Hats

I've been a hat fanatic for a while, but I've always felt very self-conscious about them. Yes, a large brim straw hat is great for the beach, but I haven't hung out on the sand since high school. Even when I wear it for something appropriate, like a day game at Dodgers Stadium, I worry that the person behind me is seething with rage because I'm blocking their view.

Large hats only seem to work at the Kentucky Derby and on movie stars. But for once, necessity for a warm head during the cold winter months has forced me to adapt and find ways to make a hat work for me without looking like a douche all while living in a town filled with douche-bags. The answer, my friend, is close-fitting and small brims. The best discovery ever: Eugenia Kim. Well, let me backtrack for a minute before I get into why I love her hats.

The cold air during winters really gave me a headache, so a hat was necessary. The simplest item was a knit beret in black (not the Frenchy painter look in wool). The knit beret sits close to the head and lays flat so it did the job without looking too conspicuous. I stepped it up with a pink beret and a cream beret, but I found that I didn't have enough pink or cream items to make those colors worthwhile. (Do you see the problem there? If not, I will address it later...)

The next step was a flat men's cap from Burberry. I loved the look and it served its purpose without adding any inches to my head, therefore remaining low key. I got one in black cotton and grey wool herringbone.

I followed this up with a fisherman's cap by Helen Kaminski in denim. Goes with everything, right? Yes, yes it did; everything but my face. I've relegated this to the back of my closet for emergencies only.

I covered my "casual look" bases with two different caps from Adidas (my favorite line) in black and a neutral olive. Good times!

But there was one thing I couldn't understand until recently: I do not have to match my hat to my outfits! All this time, if I wore black, I wore a black hat. If I wore neutrals, I wore a brown hat. Boring, yes?

And then one day, while watching Gossip Girl, I saw the lovely Leighton Meester as "Blair" wearing the cutest purple cloche hat. And she had no other bit of purple anywhere on her!

THEN, I watched an old episode of Sex and the City, and the darling "Carrie Bradshaw" was out in a cream dress with a dark overcoat and a chunk knit newsboy in pink!

It still took me a while for the light to switch on when I realized, you can wear a hat like any other accessory? Colors don't matter and in fact a nice color can enhance?

I know, a bit dumb in this department, but it felt like the best release from fashion shackles that I had experienced in a long time. And this freedom allows me to fully take advantage of the adorable Eugenia Kim hats I have been buying. Why EK hats?

Well, to start, I loved the construction of her hat, my first being on sale from Bluefly.com. It's a camel wool structured beret but her hats have the best details, such as a covered button for accent as well as lined in ribbon around the inner brim so that the wool doesn't make your forehead itchy. That alone made me appreciate her craftsmanship.

I moved on to another sale EK hat which is a grey/black felt cap. I didn't feel quite as lovely in it, but I did like the style. And what do you know, I got a compliment the other day.

I've got a lovely EK straw cap with flower adornment coming in and a cotton newsboy too. Woo hoo! I am ready for you Spring & Summer!