hats, they say, "Well, I would like to, but I don't have anywhere to wear them to!" or "Hats don't look good on me!" To address the first excuse, I must admit that a horrifying trend is taking over our world: hardly anyone dresses up any more, and those that do are faced with stares and compliments. {not complaining about the compliments, but the stares.. well... as long you can keep your poise, it is tolerable} Why have so many people fallen into a rut of clothing complacency? Since when did jeans become the uniform of most people? Where have all the skirts gone? Why do people saunter around in flip flops all the time, forgetting about gorgeous heels? Maybe you have a tiny wardrobe filled with ugly clothes, and you toss that excuse out whenever these questions arise. Or perhaps you just don't care? Is your arthritis plaguing you so you just *can't* wear heels? I'm not saying people should become glamorous movie stars and never be seen without heels, an evening gown, and of course, a limousine, but taking little steps towards elegance will do so much to conquer our dressing dilemma. People all the time tell me how refreshing it is to see me dressed up and looking nice. You know, not like I just rolled out of bed and threw on the first thing I laid my eyes on. Guilty of this? I admit, sometimes I've done this too :P Yet, there is a way out! We can overcome this if we take little steps toward looking nicer everyday. How to start? Well, how about starting to wear hats! ;)

~First, what types of hats are there?

The boater... this hat has a flat top, and is
often created with straw. However, there are
dressier versions that use other materials. :)
{And don't you just LOVE that photo?}

The fedora... nah, you don't have to be a gangster to wear
this hat, especially if it is pink! Al Capone would think it a degradation, but
I think of it as a fashion statement. *Especially* with a fur coat like hers!

Crotched beanie... it just sits on your head, mostly for young girls. {10 and under}

Cowboy hat.... if you're a rancher or something.
Really, I haven't seen many people wear these anymore.
Personally, that is a good thing, although the girl above
looks cute in one. 

Newsboy cap or Gatsby... oh these are so
cute! Just make sure it doesn't puff out like a
mushroom when you wear it ;)

The beret... I am sure we are all familiar with this one: many
artists in France wear this when they are composing one of their
masterpieces, but it isn't just for them!

The panama... a straw hat with a black ribbon. I think it is
fairly obvious where this hat originated :)

The cloche... made popular during the 1920s,
these hats have no brim and slide smoothly
over the ears. As you can tell from the picture,
they are adorable!

The sailor hat.... but really, who wears these?
I think I might safely state {without stepping on any toes}
 that that is a good thing!

The bonnet style hat..... think modern regency or victorian. I have
one of this style hat, and I have gotten ever so many compliments! 

Vintage hats.... they come in all styles, but they are pre-1980.

Furry hats... uh, no comment. 

Straw hats.... they come in all styles, but the most prevailing is the
sunhat style. {see below} They often come with SPF protection, so
that is an added bonus. {bonus, mind you, not the main reason to wear one!}

Sunhats.... floppy and beautiful, these are my absolutely
favorite type of hat. Don't limit them to summer time;
wearing them in winter is gorgeous as well :) Just don't
let the wind carry them away... keep a steady hand on the brim!
Even miss Kate Middleton has been known to do so.

Obviously, there are many, many more types of hats, but I can't list them all because that would take far too long, and I would probably leave some out. :P Only if you have tried all the hats in the world can you claim, "I don't look good in hats!" So please, start trying them on again, and leave your embarrassment behind you.

~Where do I wear hats?

You can wear them on sunny, hot days for starters. {which is about right now}

Then you can wear one to the beach
in Hawai... if and when you go ;)

Wearing a hat to a wedding is a MUST. Check out the photos
of Kate and William's wedding and you will
see many hat wearers. {image via ruffled.com}

Oh, and then start wearing them all the time. It will really change your life! The first time I picked up a hat, I was doing it as a joke, because no one, no one that I knew ever wore hats! But it looked absolutely beautiful, and it was nine dollars {gasp} so I bought it. Now I am gaining quite a large hat collection, and I have started to dress up so much more! Who would have known that one little hat could spark so great a change? It might just happen to you too :)

~Where can I get hats?
Vintage stores and consignment stores and thrift stores usually have hats, but it varies each time you visit since they don't stock items. You can also find good sun hats in the summer at stores like H&M, Forever 21, and random boutiques. My one piece of advise is don't get embarrassed, and if the first one doesn't work, try on more! Start understanding what styles work, and what styles don't, and then dress accordingly. Also, start with a good basic color hat like black, brown, or white. Something that works well with many things in your wardrobe. Then start to expand to more wacky stuff. However, never, ever wear one as  awful as Princess Beatrice did at the royal wedding. Urg. Spare us!

I hope I have not made too uproarious a post!

Much love, 

Southern Belle

BTW, any suggestions for a new name? This one is getting old :P