Celebrating Hat Day on A Snow Day

Posted byRebecca BuddPosted inClanmother on Vimeo, LadyBudd, National Hat Day, VancouverTags:, , ,

“Some hats can only be worn if you’re willing to be jaunty, to set them at an angle and to walk beneath them with a spring in your stride as if you’re only a step away from dancing. They demand a lot of you.”

Neil Gaiman

January 15th is National Hat Day, an unofficial holiday that celebrates one of the most essential accessories invented centuries ago.  Even the Egyptians sported sassy headgear, along with the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

Think of Winston Churchill’s hat, the homburg, a felt hat with an elegant curved brim boasting a grosgrain ribbon.  And recall Napoleon’s bicorne, which he wore sideways to stamp his brand for all to see his courage on the battlefield. I remember Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat, classic and elegant.  Then there was the famous Panama Hat worn by President Theodore Roosevelt when he was visiting the Panama Canal excavation.  My most favourite “hat” fashionista is Queen Elizabeth II, long may she reign.  Her signature style of matching hat and gloves with a string pearls is timeless and graceful.

Vancouver was under snow today and there is more snow in the forecast.   Winter has arrived and I had the perfect hat to keep me warm on a snow day!

 

 

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

38 thoughts on “Celebrating Hat Day on A Snow Day”

  1. I do love hats, and as you can see I do wear them. Year round, winter against the cold, summer against the sun I love, as well. Also in between, at times, just for the amusement and the dandyism aspect, my Marianne suggests I do, especially because I’ve since forever enjoyed walking with a stick or cane.
    But most of all, my love of hats are in the pleasure of seeing all shapes, forms and seizes of hats worn by ladies, especially like yourself and my lady Marianne, who wear them well, due to their heights and or their facial features. They who much like the camera that likes a particular face, said hat that likes a particular face or style…
    A belated Happy Hat day to all the hat ladies!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I love your hat, Jean-Jacques. There is a sophistication that comes with wearing a hat, along with a jauntiness!!! Oh, now I am very interested in walking canes and have been looking around for a stylish one that harkens back to more fashionable times. While I appreciate that canes need to be sturdy and non-slip, I would like to see a more fashion-driven style come into being. I’m sure that there are available so I am on the hunt. Fast fashion doesn’t have the style that bygone eras have. Did you know that the coat I’m wearing is over 25 years old. I remember shopping with Frances in a wonderful clothing store – there were two coats alike. We both continue to wear our coats these many years later. And still we have people stop and say how beautiful they are. Happy Hat day to you and Marianne!

      Like

  3. Rebecca, you’re very chic in your hat and what a stylish coat! 😀 When I go out in winter I fear I resemble a Michelin man, I’m so bundled up … you’re elegance personified! Ahh … Vancouver in the snow looks magical. Please, send some snow to us, I’ve missed it so this season! Hugs xx

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oh, I have one of those coats too. I save that one for my trips to Edmonton. I just received a text from my brother who lives there. There are at -41C that feels like -47C. I grew up in a small mining town in in Northern Manitoba that would have the -50 degrees. It was an adventurous time. We bundled up and had special types of hats. Fashion comes and goes, but as Coco Chanel said, “Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” Thank you so much for stopping by…

      Liked by 2 people

      2. I’m coming over – I love shopping for hats! Just heard that Newfoundland had a huge snowstorm. Keep safe and warm. This is the time to stay indoors and look outside from a window. Tea and book time!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I feel marvelous! Hats create possibilities, adventures and new perspectives. I am going to looking back in my closet and bring out all my hats. One of my favourite poems is “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. I have a purple shawl and now to find the red hat. Come join me!!! Hugs coming your way.

