Tips For Wearing Hats

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/5906342765_4af2eb52b2_b_zpse02e656a.jpg" /></div>Recently I have received a number of questions and/or comments about wearing hats and while I might not be the most prolific hat-wearer I do have the perspective of wearing hats at every possible hair length. From the shortest Jean Seberg pixie cut to long hair brushing my elbows, I've been wearing hats. These are my "hat tips" because it doesn't matter what length your hair is--you can wear a hat (and when it gets cold you probably have to anyway).<br /><div><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/hat7_zps7df9275b.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/tip1_zpsdf9804f9.jpg" /><br /><i style="font-style: italic;">Tips for short hair</i><i>: </i>In winter wearing a hat isn't even a style choice, but reality. I don't know how anyone with shorter hair (or long hair for that matter) can survive a Northeast winter without a hat. It traps warmth in, helps keep the top of your head dry when it's snowing, and generally makes life bearable when there's a mountain of snow burying your car and you have to shovel a driveway or walk everywhere to get anything done.<br />-don't be afraid of hats--a lot of women with short hair think hats won't work with their hair, it's completely untrue; hats look amazing on short hair and help frame your face</div><div>-keep the hat in proportion to your hair--as in small knit caps, vintage fascinators, etc</div><div>-try to keep some of your hair around your face visible by setting your hat further back</div><div>-tuck your ears into knit caps<br />-a few hats to try: berets, cloches, pill box styles, knit caps, boater hats</div><div><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/tip2_zps8eb63c85.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/hat16_zps6c9200d5.jpg" /><br /><i>Tips for medium-to-long hair</i>:</div><div>-experiment--similar to how short hair looks best with small hats, larger hats work nicely on longer hair, but with medium length hair even more styles work so play around</div><div>-style your hair--don't get stuck thinking your hair always has to look one way when you wear a hat, straight, curly, even side braids look nice peeking out underneath hats<br />-a few to try: wide brim hats, fedoras, bowlers, boater hats, bigger/loose-fitting berets<br /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/hat5_zpsdb40254b.jpg" /><br /><i>General tips:</i><br />-confidence--every styling choice you make from your makeup to your shoes works best with confidence; if you look comfortable in a style then it looks good<br />-try to forget it is there--one of my best tips for wearing red lipstick is applying it an hour before you leave your house, by the time you leave you tend to forget it's on your face and you're less self-conscious; try something similar with a hat wear it for awhile before you meet up with friends and you won't notice it as much<br />-you don't know until you try--instead of writing a specific style or color off (regardless of the suggestions above!) try them out in a mirror, you could be surprised by how something looks on you<br />-pay attention to fit--you don't want a hat so large it falls down and covers your eyebrows if you turn your head too quickly and similarly you don't want a hat that flies off your head because it is too small, the best judgment for fit is does it allow freedom of movement?</div><div>-it's ok to wear hats indoors--it used to be common practice that women would wear hats in churches out of modesty, so women wearing hats indoors is not impolite; however it is probably uncomfortable to eat a meal in a hat! so don't worry about whipping it off the instant you cross a threshold, but do take it off if you're hanging around for awhile</div></div>

Tips For Wearing Hats

Recently I have received a number of questions and/or comments about wearing hats and while I might not be the most prolific hat-wearer I do...

Read more »

Packing Tips

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/_MG_7120_zpsedab55b4.jpg" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Despite growing up with frequent moves and then studying abroad in college for a couple of semesters and focusing most of my disposable income on travel when possible I would still not claim to be an expert packer. Packing is also subjective. Separates are great to focus on because you can mix tops and bottoms to almost no end, but 9 times out of 10 I'd rather wear a dress than a shirt and a skirt, so that sort of tip doesn't work for me. Still I do try to be an efficient packer and there are a few tricks I always try.<br />-wear your bulkiest items on the plane to save more room in your suitcase; my "airport style" is based around maximum suitcase space saving rather than cuteness<br />-think variety at least when it comes to shoes & accessories; i.e. one pair of flats, one pair of boots, a cross body bag, a tote, a nice purse for evenings out and choose them in varying colors like one brown shoe, one black shoe<br /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/pack_zps73476748.jpg" /><br />-choose items you can remix; the key to this is thinking ahead and imagining 2 or 3 outfits you can wear each item with before you choose to take it<br />-why don't you try picking out a specific color palette--like blue, white, and red? if every piece you take goes within that palette you'll be able to combine them endlessly. even choosing a base of black means you can minimize your shoes and jackets and focus on a variety of dresses that will coordinate with those basic pieces.<br />-focus on taking more dresses/separates rather than outerwear; the same coat day after day doesn't get as old as the same dress<br />-minimize your beauty routine--I use less skin products when I travel and focus on only packing my makeup essentials, it will also save time in the morning and evenings so you can experience a fuller day<br /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/_MG_7117_zpsf94dd590.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/_MG_7119_zpse63e6590.jpg" /><br />-wear perfume, after a long day tourist-ing it up on foot and stumbling into a dirty hostel there's nothing like being able to smell nice to make you stand up a little straighter--further why not buy a perfume while you are there? scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, so wear it while you're away and it will evoke your travels every time you spritz it when you back home<br />-pack accessories to keep your basics interesting<br />-put your jewelry/more fragile items inside your packed shoes to keep them safe during travel<br />-leave room for souvenirs, if you're going to be gone for a long time (like a semester) consider taking a small duffle bag inside your suitcase to fill with your finds</div></div>

Packing Tips

Despite growing up with frequent moves and then studying abroad in college for a couple of semesters and focusing most of my disposable inco...

Read more »