HATS MAKE THE MEDIA – AND THE MAN

Now that celebrities are donning hats in record numbers, the media is taking an interest in them. Hatman Jack in Wichita was the subject of one article (Jack Kellogg made a hat for Prince, the rocker) and hat fashions made it to the pages of the Chicago Tribune as well.

So that you know what’s going on, we thought we would run the articles for you. Knowledge is power they always say (I don’t always agree, but they say it).

Hatman Jack's custom lids crown a variety of musicians
Dec. 30, 2007

Jack Kellogg has a big jump on his New Year's resolutions. After about 30 years of selling hats, Kellogg noticed a troubling trend at his Hatman Jack's Wichita Hat Works in Delano. Most of his customers -- 65 percent of whom live in Wichita -- were skewing older.

"It had me a little nervous," Kellogg says.

So he started thinking that he'd like to expand to custom-designing hats for a couple of new groups of people: musicians doing the "soul, funk, hip-hop thing" and classic-music industry types.

The first took care of itself recently when he got a call from a Wisconsin woman who helps outfit Prince and his entourage for concerts and music videos.

The woman's sister lives in Wichita and recommended Kellogg's hats for a video being shot in Miami.

Kellogg created several white hats with gold bands, which he calls "pretty flashy stuff."

"It was fun," he says. "This lady told me Prince took particular interest in the hats -- loved the trim."

Shelby J, one of the artists who performs with Prince, was the recipient of one of Kellogg's hats.

If you check out her MySpace page, Kellogg says, you'll see, "Shout out 2 my Hatman Jack."

Kellogg also made a country music connection this year when he met Merle Haggard backstage at his show at the Cotillion Ballroom in September.

Kellogg offered to make Haggard a hat.

"Where do I sign up?" the singer asked.

Kellogg tried to gently tell him that perhaps his tall hats might be a bit too tall.

"We had a little bit of a different opinion," Kellogg says. So he gave up. "Who am I to tell him?"

He did make Haggard a hat, though, and he enclosed a note:

"Next time you see Willie, please... tell him I'd like to make a hat for him."

Kellogg says "going from Merle Haggard to hats for the Prince group was quite a contrast."

That's exactly what he wants.

"It just makes you think that there's a future yet in this."

Heads up on cool hats
Hats off to Marc Jacobs -- or rather, hats on.

Fashion insiders say his fall collection brought back hats with a vengeance.

"Marc Jacobs really set the stage for a head-to-toe look, including hats," says Brooke Scott, Bloomingdale's fashion director for accessories, shoes and handbags.

"His line ... had a trickle-down effect," says Katie Hatch, fashion director for Blueprint, a lifestyle magazine and Web site (marthastewart.com/blueprint).

In other words, lids aren't just for celebrities such as Sienna Miller, Kate Moss and Alicia Keys, all of whom have flaunted fedoras lately.

"The fedora has been a key shape. We're loving berets" in New York City, Scott says. "Louis Vuitton's oversize berets made the shape fresh again."

Today's variety of hats -- cloches, watch caps and berets -- can top off anyone's outfit, whether you're looking for high style or just a fashionable way to keep your ears warm this winter.

"If you're going to wear a hat, you're going to make a statement. It takes guts to wear one," Scott says. "Younger women are intimidated by the trend. The key is to look in a full-length mirror and tilt the hat, [because] your face is asymmetrical."

"A cloche hat, with that '20s look, is a first easy step for someone who hasn't worn hats before," Hatch says. "It looks great with slouchy winter coats."

Try on different styles. Consider your body frame. Smaller hats suit smaller frames, and vice versa. Taller women can carry wider brims, the kind Jennifer Lopez likes to rock, Scott says.

Neutral hues are always safe bets, but don't rule out color. Bloomingdale's Lola hat, an aqua-blue felt fedora with a feather detail, from the store's private label, is a best seller, Scott says.

"Blues and purples are great accents for gray and black this season," Scott says.

Kimo, a San Jose, Calif.-based designer, offers a vintage-style hat collection, Effie's Heart (www.effiesheart.com), including Peek-A-Boo canvas cloches and soft fleece Amelie beanies. One of Kimo's designs was recently featured on "The Tyra Banks Show" as a fall must-have.

If you're looking to expand your hat repertoire, look for hats by designers such as Eugenia Kim, Scott says.

A gray riding cap by Macy's private label is a favorite of Hatch's. She also recommends Eugenia Kim as well as Tracy Watts. Sequined berets are great for the holidays, Hatch says.

"It's a great season to incorporate sparkle and shine," Scott agrees. Burberry offers winter checkered hats with metallic threading.

For cold weather, "everything seems to be shearling-lined hats and earmuffs," Scott says. "They're so warm; people love them."

"Wearing a hat is really important," says Michele Casper, Lands' End accessories expert. "Forty percent of body heat escapes" without one. Three of the most popular winter silhouettes are bombers, bucket and watch caps, she adds.

Choose a hat when buying your winter coat so you will remember to wear the hat, Casper advises. Then it won't be a last-minute grab for musty wool hats from yesteryear. Lands' End offers fun pastels such as aqua and pink for sportier hat looks.

If you think fall's hat trend will fall flat by spring, think again.

"Hats are the biggest trend for spring," says Hatch, who recently attended the spring collections in Paris.

Straw hats with ribbons or a scarf around the brim will usher in spring, she predicts.

By Anne Brennan
chicagotribune.com
December 19, 2007