THE HATS OF THE MONTH (JULY 2014 MENS S15 FASHION RUNWAYS)

Hats were well represented on fashion run ways last month from London to Paris. We saw the gentleman traveler inspired floppy cerulean fedoras from Burberry.

 MAX MARA's resort collection gave us a playful leopard topper.

Rihanna was looking so romantic is a floppy floral bucket at the Brooklyn Nets game.

The hats kept turning heads for week 6/23 of the mens fashion week.

Buckets at CAVALI.

Buckets at ICEBERG.

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD continues her over sized hat crown but adds a pigs snout Will this be PHARRELL'S new look?

PIG IN THE HAT VERSUS CAT IN THE HAT

Saint Laurent's CORDOBES hat for her

and for him.

HAT DAY IN THE SUN - FREE HATS

Summer’s Safeguard: Hat Day in the Sun

Hat Day in the Sun

New York—The first day of summer isn’t officially until Saturday, but that hasn’t stopped the sun and the heat from making themselves know already.

That sunshine has its double edge, as dermatologists and other physicians can tell you.

Those concerns are behind the 7th annual “Hat Day in the Sun,” sponsored by The Headwear Association (THA).

Facebook Promos

To celebrate the THA is giving away thousands of free wide-brimmed sun-protection hats in cities across the country as part of a public awareness campaign to educate people that the right hat can protect against skin cancer, sun damage, and premature aging. Host cities include: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles and more.

In New York, “Hat Day in the Sun” is returning to Harlem’s Heaven Hat Boutique at 6 pm today. (For complete event details and all host cities, please visit: www.TheHeadwearAssociation.org/hat-day-in-the-sun)

Melanoma is the most common of all cancers, and 90% of all cases are caused by sun over-exposure. The right hat can protect against skin cancer, sun damage, and premature aging. For tips on how to select the best sun protection hat click here.

If you do not live in one of the host cities, check out the THA Facebook page for a chance to win a sun-protection hat. To win you need to “Like” the THA Facebook page and comment on your favorite hat.

Free hats are being provided by Broner, Dorfman Pacific, Bollman Hat Company, Magid, Wallaroo, San Diego Hat Company, Korber, and Head’n Home American Hat Makers.

BURBURRY PRORSUM- HAT KING OF THE S15 LONDON MENSWEAR SHOW

OMG, the clothes, so wearable, so chic, and the colors, j'adore the color, and the crowning glory, the jewel in the crown, the hat, in a gamut of colors to die for.  OK before, I get carried too far away, the hat, which Bailey used to pull all the looks together, is just not practical to wear. It is basically an unblocked felt capaline 3" brim, which will loose it shape in the first mist but who cares, it looks gorgeous in all the colors. A blocked safari with a raw edge would have been much better but who asked me!

unblocked felt hood

PHARELL INSPIRED CROWN BUT IT IS TOO FLOPPY FOR THE AVERAGE GUY. GIRLS WILL LOVE IT!

But darlin's we are talking fashion so who the F&*K cares about being practical. It is a fun collection inspired ny Bruce Chatwin, writer and adventure, was a British world traveler. Bailey use a book of Chatwin's "The History of English Tailoring" to print on T-shirts and the words "Exploration" and 'Adventurer" to print on leather jackets and weekend murses.
But it was the colors that make me shriek with delight.
Bravo, Mr. Bailey, Bravo.

3D PRINTED HATS

Gabriela Ligenza is definitely a pioneer when it comes to modern millinery. Her training as an architect and interior designer is easy seen in her millinery creations.
Gabriela has been making hats for the rich and  famous for the past 25 years. She travels back and forth from London to Italy. Her London store is on Ellis street, just around the corner from Sloane Square.
Her new 3D PRINTED COLLECTION of 5 silhouettes, is just wonderful and modern yet still classic in its lines. 3D printing offers milliners endless possibilities to individualize each hat, for each specific customers wants. Milliners will also be able to send the finished file to their overseas customer and the customer can have it printed locally. WOW, how exciting and brilliant!

Brava Gabriela, Brava!!!

The Poem Hat

The 3D POEM HAT is a wonderful idea as a special occasion hat. The words could be switched out for a brides favorite poem.

