Confession time! When I realized this week’s link up would be a blog about our favorite winter hats, I knew I was in trouble. I figured I would either have to quickly move some place where there is a true winter or stage a series of fake pictures for this post.
Then on Monday, fellow Style Me Blogger and fashionista Carrie at A Lovely Little Wardrobe upped the ante with pictures of the cutest winter hat and red jacket combo. What was this desert dweller to do? I really started to panic. Even toyed with the idea of posting a blank page!
Then I came to my senses. Like the good librarian I am/was, I decided to Google, I mean research women’s winter hats – just to see what everyone else wears on their heads in the winter. Lots of lovely images came up but I was really impressed with the darling selection of millinery offered through JCPenney.com. Pages of colorful berets, beanies and newsboy caps and tassel hats. And best of all, almost everything was on sale!
So today I took a field trip (former teacher talk) to JCPenney’s to check out their wares in person. I was temporarily side-tracked by the over-sized cardigans in icy, pastel colors that were strategically positioned right inside the doors. Cyndi Spivey featured some darling versions of this L O N G sweater on her blog post today. You can see them here. There, in the Juniors department of my Cielo Vista JCP was one over-szied cardi that had my mouth positively watering – a cotton candy pink color in an eye lash knit with big boyfriend pockets.
Ah, oh, I just looked and it is available online and on sale!
Wouldn’t that be divine with my new Loft camos?
But I digress…back to winter hats…but not before I slipped on a very cute camel-colored cape, just to see how I looked in one. My bff Sharon wears the cutest panchos. She had a beautiful blue one this summer that really complimented her olive Italian complexion. I liked the cape but it was full price, $50.00. Over my budget. And could not be fashioned into a winter hat – even though it had the cutest little hood. (And thankfully, it isn’t available online – I just looked, whew!)
So the hats. That’s right, the hats, the hats. I hung up the cape and turned the corner and there were the winter hats. Thank goodness. I would have been in trouble if I had had to wander to much farther into the store. No telling what I would have come out of there with!
They had a large selection of scarf, glove and beanie ensembles, in all kinds of colors. But if wearing a winter hat is kind of pushing it here in El Paso, wearing a hat with matching gloves and scarf would be moving from the sublime to the ridiculous. I tried very hard to reel in my ADD OCD and LMNOP. Concentrate, I told myself. Concentrate.
Then I saw what I had come for – the cloche hats. I learned this fancy French term from my youngest daughter Lauren, during the Summer Style Me Pretty Challenge. While everyone in the challenge was wearing and loving a fedora, Lauren introduced the group to a cloche – or maybe everyone else knew what a cloche was.
If I am going to wear a winter hat, I want to wear something that makes a statement. Something that says I know how to keep my head warm in style. So I tried on a number of cloche hats and here they are for your entertainment pleasure:
Now that I look at these hats, maybe they aren’t cloches after all. Oh well, it makes me feel very Parisian saying that.
My winter coat is gray so I wanted something that would work with it. I thought the little leopard number was awfully cute but wasn’t sure about the brown and black with my gray coat. Despite all of the challenges I have participated in, I still tend to be a little matchy-matchy. So here are the two winter hats I decided on. The one on the right is actually just a furry headband but we can call it a hat.
I look rather maniacal, as my husband Paul would say. Crazy eyes on one crazy lady!
When I got up to the register, I learned that both hats were on sale, and then I had $20 in JCP Rewards so the grand total for the two was $4.06. My bargain shopping mother would be proud.
I will leave you with a few parting shots of the closest things I have had to a hat in winters past. Be nice.
So there you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly. Be sure to stop by to see my Style Me Blogger friends and their winter head wear, once you stop laughing. And be sure to sign up for our giveaway below!!
