New hat

Hats used to be worn by absolutely everyone, for every occasion, indoors or out, but during the last century, and particularly after 1950, most people gradually gave up wearing them. They remained part of every type of uniform, of course. But well-heated homes and offices, and a shift to more informal styles of fashion, made them superfluous or unsuitable for everyday wear. I suppose women kept their fondness for wearing hats longer than men - I have pictures of my Mum donning a fancy hat for weddings and similar events until well into the 1970s; but there is no picture of Dad ever wearing a hat, although I do know he owned a black fedora that made him look like a gangster. Perhaps that was a look he (or Mum) disliked.

Or perhaps another thing: hats could be inconvenient. What on earth could you do with them if you took them off? And they were always being blown off in the wind. It didn't need a hurricane. 

So hats became confined to special circumstances, such as Ladies' Day at Ascot. Or were the headwear of specific types of person. For instance, many musicians - male or female - might sport a hat, often something vaguely old-fashioned but nevertheless cool. It was a badge of their profession. Outdoor types like ramblers might wear a waterproof version of a 'Crocodile Dundee' hat. And so on. 

All this said, I'd say that 'proper' hats (as opposed to very casual woolly ones) are not a mass-market item in 2024. And if one does wear one, it's a deliberate and self-conscious choice. Possibly it's the mark of the extrovert, although I would personally deny that I'm like that. 

Hats don't suit everyone, even if they want to wear one, and for a very long time I was persuaded that I should avoid wearing a hat. Looking back, I'm not sure why I let myself be convinced of this. Perhaps some people close to me, who felt awkward in hats themselves, were minded to discourage me, and I listened. 

Well, it's different nowadays. Mind you, I fully agree that some hats don't look good on me. And I would scorn to wear some others. For instance, you'll never see me in a baseball cap, whichever way worn, although I admit that this aversion has its roots in personal prejudice.

What I do like are neat, simple practical hats that suit the time of year, and the weather, and go with my clothes and shoes. I also hope they add to my appearance. In the winter I am - like everyone else - quite fond of woolly hats with bobbles on them, or faux-fur hats for really cold conditions. In the summer - like everyone else - I favour wide-brimmed lightweight sun hats in various materials and styles. I have a foldable waxed cloche-style hat with a warm lining for wet conditions at any time of the year - and I can stuff it into a jacket pocket. 

What I haven't had - until very recently - was a smart hat I could wear most of the year round. Something distinctive, and not merely practical. 

Then I saw some natty burgundy-coloured fedoras on sale in the National Trust shop at Standen, near East Grinstead. They were all wool, with a leather band, and very attractive. The lining inside was cotton. So all the materials used were natural, nothing synthetic. I tried several on, to get the right size. 

It was clear that each hat was individual, fractionally larger or smaller than the others. I also found that sizewise I was in between 'Small' and 'Medium'. (So far as I can judge, I have a 56cm head measurement - so neither a pinhead nor an egghead) I chose the best-fitting 'Medium' hat, on the basis that once exposed to rain or damp air, the hat (being made of wool and leather) might shrink a little, and then fit me exactly. Not that I intended to spoil it by deliberately getting it soaked. But light wetting in a gentle shower was inevitable. 

The price was very reasonable: £35. I had the labels snipped off and wore it immediately. I wowed the folk in the National Trust Cafe, then strolled around the grounds. I was very pleased with my new hat!

Next day, out of interest, I looked this hat up in the National Trust's online shop. There it was, at the same price; with a picture of an eager Adventure Girl wearing it, which gave a clue as to what it should look like on me.

In fact the National Trust actually called it their 'Adventurer Hat'. It came in blue as well, although I thought burgundy was much the better colour. Let the men have the blue ones.

I'd bought it on 9th December, and checked the NT's online shop on 10th December. Two days later, checking again, I discovered that it had sold out, at least online. So the hat had been a runaway Christmas Success for the National Trust. I wasn't surprised. A casual look at online prices generally for this kind of fedora revealed nothing cheaper than £45, and you could easily pay a lot more. It even undercut the street market price. When in Chichester with Glenda (my sister-in-law) on 10th December, there had been a hat-seller in the Christmas Market. He'd asked to examine my hat, and seemed impressed at the £35 I'd paid for it. His own precisely-equivalent burgundy hat cost £40, and the only real difference was that his had an integral tightener in the lining, for an absolutely perfect fit.   

Needless to say, I've worn my new hat a lot since then. Despite its NT description, I haven't yet raided any jungle temples. But my friends haven't laughed at it, and it's generated approving remarks from passers by. It's also good for my posture: when you wear a hat like this, you tend to walk tall. Strange but true. 

I can wear it while driving along. So I sit tall in Sophie.

I really like how it keeps my head cosy without messing up my hair. Some hats pinch your hair out of shape.

No, it hasn't yet been blown off my head in a gust, nor have I got tired of holding the brim on windy corners. I do however put another hat on if that's the best thing.

No, I haven't been mistaken for a musician.

What about the future? For me personally, I am sure I will be wearing hats more and more as the weather gets more extreme, both for the protection and shade they afford in strong sunshine, and for welcome head-warmth in cold weather. And it may be that fashion turns again to universal hat-wearing. Perhaps gangster hats for the men, and Audrey Hepburn hats for the women. Unless the wind gets so turbulent and violent that hat wearing becomes impossible.

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