ENJOYING HAT ARTICLES

Hats Can Work as Cure-All by Sam Waxman

LADIES and gentlemen, children of all ages.  I have found the solution to the world's problems.  It is not some funky chemical, nor is it a return to Norman Rockwell-style family values.  My answer is far simpler than that.  My answer is hats.

President Kennedy changed the fashion world for the worse in 1960 when he refused to wear hats.  Without getting into the value of the narrow tie, Kennedy's decision moved modern dress away from the essential accessory of time immemorial.

In the earliest recorded civilization, the ancient Sumerians wore hats during religious ceremonies.  The Greeks and Romans had truly elaborate hats for battle, and medieval man took the hat to a new level. A person who went out in public with a bald head was considered a rube and someone to be ridiculed.  Even our own beloved cavaliers were known for their broad-brimmed hat with a brightly colored plume.

Before I go any further, it should be noted when I say hats, I mean anything made of felt with a brim that circumnavigates the head.  That clearly does not include the cap, the accessory of choice of fraternity brothers nationwide.  To include caps would be to endorse the practice of not bathing and then wearing a cap to hide the greasy hair and smell.

A return to wearing hats would solve many of the country's economic problems.  Before Kennedy so unfairly burned Americans away from hats, there was a hatter on every street corner.  When Kennedy was done, the once-proud hatter was reduced to having a small counter at a department store.  If more people wore hats, hatters would crop up like mushrooms after a strong rainstorm.  The unemployed could seek jobs in those new stores, thereby putting millions of Americans back to work.

Hats also would improve the collective health of the nation.  From a very young age, everyone's mother told them 90 percent of body heat escapes through the head.  During the winter months little children everywhere can be seen going to school in mittens and hats.  Yet, as mature adults, we think we are above wearing the fuzzy felt creation preventing us from taking ill during the freezing months .  If more people wore hats, less Americans would catch the common cold.  That would save the government billions of dollars in research grants to study colds that no one would catch anymore.  That money could then be used in more productive areas.

Romantic situations would be far more interesting if more people wore hats.  We all remember James Bond's amazing skill of throwing his hat on the coat rack to the great enjoyment of Miss Moneypenny.  Or what about Doc Graham in "Field of Dreams" who was always able to make his wife happy by buying her blue hats/  People would have something other than the weather to make small talk about; they could comment on the interesting hat their date is wearing.

And so, Ladies and gentlemen, hast are the salvation of our planet.  Fewer people would have colds, so fewer tissues would be used, and thus, the environment would be saved.  Because Americans would be spending less on cold medicine, they would have more money for other areas of consumer spending, thereby boosting the economy.

Hats have provided us with some of our greatest role models, as well.  Firemen and policemen wear hats, as does Smokey the Bear. Basketball star Charles Barkley would not have to complain about being a role model because children would have proper hat-wearing people to look up to.  hats, therefore, would promote family values and social stability.

I leave you with two important thoughts about the accessory I revere: Indiana Jones risked his life to save a hat.  Humphrey Bogart wore hats.  "nuff said.

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Leave Your Hat On

Keep your head covered in these stylish locations by Mary Beth Klatt

You don't have to agree with the legendary New York Milliner Lilly Dache--she believed a hat was an expression of one's soul.  But it's reasonable to expect your hat to perform some function, whether it's blocking the sun, keeping your head dry, or protecting a delicate hairstyle. Even if your chapeau is simply a fashion statement, Australian milliner Waltraud Reiner says there are a few things you should remember:

"Never buy a hat only because it looks good," Reiner cautions. "A hat must feel good foremost and secondly look good. If you can run and go about your daily business without touching, holding onto your hat, or adjusting it all the time, then you've got a good hat."

Those good hats can be hard to find.  But travel the world and you'll discover them in many shapes and sizes.  Here are just a few places to look:

1.  London:  Philip Treacy's boutique....his simple and fluid hats look good from every angle...."He's the only one who could be responsible for bringing hats back into vogue."  You couldn't go wrong bringing a signature Treacy creation home.

2.  Paris: In one of the world's fashion epicenters, it's not difficult to find a generation-old millinery shop...Young women are once again wearing chapeaux, and guys are getting in on the action...

3.  New York:  If the popularity of the annual Easter Parade is any indication, hats are still essential accessories in the Big Apple.  They go all out wearing their finest attire and toppers. The Hat Shop, in the trendy Soho neighborhood, strives to cater to all--the novice with no hats as well as the collector with hundreds in her closet.

4. Cairns:  For whatever reason, Down Under is an oft overlooked destination for hats.  Australia produces a sophisticated hats that rival the best of Europe.  One of the most prominent places for Aussies to be seen in their hats...is the Melbourne Cup horse race, where a prize is awarded for best women's hat.

5.  Milan:  It's no small wonder that great hats can be found in this Italian city, known as a world fashion capital.  Borsalino hats are legendary for their craftsmanship.

6.  Chicago: The Windy City's reputation for fine headwear extends back to the early 1900's, when there were as many as 3,000 hat shops in town (NO WONDER I LOVE HATS!). 

7.  Houston:  In this city where it's not uncommon to see businessmen in boots, cowboy hats are the main draw.

(One notable omission:  Charleston!  Must be an OLD article.  By now we're the CAPital of the hat world...and we know all the best places in town to find them...)

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GO AHEAD AND BLOOM, A Philosophy.  Author unknown

Women have been hiding out for a long time, even dressing to hide as if to say, "don't notice me; let me blend."  We have developed the ability of blending into our surroundings and being unnoticed.

This was a powerful gift at tone time.  This ability has allowed us to observe and to know what would happen next.  It ha allowed us to feel safe.  Blending taught us the art of one-ness.  Women understand camouflage.

But new times require new strategies.  It is time to drop our camouflage and take our power as women.  Anais Nin said, "There comes a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud is more painful than the risk it takes to blossom."

When you wear a hat, it is like medicine for the soul.  The hat is the expression of who we are as women in every moment!  The hat is our dreams of who you can be.  It facilitates the different parts of who you are. With the wave of the hat, Voila!  You are mysterious...no you are sexy; now proper; now playful.

You cannot hide in a hat. you will be noticed--especially by men. To men you become a lady when you don a hat--one which they rush to open doors for. To women you become an inspiration, reminding them that they have a closet full of hats that they have not had the courage to wear.