The Power of Hats (Part 1)

So, I have this thing for hats.  Vintage and retro hats especially.  I wear hats all the time.  And I don't think I've entered the Antique store nor the Hat store yet and not bought a hat.  I'm trying to cut down on my hat purchases.  Which means just plain not going to either of those places!

Hats are so beautiful and classy, they just add that "finishing touch" to any outfit.

I grew up in a church which claimed to believe in 1Corinthians 11 where it says that women should cover their glory (their hair) when they preach, pray or prophecy.  But somehow that only seemed to apply when they were actually inside of the church building.  I always wore a mantilla in church, but I wore it out of habit, not conviction.  When I was 13 I really became convicted that I was to cover my hair when I prayed.  I started noticing though, that half the times I wanted to pray, I had nothing close by with which to cover my head.  So eventually I started covering full time.  It just seemed easier for me than to be constantly looking for a bandanna or a mantilla or something.  

(This is a mantilla, in case you were wondering)

 I wear hats or bandannas all the time, which may be why I have so many.  I realized after I set out all my hats and took pictures of them, that I hadn't even gotten them all.  I had more in the car and the washroom that I hadn't even noticed were missing.  Oops.

I think my hats take  up almost as much room in my closet as my clothes!

Anyways...I just wanted to show you a little bit of what a hat can do to an outfit.

This is one of my favorite dresses, unfortunately it's too formal to wear too often.  It's a light, flowing fabric and it's covered in gold sparkles.  Then there is a chiffon scary sewn around the front of the neckline and hanging down the back.  You can imagine my hair curled and/or in an updo, I didn't have time of either.  Overall a nice, basic formal outfit.

That look is what you get when you have brothers making comments on your poses.  :P  

And then you add a cute black beret.  It becomes even better, with a nice Parisian flavour.  Again, it would be even better if I'd curled my hair.

And then...my favorite.  I actually found this combination by accident one day.  But I just love it.  Still pretty, feminine and formal, but with an Albertan touch.  Just to say I'm not the pansy I may look like.  In my humble opinion, hats have the ability to make any outfit just that much cuter.  And all the winter hats are about to go on sale all over the place...unfortunately I don't really need any.

In His grace,

Laurel