Black Hats

Day 145: My love of hats dates back to childhood and the magic of my mother's "hatbox." In reality, the hatbox was a round tin of adequate diameter and height to hold half a dozen toppers. My favorite was a felt hat similar to the modern "Boy George" hat shown on the right, dark purple with a bright red ribbon band and matching feather, perfect for a little girl who even in those days enjoyed playing pirate.

While my closet sports quite a number of hats in various styles and colors, my "good" hats are black. The "Boy George" is felt and I often dress it up with a band of beading or colored ribbon. The Akubra Snowy River was manufactured in Australia and is ornamented with cockatoo feathers and a heart-shaped pin. The heavy leather tricorn is that worn by flamboyant pirate captain Morgan Corbye, proving that while some of us must grow old, we don't have to grow up.