Shopping For Hats: Some Personal Thoughts

By: Jen Narron

My mother loved to shop for hats; so did my grandmother - it seemed to be something that those ladies did back in those days. But for many modern women shopping for hats has become fraught with frustration - either you end up being served with a salesperson who is a dunce, or you spend a lot of time looking at hat after hat, not really knowing which one to choose. This article is simply my thoughts on shopping for hats.

Really now, when you go shopping, what are you after? The latest in haute couture? I think that's the mistake that most of us make. Before you go shopping, resolve in your mind: I will only buy what I need -- a hat that has a function, that serves to meet a real need.

The reason for thinking about function first is that many hats are designed to be used for a particular purpose. If you can identify a particular purpose, then you can safely ignore all the other offerings that do not meet your needs. For example, if you need a rain hat, you can ignore hats primarily designed to be a fashion statement.

Or take another example: the humble winter cap, or hunting hat. There is a hat with function. Or a chauffeur hat - talk about specific function! All of this is worth thinking about, because the reason we get caught up in buying the latest 'creation' instead of buying what we need, is because we put fashion ahead of everything else.

The problem here, of course, is that when many people think of a functional hat, they think of something that is cheap and looks horrid. Not so! For example, you need to go shopping for a sun protection hat. That's functional - protection. But many can also be selected that are truly stylish as well -- you just have to look around a little.

When it comes to hats warn strictly for the fun of it, I think that you just can't beat the old-fashioned straw hat. I think that shopping for a cute straw hat for the kids is a great idea. I like straw hats for children because they are much less expensive than other types, yet are very durable.

And since the weather will be turning colder soon (at least here in the US), it might pay you to look into shopping for a good hunting hat or cold-weather hat. These are usually made from very warm fabrics or animal fur. Both man-made and natural fabrics are used in the manufacture of hunting and outdoor hats.

Are you a crafter? Well, some of the nicest hats that I have seen lately are crochet hats. These hats used to be made at home using crochet hat patterns, but most women have little time for doing that, so retailers have taken up the slack and are now offering many different styles of crochet hats for you to look at in their store.

Well, there you have it: Some informal (and unscientific) thoughts on hat selection. Writing all of this down has sure helped me -- I hope it helps you as well.

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About the author: Jen Narron writes about vintage and contemporary fashion and Stylish Hats Read about brimmed sailor hats by stopping by her website at www.total-hats.com
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