Joint Friday Frock: Hats

A guest post! Of sorts, anyway. Megan is the most wonderful feministy knitty sexy voiced friend. Plus, she has the odd afternoon off during the week so she's great to hang out with when the shop is closed. Here is our collaboration on the most important of topics: the return of the hat.

The lovely Tash and I finally got around to seeing unveiled this week, and spent a delightful couple of hours wandering through Te Papa exclaiming at fabrics, tiny waists, and bemoaning our 2012 lack of elegance.

Not that we're not elegant in our way, but we're not swanning around in gorgeous red dresses, dolled up, complete with gloves and hats. So, we've decided we're bringing back hats. Now, if you've been reading here a while, you'll have seen photos of me wearing hats - in varying states of success. So, we're on a mission.

Tash, as is her wont, immediately thought of the beautiful things she could knit:

Cloche, to my ears, is one of the more beautiful sounding words in our language. Naturally the cloche is one of my favourite hat styles - jaunty, elegant, sophisticated, tongue slightly in cheek.

Hats, to me, are a lovely way of finishing off a well-thought outfit. I suppose these days as we accessorise to the nth degree hats may seem a bit superfluous. In this city, famed for our love of black, I'm excited that this new 'bring back the hat' mission of ours will allow more colour into a winter wardrobe of black, grey, and black.

Ironically enough, I (Megan) have that Escargot hat in my Ravelry queue. My only concern is that I have knitted myself several hats, and I never end up wearing them. Right, first on the agenda is to wear one of them to the book launch this evening. Yes, Tash? I have a bright pink one that will do for the "bringing the colour" part. In fact, I believe it's even in a Knitsch yarn.

Now, to add to my queue - cos, you know, it's not nearly long enough - look how cute this cloche is! (though not in that scary green.)

For something a little more casual, this cabled slouchy-beret (What? It's a technical term) is gorgeous.

However, were I too lazy to knit, I could also shop. "Were" and "Could" being euphemisms, of course. Hats are something you really need to try on, but some internet shopping will do for now.

So I did some hunting around the interwebs. Look how cute! I'd wear this to casual saturday afternoon drinks in the sun.

This one, I'd wear while shopping. In a coat and some kind of matching scarf/glove arrangement.

But let's face it, Cloches are where it's at. Cute and sophisticated, and with Ebay, available in actual vintage.

With this, I'd just need red lipstick, and a cigarette holder.

And lastly, it's not a cloche. And yet, again, I'd really just need red lipstick, and an LBD. For that excellent Black Widow At A Funeral vibe. That sounds sarcastic, but that actually is one of my favourite looks.

Creepy mannequin, but.

So that's it. Hats. They're back. One thing I would say, is that hats - like red lipstick - take a bit of getting used to. It's not like putting on a new dress. Yes, the pattern might be different, but the foundation is the same. But a hat changes your look, and it messes with your hair and your face and looks really odd in the mirror if you're not prepared. Stick with it. We're wearing them, and being elegant and interesting. Are you in? And what will you wear?