      “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
      With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
      And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
      And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.”

      https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/warning/

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Well said! I agree wholeheartedly. There is something about a hat that allows us to see the world from a different perspective. So many stories held in the hats we wear. Thank you for stopping by…

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I am delighted that you joined me for hat day. You always brighten my day, dear friend. The sun has come out in Vancouver and the snow is melting. That’s why we all head out to take photos of snow days before it turns to rain. The Vancouver Seawall is always full of activity and excitement when the snow comes to town.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. What a wonderful thought to receive this morning. My mother Frances and I are podcasting about how life was like in the 1920’s and 1930’s. One of the topics that we covered was fashion and how much care was taken when creating a fashion statement. No one, man or woman would dare leave home without some sort of hat. And everything had to be coordinated. We live in a world of fast fashion, but back a few decades, things were different. Clothes were made, mended, etc. The Singer sewing machine became an essential. Care was taken to ensure the longevity of clothes. The coat that I’m wearing is about 25 years old. Hard to believe that time has gone so fast. Zoom Zoom!!!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Oh, how right you are! Zoom Zoom. Thriftiness is not a word bandied about these days. “Make do and mend” was the order of the day when we were children. My mom was an excellent seamstress and made all of our clothes, so my sister and I were always well turned out and with a ‘suitable’ hat. We didn’t always appreciate the hats and sometimes got teased mercilessly by other kids in our neighbourhood. I remember my beige ‘blancmange-shaped hat decorated with gold beads being snatched from my head as we walked home from Sunday School. It ended up on the wrong side of a security gate outside a shop and by the time we’d managed to retrieve it using a long twig poking at it through the bars, it was obvious that it would never be the same again. 😦

        Liked by 2 people

      2. What great memories. I have been thinking a great deal lately about the issues surrounding fast fashion. There is growing concern and more people seeking a better way. For example, shopping in vintage clothing stores, advocating for the fashion industry to produce more “slow” fashion. The blogosphere has become a wonderful place to find how to reuse past fashion clothes. But, no matter how durable the clothing, or how dedicated and quick the fashion industry is to produce a more environmentally friendly outcome, “make do and mend” is essential. So the question then becomes, do we have the skill sets to mend clothes? It has been years (even decades) since I have used a needle and thread, other than to sew on a button. Our mothers and grandmothers were skilled in the creative endeavours of needlepoint, quilting, knitting, crocheting, tatting, that were perfect for keeping our clothes in optimum shape. We live in exciting times – heading out to the craft store to look for a needle! I am trying to remember what needles looked like.

        Liked by 2 people

  9. What a lovely photo, Rebecca. And your ensemble complete with hat will be perfect for the snowy weather in Vancouver. You look lovely xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was thinking back to when I bought that particular winter coat. If I remember correctly, it was over 25 years ago at a lovely shop that closed several years ago.. Frances, my mother and I bought the same coat so it is a great memory for me. PLUS, the coat is reversible, so it has become a well-known friend when the snow blows in Vancouver. Thank you for stopping by and joining me on Hat Day. Hugs!

      Liked by 2 people

    1. It is mine too. As soon as I read your comments I headed over to Merriam-Webster for more insight into its origin. You will find this interesting: Both jaunty and genteel are related (I did not know this). Both words evolved from the French word “gentil” which carried the sense of “noble”. I love how words evolve. Jaunty was used for all things aristocratic, but now, that many year later, according the Merriam-Webster “the only remaining clue to its noble origin is in its pronunciation . Who knew?? I didn’t! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I didn’t either! Thanks for the additional information. Every time I learn something new about the etymology of a word, the word takes on an added dimension every time I encounter it thereafter.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Oh Rebecca, that was just lovely to watch. Yes, for hats. I do love a good hat; especially in the cooler months.
    And you look so chic in your animal print, jeans and boots; so on trend.. Hahah

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I am so glad that you joined me on my walk. The snow has disappeared, but the hat still remains. The other day, a friend said that she was going to shop “in her closet” because there were things hung “way in the back” that may be now in style. Isn’t it interesting that what was once considered “old” is now considered new, especially in a world that is becoming increasingly aware of environment issues. My coat is over 25 years old and it is still my friend in times of cold weather. Welcome to a new week of possibilities.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Now that’s what I call environmentally sound, as well as very pleasing! Anything that, 25 years later still fits and looks gorgeous is a great hit. You’ve inspired me to take a peek at the back of my closet.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for joining me on “hat day” something that Canadians generally celebrate every day in winter. Hats are fun. My favourite hat was a floppy felt hat that I had in the early 70s that I wore with my granny glasses and paisley shirt.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.