The Perfect Sun Hat

I love summer and I love the sun and what better accessory to go with the summer and the sun? None other than a sun hat of course. Now, I really think that this year I have been lucky enough to find the perfect sun hat. Allow me to explain.

Here are some of my previous sun hats that I have owned, all of which I ended up losing not long after I purchased them.

My green hat (lets call this one Miss Green Hat) purchased for my first backpacking trip to Europe in 2006. I loved the color and thought it was really cute but now that I look back at these photos, I am aware of how ridiculous it looked, or maybe just how ridiculous I looked as a whole. The hat probably didn't help. I am pretty sure I left this on a train somewhere before we ended up hitting the sunny parts of Europe so I didn’t get much use out of it. I should probably be thankful that I lost it. What are my kids going to think when they see these photos? I really only wore it on travel days as it was much easier to transport with it on my head than in a backpack so that must have made me look even more ridiculous.

My sun hat purchased for our wedding trip to Greece. Let’s call this one Mr. Brown Hat. I really liked this one. I am not sure where it ended up but with all the wedding craziness, things were bound to go missing. At least I did get proper use out of it, unlike with Miss Green Hat.

Both Miss Green Hat and Mr. Brown Hat were dearly loved. However, a fault they had was that their brims were way too flimsy. As you can see in the photos, the brim would always flop around and that was quite annoying at times, especially when it would flop around in front of your face and limit your vision.

Now, lets move on to Miss Vietnam. I bought this hat (along with a matching one for Perry, against his wishes, and a mini one for my one year old niece) in Hanoi, Vietnam on our 3-month long honeymoon. I love these hats as I think they are very effective and durable but the downside is that you always have to wear it on your head as it is not flexible enough to pack in a backpack or suitcase. And I also look like a major tourist in it! However effective these hats were, I still managed to leave all 3 of them behind on a ferry ride from Ko Phi Phi to Krabi in Thailand. It just wasn’t  meant to be. Perry was happy though that he didn't have to wear this ever again!! And let's face it, it does look like a lamp shade on my head (as my brother in law, Lee, likes to remind me) so it would have been pretty silly to wear outside of Asia (sillier than wearing it in Asia).

Miss Vietnam being put to use

Upon returning from our honeymoon, we popped into Primark to have a quick browse at something when my eye caught sight of this beauty, Miss Perfect. I tried her on and it was love at first try! And at a bargain price of £4, how could I say no?! BUT, I had to say no as we were on an extremely tight budget saving for our next trip and completely broke from our honeymoon. I was sad that I said no but I had to just tough it out. I couldn't stop thinking about this hat from the moment we left the store. About a week later, I entered our bedroom and there she was: a Primark bag with none other than Miss Perfect inside. To be honest, Perry and I had gotten into an argument and he made the trek to Oxford to buy it for me as an “I’m sorry” for who even remembers what the argument was about. I’ll take Miss Perfect over flowers anyday! That Perry sure is a keeper!

Miss Perfect in all her glory

So now, why is Miss Perfect the perfect sun hat you ask?! It’s all to do with her brim of course! It’s the perfect brim. It is not flimsy. It is firm and does not flop around in the wind as there seems to be some sort of wire along the edge that keeps it from flopping. Also, check out those polka dots! Those that know me know my love for polka dots (I was even thrown a polka-dot themed bachelorette party so that gives you an idea of just how much I love them). The color is also one that will match many of my summer outfits so that is a bonus. And, it doesn't look too bad on me either ;-)

Only 12 more sleeps to go  until we depart England for the warmer climates that are Italy and Greece. I can’t wait to bring her with us and start putting her to use! She hangs on a clothing rack in our bedroom that just so happens to be within my line of vision as I lie in bed so she is one of the first things I see when I wake up and one of the last things I see before I go to bed. She is a beautiful sight. Now let’s just hope that I can last the whole trip without misplacing her. If I do misplace her, I guess I can always buy her twin sister(s). At a bargain price of £4, I should just buy all of them so I can have a lifetime supply. After all, it has taken me nearly 27 years to find the perfect sun hat!


What is your idea of the perfect sun hat? Do you have a favorite hat to wear in the summer?