Hats Cheer Up War Veterans

With Veterans Day coming up on November 11, I thought this story about a hospice volunteer by the name of John Schorr very moving.

You see, Mr. Schorr believes there’s a hat for everyone, especially veterans. A Vietnam vet himself, John Schorr has been volunteering at the hospice for three years, and hands out baseball caps (like the one he wears) to other war vets — on which the war and years of service of that patient are detailed.

All of the veterans he’s come across served in WWII (not Vietnam), but the very fact that the patient and volunteer served in the US forces during wartime gives them a special bond. That shared experience, embodied by the hat, provides the basis for conversations, mutual respect and friendship.

By honoring war veterans, Mr. Schorr himself is an honorable man. Thank you sir.

And thanks for reading too.

Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

Read the full article here.

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The Many Hats of Van Morrison

If you do an image search on google for Van Morrison, the legendary singer shows up in most wearing a hat, usually a fedora or trilby.

In fact, the Telegraph’s Fashion Director, Hilary Alexander, noted that

as hairlines recede, so hats, in keeping with advancing years, are once again coming to the forefront. A hat adds charm, distinction and a certain louche elegance, not to mention height. Eyes sparkle under the jauntily-upturned brim; the disparity between a balding head and shoulder-length locks from the ears downward, or else a little ponytail, is instantly disguised.

She quotes a local buyer of men’s accessories (who “believes van Morrison is partly responsible for a 105% leap in the sales of Trilbys in the last two years alone“) as saying that

every time Van Morrison goes on stage, the loudest cheers will undoubtedly come from hat manufacturers across the world.

 

Van Morrison isn’t the only celebrity famous for wearing fedoras, of course: Michael Jackson wore them and currently Keith Richards and Bob Dylan are seen on stage and in public with hats, keeping the Frank Sinatra tradition of cool alive.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

source

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Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Buckaroo Fair

If you’re anywhere near Heber City, Utah between today and November 8th, 2009, don’t miss the 15th Annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Buckaroo Fair!

The mission of the annual event is to promote the cowboy way of life through music, poetry and art and you’re sure to see some great cowboy hats proudly worn and displayed.

Events include The Wild, Wild West Show, the Cowboy Poetry-Chili Train and a Mountain Man Trader’s Camp with continuous music and poetry. There’s also a colt starting clinic (held at an indoor arena) as well as a performance by the Utah Valley University Symphony.

For those of you who love musicals, “Annie Get Your Gun” is being performed over two weekends (including the 12th-14th). There’s even a Homestead Hoedown Dinner and Dance plus a Cowboy Buckaroo Ball and Concert.

If I can get there, I might head over to the fiddle and guitar workshops and then take in the Mountain Valley Extreme Mustang Makeover with its trial competitions, live auction and adoption of 30 mustangs.

On the 8th, don’t miss the Cowboy Church featuring gospel music by the Bar J Wranglers, Belinda Gail and Curley Musgrave. This event’s free with donations going to charity.

Yee-haw!

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Light Headed About Hats

In a Cornell Daily Sun article called Getting Light Headed: Hats and Accessories, writer Alex Harlig says that “what’s great about head wear is that it can change the way your outfit presents itself.”

Looks that are typical or expected, she continues, can increase the strength of the overall outfit, while a contrast look can bring “new life to all of the elements involved.” In other words, a fur felt fedora can finish off an elegant suit with finesse or it can add a touch of class and style to a grungier, edgier outfit of torn jeans and distressed leather jacket.

She finishes off to say that if a hat doesn’t bring about the desired effect for you one day, it might just well happen the next. In other words, don’t give up: maybe it was the wrong outfit or attitude. Hats can be very tricky, you know.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Try Your Hats on at Home

I’m running a completely new promotion that’s truly no risk. Usually you have to be signed up on my email list to get these special deals, but I’m so darn excited about this event, I’ve just got to let the hat out of the bag!

Okay, here’s the deal: until Tuesday, October 27, 2009, you get the opportunity to try on all the hats you order — at home. Just buy two or more hats at HartfordYork.com, and I’ll spring for the shipping — both ways.

It’s easy — here’s how it works:

After you’ve placed the first hat or cap in your cart, click “Continue Shopping” to add the second (or third, or fourth – there’s no limit!). Order at least two and you will receive Free Ground Shipping.

Trying on your hats: If your mirror says, “NO WAY!”, place the hat to be returned in the same package (in perfect condition), within 7 days.

Returning: Each hat will come with a prepaid return label. We pay the return shipping.

Hurry, it’s almost Tuesday. Order now, thank me later.

Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Distracted By My Hat

A study on “inattentional blindness” is to be published in an upcoming issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology — and its findings are startling (to most).

