Hats off to chocolate anything!

For those of you who are heading into colder seasons – you should still read this! And for those of you who are bastardly lucky enough to have summer all year round – this is for you!

Hats are finally taking the center stage when Diane Kruger, who by the way replaced Kate Bosworth as the new celebrity candy to the fashion world, spotted a boater hat sitting primly next to Ms. Wintour, front row at Cavalli’s resort 2009 show. Of course, you do not make fashion mistakes when sitting next to the queen of fashion and thus the ‘hat’ set itself to become a more widely acceptable statement.

Hats are great in many ways. Besides its aesthetic offerings, it was originally created with the intention to protect against harsh climates, most commonly from the sun (now known as UV rays). And it is with these intentions in mind that we should celebrate the return of hats again!

Sunglasses are simply just not sufficient to protect your face from the powerful sun rays. It’s a known fact that UV rays hastened the deterioration of your skin cells leaving you dry and wrinkled like a prune. Many smart ladies, Nicole Kidman for one, swear by the hat to keep their looks forever young.

So how to carry this trend?

Many people become hesitant when faced with the hat option. Most of us make the mistake of not even making it an option due to silly reasons like hat hair. Hat hairs are things of the past; you can easily brush out one with a big paddle brush with some light hairspray.

The favorite hat on the street at the moment is the Panama hat. Many celebrities and models alike are taking on the trend with much gusto.

Samanthat Ronson thinks it's still a secret.

Rachel Bilson working it.

But like all fashion trends, always remember to inject your own sense of style and personality by trying out other variations inspired by the Panama. Play around with the colors, the length of the brim, and hatbands. Try boaters, modernized cloches, or for a dramatic effect (with full sun protection), a big rimmed sun hat!

Blake Lively attempts the Cloche... or is that a bucket hat?

Boaters - Flat-brimmed and flat-topped straw hats for a casual European coolness. Goes well with casual dressing. Adds a playful note to your outfit.

Cloches - Popular bell-shaped ladies hat of the 1920s brings back some old elegance or decadence to our modern day dressing.

Carrie showing us how it can be done - with bags and heels!

Sun hats - large brims big enough to shade your face and shoulders, but also to shout drama queen! Or just wear it with shorts and be the Holly Golightly of the 21st century.

OK, this isn't the greatest picture. Will try and search for a better one and replace this.

No fedoras please.

Towering Heels

Many people wondered why I never wrote anything about SATC (the movie) since it’s practically the combination of what this blog embodies. Well, it's too obvious a movie to write about isn't it? Everyone knows it's 'the' fashion movie after Devil Wears Prada, all the clothes worn in the movie are gorgeous, the shoes were to die for, etc. So what else is there? True, women should be warned that the fashion in the film is strictly for the 'reel' life and not for real life. Even the stylist for SATC (also for the die-fast Cashmere Mafia) admits that the styles she uses for these fashion films are hiked up a few levels from what's normal so that it stands out in the big screen - read: not to be worn right off the screen onto the streets.

BUT there is one thing that I will write about the film – and maybe more down the road, who knows, nothing is absolute – and it’s not about the dresses but rather the shoes. Everyone knows that Manolo practically got famous from the series but this film sent out an even stronger message – HIGH HEELS. High heels according to Jimmy Choo mean anything that staggers over 8.5cm – not below.

High heels have always been part of every woman’s wardrobe diet. Some women swears by them and will not wear anything else but high heels. But why are they so appealing, overwhelming, desirable that both women and men can’t resist them? Well now let’s see. According to Wikipedia, the reasons why high-heels are so to-die-for are because:

• they change the angle of the foot with respect to the lower leg, which accentuates the appearance of calves
  
• they change the wearer's posture, requiring a more upright carriage and altering the gait in what is considered a seductive fashion (which translates to: seductive sway of the hip – not wobbly ankles)


• they make the wearer appear taller (and slimmer)


• they make the legs appear longer (and slimmer)


• they make the foot appear smaller (and narrower)


• they make the derriere more defined (especially if you want to wear something tight – or nothing)

And this is probably what the ladies in SATC know by heart and thus swear by heels throughout their everyday life – lunching, shopping, walking in the city. Heck, Carrie slipped into a pair of heels when she was woken up in the middle of the night by Miranda and skipped all the way across the bridge in her PJs, a fur coat, a sequined knitted cap, and those heels. And of course, there were those satin blue Manolos that sealed Carrie’s love with Big.

So what about us real life folks? Most designers are already offering a wide range of heavenly heels but Prada seem to have taken a bold step away from the rest and continued her streak for leading the field experimenting with loud, signature designs such as those seen from her Spring/Summer 2008 collection. In her Autumn/Winter 2008 collection, Prada offers us a new (yet not so new – I mean, fashion is always trying to be new right?) take on how heels can look like. Besides adding on outrageous details to the shoes, she also added an elastic strap commonly used by ballerinas to keep their pointe shoes on. Good thinking – you wouldn't want to start slipping out of your heels while you’re being elevated over four inches off the ground.

Think they're too over the top? Not at all, pair them down with something casual - a simple skirt - and you'll have a relaxed look that is still interesting.