Not enough love.

I've been feeling rather guilty lately about not giving this hat enough love. Even though it was, quite literally, made for me, I find it hard to wear. It's more masculine than any other hat I own. (That would be on account of it being a man's hat, Captain Obvious.) You might recognize it as being the hat I'm wearing in my profile picture, but that doesn't mean that I wear it often- that photo was taken outside the hat shop the day I picked it up and I think I've only worn it once or twice since then.  It was a pretty expensive hat, which really shouldn't make a difference, but does make me feel like a bit of an idiot for not wearing it, as my cost per wear is currently in the $100+ range. And it's a great hat so I really do want to wear it. My excuse for buying it was that it was going to be a 'go to' hat- a classic style, in season spanning brown straw- something I could toss on with minimal effort year round; decorative and protective, fun yet practical. I think it still could be that. I just need more menswear inspired pieces to make that idea work.

I conjured up an ideal outfit for this hat over the weekend. Picture rolled cuffed dad jeans (I resist the heteronormativity of the term 'boyfriend jeans'), argyle socks, rich brown men's wingtips, an oxford shirt with the tails out, layered under a blue V-neck cardigan sweater, and this hat. In my mind it's perfect. How many components of this perfect outfit do I currently own, besides the hat? Just the jeans that I thrifted this weekend. This is my best approximation of the outfit created with clothes that I do own.

I am wearing a bit more eyeliner than usual. It's probably not noticeable in the photos, but I think it helps in real life to balance the masculine feel of the hat. I'm really happy with the fit of the jeans. In the past when I've tried to pull off the borrowed-from-the-boys look I've gone with pants that fit low on my hips and as a result, along with the nice full leg I wanted, I also got a saggy butt and a droopy crotch, which I certainly did not want. These jeans have a 32 inch waist which means they fit me snug and high, kind of like what a 1950's teenage girl would wear, so I appear as narrow as possible through the waist and still have a fair amount of room in the thigh. Now I need to search out the other pieces to complete my perfect outfit. In the meantime if you've got suggestions for outfits featuring this love deprived hat bring 'em on!