safashionweek

The Day Of The Hat

What is it about South Africans and their fixed and dogged determination to pursue outdoor lifestyles with strict adherence to seriously unfashionable headgear? I understand the necessity of a good sun block, in fact I’m all for the ultra soothing ultra hydrating replenishing moisture repair care, but what is it with the Haute Most Hideous Sunhat? It is after all, the most obvious choice of sun protection and yet when it comes to hats, we are in serious dereliction of fashionable duty.

I recall the Winter Collections from 2009, when one of the darlings of the SA Fashion Week set paraded a series of sensational cloche styled hats down the Runway – Guillotine’s inspired and innovative hats were brilliant, beautiful, beyond. More recently Loxion added a touch of a’tcha to his fedora’s as sesweshwe flava’d hats hit home with a decidedly African twist – 1 love to 1D.

The shame of the sunhat could go down in the psalms of millinery history as an unmitigated flop, but that even, would be casting serious aspersions on the humble flop. So while our counterparts in the eyewear department have pushed the limits to the “Extreme”, with an endless selection of styles at our disposal – the Fez, the Breton, the Cap, the Cossack, the Cloche, the Beret, the Panama - the time has come to make this year, the year of the hat!