Hats

Today I came across this picture and it hit me--dear Kate looks good in nearly everything, and is especially fashionable in her choice of headwear.  This hat (which would look ridiculous on me) looks fantastic.  Even Mr. William looks quite dapper in his top hat!  I mean, how cute are they?!

In thinking about it, I've come to the conclusion that some people are just hat people.  They are able to wear all kinds of hats and look great.  Clearly, the English have it down.  Some are braver than others (see photos from the royal wedding for verification) however they do as an overall group look pretty good with something on their heads.

Me, on the other hand . . . well, I don't do well with much beyond an occasional stocking cap in the winter and/or a baseball cap on a lazy day I don't want to do my hair (of course even then, my ears stick out like a human version of Dumbo).  I've tried hats on before, and although they look good on the rack at the store, the minute it hits my head it transforms into a hideous piece of something-that-doesn't-belong-there.  Truly, I end up looking like a new character from the Muppets or a dressed thing-a-majig from a Dr. Suess book.  And even in the rare cases it doesn't look that bad, it still doesn't look good enough to justify the purchase.

Oh, how I'd love to be a hat person.  I'd totally like to have a great collection of hats versus shoes or jewelry or anything else, just because there are so many amazing, unique hats out there.  Check this out:

Beach Hat

Fedora

Knitted Beret

Bucket/Fishing Hat

Trapper Hat

Newsboy Hat

Maybe one day I'll find a hat (or two) that reflects my personality well AND looks good on my head.  In the meantime, however, I am not-so-secretly envious of folks who have already found their "hat knack".  :)

fashion feaux pas and fraggle rock hair

I am the farthest thing from being trendy.  For real.  Look at me.
The hippest things I own are a pair of pewter colored flats (wedding reception shoes), a set of spin pins, and a silver/ivory/black/pink pearl and glass-beaded necklace that loops twice around my neck for a super sexy look and 3 times to show a more sophisticated elegance.  I sometimes will sport a jean jacket over my dress clothes to add a chic urban flair to my otherwise (I feel) stuffy outfit, and sometimes I will wear my maroon corduroy blazer with a tank and jeans for the same reason.  I have some silk scarves I've once tied around my waist like a Hollywood diva (but it's been a LONG time), I don't own a single hat that isn't of the baseball or stocking cap variety, and I'm not a jewelry guru.  I wear my own thing (my style and color and whatnot), and that's that.  I go for comfortable far more often than I go for fashionable.  And on my stocky body, "comfortable" and "fashionable" don't often go together.

I'm just not trendy!

However . . . maybe I can be.  I read an article this week that said if you have some of items below, you're for sure to be trendy!  These items, they claim, should be in every girls' closet:
red flats: I totally want a pair.  A coworker of mine has a pair she wears from time to time and they provide the perfect pop of color with all the greys and blacks we often wear throughout the week.  But I wonder if on me they'd look more like bright red lipstick does to an over-makeupped glamour girl--eye catching, yes, but more of an "oh my!" than an "oh, myyyy . . ."
black dress: got it, yet it's nothing special.  One of these days I want the little black dress that just screams "lookin' hot and feeling good!"  You know, the one that when out on the town everyone points to and says, "Dang--that dress--and that girl--is rockin'!"
oversized watch: I've seen others pull this off well; me . . . well, I'm not so sure I could do it . . .
black opaque tights: Really?!  I hate wearing nylons of any kind!  I'd really have to stretch my box (and comfort zone!) to give that one a real shot.
leopard-print scarf: I don't think I could bring myself to do this one, at all.  Animal prints are just so not me.
statement necklace: Um . . . I could use some help here.  I know the necklace I mention above is pretty great, but I can't wear that every day . . .
striped shirt (horizontal): I'll do the vertical striped shirt, but I'm not in for the horizontal one.  No need to accentuate the belly I've long worked to hide.
classic trench coat: I think with the deep purple coat I received this past Christmas, I might really be on the way to having this one taken care of!

On top of all this, I have fraggle rock hair.  At least that's what Raleigh and I call it.  It's a patch of baby hairs growing from the crown of my forehead, that is now long enough to awkwardly stick up in a wirey bunch, completely contrary to the style of the day.  (Any day.)

With such hair and so few of the "must have" trendy items, I don't think I'm likely to be fashionable any time soon.  Maybe I should just stick to being me, since I appear to be good at that, trendy or not.