Hats!

I was thinking about clothes again today as we wait for the electrician--he's an hour late so far, and we can't really go anywhere until he fixes the light. We have a host of weird issues in the house right now. The gas fireplace has conked out, the disposall is jammed, and two lights in the kitchen are broken. The handyman we hired to get the mirror out of the bathroom cancelled yesterday.
So, let's think about hats! There are plenty of theories on why people no longer wear hats as a matter of course. I have a theory that I'm pretty sure about. When coal was burned in houses, there was a lot of coal dust floating around. On books in rooms lit by coal fires etc. Now this made everything very grimy in a way we have forgotten today, I think. So gloves kept hands clean and hats kept coal floaters from landing on your head.
I love the fascinators that British women sometimes (rarely) wear. The Duchess of Cornwall and Kate Middleton have been seen in gorgeous ones. I can't really imagine where I would wear one here in the United States except at the annual charity Polo Classic fundraiser we attend some summers. It is a fabulously exciting game!
The Village Hat Shop is a fun place to browse. It has all price points. The "Something Special Garden Off Face" (seriously?) is lovely, with big cabbage roses.
I like the story behind Fascinator NYC. But they need to show more of the hats on models before I will buy them. The website also lists a strange restrictive return policy on damaged goods, which does not fill me with confidence. However, they are gorgeous and glamorous creations that remind me of sea creatures from the deeps.