Everywhere I look these days, I see hats. Felt, floppy hats in lovely neutrals perfectly topping off an outfit. On the street, on Pinterest, on our adorable Ethical Style Ambassador Janelle!
I've always liked hats, but never quite felt like I could pull one off... and oddly always felt like I should follow the rules of a gentleman from back in the day and remove my hat upon entering a room - and not knowing how to tame hat hair. Weird, I know.
For the last few months we've been partnering with Goorin Bros here in Austin on South Congress doing monthly Pop-Ups and positively swooning over their selection of handmade in the USA hats. About this time I was working out the final details of our Fall Lookbook and decided that gorgeous neutral hats would perfectly finish the ethical outfits we were putting together.
What we love about made in the USA items is that manufacturers have to abide by labor laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act that ensure that workers aren't being exploited. These such laws don't yet exist internationally which is why buying from companies who ensure fair treatment of it's employees (like Purse & Clutch!) are so important.
So - I headed over to SoCo. Parking is NOT that bad on a weekday, y'all, and their store is so much fun to peruse!
I left with an array of incredible options for the shoot. Rugged leather, thick white linen, a felt birding hat. Seriously, Goorin hooked us up!
As you flip through the Lookbook, I'm sure you'll notice that almost every look is accessorized with a hat. We just couldn't help ourselves! There's something so chic, so unique about these hats that it brought just the perfect final detail to each look.
All week I kept trying on each of the hats longingly. I knew one of these beauties would be staying with me, but how to decide which to keep?? I found myself going back to one particularly perfect gray felt style. I even pulled out my Fall wardrobe and started trying pairing it with the hat. It's pretty much perfect with everything I already own. That's my kind of accessory purchase!
Now I'm just waiting for the weather to cool off JUST a bit more so I can wear it without wondering how much I'm sweating...but I'm sure that's just around the corner.
It did come with me on my last trip to a series of trunk shows we did in Oklahoma City a few weekends back. The perfect road trip companion! As I stopped at Chic-a-fila for lunch in small town Texas the man behind the counter taking my order stopped mid sentence when he looked up and told me I looked like Indiana Jones. Pretty much the BEST compliment of my life. I got stopped several other times just on my way to the car with strangers telling me they loved my hat and that I had great style.
While I'm not one who thrives on others noticing me, I do love it when people you don't know choose to interact with one another instead of keeping to their own bubbles of personal space. If that means a fabulous hat that was ethically made, count me in.
What about you? Have you succumbed to the Fall hat trend? What made in the USA companies are you swooning over? We love to hear from you in the comments below!
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