DEALING WITH HAT ANXIETY

(with more than a nod to Kelly Boler's "Put a Lid on It," "A Few Heady Thoughts on Women's Hats")

Despite the fact tHAT hats ceased to be "mandatory" in church or a required fashion statement, they never quite disappeared (and if The Hat Ladies have anything to say about it, they'll make a complete comeback and never stop being up front and center).  In any case, they remain the fashion accessory tHAT attracts and scares women the most.  Even those who are otherwise eager to walk out on out on sartorial limbs are unwilling to dare a hat.

Saying you don't look good in hats is like saying you don't look good in shoes.  Every woman (and man) looks good in some hat; you just have to find it and wear it. When you do, men will desire; women will envy; you'll wonder why the heck you never did it before.

First, however, you may need to conquer HAT ANXIETY.  This condition is the impulse tHAT overwhelms a woman when she's about to go out in a hat.  Having placed her chapeau carefully on her head, she starts out for a party or a wedding (the typical events where she'll even dare to wear one). As she approaches her destination, she becomes increasingly uneasy. She is certain people are looking at her.  In this vulnerable moment, she panics and suffers an attack of hat Anxiety and leaves her hat in the car.

Here are some tips on overcoming this fear of making a commitment to headgear:

Tip 1:  Visit a hat maker.  You will spend no ore money than you would spend in one of the big hat stores.  More importantly, you get a perfect fit, personal attention, adv ice, and valuable feedback.  Plus you get luxury.

Tip 2: Buy a well-made hat.  Just as you check the seems of a piece of clothing, use common sense, rather than price, as a guide to quality in headgear.  Trims should be sewn on, not glued.  For hats of sewn fabric, materials should be natural, and seams should line up.  Straw hats should be pliant, not hard and unforgiving.  Wools should be velour felt or fur felt, and should get their style from being shaped on a block, not from artificial stiffener.  If a hat is stiff, it is probably full of "sizing," which does not feel good, look good, or last

Tip 3: Put it on as if you mean it!  Don't lay it on the back of the head like a yarmulke.  Be confident.  Do not be afraid to bring a hat down around your ears.  Dip it over one eye or tilt it slightly to one side.  Also, consider your hair.  If you have thick or long hair...or even hair tHAT reaches just below your ear, push it back.  If you war bangs, try tucking them under the hat.  Don't allow your hair to compete with your hat. If you do, it will look as if you're wearing TWO hats, and you won't like the look.  Give the hat a chance.

Tip 4: Make sure it fits right. A hat should feel snug but not tight.  If the tricks to make it fit don't work, you will rarely wear it.

Tip 5:  Think old hat.  A vintage hat can be both affordable and repairable.  Trial and error,  common sense , and a realistic appraisal of your handicraft skills are rules of thumb here.  If something is in questionable shape, the price should reflect tHAT fact.  If you find a squashed bargain, take it home, press it with a very steam iron or teakettle, and reshape it by hand.  Clean with a stiff clothes brush or spot-clean with a damp cloth.  Cover a spot or hole with a brooch or flower.  Be fearless; use your imagination.

Tip 6: Ease into it. 

Trick yourself into wearing hats:  Cold weather gives you an excuse to wear them.  It provides a good change to try something more daring and still not feel outrageous.

 Wear a simple hat, such as a beret, so you're comfortable keeping it on as part of your ensemble when you get to where you are gong.

Wear a hat with something very, very simple, like a black dress or a gray suit.  An understated look with a hat will help you avoid the feeling tHAT you're wearing a costume and making an entrance.

Start wearing your hats while you are on vacation or somewhere where people don't know you don't wear hats all the time.

Try wearing men's hats.  For some ironic reason, fedoras, boaters, and derbies look great with women's clothing.  Just add a pin or cloth flowers to soften the look and match your ensemble.  Others will get used to seeing you in hats, and you will, too.

Tip 7: Jump.  Just do it.  Find a hat tHAT makes you hatpy and stop thinking about it.  Once you overcome Hat Anxiety, you'll never go back to being bareheaded again. Your friends will feel your confidence, and they'll start wearing them, too....particularly when they notice the favorable reaction you're getting from the fellas.  Pretty soon there will be a revolution of hat wearing, designing, and making, and all those headlines about the return of the hat will (h)at last come true!