To see more of Gabriela's millinery go to.
www.gabrielaligenza.com

BOLIVIAN LADY BOWLER HATS

One of the things that sticks in the mind of most visitors to La Paz, is the traditional dress of many of the local women - an over sized-crowned bowler hat with satin binding, worn rakishly on the head and a long decorative skirt called a pollera or often 2,3 or more of them! These distinctive looking residents of the capital city are known as cholas or cholitas and have been wearing this traditional dress for many generations.

Cholita with her "BOMBIN"

The bowler hat, or Bombin as it is locally called, always seems too small for the owner and for some unknown reason is usually perched on top of the head rakishly tilted to one side . These hats are a source of pride for the cholas and theft of these hats straight from the wearers head is not unknown in La Paz; at a cost ranging from US$50 (wool felt) to US$200 (vicuna fur felt) it is not so surprising,  US$50 is about what an average Bolivian earns each month. The hats always seem sparkling clean and brand new, and it's not uncommon to see cholas covering their hats with plastic wrap when it rains to keep them that way.

CHOLITA WITH HATITUDE

I love the energy in this photograph by Rochelle Comeaux. the personalized bombin, the proud display of family gold, the twirling of the petticoat and the innocents of the freshly cut flowers.

For generations, the cholitas (indigenous Aymara and Quechua women) were refused entry to taxis, restaurants and even public buses. They were forbidden to walk in the main square of La Paz and in the wealthy suburbs of Zona Sud. But, today with a renewed confidence gained from education, these ladies are becoming a driving force in modern Bolivia. These former downtrodden, discriminated against, "maids to the middle class" are gaining clout with the economic and political world of Bolivia.

If you want to buy a Chola hat in La Paz, get your noggin over to Callejon Tarapaca, a small street in the Garita de Lima area. It is packed with milliners making and selling hats. This is also where the cholitas go to have their Bombins spruced up for special occasions.

The wearing of the hat originates from the times when they were in fashion in Europe and were also worn by the upper class Spaniard settlers in La Paz. For a long time people of mixed Spanish and indigenous blood were not respected by neither the Spanish nor the indigenous population, as pure blood was seen as the ideal by both sides. The Spanish thought the indigenous to be simple and savage people whilst the indigenous despised the Spanish for the invasion of their homelands and maltreatment of them. Due to there being less Spanish women than Spanish men it was inevitable that some would take wives from the indigenous population and as time went on the mestizo population (mixed Spanish and indigenous blood) started to increase. The mixed race women became known as Cholas and the traditional dress was most likely adapted from a mix of the Spanish fashion of the time and the indigenous traditional dresses in order to give themselves a sense of identity. Originally the men were known as cholos but today this is seen as a derogatory term and is not often heard.

The long flowing skirt that is worn by the cholas is known as a pollera and is often covered in sequins with decorative seams. The poller is pull high up on the bum to create the illusion of a bigger buttocks. Beneath the poller is usually a layer of underskirts called centros. As many as 20 polleras and centros can be worn together (not an uncommon amount in festivals) although a combination totalling 3 or 4 is more likely. This can make these tough looking women seem extremely wide and definitely makes them hard to pass on the narrow streets!

The proud cholita uniform. Bowler hat, tightly pulled back hair, big gold jewelry, shawl, skirt and petticoat.

To the unknowing tourist it seems like many of the cholas wear very similar clothing and that fashion must be an unknown entity to them, but in fact each year there are new styles of pollera, different fabrics in season and even chola fashion shows. Limbert Cussi, is the leading Cholita fashion designer. Cholitas can be founds all over Bolivia but the hat and shirts change with each region. The style of the hat pretty much stays the same from year to year, possibly due to the cost.

