Fashion/Style: Hats making a comeback

The sunny season is back again. And guess what? This is reason enough for fashionistas to fancy themselves with new looks by wearing hats. Like other accessories, a hat can either enhance or spoil your looks. In short, a hat is a hat when it is the right one. The right hat compliments your facial features and brings a sense of balance to your face. What more, it also flatters the wearer’s looks! A hat may earn you the best compliments. People will not only notice the hat but also how great you look wearing it.This craze is the latest in Kigali, and it has taken fashion stores by storm. “I love hats, but I’m not brave enough to wear them. People always stare at me. I bought an expensive one, but I have kept it, God knows until when,” Betty Ndamage said. These days, if you’re still going by the concept of “what will people think about me!” you are simply doing yourself a disservice. The concept of fashion has been there from time immemorial. So what fashion designers are doing today is to modify the fabrics. All these crazes popping in were there before, and as a matter of fact, they are still living in the memories of our mothers’ wardrobes. Great fashion designers of our time like Karl Lagerfeld, and Donna Karan, among others, will tell you the truth that all these hot rages are fabricated to capture the essence of the novelty. This season in addition to hats, fancy dress, belts, and matching accessories are performing miracles for many. Make no mistake, however much your hats may compliment your other accessories; they can ruin your looks if not matched well. For many people, the hat is more than fashion. It is a statement of confidence, a way to mix glamour with elegance to turns heads, while maintaining confidence. In Rwanda, unlike in some African societies, the tendency of women wearing hats has not so been common, though its now spreading like bush fire. “Sometimes women wear hats because they are having a bad hair day,” Charles Mutamba says. Women can stay true to their fashion style and still protect their looks. But if you are not used to wearing hats, it can seem a little tricky. So here’s how to make sure you’re wearing the right hues at the right time. First, one should be able to choose a look that you want, girlish, cowboy, casual, or whatever. Although it can also be a bit tricky getting the right hat for different facial structures. Oblong face: Naturally this face looks longer and not wide. Go for a carved rounded brim style to give emphasis to the width of you face.Oval face: Wear a hat with a large size brim to achieve that flattering look. Round face: A hat with a short brim is just perfect for you. Try angular styles that contrast with the roundness to achieve a narrower and longer look. When you are wearing statement coloured hat, such as pink, you have to be able to stand out, and not your clothing. “Don’t let the garment take over you, you should take over the garment and wear it confidently,” says Jessica Uwimbabazi. Centuries ago, you would have probably only found hats that were made from leather or straw, or perhaps cloth. Today we have hats made from all different types of plastics, man made synthetics, and other artificial materials. Ladies’ hats have particularly grown and transformed through the ages. According to history, during the medieval period, ladies wore coverings over their hair to show purity and modesty. While these were considered hats, it is certainly not the idea of a ladies hat that we have today. Hats are now used for many different reasons. We still use them to protect ourselves from the sun and to stand out in a crowd. Ends