My November Obsession - Fur Pom Pom Hats

Shearling and fur, whether real or faux, are showing up in head-to-toe fall styles, with pumps with fur details to headwear. I am on the hunt for a little fur love this season, sprinkling it throughout my wardrobe - but not at the same time! - this fall and winter.  Current obsession: a fur pom pom hat.  

Image from saksfifthavenue.com.

There are lots of choices out there at numerous price points depending on what you are looking for.  I love a big, fat pile of fun atop my hat, like a cherry on a sundae.  Go big or go home! ~ LB

W2WW Fur Pom Pom Hats

Inverni black jewelry / Inverni knit jewelry / Inverni braid jewelry / Inverni beanie hat / Inverni fox hat / Eugenia Kim vintage hat / Moncler Grenoble fur hat / Sofia Cashmere fur hat / Meteo by Yves Salomon beanie hat / Stella T beanie hat / Yves Salomon beanie hat / Search Results

Hat Attack!

While I was unpacking last year's beach bag to get ready for this summer, I found my old, Kate Spade cotton beach hat.  In the bag, from last summer.  Yuck.  While I know it will make it through the laundry, I thought I should just update my beach hat.  Time for a little evening cyber shopping on Nordstrom.com.

I was amazed at the number of hats they carried online.  There were only a dozen or so styles in the accessories section at the Natick Nordstrom.  Current count online?  170 hats.  Nuts.

I knew I wanted a neutral color to go with navy, black, jewel-toned bathing suits, and I wanted a nice sized brim - not too big but not too small.  Made of cotton.  Brim has to be bendable so I can lean back in my beach chair while reading.  Ok, that might be a fantasy with 2 active girls to watch, but a girl can dream, right?!

I found myself drawn to the Helen Kaminski brand of hats.  Helen Kaminski is an Australian brand and producer of headwear.  Love the simple design with quality materials. While there were raffia hats, there were great cotton ones too.  I ordered this 'Istria' canvas sun hat in ivory (this is the 'driftwood' color, but the ivory blended into the background color too much).  You can adjust the drawstring at the crown of the hat for a perfect fit).  Sold.  I love it.

Image from nordstrom.com.

But, while wandering through the many hat offerings, I had this inexplicable urge to try a fedora.  I really 'fell-in-like' with this one by Flora Bella, and before I knew it, it was in my shopping cart.  And then on my doorstep.  Oops.  

Image from polyvore.com.

I wore it this week when I chaperoned a school field trip and kind of love it.  Where else will I wear it?!  To the grocery, to watch kids' sporting events, shopping, anywhere really.  What will I wear it with?  Anything, from shorts and a t-shirt to a maxi dress with flip flops.  It makes that plain t-shirt and shorts just a little more chic.  A friend DID tease me about it ("Are you a Brooklyn hipster now?"), but I think it'll be a great summer accessory to have.  And, I must have been onto something because this hat is now SOLD OUT on Nordstrom.com.  Can't even give you a link to it.  Boo.  

And that got me researching even more.  What other cool summer hats are out there?  How are people wearing them?  Do I need another?  (Just kidding...kind of.)

Check the Polyvore set I put together to show off some summer hats and how some are styled. ~ JH

W2WW Hat Attack

Bop Basics fedora hat / Bop Basics / Helene Berman band hat / Helen Kaminski canvas hat / Nordstrom straw fedora hat / Helen Kaminski fedora hat / Tarnish fedora hat / Eric Javits sun hat / Eugenia Kim sun hat / Nordstrom band hat / J.Crew straw hat / Eric Javits fedora hat / Flora Bella brimmed hat / Helen Kaminski Zindira hat 

...you need a winter hat.

Yes, it's January and so it's a little late to be tackling this topic.  Nonetheless, here I am, January 2nd, and I need a new winter hat to go along with my Post Card coat.  Just an everyday hat that's cool.  I realized at school pick-up today that I've been wearing my North Face Cable Fish Beanie hat for way too long.  If you know me, you're sick of looking at it.  And, quite frankly, it's been to the gym, spinning, apres ski, the stable, etc.  In other words, it's seen better days.  Oh, and this other mom had an AH-MA-ZING hat on and I was jealous.  There.  I said it.

So, while I was sitting at afternoon-kid-activity-number-1, I started trolling online sites on my phone and not only got an education, but found some interesting hats out there.

First, the education.  On Nordstrom's site, I could choose from 'beanie', 'cloche', 'fedora', 'cap', and 'wide brim'.  Instinctively, I knew I wanted a 'beanie', but needed to know what 'cloche' was.  They are small-brimmed hats, sometimes very elegant.  See below.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Enough with education; back to shopping for a 'beanie'.  They had plenty of choices, ranging from $20 to $130.  With free shipping and free returns, I had to order a couple.  Here are the ones that will be stopping over for examination.  First up, a Missoni.  Really, I couldn't resist.  You KNOW it's super soft angora.

Image from nordstrom.com.

Marc by Marc Jacobs had a cute, polka dot and striped cap that I want to try out as well.  A little flare with this one.

Image from nordstrom.com.

This Michael by Michael Kors one is something simple with it's cheetah print.  I think I ordered the last one they had online!

Image from nordstrom.com.

I was also looking for something a little off-the-beaten-path.  Something a little inspired.   At this point, I was home and instead of cooking dinner, I was surfing around net-a-porter.com and shopbop.com to see what they had.  It was on net-a-porter that I noticed Eugenia Kim hats for the first time.  (After more research, I found that she attended Parsons, won a CFDA award for accessories design in 2004, and her millinery work can be found/purchased everywhere from Bergdorf to Barneys. I know, more education!  Read about her here.) Not cheap, but certainly different and cute.  While pompoms look ridiculous on me, I love this hat!

Image from net-a-porter.com

Net-a-porter was also featuring the Marc by Marc Jacobs one above, so I knew I was in good company.

A trip over to shopbop.com featured MORE Eugenia Kim hats and I loved these in particular.  Both are fabulous, and I'm hoping to sample one or the other.  Probably the first one.  Grrr.

Images from shopbop.com.

In short, there's a whole world of winter hats and I have only scratched the surface.  If you have any great hats I need to know about, please let me know! I'm on the hunt! ~ JH