Last week I met a group of English friends for lunch and we toasted the royal couple in champagne, AND some of us wore hats, even though it was lunch time in a restaurant in the middle of San Francisco! And two of our group had attended a slumber party to watch the wedding and sat wearing hats all night. Those of you who are not British may think this a little strange.
Hats have been a lot on my mind since the royal wedding, especially those two horrifiying and silly creations worn by Princesses Beautrice and Eugenie. So I'm wondering, what is it with the British and hats? We wear them to weddings and royal garden parties and Ascot and the sillier the better. You can even buy those fashionable fascinators --you know, little bits of lace and feather that perch to one side of the head--in Marks and Spencer. Men still wear their bowlers to work in the city. And even Prince Charles wears one of those tweed caps when he tramps over his estates. So why are we so attached to our hats. Personally I'm not a hat person, after having had to wear a hat to school for twelve years--felt in winter, panama in summer. Also I have a small head and most hats come down over my eyes, making me look a bit silly, to say the least.
Is it because we cling to tradition that we bring out our hats on any solemn occasion? Do our hats let others of lesser status know exactly who we are? What do you think?Okay I confess that I do own one really gorgeous hat. It's raw Thai silk, pale turquoise with fluffy white feathers on the side. I wore it for one of my book tours and it looked smashing. But it became such a bore to hand carry it onto every plane that I have since retired it. However, since my next book is set on the Riviera and does mention a jaunty nautical outfit, I may find a sexy little French sailor hat... who knows.
