Playful Hats for Valentine’s Day

By now you all know that I am a sucker for millinery and I think that there is no more feminine gesture than the hat. Of course, there are so many utterly gorgeous confections to choose from in millinery these days. If money is not an issue, then you simply must have a heart-shaped cocktail hat, with a little netting or not, to embellish a romantic hairstyle. Mine is by Canadian milliner Maria Curcic. It perches perfectly.

You can find many a heart hat online. There are even online tutorials for making one yourself! Try browsing Etsy for ideas and inspiration. I love the creativity and innovation there, although shopping for hats online can be dicey. Just know that, unfortunately, the quality of your headpiece will directly correspond to dollars. That is, it’s absolutely going to be about the cash you spend, unless you happen to stumble across a killer sale or find an accomplished milliner who is liquidating their inventory or going out of business.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “You get what you pay for.” But you also pay for what you get! And great millinery is never cheap because the time-consuming, hand-sewn labor and fine materials cannot justify a low price point on an exquisite hat like the aptly named ‘Valentina’ above, lovingly created by Rita of Rubina Millinery in Latvia. Rita wears her own creation in the photo.

I’m all over this felt hat, but it is definitely not fast fashion for a disposable society. Priced at 290 Euros, which is just over 300 US dollars, this hat isn’t cheap. Which means, it’s an investment piece and I believe a pivotal one that you can wear for years to come at parties and special events, in addition to Valentine’s Day. Artfully adorned with feathers and a jewel-dotted birdcage netting, this little hat brings love with you wherever you go.

Because you will have a hat like this for years to come, remember to factor storage into your hat purchase. Hat boxes are not free, and you will need a dedicated hat box and space in your closet to protect this creation from getting crushed, dusty, or otherwise destroyed.

Again, I just want to warn you: be careful if you are not able to try the hat on or see it in person. Many milliners are not really milliners to be accurate, and therefore they are not as diligent about fit and materials, which are crucial things that a seasoned milliner would understand.

You want the fit to be impeccable so that the hat is a comfortable thing to wear, not a burden that keeps slipping and sliding around on your head, only to be torn off prematurely in frustration. Let’s face it, that’s not romantic at all.

A note regarding materials: I am really kind of a snob when it comes to this matter. I feel that inferior quality or shoddy materials really show in millinery. After all, your hat is right at eye-level, sitting on top of your head where it’s on the receiving end of an unforgiving examination from your many admirers. Cheap materials end up making the wearer look cheap, if not comical. Millinery’s actual intended goal is to enhance the face of the subject and make you even more beautiful than you already are. So opt for high quality hats and look for a more expensive price point when choosing your millinery.

In conclusion, hats are not for everyone. But if you want to look a bit different from the crowd, invest in an iconic piece of millinery for Valentine’s Day, or any day. That’s true love.