Sun. Ahhhhhh.
Followed immediately by, “Yikes! My skin!” I’m going to propose that one thing to spend on is a sun hat you actually like to wear. Made of raffia, extremely comfortable, complete with a little neoprene buffer inside on the front of the headband to stave off itching. The infinitesimal luxuries of life.
Helen Kaminksi, via Nordstrom. I got mine in Kauai, where I wore it ever so happily every day.
Of course, there’s always our friend Target too. Choices are good, in moderation, just like sunlight.
31 Responses
If I remember correctly, you posted some while back about a packable sun hat. Sounds like you like this one a lot better. The raffia is lovely, I have a raffia market bag for summer which I love and am always looking for others.
Good memory! Yes, I have replaced my cloth Solumbra hat. It got too floppy, and this one is infinitely more stylish.
How is it in wind?
The wind was never very high in Kauai except when it rained – but in what we did have it worked pretty well. The bendable raffia brim flips up, leaving the crown still on your head. (This also means you can lean your head back against the a lounge chair without dislodging your hat). I’d say for beach and pool wind you will be fine, in sailboat or horseback riding wind, it’d fly off.
I have a few summer hats, including a great Helen Kaminski one. I wear them all of the time. I am three years older than one of my sisters, and she looks 10+ years older than me, because she sunbathes and I don’t. She’s also blue-eyed and freckled, and I am not.
I’ve got several of her hats, they’re great. That little neoprene band also keeps her hats from making a dent in my forehead, which is just so chic.
I have a hat that looks identical but I don’t know if it is pack able. We gals need to keep the sun off our faces if we don’t want brown spots or more freckles.
We have a Target that just opened in a local mall….one of these days I am going to go and see what all the excitement is about. The Target in Seattle and Rancho Mirage were great places to find affordable summer wear and accessories.
I wear my hat when gardening….your white roses must be coming to life after the winter season….I love all white bouquets!
Have a fun weekend!
Nice hat, the shape is perfect. If the crown of a hat isn’t high enough then it plasters your hair down.
The thing about a hat is that you have to get in the habit of wearing it, everywhere. Once you start wearing it like it has a purpose, which it does, then you get over feeling silly in it.
I need a good sun hat. Will have to check these out.
Beautiful hat.
I see that some of the Target ones are made of 100% paper – which I assume is recycled – and that’s a good thing, right? A hat needs to fit just right or we won’t wear it. Some may seem right, but get too heavy after a while. And not too squashing of the hair….
@Dalit Fresco, I didn’t notice that. Kind of a cool idea.
Love it. I am really without a hat especially in the summer as it is essential to protect my skin along with my SPF50 every day.
Cute, if I didn’t have a gigantic head!
@Mamavalveeta03,
LOL my head is huge too. I get great straw hats, in sizes, at Travelsmith. There is a cord with toggle for wind.
http://www.travelsmith.com/packable-panama-hat/women/accessories/hats/529002
I wear one for gardening, just getting beat up after 7 years or so. Got a new one for “dress” wear.
@Mamavalveeta03, Thought I was the only one with a giant head :) You know those towels that they make to wrap around your hair after showering?…waaaay to small. They say it is a sign of a good intellect. One can hope.
@Mamavalveeta03, Of course I meant way too small. May not be true, about the intellect :)
Does your beautiful hat have an SPF rating? It’s not listed on the Nordstrom site. Some of her hats do. I wear a Tilley Endurable for sun protection. Not as fashionable, but it provides protection I can count on. There are other less costly options with SPF ratings too. Most cost around 30-35 dollars.
Also, I think the brand is Helen Kaminski.
@Wendy Bird, No, I think this hat lets in a little sun. I wear Solumbra, or a Tilley, for gardening, or actual outdoor hiking. This hat is great for by the pool, on the beach, or at lunch/drinks outside.
I’m in Palm Beach, Florida, and I just unpacked mine! So great that you can squish it all up and it pops back into place. I bought my first Helen Kaminski hat at Fred Segal, about 25 years ago – hard to believe.
@kathy, Twinsies;). My sisters took me to Fred Segal on my 50th birthday, and I bought a pink cashmere Hello Kitty sweater…my daughter has it now.
Wow, at AU$230 a piece, I’m gonna have to save up for this baby. But I do love it, and for all the reasons you mention. I bought a more ‘moderately priced’ raffia hat this summer from a hat shop, but it’s not packable!
Funny, I was just saying I do believe I am finally entering a hat phase, large head be damned. Very nice choice.
Funny you should post this. I already have some brown spots :( – should have started wearing sunscreen sooner. For the past few years, I have taken to wearing a hat whenever I am out in the sun – gardening, walking, whatever. I have a Betmar hat made of paper and polyester that looks like raffia and is foldable/ packable – looks a lot like the one in your post – which I got several years ago for about $30. I take it to Cape Cod every summer and to Hawaii whenever I am lucky enough to go. I also have a Helen Kaminski which I found at an estate sale – they are rather pricey if purchased new but are definitely of superior quality! I think I need to get this one that you recommend even if I have to save up. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
@Jane, My pleasure. I have some brown spots too:(.
SUCH a darling hat! I am always looking for a packable sun hat that nevertheless maintains some semblance of hat form on my head. This is perfect! Have a great (sunny) weekend! xo, N.G.
I love sun hats and I have one much like that, also by Kaminsky. Wonderful thing and much more stylish than my solumbra hat. But the solumbra hat has its uses too.
I’m another person with a large head! It is hard to find a hat that fits!
I forgot to mention-Eric Javits also makes great packable hats. About the same price point, but quite chic.
@Susan, Thanks for the suggestion!
A little late to the party, but it is worth mentioning that any hat that still allows light through will necessitate the wearing of sunscreen to fully protect your skin. This was something I had never thought about in earlier years, but learnt within the last few. As I dislike sunscreen and wear only when necessary, I try to make sure my hat fully blocks the sun and is wide enough to shield face and neck.
Haven’t quite hit the habit of covering my hands with sunscreen when I walk the dogs, but I think about it, so hopefully that will lead to actually doing it soon.
I think this is probably my first comment as I have been slowly working my way through the archives, and feeling too far behind to post. I enjoy your blog immensely, including the wonderful community of commenters, and am often in awe of your numerous talents. As another Australian, I am no High WASP by birth, and am much more likely to shop second-hand than couture brand, but still appreciate my own privilege and the warm humility with with you share yours. I love the glimpse of a life I’ll never lead, except in my imagination, and that you paint it to allow our own individual colours to shine though alongside.
It’s a pleasure to have you here. I am so glad you like the blog – the commenters shine, do they not? And sunscreen on the hands, sigh, yes. I only wish I’d known to do the left side of my face when I drove, all those years ago.
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