You`ve got your short-skirted suit and kidskin gloves, you`ve invested in a fur scarf and a pair of quasi-crocodile shoes, all in the latest brown hues. But before you make your first appearance, be sure you`re in possession of this season`s surprise accessory, making a comeback after decades in fashion`s twilight zone. Get yourself a hat.
Oh, for the last few years you`ve seen plenty of spiffy black cocktail confections, done up with veils, bows, rhinestones and velvet. But the selection of daytime head-wear has been meager at best, with black hats dominating. Now that mahogany, taupe, sienna and chestnut have taken center stage, hats in corresponding colors are finally available.
What`s caused this hat popularity? According to Sal Ruggiero, fashion director at Marshall Field & Co.: ”It has to do with the return to elegance and the `Total Look` that`s so big for fall. It`s caused tremendous excitement in millinery at the moment, since daytime hats are a whole new direction. But all the fabulous suits and coordinated outfits would seem incomplete without hats-and other accessories-all of which complement the browns and earth tones that are so strong for fall.”
Says fashion-forward hat designer Patricia Underwood, who recently was promoting her wares at Perlie in Winnetka: ”The word was out back in December that brown was the big fall color, so I planned my collection accordingly. I think the resurgence in hats for daytime stems from the new proportions-short skirts and slim suits-to which hats lend a real balance.”
Whether it`s the retro look of the `20s you admire or something with a more contemporary bent, there`s a daytime hat out there to suit anyone`s fancy. But instead of rhinestones and veils, look for feathers, faux tortoise, leather and braiding-details that further enhance the new tawny tones.
As for those of you who insist you don`t have the mythical ”hat face”
required of all hat wearers, don`t be bashful.
”I really believe there`s a hat for everybody,” Underwood judiciously maintains. ”There are so many shapes to choose from that women just have to take the time to try different things. Tilt them, pull them low, turn up the brim-it all adds drama, and people always notice you when you wear a hat!” –
