Head Gear

Linda Miller, Fashion Editor

Published: October 1, 2008

Most fashion experts would agree that women need two new items in their closets this fall -- a pair of boots and a hat.

We'll chat about boots another time, but right now, I'm wanting to put my hands on a hat.

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Hats graced the runways during the New York fall shows last February, and as warm weather gives way to cooler temperatures there comes a tempting assortment of berets, fedoras, newsboys, buckets, tams, cloches and floppy brims.

Carolina Herrera and Ralph Lauren loved the look of feather-embellished hats, but it's unlikely many women will step out in a fedora with a 2-foot-long feather. Would you? Sometimes less really is more.

“I'm wearing a hat today, a newsboy,” said Eden Turrentine, buyer for Allyson's Closet. “I think it's a fun accessory for a lot of women to play with.”

Summer's favorite hat, the fedora, is as popular as ever, but for fall it shows up in sturdy wool and felt in plaids and tweeds.

“That little bit of menswear is cute,” Turrentine said, and it plays perfectly with some of fall's clothes, including lace-up booties and vests.

Berets, both traditional and soft crocheted versions, are back in a big way. Baseball caps move into fall in interesting prints, too, including faux python. Continuing from last year are fur trapper-style hats that exude an outdoorsy, sporty look, as well as fur Cossacks.

Big brim hats often require a big attitude, and they can be intimidating. This season, smaller hats tend to get more interest and appeal to women who want to wear one for style rather than function.

Even a fedora can be dramatic, and without a big brim, it's not in the way, Turrentine said.

She suggests women try on a variety of hats, and find one that's comfortable.

“Once they find the right hat, they feel good in it,” she said. “You just know it when you put it on.”

For more fashion and beauty, go to Linda Miller's blog at blog.newsok.com/fashionmatters.

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