Oh, happy hats!

The cold weather is coming to an end and it’s time to put away most of our winter hats and break out the fun, spring time fashions. One of my favorite parts about the changing seasons is the change in my clothing accessories, especially my hats. I’ve been collecting my hats for a long time, so I have quite a few of them.  I actually have 4 boxes of them to be exact, because I’ve had the pleasure of breaking out my collection of hats for this coming spring and summer season.

I’ve been writing about my waiting for spring for quite a while within my blogs. I feel that getting out my sun hats, cute caps and other light spring fashions is a sign that spring has finally arrived. I’m sure many of you girls do the same thing. It is quite exciting, but it is also a sad time when we have to sort through our hats and get rid of the ones that have met their day. I had to throw out 5 of my favorite hats (they are all of my favorite) because they just look worn, and the only place they belong is in the trash can.

But, the best part of getting rid of old hats is the ability to go shopping and add some new favorites to the collection. So far I’ve added a flopping hat, a large brim hat, a baseball style hat and I plan to add many more. So, I just wanted to close with happy hat shopping to all of you hat lovers out there. 

Adorable baby bucket hats

While shopping for some clothes for my 7 month old this summer, I came across some adorable baby hats that I just had to purchase. The style for baby boy hats this summer is adorable and I couldn’t just have 1, I had to have them all. The most common style I seen is the baby boy ‘bucket style’ hat. This is the perfect little hat to keep your babies delicate skin safe this summer, while adding a bit of style to all of babies outfits. Plaid seems to be the main style for these hats, but they are reversible and offer a solid color on one side, allowing you to match the hats with all of baby’s outfits regardless of the pattern.

I bought one in blue, orange, green and red. Also, one with dinosaur print, and two other styles. The 1 is a typical baseball hat, but it’s made from super soft material, making it ideal for baby. The other was quite interesting and unlike anything I have ever seen. It’s designed for baby to wear while playing outside or in water. The sides on the hat go down long enough to cover the entire exposed area of skin, allowing you to skip sunscreen on this delicate area. It is also designed to stay put- all you mothers out there know just how difficult it can be to keep a hat on babies head for more than two minutes.

I think these hats are the best baby accessory I’ve seen to date. Check them out, with so many styles available there is sure to be one that fits your personal style for your little one. They are also available for girls, in colors of pink, purples and floral designs. 

Spring time hats

I know I can’t be the only one who waits all winter long to gather a new arrangement of spring hats. I always check out the latest style magazines in order to get an idea of which hats are in style and then I shop the bargains to create a good collection for a fraction of the cost. This year’s spring designs have me more than excited for the nice weather to finally get here and allow me to retire my long overdue winter hats.

This year the hat that is ‘all the rage’ is the good- old fashioned floppy hat. We all know this style, as it’s been around forever and this year it is coming back in full force. But, the floppy hat style is not the only part of this hat that is popular. Plain floppy hats are out and ones designed with sequence, beads, strings and more are in. This is great for those of us who own plain floppy hats, as it gives us an opportunity to have some creativity and make a new design out of our old hats.

The most popular style from what I can see so far is the basic bare light wooden style hat. Many of the hats were accented with a ‘light coral’ or ‘minty green’ color. Both of these colors seem to go well with the beaded, brown look of the hat. I’m sure more colors will come into popularity by the time spring is here, but for now, I’m on the search for a reasonable floppy hat with beads and a light coral bow. 

Ridiculous hats

"How about the fan hat? I thought I’d mention that as I’m sure many of you have seen it."

We all know that hats come in many different shapes and sizes. While they were once pretty basic, the world of hats has grown immensely and the styles range from beautiful to ridiculous. I wanted to share some of the most ridiculous hats that I’ve seen to date. Would any of you actually wear these? Well- honestly to each their own and if you would that’s awesome!

Of course the first one I have to mention is the umbrella hat. Who needs to carry around an umbrella when you can just put one on your head? There are a few little issues I noticed with these head gear however. It only covers you head! So the rest of your body is going to be soaked while your curly locks will remain dry. Kind of ridiculous, but I can tell the idea had good intentions.

Another hat that I’ve noticed many people in my area wearing is based on the sesame street characters and allows you to look like you have Oscar the grouch sitting on your head. Maybe I’m negative, but while it’s cute for a 10 year old to wear something like this, I’m absolutely baffled when I see 20 year olds walking around with one of these on their head.

How about the fan hat? I thought I’d mention that as I’m sure many of you have seen it. No need to carry a fan! Just put your hat on and you’ve got a fan in front of your face at all times. It’s almost as ridiculous as the beer hat- I mean who needs to stay sober when you can drink 2 beers simultaneously out of 2 large straws. Hooray!  

Snapback hat; the latest fad

No matter where I look anymore, I see all of these kids obsessed with snapback hats. You know the ones that look similar to baseball hats and snap in the back, allowing the size to be adjusted. My younger brother for example; owns 27 different snapback hats. That’s insanity. But, these trends with hats seem to come and go quicker than anything.

I remember a few years back when the latest trend was those hats that had the perfectly flat brim and were ‘fitted’, as the guys called them. Every kid on the whole school bus had one of these hats on. I have to say, I hated them and thought they looked ridiculous with the flat brim and almost hanging off the head. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but what’s the point of a hat hanging off your head? Who knows?

But recently, these snapbacks have been all the fad. It’s funny too, because they used to be a big thing back in the day, but just to cover up a bad hair day, not as a fashion statement as they are today. It’s funny how things can change so much. A hat could go from a quick cover up, to the coolest things since sliced bread in just a couple of short years.

I’m curious to see which hats while be in style next year. I know another popular trend this winter was beanie style winter hats. However, these hats were worn to just cover the back of the hair and were very high on the head. I think hats are becoming more style based rather than practical based.

Homemade knit hats

"Unfortunately, I never took the time to learn how to knit winter hats."

I am definitely a hat person. I love the way they look, how they cover up a bad hair day and the wide-variety of styles that are available. I’m not quite sure which type of hat I like the most, because the styles are endless, but one type that I tend to favor during this cold season is a nice homemade winter hat.

Unfortunately, I never took the time to learn how to knit winter hats. I wish I had because they look absolutely adorable and come in many fun styles. I think the best part of homemade knit hats is the ability to make replicas of the expensive brands found on the market. I am lucky enough to have a close friend who does knit hats and they have made me several designer knit hats that looked almost identical to the real thing.

There is a small shop near my home that sells homemade items. Everything from candles, to signs to well- knit hats! I go there a few times each winter and buy a few for me and my children. Recently, I went in a saw a newborn has made from green, blue, brown and yellow thread. It was designed to look like a cute little owl and I fell in love. I don’t have a newborn, so I asked the lady if she could make one for my 6 month old son. She agreed. I picked it up 3 days ago and he wore it to his recent doctor’s appointment.  I got compliments from the receptionist, doctors and nurses.