Tommy Ton documented on Style.com that wide-brim hats are one of the few trends spotted on fashion’s most influential dressers, amongst camel as the new black, military jackets and leopard prints. While none of us here in Singapore would be able to layer on scarves and wear leopard-print gloves, coats and boots, I figured we could still steal one of the trends and work with hats.
Singapore is hot and sunny and yet it’s odd that most people would rather carry umbrellas to shield from the sun than wear hats. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re afraid of the wind, or it’s easy to have our hats knocked off while traveling on public transport, but I figured one valid reason would be because you can’t stash hats away like umbrellas.
Still, I think wide-brim hats are not just good for shielding us from the sun, but also to partially conceal our faces on bad-complexion days, rectify bad-hair days or just simply to add a little style to our existing ensemble.
Instead of buying wool-blend hats, here are some I think would be good for our hot and humid climate. It’s important to find a hat that flatters the shape our head and serve its purpose. These are merely design suggestions, and are by no means endorsed by me.
A Jolly Affair 
I guess why most women do not wear hats in singapore mainly for the reason that they do not want to mess up their hair much less if it was rebonded hair…in order to escape the hot sun, most women would rather head into malls to avoid getting a tan and at the same time kill 2 birds with one stone by doing retail therapy. Besides with so many shopping bags, it’ll be a miracle to hold onto the hat when a gust of wind comes or someone just knocking into you. Very unglam perhaps. In singapore, the only place i see hats being worn is at the beach or at the turf club. Wearing the right hat does make one look more elegant if only they can carry it off. Otherwise, no different from looking like a farmer.
I wonder, can wide-brim hats and men ever make a stylish pairing in Singapore?
I love my big straw hat on holidays, but hesitate to wear that back home.
and cancan straw hats too!
カンカン帽 is in rage as a must-have trend accessory in Japan! featured in all the latest japanese fashion magazines!
I was thrilled to wear mine out last fri at Orchard, after the nice postman sent it to my place from Shibuya. 🙂
Actually there’s another reason why people do not wear hats in Spore. It’s because people tend to LOOK and then talk. Could be because it’s never been part of part culture (unlike the Westeners) to wear hats and be able to pull off. Perhaps tall people can… However, if a person is short or say, has the average Sporean height, she wouldn’t look good. Overall, there’ll be a try-too-hard look instead of a glam look and if one knows that people are all blatantly staring and talking, it’ll take a very thick skin (even elephant hide) to carry it off confidently and if you don’t feel confident, you wouldn’t be able to pull off something. It’s a cycle.
clutter: hmm.. I don’t quite understand the part about “look and then talk”.
I’m taller than the average Singaporean anyway, height doesn’t seem to be the issue. Maybe it’s just perceived as a non-Asian thing?
Im not a fan of wide-brim hats, unless im going to the big races in pretty frocks (a look too dramatic on most other days). It’s the dress code here in Australia, for races, and perhaps in Europe as well.
I’d very much prefer a fedora on normal days. It’s a lot less obstructive and dramatic too! Haha…
I wore a felt wide-brim once (in sunny Singapore), and I agree with Clutter. People will look and chatter, even if all you want is just a hat to match your outfit or to try something different tt day.
But besides the whispers, there will also be people who will come up to you and say: Hey, I like your hat / outfit!
At the end of the day, we try to dress only for ourselves. Though I’ll be the first to admit, that’s really hard to remember when even your family/friends comment, “what’s up with the hat?”
I wear a lot of hats — mostly vintage pieces and those tend to be short brimmed, or more of a head piece rather than a hat. But my fair complexion is demanding that I start recruiting new hats to the collection — nice, wide brimmed ones! Now, if I can just get enough of the right styles to work an entire summer wardrobe to keep my dermatologist happy …