Wear a hat day on Friday

My dearest friend’s daughter got married two years ago, we discussed outfits, shoes, bags, colours etc as we have very similar tastes.

Unfortunately we forgot to discuss our hat choice, DH and I were sitting in church when dear friend (MOB) arrived to take her place in the pew in front of us, Oh the embarrassment we had identical very big hats ??. (We are still besties)

When my son got married I said that under no circumstances would I wear a hat. The only one I ever wear is my Tilley which I wear when I’m fishing or out in the sun, but they drew the line at that! I had always fancied a trilby type hat, and so I bought one in a lovely shade of blue. Never had it on my head since it left the shop! If it’s wear a hat day on Friday perhaps the time has come!

All I have now is a wide-brimmed straw, for hot sun.
School hats were the worst! There was a tradition at my school of all the upper sixth burning theirs on the last ever day of school.

As a young woman, a grandmother of mine adored hats and spent much of any spare cash on those big, Edwardian type ones. She was tall and they suited her, but she told me that her mother would say, ‘Another hat! I hope you’ve got my money!’ (GM worked in a draper’s shop.)

I always find it amusing to read in novels set decades ago, how someone would go out with only her ‘gardening hat’ crammed on to her head - dear oh dear!

Back in the 60s an elderly great aunt would not set foot out of doors without a hat, but it’d be one of those muddy-mauve coloured woolly ones.

In a Victorian novel (Trollope) I loved how a male character said to a woman he was taking out for dinner, ‘A lot of ladies dine there. You can dine in your bonnet.’

Just woollen hats or berets in winter, cotton or straw in summer and cagoule hood in the rain

When I joined the Army, apart from dress headgear, we had to wear a beret, and new, on issue, they were as flat as dinner plate and looked ridiculous, so the thing was to “shrink” them to fit your head and sit properly on it. This involved soaking them in warm water, pummelling them a bit, shaping them to your head, and then leaving them to dry. This was actually a forbidden practice and if they weren’t completely dry when required to be worn, the leather they were edged with would leave a dark tell tale mark around your forehead and get you into trouble!

santana that is a lovely idea I can juts picture these lovely children with their hats on.

I had to wear a beret for the first year of grammar school- hated it. It was stopped after that year.

I loved wearing my nurses stiff paper hats but loved my frilly lace one as a Sister even more. when I went out into District Nursing I had a Navy pill box kind of thing like an air hostess - it would never stay on and I abandoned it except for going to a meeting.

santana that is a lovely idea I can juts picture these lovely children with their hats on.

I had to wear a beret for the first year of grammar school- hated it. It was stopped after that year.

I loved wearing my nurses stiff paper hats but loved my frilly lace one as a Sister even more. when I went out into District Nursing I had a Navy pill box kind of thing like an air hostess - it would never stay on and I abandoned it except for going to a meeting.

I never used to wear a hat but now have a collection of woollen ones for when I’m dog walking in cold weather. I don’t think I suit fancy hats and didn’t wear one for any of my children’s weddings. One of my sisters in law always wears fantastic hats at weddings and looks lovely in them. She had a beautiful pink one at a family wedding, took it off at the reception and her daughter came up and sat down on it by accident. I don’t think it recovered!

I ve never worn a hat since my school beret days Not even to weddings they just aren’t me and I wouldn’t be comfortable wearing one so I don’t
If it’s very cold I put my coat hood up

I really look a beggar in hats, but wear a woolly one in winter to keep me warm and the flyaway hair under control. I’ve a straw one for summer that somehow transforms me into Bennie Hill.

When I was trying all the hats on once at Debenhams with my DDs, as you do, I discovered I can actually carry off a really massive hat with a swooping brim. Sadly that’s not a lot of use for everyday wear in Yorkshire.

They do bring back memories though. The white fake fur bonnet with pom pom fastenings for Sunday School, the hated school beret, my dad’s ever-present cap and trilby, Great Aunt Mary’s squashed black hat with the fake cherries, the babies’ knitted bonnets. Happy days.

I counted seven sun hats recently and have decided I'm hardly likely to need them all in future, but which ones to send to the charity shop? My favourite has quite a wide brim and is also easily packable - definitely a keeper. I have several winter hats which haven't been worn this past winter as I haven't been out much. Beanie hats are not for me - they make me look like a 'clootie dumpling' besides which they never protect my ears which seem to be at a lower level than normal! So I will hang on to my favourite faux fur one which looks quite luxurious. I have a 'wedding' hat in a box on top of the wardrobe, a wide-brimmed purple number which went well with a lilac outfit, but the last wedding was twelve years ago, as the next generation are either married or not bothering! I will have to wait for my grandchildren to tie the knots! The hat I had for my DS1's wedding, 21 years ago, was a 'Breton' style which I bought in Accessorise and sold on Ebay for a profit.

I had to wear a beret at grammar school in the winter. We used to grip them on at the back of our heads, hair back combed high on top. Boater in the summer which I rarely wore.
A hat on my wedding day. Sun hats on holiday. I bought a posh one a few years ago when we went to a garden party at the Palace. I don't think hats suit me.

I have warm winter hats and sun hats and a midgey proof one with a net, but no posh ‘go to church’ hats.

I wore a large hat to my daughter's wedding 30 years ago, always referred to even now as
"Mother's frisbee".

I wore a beret at grammar school too, they remind me of Frank Spencer. I possess two hats, a black fedora, which I sometimes wear when we go (used to) racing. My favourite is a ‘Vera’ gardening hat my son bought me for my recent birthday, I think I’ll get quite fond of it.

Another Grammar school beret wearer, only for first year as we managed to get the uniforms updated (had the most horrendous styled summer dresses!).
I have only worn a wedding hat once, back in the 70's when I was maid of honour for my Aunt (she is same age as me) and we had wide brimmed white hats. Her ex mother in law turned up wearing an odd looking pink pillbox x cloche hat, made her look like a Vesta match lolol. Even to this day we only have to mention it and the giggles set off, we didn't dare look at each other in the church.
I don't like anything covering my head or face, struggle wearing a hood up on my coat, so no knitted hats for me.

Seldom without a hat. Usually a cap style in the months with the odd injection of a tweed trilby or a black stetson. In winter I have an oft admired pink sheepskin Sherlock Holmes style. Wonderfully warm. I often wonder if those who say they 'don't suit' hats are simply self conscious.

I often wonder if those who say they 'don't suit' hats are simply self conscious.

Why would we be? I'd say by the time we retire we should have a fair idea of what does and doesn't suit us!

Fair comment, Mm, but it's the only reason I ever hear put forward (and I don't ask) ever.

I think I’ve just got the wrong shaped head.

I like wearing hats, cosy ones for winter, a Panama one in the summer.
At school hats were compulsory, in the winter a velour one with a band and a metal badge in the front. In the summer a Panama one with the band and badge transferred to it. You were in serious trouble if you were caught not wearing your hat.

Lovely! I can imagine you all in your hats now.

At school hats were compulsory, in the winter a velour one with a band and a metal badge in the front. In the summer a Panama one with the band and badge transferred to it. You were in serious trouble if you were caught not wearing your hat.

Same here J52!

I don't wear hats, but have jackets with hoods. I can't bear the feel of hats, I feel sort of hemmed in by them, plus I get too hot, but not with hoods for some reason.

I’ve been wearing a sun hat for months as I can’t bear sunlight. In a fortnight I’m having an eye operation, after which I hope to leave off my ridiculous headgear.