COWBOY HATS AREN’T JUST FOR COWBOYS: On a recent trip to NYC it appeared to me that cowboy hats have become a city thing. Men and women of all ages were wearing cowboy hats, mostly in natural straw. We saw them on middle aged, middle class folks, which lent credence to what I said last month: that the fashion powers that be at Harpers Bazaar Magazine are wrong in their appraisal that cowboy hats are “OUT.” Perhaps they didn’t peek outside their windows before forecasting that the Cowboy Hat was over.

CELEBS WEAR COWBOY HATS: At the Dennis Quaid Celebrity Golf Tournament in Austin Texas, Richard Schiff of NBC’s The West Wing was seen wearing a beige SMartHats.com Western hat with stampede string, and when asked, responded, "I love hats! It's been a great hat to have in this Texas sun and heat!"

SPORTS AND HATS GO TOGETHER: Susan Martin of Charlotte NC has a real nose for headwear trends. On one of her first scuba diving outings she noticed that divers didn’t know what to do with their hair. An idea was born, and so was her company, ScubaDoRag. The ScubaDoRag™ is made of Lycra® so it will dry fast and stretch to fit. The product also provides sun protection and hair raising security. A Secret Compartment in the headwraps allow for ponytails or personal items, and are being used by runners, motorcyclists, chemo patients and fashion conscious folks like Tanya Streeter and Salma Hayek. Her website ScubaDoRag.com gets 200 visitors a day.

MARTIN IS LOOKING for a manufacturer with a sales force to license her products to the fashion, sporting and hair care industry. She is also looking for International distributors. She is also making SuperShoods, Shoodn'ts, CoCoCoverUp, ScubaTubeSocks, ScubaGoodHoods and BuddyBands. The Boy Scouts of America recently contacted her to supply 325 custom ScubaDoRags to certified scuba instructors and Salma Hayek purchased four ScubaDoRags from Conch Republic Divers, in Tavernier, Florida. For information, contact Susan Martin at 704-372-5175, direct email to info@scubadorag.com or visit the website: www.scubadorag.com.

Our Red Hat Lady Charlotte with crooner Tony Curtis at his 80th birthday party at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at the Red Hat Society Convention

OUR ROVING RED HAT LADY SHARES HER WISH LIST: “Some of the ladies of the red hat society would like to see: Smaller size hats for ladies with small heads as well as Larger size hats for the ladies with larger heads, Inexpensive red hats with glitz and pizzazz, Pillbox hats in red with purple veils, Large brim hats with lots and lots of feathers, Novelty hats with cups and saucers for tea time on them, Fun Hats with blinking buttons on them.” Thank you Queen Mother Charlotte Beasley, of the Southern Belles of Boca Raton. Beasley was hanging out with Tony Curtis at the Red Hat Society convention in Las Vegas. You never know where these crimson dolls will show up.

CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE: Don Livingston of Longhorn Hatters, www.longhornhatters.com has taken his love of hats to the Internet. His site has music and graphics that would entice and romance any hat wearer. “I have worn a hat for most of my life. When I was born, instead of crying, I yelled "Stetson" at the top of my lungs- that's why my Grandfather gave me one when I was six years old, because he was the only one who understood me when I came into this world. I think I slept with that Stetson every night for years. My slogan is: "My hats make your head feel good…May your head always be blessed.” Livingston said his hats are handcrafted with pride and have names like: The Pony Express Rider, All Leather Stallion, Range worn Cowboy Bust, Miniature Stagecoach, All Wooden Motorcycle and The Wagon Wheel Restaurant birdhouse. http://www.longhornhatters.com

Don Livingston of Longhorn Hatters