Shoes to Shiraz | Two Teens and their Mama | A Lovely Little Wardrobe | R Squared
Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy | Family Love Inspiration Education
The Mishaps and Mayhem of Solitary Life | The Blondissima | Familiar Joy
Positively Learning | Quilty Joy Joy | Daily Style Finds | Sheila’s Potpourri | Puppies and Pretties She thought she could | Looks like Lauren | Foxy’s Domestic Side | Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After | Wardrobe Therapy
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Lana
You crack me up! I would have been distracted by the capes and sweaters too. I love the hats you chose, and what a bargain. Have a great weekend!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Glad I am not the only one who would have to peruse the capes and sweaters on the way to the winter hats. I am putting that great pink eyelash cardi on my Christmas list, I think. It is just too cute. I found a cape through Tradesy for $18 that was very similar to the JCP cape I tried on. Just hate buying something that is a little different like that without trying it on first. I have never worn a cape before and wanted to be sure I liked them on me. Do you have one yet? Thanks for stopping by, my friend!
Joy C.
Leslie, you make me laugh out loud! I needed that today. I think that sweater would be PERFECT with your camo jeans. I still have a pair hanging in my closet that I haven’t taken the time to figure out what to wear with them (that would be okay to leave the house in). My son says they are my “stay-at-home pants.” I was going to wear them instead of jeans one day for the challenge…but chickened out. Maybe I will pair them with a similar sweater! 🙂
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I need to add the pink sweater to my Christmas list, I think. I have a kind of pale pinky tan sweater but this one with the eyelash fabric would be so much cuter. I would never ever ever have thought I would wear camos but once I put them on, I was sold. I have worn them three times since I wrote my post! I hope you will get your pair out of the closet and try them with a couple of different tops until you find the perfect one to pair them with. Try your embellished sweatshirt, maybe. I am going to try mine with my camos as soon I can take them off long enough to wash them!
Deena
Bahahahhaah- great post! You made me laugh. Also, Lauren is beautiful, I always loved seeing her posts in the challenges. Good work, Momma!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Ha, glad you had a laugh. I was so worried about posting about hats but it turned out to be easier than I thought!! Thank you, Deena, for your sweet comments about Lauren. I miss having my girls doing the challenges with me. Lauren always seemed to have a knack at making every outfit her own. I bought her one of these JCP winter hats for Christmas and will try to get a pic of her wearing it for the blog.
Karen Strand
Hi Leslie,
I just bought some camo pants at Loft too! I wonder if we have the same ones! I’ll do a post with them next week.
Have a great weekend!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Hey Karen! Do your camos have a bit of gray-blue and tan-pink in them? The ones I bought were new in the store and have subtle patches of those colors in them. They had them hanging beside a pink sweater and they looked really pretty. I never ever ever dreamed I would wear camo – and especially not at 56 – but here I am, doing just that. And loving it! Send me a pic of you wearing your camo, please.
Sharon
You are so funny friend! You look darling like Lauren in any hat! I wore one once to a golf tournament and all the girls laughed. That was it for me. I don’t have a “hat head” but love them on others. 🙂 Your sweet mom would be so proud!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I know we are both very busy being hostesses with the mostest right now. Look forward to having a quiet moment next week where we can catch up with one another. I would think you would look really cute in a hat or visor with those big brown eyes peeking out. You should try again!!
Carrie
So funny….crazy lady with crazy eyes made me laugh. You look great in hats, friend!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, I am plenty crazy over here. Just ask anyone in northeast El Paso! Really admire your polish and classiness. You are the blogger I wish I could be but my crazy gets in the way. Hope we can expand our link ups in the new year. Thank you for coming by.
Jen
Thank you so much for the laughs on this Monday morning!
I have the same backpack-flap hat 😉
Your pictures are wonderful. I really need to step up my hat game!
Have a fantastic week,
Jen
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Glad I am not the only one who recognizes the fashionability of a backpack flap! I was truly so worried about this post and need to just remember to have fun and not get so wound up! Thank you so much for sharing a laugh with me! Hope you will come back to visit again!
Sarah C
Haha, love this! Love the hats on you!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Sarah. I had fun doing the hat blog after all. I need to lighten up and not get so worried about things!! Thank you for stopping by!