My Hats by Heidi Barbosa
I
have various interests when it comes to collectibles. My most prized possessions I would have to say are my hats because I’ve been collecting them since I was 14 years old. When I first started the collection, hats were part of my style of wear. It represented how I felt and who I was. It made me feel secure so I eventually found myself having a hat for every occasion. What interested me about each hat was the uniqueness and different materials used for the hat. I love the style and feeling enhancement it gives you when you wear it. My passion for the collection has also driven me to learn how these beautiful hats are created. I’ve learned that hats are made of felt fabric. You can either get it with customized fur felt, which is medium or high priced, or wool felt which is low priced. The fur hats are made out of rabbit fur while the wool hats are made out of noils or short fine fibers. The qualities of hats are dependent on the type of fur, trimmings, and workmanship. Although knowing this, I still collect all hats. There are numerous reasons why people wear hats. Some wear them to show ethnicity or show status. Some wear them to accessorize their outfits or as a part of their uniform. Some wear them for attention or to convey a message. Some wear them for political and religious reasons. Then there are some who simply wear hats to hide their lack of hair or to protect their heads from weather conditions. Either way, no one wears a hat without meaning to wear it. I personally don’t wear all the hats that I collect because all my hats aren’t customized for me. So hats that I do not wear I put them on my wall of fame. I don’t think there is a hat that I don’t have unless it was made recently. Sometimes I do wear hats that do not fit my character only for the reaction, but that’s only on occasion. In conclusion, I take all hats so no hat is left behind. I’m always looking forward to new design. Also for the opportunity to hang new ones on my wall.
History Of My Collection I started to collect hats started in the summer of 1993. My brother and I were always competing with each other. Not too sure how we got it, but we were always fighting about this hat. It was the only hat in the house and I just had to have this hat on when it came to competing with my brother. At that time, I felt like it gave me security and more power to whatever I was feeling at the moment. From then on, I began my collection because I felt that hats had power beyond me.
This hat I call the hooligan. It’s the oldest hat that I have. These were made in the 80’s so they no longer make these.
Hat Anatomy Most hats are tailored this way. Each part is specific to a purpose.
Tip Crown
Upper part that sits on your head.
Very top of crown.
Break Brim
Lower part that sticks out over your head.
Where c meets rown rim
Hats
go all the way back to 3200 B.C. Since then, there have been eras of different hats. I haven’t been alive that long but I still try to collect hats before my time. One of my hats is the fedora but I call them figaros. Fedoras go far back as 1891. The name originated in 1889 from a play called Fedora written by the Victorian dramatist Sarah Bernhardt. She was known as a notorious cross dresser,n which was fashionable for women. So the womens’ rights movement adopted it as a symbol.
S O U L E D
D E
L U
O S
Hats were first used for protection from weather in the working environment. They were also used to inform status or authority. So for me, they became an art form and a form of expression. Anything I wear is for a purpose. Most of my hats either reflect or convey a message I believe or live by.
Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and for Valentino, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan. He has designed hats for various films, including the Harry Potter films. Sarah Jessica Parker wore one of his designs to the Sex and The City film première. He has also designed hats worn by Lady Gaga. One of his most notable designs for her was a telephone shaped headpiece with removable handset, worn for her appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2010.
Philip Treacy
Philip
Treacy is one of the world’s most in-demand hat designers. His hats are as popular with European aristocrats as they are with Hollywood royalty. Widely credited for changing the perception of the hat, he designs hats to flatter and enhance the wearer. Philip Treacy has designed hats for Alexander McQueen, including his white collection for Givenchy Haute Couture, for
Hat Designer “I have had the greatest pleasure of having the opportunity to challenge people’s perception of what a hat should look like in the 21st century. I make hats because I love hats. It’s an enigmatic object that serves the human purpose only of beautification and embellishment, and making one feel good, whether you’re the observer of the spectacle or the wearer” — Philip Treacy