It's not that we don't like hats in the fashion world, it's just when you're already a spectacle of your friends, family, and peers for what you wear, you don't necessarily want to draw even more attention to yourself by going beyond over the top. Not that it can't be done right, hats do have a cherry-on-top effect to outfits, but sometimes it ends up looking like this...
Ummmm no.
These aren't necessarily the women I'm talking about, because I couldn't find a picture of Paula Abdul with a hat on. I can't really find a good example of the kind of woman I'm talking about, but they're all over the luxury malls here in the OC. I've never liked this woman. She probably lives in Laguna Beach or Newport Beach and may or may not be exploited on a Bravo reality show. She has money, but blows it on clothes from boutiques that sell clothes that cost way more than H&M, but not as much as actual designer clothes. Now I'm a firm believer in wear what you like, but I just don't get why you want to look like a spoiled 13-year-old girl when you're forty-something. But I digress...
So a style of hat like the newspaper boy cap can be very dangerous waters, not that it can't be done well (All fashion has potential of being good fashion), but it's an example of how fast you can become a fashion victim. Now, just because wearing hats can be over the top doesn't mean that it's wrong. That usually makes a stylish person's outfit iconic. But it's hard to find hats that are flexible with daily life, I assume if you're reading this you also have to deal with normal life like me (and if you don't, bless your heart for taking the time out of your life to read this lilttle ol blog). Fedora's play well in everyday life, but THANK YOU HIPSTERS for claiming the style and shitting all over it. It's hard for me to style anything with a fedora without feeling like a hipster by the end of it, if that's just weak styling skills on my part I guess that's my bad.
One of my dad's hats. Now my dad and grandpa have tons of hats (fedoras, newsboy caps, the whole shabang), but I've always had a hard time having them work for me when I errr "borrow" them. They look great in them, but that's because the hats fit them better. I think men usually look better in hats than younger people do (caps aside), call it an unfair generalization if you must but that's how I feel. Like a teenager in a suit. If you have a baby face forget about it, you're screwed. You're gonna look like your younger cousin at a wedding whether you like it or not. Usually men's hats are more adult styles, which look better on a more mature looking being.
But I have a hat of my dad's that's a wide brimmed fedora that I've been eyeing. It's more of a western style hat than a fedora though. Style icons of mine like The Man With No Name, Jimi Hendrix, and George Harrison have worn wide brimmed hats, and the hats brought their looks to the next level. They'd just be missing something without their hats. So naturally I want to emulate their style, but what business of mine do I have donning such an extravagant hat?
"Style icons of mine like The Man With No Name, Jimi Hendrix, and George Harrison have worn wide brimmed hats, and the hats brought their looks to the next level."
(I guess they're both smoking a cigarette?)Well in truth is, I don't. The truth about hats for all us bourgeois folks is that whether or not you think you're playing it safe with hats, you're going to look over the top to someone. You can't please everyone, so you might as well please yourself instead. That goes for all aspects of your sense of style, I learned this long ago and I'm glad I did. Hats have a mystical, fantastical, cartoon like quality to them, and that's their power. That's what brings stylish looks to the next level, the power of fantasy. Of course you're going to look kind of silly, but that's the point. So if you made it this far in this sea of word diarrhea, thanks for reading and expect to see me in my dad's hat soon.
Have a great weekend everybody
P.S.
ENTER!ENTER!ENTER!ENTER!ENTER!ENTER!-Cruz
