Start 'em young.

And speaking of hats...

 

I think men and boys of all ages look wonderful wearing a hat and our one month old Master Luke is no exception
(As do women and girls too...especially in the case of the lovely bonneted Miss Josie McP.  )

HFP: Hat Friendly Profile

I met Karen at a Bible Study I've been attending.
We hit it off.
One day she tried on one of the hats I was wearing and I quickly realized that she had a HFP.
HFP= Hat Friendly Profile.

The two very minor downsides of owning a lot of hats are:

1. Not having enough time/places to wear them.
2. Not getting to see how they look on other people.

So I invited Karen to come over and try on some of my hats for fun.

I asked her if she would be willing to let me photograph my hats on her when she came over; she agreed.
I suggested wearing a simple solid color top...she chose a black tank top.
You tell me...what hat doesn't work with a simple black top?
Black slacks or a skirt, or another basic color combo works
with wearing a hat.
No fuss...no muss!

She's got a couple of kids in college/grad school.
And no, she didn't have her kids as a teen!
Funny how people say only the very young look good in hats.

Young at heart...yes...the young at heart DO look good in hats!

She probably tried on thirty plus hats; only one decidedly didn't flatter her.
(A fact that earned her immediate HFP status!)
Isn't that turban cool???
We discussed Dolly Madison's turban preference, and the time periods when they were popular.
Making a well draped turban takes considerable skills. 
No wonder the rich and famous were the ones to sport the look.

 

This is a more daring hat, by modern views.
Karen rocked the look without a single moment of hesitation.

Dang...she wears that hat SO much better than I ever have.

We are both chatter boxes about history and faith and politics.
This woman knows her stuff!

And yet look how elegant she looks...

The lace on this hat is from the 1800's.

I used a Frank Olive straw hat that had no trim and beaded it, added the vintage lace, then added fine black veiling under the brim.

We both agreed...black top, skirt, jeans and off  you go to do your errands.
No biggie.
(I have worn this hat grocery shopping. The only downside was getting stopped in each aisle by people wanting to discuss my hat.)

This hat belonged originally to my "Belle of Memphis" grandmother, a society lady who probably had a lovely navy suit to match.

Basically it is a beret, kicked up a notch.

An Italian straw that I shaped and trimmed and never have worn as it is too small for my head.
I imagined only a very young girl, school age, could make it work.

Guess I don't know everything.
Cute, huh?
Can totally picture it with a pink sundress.

We discussed what made a hat a fascinator vs. a "hat".
(Fascinators are one size fits all...hats have to fit one's head size, the same way shoes have to fit your feet size.)

One of the very first hats I ever made...back when I really didn't know what I was doing.
I made it to match a suit.
It is a blocked buckram shape covered with a silk, then trimmed.

With the exception of the turban and my grandmother's navy hat, each of the hats are ones that I personally made or trimmed.
Karen...she made them all look wonderful.

Iris

Iris...that's the name of the Goddess of the Rainbow.
She is also the Goddess of the Sea and the Sky; she is both a messenger and a virgin.
If I was inclined to worship Greek Gods, (which I am definitely NOT!)  I am pretty sure I'd be worshipping Iris. 
She seems like one of the nicer Greek goddesses.

My mom had an Aunt Iris.
Funny, I haven't heard of any girl being named Iris in my whole life, except the my great Aunt.
Such a beautiful flower you'd think mom's would pick that name more often.

 My Dad, my Mother-in-law, our son and we are all avid iris collectors.
This time of year a peek in the garden is a daily treat as new iris flags unfurl each day.

Those of us in SLC are blessed to have an Iris Society that  holds sales of iris each summer.
They sell their extra iris at a bargain rate.
Even so...since we are greedy and can't seem to say "no" to any new variety offered, we tend to spend more than we think we will when the iris purchase is rung up. 

Still...I can't help but think that if there had never been an iris before and suddenly someone managed to create one, the price would be astronomical.
Is there any man made sculpture than can even begin to compete with this sort of beauty? 

Iris..so named because it is a flower that comes in all the colors of the rainbow.

So I pose a question to you: 

Can anyone have too many rainbows in their life? 

For me...the answer is no.
This year we will go to the iris sale again and collect still more and plant them against the fence at the bottom of our garden, where they will amaze us again and again.
And provide us with earth bound rainbows anew each spring.