Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Do I Wear Hats?

Perhaps you've seen the recent Target commercial where a woman is shopping in their hat section, tries on an adorable hat and her inner monologue says "Do I wear hats?"  She then imagines herself in an apple orchard partaking in "hat type things."  I love this commercial so much (not that I watch a ton of commercials anyway) because that's exactly how I feel about hats.  I love them and usually look pretty good in them (with the exception of the fedora, but that's too trendy for me right now anyway), but often wonder where I would ever wear them.  It's a little ridiculous, but I sometimes think people will just look at me funny if I'm sporting a hat other than one of the many wool hats I have to keep me warm in the winter.  I guess people aren't wearing enough hats.

While growing up, I watched a lot of classic TV from the 60's and 70's, and, feminist implications aside, loved the fashions of those times.  Even now, watching Mad Men (I'm a little late to that party, but yes ladies of IPF, I finally got into it) I long for a time where women would get dressed to the nines.  From watching Mary Tyler Moore's iconic beret toss as a kid, to Trudy Campbell's over the top derby hat, and Peggy Olsen's adorable (albeit a little too reminiscent of the hat I wore for my First Communion and several subsequent Easters) white hat in last week's episode of Mad Men, I've wished I could be the kind of woman who could pull off hats.  So, what the hell, I'm going to be a hat person.

This is a lot to say that I have a new hat that I've been itching to wear for a while.  It's a nice, thick black felt with some great feather detail on the side.  I think it will be great for fall, although perhaps better with skirts/dresses than pant ensembles.

What do you wish you could wear, but aren't sure you can pull off?  Am I crazy to think dressier hats look a little out of place?

Sweater: The Limited
Cami: H&M
Pants: The Limited
Shoes: Born
Necklace: New York & Company
Bracelet: Macy's (2005)
Hat: Target
Sunglasses: Loft

14 comments:

  1. I think hats are like wearing color...first it seems weird, and then you're just that girl who wears the hats. That said, I have three cute hats that I have not really been able to style and I always wonder if I look pretentious wearing them.

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  2. Oh, I like the hat on you. I see a lot of hats around here because of the sun. You would look just right here.
    I wish I could wear leather pants :)

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  3. I used to worry about looking pretentious wearing a hat or a colorful scarf wrapped around my head. Then I had skin cancer & had the top of my scalp removed, and the skin grafting/regrowth procedure took a full year. In that time, I was always in headgear of some sort. What I discovered? Nobody gives a flying flip. Occasionally someone would comment, and the comment was ALWAYS positive, usually along the lines of, "I wish I could wear hats." If you like the hat, wear the hat.

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  4. Wow, Charlotte. Thanks for sharing that story.
    You look right at home in that hat. It should be known that Anne's awesome partner also rocks hats like no one's business. You could be that hip young couple in hip cool hats. I see this with your new black boots.
    I actually do not wear hats (except woven ones in the winter) because my head is quite large. I do quite fancy a cowboy hat though (and a good one can be steamed to fit even the biggest noggin). Someday...

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  5. I wear hats a lot when my hair is longer.

    I actually despise that Target commercial, and think that it offers an unfortunate pre-second wave view of an idealized woman. It says: look if you put on a hat, you will have a handsome husband and perfect kids and live an idyllic life.

    Again, I love hats! And your hat looks fantastic! But I hate that commercial!

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  6. Cynthia: True, I did used to feel weird about wearing bright colors, especially when I wore stuff like red pants. Maybe we can both challenge ourselves to wear our hats without feeling pretentious?

    SU: Why can't you wear leather pants? :)

    Charlotte: Wow, thanks for sharing your story. I hope you're doing better now. But you're on point that no one actually notices or cares about things like hats, etc. as much as we might think they do.

    Rad: Yes, he does have quite the growing fedora collection! I already told him we have to hat up together sometime soon. And I would LOVE to see you rocking a cowboy hat - I think it'd look great, especially with your boots! If you're ever in the southwest, you could check out those specialty cowboy stores. I used to love looking around in them when my brother was living in Texas.

    LHdM: Wow, you bring up a really good point about that commercial! I always focused more on the "do I wear hats?" part than a hat leading to overall satisfaction in life. And from personal experience, cute hats don't lead to idyllic lives. They just look cute, which is really all they need to do.

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  7. Excellent work on catching up on Mad Men! There are certainly all kinds of wicked hats there. You are rocking your's here!

    I can't wear hats because I have a giant head but I'd also be afraid about styling them. They seem to belong to far stylier people than me.

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  8. That hat looks really cute on you.

    I like hats, but I always worry that they look out of place on me. Also, sometimes they don't fit my big head.

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  9. This hat is very cute on you! Fun and very seasonal. I agree that fancy hats are harder, but I think daytime weddings are a great opportunity to try one out. I haven't done this yet, but I want to.

    I have a big head too, so most of my hats are men's hats.

    I like the comparison between wearing hats and wearing color: fun, but you feel conspicuous at first.

    Thanks for the shoutout, btw.

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  10. We should lead in fashion and take chances. I understand your reluctance to stand out with a hat but it's really only a hat. If it appeals to you, wear it!

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  11. Wear that hat. It looks awesome on you. Awe. Some.

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  12. Excellent work on catching up on Mad Men! There are certainly all kinds of wicked hats there. You are rocking your's here!

    I can't wear hats because I have a giant head but I'd also be afraid about styling them. They seem to belong to far stylier people than me.

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  13. I used to worry about looking pretentious wearing a hat or a colorful scarf wrapped around my head. Then I had skin cancer & had the top of my scalp removed, and the skin grafting/regrowth procedure took a full year. In that time, I was always in headgear of some sort. What I discovered? Nobody gives a flying flip. Occasionally someone would comment, and the comment was ALWAYS positive, usually along the lines of, "I wish I could wear hats." If you like the hat, wear the hat.

    ReplyDelete