and walk out the door before this?
Once I put that big furry hat on my head, I never wanted to take it off. It was just the thing to wear with a slim, vintage leather coat that I was working all season. (You can never wear fur headgear with fur or chubby jackets—keep the line slim at all times, and make the large hat the exclamation part of the outfit.)
“Do you want this wrapped up?” the salesclerk asked.
“Nah! I’ll just walk out with it,” I told her. I went home, hugging the huge hatbox and feeling extremely giddy. New Yorkers don’t normally smile at other New Yorkers; we are a breed that likes to keep to ourselves. But somehow, my joy and the sight of the fur hat were infectious. I got comments like “Cute hat!” and “Cool hat!” and “Awesome hat!” all the way from Madison Avenue to Carmine Street in the West Village, where I lived at the time.
My hat even got the highest regard that I could think of. I wore it to Flamingo East’s Wednesday-night “salon,” a nightclub frequented by my coterie of gay friends and several high-profile gays. The designer Marc Jacobs was lounging in the center sofa (the “it” table where you could see everyone), and as I walked by, I felt the weight of his stare as he looked straight at me.
“That is a fucking amazing hat!” he said.
I was too thrilled even to squeak a thank-you.
Fashionista Headgear
Fuzzy wool cap—Preferably knitted and in a shocking color. Ear flaps are cute. But caps with actual “ears” sewn in are a little too cute. You’re a fashionista, not a fourteen-year-old. If you are fourteen and a fashionista, go right ahead!
On Mel (left), corded suede newsboy by Eugenia Kim; on Karen (right), leather driving cap by Marc Jacobs
Newsboy—Similar to a driving cap, but a bit fuller on top with a larger brim. Wear with a long ponytail or slightly tilted to the side with wild, sexy hair.
On Karen (left), red pinstripe Philip Treacy bucket-fedora combo; on Mel (right), cowhide cowboy hat by Amy Chan
Fedora—A classic topper. Never wear with a trench coat (too Humphrey Bogart and not the look you’re going after). Pair with slinky black jumpsuits or your too-dark superlong jeans.
Beret—Monica Lewinsky gave these a bad name, but berets, brimless wonders worn tilted to the side of the head, are very charming ... and Parisian.
Walk on the wild side with something bold that makes everyone stop and stare. Warning: Requires confidence.
Fur—Fashionistas never pass up the chance to wear fur-trimmed or fur anything. The larger and furrier the hat, the more fashionista. Wear with slim leather jackets. Never with your fur chubby. Otherwise you’ll look like a muppet. Beware of tofu-tossing activists.
Extra Touches
Other things to add to your accessory collection:
Gloves, be it driving or opera.
Scarves for braving the cold front and giving a French flair to whatever you wear.
Strands of pearls of varying lengths.
Lots of earrings, including chandelier and hoop.
Cocktail rings.
Cameo from Grandma.
Brooches, to add to hats, to close jackets, to doll up the hip-bone area of jeans. Get one that doubles as a pendant.
Classic belt. Hermès is ideal.
Hip-hugging belt, worn not to hold up your pants, but to give oomph to low-slung pants, jumpsuits, shirt dresses, oversize shirts, and slinky dresses.
THRIFTY WOMEN: SOME THINGS ARE BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND
What’s Old Is What’s New
KAREN
I believe in reincarnation. Our souls live one life in one body and another and another and another, each time around learning new lessons, projecting new identities. The same goes for clothes. I look at vintage clothes with a vision. I don’t see it for what it is (or was). I see it for what it can be. When my mother gave me a hanging bag of her honeymoon trousseau (the new threads you get for the first romantic vacation a couple takes as husband and wife), all of which evoke the spirit of the late sixties; blouses from the seventies and
Once I put that big furry hat on my head, I never wanted to take it off. It was just the thing to wear with a slim, vintage leather coat that I was working all season. (You can never wear fur headgear with fur or chubby jackets—keep the line slim at all times, and make the large hat the exclamation part of the outfit.)
“Do you want this wrapped up?” the salesclerk asked.
“Nah! I’ll just walk out with it,” I told her. I went home, hugging the huge hatbox and feeling extremely giddy. New Yorkers don’t normally smile at other New Yorkers; we are a breed that likes to keep to ourselves. But somehow, my joy and the sight of the fur hat were infectious. I got comments like “Cute hat!” and “Cool hat!” and “Awesome hat!” all the way from Madison Avenue to Carmine Street in the West Village, where I lived at the time.
My hat even got the highest regard that I could think of. I wore it to Flamingo East’s Wednesday-night “salon,” a nightclub frequented by my coterie of gay friends and several high-profile gays. The designer Marc Jacobs was lounging in the center sofa (the “it” table where you could see everyone), and as I walked by, I felt the weight of his stare as he looked straight at me.
“That is a fucking amazing hat!” he said.
I was too thrilled even to squeak a thank-you.
Fashionista Headgear
Fuzzy wool cap—Preferably knitted and in a shocking color. Ear flaps are cute. But caps with actual “ears” sewn in are a little too cute. You’re a fashionista, not a fourteen-year-old. If you are fourteen and a fashionista, go right ahead!
On Mel (left), corded suede newsboy by Eugenia Kim; on Karen (right), leather driving cap by Marc Jacobs
Newsboy—Similar to a driving cap, but a bit fuller on top with a larger brim. Wear with a long ponytail or slightly tilted to the side with wild, sexy hair.
On Karen (left), red pinstripe Philip Treacy bucket-fedora combo; on Mel (right), cowhide cowboy hat by Amy Chan
Fedora—A classic topper. Never wear with a trench coat (too Humphrey Bogart and not the look you’re going after). Pair with slinky black jumpsuits or your too-dark superlong jeans.
Beret—Monica Lewinsky gave these a bad name, but berets, brimless wonders worn tilted to the side of the head, are very charming ... and Parisian.
Walk on the wild side with something bold that makes everyone stop and stare. Warning: Requires confidence.
Fur—Fashionistas never pass up the chance to wear fur-trimmed or fur anything. The larger and furrier the hat, the more fashionista. Wear with slim leather jackets. Never with your fur chubby. Otherwise you’ll look like a muppet. Beware of tofu-tossing activists.
Extra Touches
Other things to add to your accessory collection:
Gloves, be it driving or opera.
Scarves for braving the cold front and giving a French flair to whatever you wear.
Strands of pearls of varying lengths.
Lots of earrings, including chandelier and hoop.
Cocktail rings.
Cameo from Grandma.
Brooches, to add to hats, to close jackets, to doll up the hip-bone area of jeans. Get one that doubles as a pendant.
Classic belt. Hermès is ideal.
Hip-hugging belt, worn not to hold up your pants, but to give oomph to low-slung pants, jumpsuits, shirt dresses, oversize shirts, and slinky dresses.
THRIFTY WOMEN: SOME THINGS ARE BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND
What’s Old Is What’s New
KAREN
I believe in reincarnation. Our souls live one life in one body and another and another and another, each time around learning new lessons, projecting new identities. The same goes for clothes. I look at vintage clothes with a vision. I don’t see it for what it is (or was). I see it for what it can be. When my mother gave me a hanging bag of her honeymoon trousseau (the new threads you get for the first romantic vacation a couple takes as husband and wife), all of which evoke the spirit of the late sixties; blouses from the seventies and
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