I Tip My Hat Off…

Wow, it feels good to be back. I’ve been busy with my next Natalie North novel and in the process, focused my attention on the book series. The faithful followers/readers of my blog have continued on with me, and for that, thank you. I’ve been notified that my fashion/style/beauty/book blog has been read in 174 countries around the world. I’ve received so many great, encouraging comments from you readers who enjoy my writing and posts, and you make this blog worthwhile.

So on that note, I tip my hat off…although I’m not really wearing one right now. I suppose I should be. And, as long as I’m on a sidebar, if you’ve never listened to Joe Cocker’s song, You Can Leave Your Hat On, you should take a listen!

A hat is a head covering that can be worn as a fashion accessory, for ceremonial and/or religious reasons, for weather protection, safety, etc. For all of the fashion divas that want to make a statement or top your outfit off, the hat is the perfect accessory. Hats add the ooh la la and the va va voom to your signature look.

Hat Fun Fact: James Lock & Co of St. James’ Street is a famous London hatter. In the United States, the cowboy hat manufacturer Stetson made the headgear for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Texas Rangers. Philip Treacy is an award winning Irish milliner whose hats have been commissioned by top designers and worn at royal weddings.

Some of the more common hat styles are the baseball cap, beanie, Gatsby, hard hat, sombrero, straw hat, turban, umbrella hat, wide-brimmed hat.

A hat consists of four main parts:

1. Crown – the portion of the hat that covers the top of the head.
2. Peak, Visor, Bill – a stiff projection at the front, to shade or shield the eyes from sun and rain.
3. Brim – an optional projection of stiff material from the bottom of the hat’s crown that runs around the circumference of the hat.
4. Puggaree, Sweatband, Hatband – a ribbon or band that runs around the bottom of the torso of the hat.

When your head is covered with a stylish, adorable hat, you look all that! And then some!

Hat sizes are determined by measuring the circumference of a person’s head about 1/2 inch above the ears. Some hats run standard sizes like small, medium, large and some hats are adjustable (think hard hats, baseball caps).

Hats are frisky, fun, fashionable, fantastic, fabulous pieces of head gear!

Hat Fun Fact: Extravagant hats were popular in the 1980s, and in the early 21st century, flamboyant hats made a comeback.  The tradition of wearing hats to horse racing events began at the Royal Ascot in Britain, which maintains a strict dress code. The tradition caught on at other horse racing events, most notable is the Kentucky Derby. Let’s also think Lady Gaga.

Dress for yourself, dress for the horses, baby. Everyone likes a little fashion and flair! Part of the fun of any event that you attend is deciding what you will wear!

Decorate your head, decorate your  hair. A hat is the perfect fashion piece to wear!

Hat Not So Fun Fact: As respect and courtesy, your rocking cute hat should be removed in a restaurant, movie theater, concert arena, etc. Especially hats that sit high up off the head!

“Excuse me, the back of your hat is blocking my view.”

“The back of my hat is the view!”

Topping your outfit off with a great hat shows confidence, glamour and style. You ought to try it once in a while!

Guys rock great hats too!

So once again, to all of you who read/follow my fashion/style/beauty blog…

I tip my hat off!

Now I’ll go put one on!

Nancy Mangano is an American fashion journalist and author of the Natalie North murder mystery book series, A Passion for Prying and Murder Can Be Messy. Visit Nancy on her author website http://www.nancymangano.com, Twitter @https://twitter.com/nancymangano, her fashion magazine Strutting in Style! at http://www.struttinginstyle.com, and her Facebook fan page Nancy Mangano https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nancy-Mangano/362187023895846