It seems that people using their cell phones are so distracted, and pay so little attention to things happening around them, that they fail to notice bizarre occurrences taking place. Bizarre like a unicycling clown.

Dr. Ira E. Hyman, Jr. of Western Washington University, is head researcher of the study and says that cell phone users were the group most prone to oblivious behavior (as compared to individuals walking alone, in pairs, or listening to their ipods). Only one-quarter of them noticed the unicycling clown, while pedestrians not not using a cell phone noticed the clown over half the time.

Now, Dr. Hyman, that’s all very interesting and I agree that all cell phone use while driving a motor vehicle should be banned. However — in the interest of science and all that, I think you should know that when you’ve got me in my stockroom, trying to decide between a couple of glorious tweed caps, you could have the entire troupe from the Cirque de Soliel, dancing on stilts, and I wouldn’t see a thing. Just saying.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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ScienceDaily.com source article

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Wired Baseball Caps Can Save Your Life

GizModo (The Gadget Blog) has got an interesting post about a hat that can actually save your life — especially for those of you who drive long distance for a living.

It’s about a product called the SmartCap, and the title says it all: A Truck Driver’s Baseball Cap Could Be The Difference Between Life and Death.

Originally designed for miners, the specially wired hat monitors a driver’s brain waves for signs of fatigue. If the sensors (fitted into the ball cap) see that the driver is getting sleepy, a message is sent to a computer screen in the driver’s cab, which flashes a warning alert. Apparently cell phones will also be enabled to receive the warning signal.

Trials are promising, says the Australian-based research organization (CRC Mining) that invented the SmartCap, reducing driver fatalities by over 30 percent. The cap is to be worn by all its heavy vehicle operators at its mines in Australia beginning in December, and it’ll be interesting to monitor the stats in another six months time.

I’d like to see airline pilots have this fatigue-detection technology installed in their caps; however, this wouldn’t be of value unless pilots actually wore their hats while flying.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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Is a Hat Exclusive to HartfordYork Really Exclusive?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: yesiree!

I really do personally work with the best hat makers in the business to bring you hats that you simply can’t get anywhere else except at Hartford York Exclusives. Sometimes I ask the designers to go for broke and create a one-off, such as in the case with Wigens Estonian; sometimes I ask for a specific addition, a touch of my own (see The Tartu). Borsalino of Italy plays with me in addition to the Swedish hatter, as does Anthony Paris and even Aston Leather.

As you can see from the Exclusives page, designers are willing to work with any hat or cap shape — from baseball caps and pilot’s bombardiers to a men’s stingy brim dress hat in leather, these toppers are unique. And that’s probably why we all bother (manufacturers, retailers as well as you, the consumer) — it’s exciting to wear something that only those people in the know can find, and it’s rewarding to offer exclusive products to knowledgeable customers.

Thanks for being there,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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I Like Big Hats (And I Cannot Lie)

I think the saddest thing I ever read was one hat lover’s lament that his head was so big he had real trouble finding a hat to fit, and so was forced (on the most part) to do without wearing hats at all.

We make apparel to fit all sizes, but accessory items like gloves and hats can still be hard to find in 3XL. The average circumference of the human head is about 55.9 cm for men (that’s 22 inches); and 54.47cm (nearly 21.5″) for women. The deviation is usually no more than 2cm (3/4 inch) either way.

It may not seem like a lot, but a couple of centimeters difference in the fit of your hat can give you a splitting headache — if it’s on the tight end. Similarly, if your hat’s even slightly too big, it can be uncomfortable to wear and make you very self-conscious.

Take the time to carefully measure your head before buying a hat and also take hope: caring hat retailers (you know, like me) offer entire sections dedicated to extra-large hats to the tune of triple XL (that’s 64 cm or just a titch over 25 inches). All of this means that big heads can be covered with great hats–and that I’ve again done good in the world.

If your head is bigger than that, well I probably won’t be able to control myself, and may shout out Hey Pumpkinhead before running wildly away.

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer, Pinhead
and CEO Hartford York

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Have You Seen Julie and Julia?

I was dragged (I mean, I went willingly!) to see a movie about Julia Child (based on Julie Powell’s 2002-2003 blog, where Powell recounted her quest of making all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking).

The movie made me really hungry and distinctly nostalgic, all at the same time.

The diplomatic world of France in the late ’40s is one of two eras captured in this movie (the other being post 9/11, making-ends-meet New York), with all its fashion, social patter, men’s hat styles and big cars. Although I wasn’t even alive then, I somehow feel a pull towards the kind of classy existence portrayed, not all of which can simply be Hollywood manufactured dross.

What decade or era does it for you?

Thanks for reading,
Steve Singer
CEO Hartford York

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