Year of the hat

April 12, 2009

Year of
the Hat

By Rick Coates

There was one common denominator on the runways of Paris, Milan and New York for the 2009 spring fashion shows: Hats. In past years, the occasional runway model would appear with a hat; now it’s the other way around, as only a few models appeared without hats.
Yes, hats are in style, especially those with wide brims.
Typically, Northern Michigan has been three to five years behind the fashion trends, but that has changed in recent years with clothing designers making their homes here and trendy, locally-owned clothing stores popping up all over. So will hats be “in vogue” in Northern Michigan as well this year? The answer is yes, according to hat guru Phil Anderson.
Anderson, who owns Diversions, began selling hats 37 years ago at his Fishtown (Leland) store. He started out with a modest inventory that included hats he made by hand. In 1986, he opened a second location in downtown Traverse City where he now has a selection of more than 3,000 hats.
“It is amazing how business has been over the past year; despite the economy our numbers are up,” said Anderson. “Sure, some of this has to do with current fashion trends, but this past winter being cold also helped.”

YOUNGER DEMO
One trend Anderson says bodes well for the future of hats is that young people are wearing caps.
“They love their caps and as they get older they transition into more formal style hats,” said Anderson. “Another style that has been popular with the younger set has been the military-shape hat.”
But what has helped the hat business the most is the granddaddy of all hat wearing events: the Kentucky Derby (May 2, 2009). Hat wearing at the Kentucky derby might be more important than the race itself. While movie and music award shows break down the fashions on the red carpet, much analysis on Derby Day by the broadcasters is given to the hats worn by the celebrities and the 125,000 others in attendance.
“No question about it that the Kentucky Derby plays a big role in hat sales for us. We are seeing a lot of people in right now getting their Derby hats,” said Anderson. “Most are not even going to the actual race, but they are attending some sort of Kentucky Derby party.”
Anderson is also seeing a lot of students in getting hats for prom.
“Both the guys and gals are buying hats for this year’s prom,” said Anderson. “Not baseball caps, but formal hats for the guys and wide brim hats for the gals.”
Another driving force to the rise in hat sales is skin cancer.
“We get people in whose doctors have told then they need to wear a hat -- not a baseball cap, but a wide brim hat that protects the face and the ears.”

‘HAT HAIR’
For women, hats have moved up with shoes and purses as an important fashion accessory and statement. For men, hats create a look of distinction.
So what does Anderson recommend as a solution for those challenged by the proverbial “hat hair?”
“Typically, women wear a hat as part of their outfit and do not take the hat off so they do not have to worry. Guys like me who are “follically challenged also do not have to worry about it. But I do have two solutions for the rest of you guys battling hat hair. First of all, just leave your hat on; secondly, cut your hair and wear it short and your hat hair issue is solved.”
Another solution is to make your “hat hair” a fashion statement, as several fashion and hair designers have recently praised the virtues of the look. There are styling gels and other tricks that allow guys who wear hats to create a trendy “hat hair” look when they head inside and take their hat off.
Anderson doesn’t expect the trend in hat popularity to change anytime soon; just last week on one day, 70 boxes arrived with the latest hat fashions inside.

Diversions is open seven days a week in downtown Traverse City on Front Street near the Union Street intersection. Their Fishtown location will open in a month. For a peek at their hat inventory, find them online at hatsearch.com or call 231-946-6550.