Doff a hat to timeless elegance and style
Choose perfect headgear for the occasion
There was a time when a woman was her hat. Back in the day, hats were the height of sophistication and women would wear hats everywhere.
However, women today do not seem to be big fans of hats.
Hildegard de Beer, the founder and owner of Hatisfaction hat store in Durban, is of the opinion that hats can still be rocked in 2017 and their elegance will never go out of style.
“I grew up in a Pentecostal church, wearing hats all the time. My mother was a milliner [hat maker] so it was easy for me to transform my talent into creating something I love.
“I made my first hat when I was around 12 years old. For every function I just had to have a new hat.
“I never thought it could grow into a business. I started very small – in my house, as a matter of fact – but after two years I had to move to bigger premises. Once I started with the website, I got requests for more elaborate hats... and my world opened,” she says.
“I had the opportunity to grow from a lady wearing hats to church, to designing and creating fashionable hats for all ladies around the globe.”
De Beer acknowledges that women do not find hats as fascinating nowadays and says that it has a lot to do with evolving fashion trends.
“In a society that has become more jeans and flip-flops than dresses and heels, there really isn’t much that motivates women to get dressed up and put a fancy hat on her head.”
She says women need to be inspired by British royal fashion as a good hat can bring out your personality.
“Wearing a hat versus not wearing a hat is the difference between looking adequate and looking your best.
“Few women have ever been able to resist the temptation to try on a hat and discover in the mirror a person they never suspected was there.
“It brings out a different dimension in our personality, much as a costume aids an actress in her role.”
De Beer says there are hats for every occasion, and these are the hats to wear to:
A child’s christening
A fascinator, if you are a guest, otherwise what you would wear to church. In certain churches it would be required to wear a full hat.
A wedding
Anything from a small fascinator to an elaborate hat, depending on your personality.
A horseracing event
Go as wild as you can. You are there to catch the camera’s attention. Just don’t look ridiculous or evoke Carmen Miranda with a fruit basket on your head.
A funeral
Something in black with a net to cover the face.
Traditional functions
You can always mix tradition with modern designs. You want to look elegant no matter where you go.
It brings out a different dimension in our personality