Whilst the chola style of dress is still very much in evidence in La Paz, like so many places, things are changing . More and more the young girls are turning to western style dress and forsaking the traditional costume of their mothers, at least in their day to day lives. This is to be expected really as more indigenous are entering higher education and pursuing professional careers. Culturally it is expected that they wear more business like attire to become successful. You will find many indigenous girls in the universities of La Paz these days but are unlikely to find any wearing a pollera and hat.
Maybe for the first time since the chola traditional dress was adopted a difference of opinion regarding fashion has developed between daughters and mothers but there doesn't seem to be a danger of the traditional costume disappearing altogether. It still features strongly in festivals and formal celebrations for both young and old alike.

for more information on CHOLITAS GO TO.WWW.CHOLITAPACENA.COM

SAVE YOUR SKIN FROM SUN DAMAGE WITH A CALLANAN UPF50 HAT

Slapping on sunscreen is not enough to protect you from the suns damaging UV rays.  I love the sun and the beach and can spend hours there but not without as much UPF50 protection as needed.
I use RIEMANN P20, once a day sun protection with an SPF of 50+. I also make sure that I am wearing a UPF50+ SUN HAT from Callanan or Scala and a parasol is also a must.

Callanan wearable sun block hang tag

Sorry but a baseball caps will not give you UPF50 protection, the hat brim needs to be minimum 4" all the way around and the fabric needs to be dense enough to stop the sun rays when you hold it against the sun light.
Crochet raffia hats do not give UPF50 protection. You can see how the sunlight is able to penetrate the crochet by the dappled light on my face.

CROCHET RAFFIA HATS TO NOT OFFER UPF50 PROTECTION

WIDE BRIM HATS OF TIGHTLY BRAIDED FIBERS ARE EXCELLENT UPF50 PROTECTORS. CALLANAN S15 STYLE  CR226-ASST

THIS DOWN BRIM, CALLANAN STYLE CR227-ASST, ALSO GIVES EXCELLENT UPF50 PROTECTION.

I also wear a UPF50 Dorfman Pacific supplex nylon boonie with coolmax sweat when I travel. It is light weight and easy to throw in your backpack.

DORFMAN PACIFIC UPF50 BOONIE STYLE MC2

Skin cancer: Sunscreen 'not complete protection'

By Helen BriggsBBC News

When the sun is strong, you should wear a T-shirt, spend time in shade and use a sunscreen, say experts

Continue reading the main story

Sunscreen alone should not be relied on to prevent malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, research suggests.

The UK study backs public health campaigns calling for sunscreen to be combined with other ways to protect the skin from sun, such as hats and shade.

Animal research, published in Nature, reveals more about how UV light induces cancer in skin cells.

Malignant melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, with more than 13,000 people diagnosed each year.

Sun exposure is a well-known risk factor for melanoma skin cancer.

Continue reading the main story

But, until now, the molecular mechanism by which UV light damages DNA in skin cells has been unclear.

In the new study, scientists at the University of Manchester looked at the effects of UV light on the skin of mice at risk of melanoma.

This allowed them to examine the effects of sunscreen in blocking the disease.

"UV light targets the very genes protecting us from its own damaging effects, showing how dangerous this cancer-causing agent is," said lead researcher Prof Richard Marais.

"Very importantly, this study provides proof that sunscreen does not offer complete protection from the damaging effects of UV light.

"This work highlights the importance of combining sunscreen with other strategies to protect our skin, including wearing hats and loose fitting clothing, and seeking shade when the sun is at its strongest."

Sun safety habits

The researchers found that UV light caused faults in the p53 gene, which normally helps protect the body from the effects of DNA damage.

The study also showed that sunscreen could reduce the amount of DNA damage caused by UV, delaying the development of melanoma in mice.

But it found sunscreen did not offer complete protection and UV light could still induce melanoma, although at a reduced rate.

Sunburn is a sign of DNA damage

SUNSCREEN PLUS A UPF50 HAT = YOUTHFUL SKIN.

Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said people tended to think they were "invincible" once they had put on sunscreen and may spend longer in the sun, increasing their overall exposure to UV rays.

"This research adds important evidence showing that sunscreen has a role, but that you shouldn't just rely on this to protect your skin," she said.

"It's essential to get into good sun safety habits, whether at home or abroad, and take care not to burn - sunburn is a clear sign that the DNA in your skin cells has been damaged and, over time, this can lead to skin cancer."

Malignant melanoma has become the fifth most common cancer in the UK, with more than 13,000 people diagnosed with the disease each year.

Prof Nic Jones, director of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, said: "With the number of cases increasing, we urgently need to understand more about the disease and find new and better treatments."

"This is the first example of a mouse model that absolutely shows that UV light causes melanoma," Prof Marais told BBC News.